It’s amazing how something so simple can be so rewarding.  Yesterday, Nicole spent some time in the kitchen baking cookies for the holidays.  This is nothing revolutionary or even an original task for this time of the year, but baking is something she enjoys doing.  After being busy between our day jobs and our business, taking time to enjoy other things can be just what the soul needs.

Growing up, every year she would spend one day around the holidays with some women in her family baking cookies for everyone to share.  As time has gone on and people have become busier, this tradition has slowly died.  Yes, it’s a sad thought but it also opened time up for traditions to be enjoyed (with some of the same ladies).

Back when she would bake cookies with everyone, it was an all-day production.  Now, cookie baking is a solo gig, it makes sense to scale down the production and break it out into a couple of smaller steps.  Having a smaller kitchen, with practically no counter space, prepping the dough the night before is the most logical method.  It allows the kitchen to be cleaned up before the baking begins… and with cookies, you have to be focused or they’ll get a little too crunchy.

Keeping things simple, Nicole only choose three types of cookies to bake, Chocolate Chips, Peanut Butter (some with and some without Hershey Kisses) and of course Nicole’s favorite, M&Ms.  Roughly 11 dozen cookies later and all the dough was used up!

Pixie Girl was the supervisor of the entire process!  She did not allow any cookies to get burnt and all went according to plan.

You know as a household of photographers… pictures were a must.  Also, being a household with three cats, keeping the cats out of way or off the table was the hardest tasks of the day!

As any baker or cook will tell you… you must taste the spoils of your labor.  We also had to share with Pixie Girl.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Nicole & Ryan