I know, I know, why isn't this day celebrated in a more appropriate month, say, December, when sugar cookies are de rigeur and no one is scared to turn on the oven?
But regardless, we celebrated the day by baking cookies at a friend's house. Let's call her our Friday Friend. She's been the kids' church school teacher for the last two years and Mama and I have known her for the last seven. She's an early childhood educator by profession and a wonderful folk musician. And we're lucky that she's spending time with us! Every Friday this summer we all have plans to get together to do things--last week it was thumbprint art; next week we're thinking of painting t-shirts or baking sourdough biscuits.
And today it was cookies. She'd made the dough ahead of time and the kids joyfully went to rolling and cutting--bunnies, coyotes, stars, hearts, gingerbread people. Then we made frosting--pink and blue--and decorated them all. We ate several before heading into her living room for a jam session on her collection of drums. "All God's Critters," "You are My Sunshine," and "The Silliest Song in the World" ("Ain't Gonna Rain . . .") . . . lots of fun. And all I had to do was sit back and enjoy both the kids having fun and someone else enjoying them. It doesn't get much better than that (well, I also got to enjoy her house, which is filled with books and homemade things, in a comfy-craftsy-chic horror vaccui that I could adopt as my own). We left about two hours later, going through her garden with its grape arbor, three planters of vegetables (including some kale that she let the kids cut for us to take home), compost pile, and lots of interesting paths and garden doodads (reflecting balls, windchimes, mermaid stakes). It was like leaving fantasyland.
I'm glad we'll get to play every Friday.
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Frosted Cookie Cut-Outs
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup superfine sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add buttermilk alternating with flour mixture.
Chill for 2 hours. Roll out to 1/8" thick.
Bake at 375F for 14 minutes (which seems tooo hot and too long to me)
Icing
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 tablespoons milk or cream
2-3 drops food coloring
Mix together.
adapted from Hannukah cookies recipes in Holiday Baking by Sara Perry
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