Let the Christmas Cookies Begin: Lemon-Iced Cookies

It's raining hard here, which means it's really almost Christmas in San Francisco. Isabella and I did some Christmas window shopping this weekend. Ingredients for Christmas cookies are showing up in our kitchen; Christmas tree is being purchased tomorrow.

Above is a picture of Noel's version of Gran Fran's lemon-iced cookies. Delish! Noel's an excellent baker, so I left the documentation to her. My cookies never quite look as good as hers, though they do taste delightful.

I wanted to share a recipe, but also these gems of Christmas-pictures past of the Claro kids. These were on Facebook already, so I figured my siblings can't complain about me posting them here....

 The little one in the grey dress is me. Kind of looking like a crazy monkey. I think there is at least one picture of each of my sisters wearing this dress. I know there are shots of me in the dress with the cherries Noel is wearing, and the blue dress Danielle has on. I never had the pleasure of wearing the funky heart-printed one Nicole has on, nor Chris' very awesome plaid pants.

How about those late '70's collars? I see tinsel on that Christmas tree. No idea Gran Fran used to allow that, must note for future Christmas

Gran Fran wrote a wonderful post that evokes memories of grandmas getting ready for Christmas in their community. The recipe for her lemon-iced cookies was included in the post. They're a wonderful addition to your traditional Christmas cookie repertoire.

And, finally, a picture of my daughter and her two local cousins enjoying some sparkling cider (no, it's not beer) at Thanksgiving dinner. These are who I bake for these days. Not too shabby, huh?

So let's start this Christmas season off right and get some baking done!

(All pictures are cookies made with standard all-purpose white flour. You can replace white flour with Gluten Free Pantry's All Purpose Flour Mix)

Angeletti –Lemon-Iced Cookies

Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use Gluten Free Pantry's All Purpose Flour Mix)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• Grated rind of 1 lemon
•  2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• Colored sprinkles (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift togther flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugaruntil fluffy
4.  Add eggs one at a time; mix well after each addition.
5. Mix in vanilla.
6. With mixer on, gradually add flour mixture; beat until dough comes together.
7. Gently roll bits of dough into  1 to 1-1/2 inch ballsand placeon lightly buttered or parchment-lined baking sheet.
8. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. To cool cookies, transfer them to wire cooling rack set over a sheet of waxed paper.
9.  In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar, lemon rind, and lemon juice to form a smooth glossy icing.
10. When cookies are cool, dip tops in icing and return to wire rack.
11. Shower with colored sprinkles if desired. Let cookies remain on wire cooling rack until icing is firm.

Gee My Dad Smells Terrific

Father's day. A day to celebrate your father. I've already posted one missive about my dad Joe here.

There are many things that remind me and my daughter, Isabella, of Joe, most of which have to do with scents.

Herewith, a small list (with pictures) of just three of the many scents of Joe.

1. Dial Soap

The other night, I washed my hands with Dial soap before going in to say goodnight to Isabella. She inhaled deeply and said "Oh! That smells like Joe, I can't wait to go to New York this summer." When I recounted this to Joe, he laughed and said that though we grew up using Dial soap, it wasn't always in our house. Apparently, this was the soap they used in the Navy boot camp Joe was at in the '60's. He said he couldn't stand the smell of it for years because it reminded him of boot camp. Go figure, one girl's great scent memory is another man's nightmare.

2. Tide Detergent

I recall a lot of laundry going on around our house, everyday, several loads a day. With five kids and two adults, I suppose it was necessary. Joe is the king of laundry. He taught us how to sort, which temperature water to use and how much detergent to put in. There were definitely rules around when you could do the laundry, timing the drier just so, making sure the end of the cycle coincided with whatever TV show was on that night, so folding might be a bit more enjoyable. The Tide I show here is my own scent. Joe and Gran Fran use the original style Tide.

3. Mrs. Meyer's Geranium Scent Cleaning Products

Several years ago during one of our many New York visits, my sister Danielle invited the entire family over to her house. She was doing dishes when we walked in with a new dish soap that smelled fantastic. Joe went over to the sink and stood quietly while he inhaled the beautiful geranium aroma. It was Mrs. Meyer's dish soap, and Joe was immediately hooked. My sister Nicole and I, who both live out here in San Francisco, are kept in Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products sent in shipments by Joe. What a treat, huh?

There are many more scents from the present (cedar mountain shampoo) and the past (vanilla pipe tobacco) that are Joe-tastic. Happy Father's Day to you, Joe Claro, you wonderful smelling guy!

The Nativity

Gran Fran's brother, Uncle (yes he has a name, but we just call him Uncle, okay?) painted these ornaments over 40 years ago. They've been featured on the tree all that time. I helped Gran Fran decorate her tree this year for the first time in almost 20 years. It was great to see these guys in person again. The wood is a soft balsa-wood type that's so light it seems too fragile to have held up over this many years.

I especially love how Uncle painted Mary and Jesus. It's so sweet.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Celebrate the old-time traditions, create some new ones and enjoy yourselves with friends and family.