Making the Holidays Merry
by Lori S. |
November 18, 2010 11:59 AM |
2 comments
Lori S.
Location:
Lucedale, MS
Favorite Flavor:
French Vanilla- although I haven't met a flavor I don't like.
How do you have fun (hobbies, sports, vacations, etc.)?
Travel is my ultimate “fun” thing to do. I also love to spend time outdoors- walking, gardening, even lounging in the shade reading. I also love to write, shop, and take photos.
If you could travel back in time, what era would you live in?
I'm not sure I'd want to, since I like the 'now', but I think the 20's would be interesting. Things seemed much more simple back then.
What’s your favorite meal? Do you cook?
I adore cooking and love to experiment with many different types of cuisine. I love so many foods but specialty sushi would probably be amongst my favorites... I also love Cajun food.
What holiday do you most look forward to, and why?
Christmas. It's the perfect time to spend with family and friends, although I love any time that I can spend with family and friends.
My friends and I are like so many people -- we love the holidays, but find that because we all work full time jobs, we are unable to do all of the holiday baking that we'd like to do. I usually get a few things made, but I always end up buying pre-baked goods at the local bakery because I don't have enough homemade to go around. The pre-baked are not nearly as good as homemade, but I figure it's at least something to have when people stop in for a visit, which happens quite often during the holiday season.
This past weekend, I was talking to some of my friends over lunch about the holidays and we thought that there really had to be some way that we could whip up sweet treats to have on hand without spending days upon end in the kitchen. As we were talking, it hit me. Why not have a cookie exchange? As soon as the words passed my lips, I could see the excitement rise and within ten minutes it was all planned out. On December 18th we'll get together for a festive lunch at my house - complete with my famous pumpkin cheesecake with gingerbread crust and plenty of coffee with various flavors
of our favorite seasonal COFFEE-MATE. The Pumpkin Spice flavor will accompany the pumpkin cheesecake perfectly. I have been contemplating ideas about how to use the new Sugar and Spice flavor in some of my cookie and bar recipes that I'll definitely share with COFFEE-MATE once they're perfected. For the exchange, we will use the Christmas china and each one of us will make at least one double batch of cookies, candy or bars.
There are ten of us (all of which are as excited as I am) so each guest will leave with ten different types of cookies, candies or bars at the end of the day. It was also decided that we'll take this time to do our annual gift exchange. This year, my gift to the girls will be baskets filled with their favorite coffee, a cute coffee mug (I'm known for loving different whimsical coffee mugs), several bottles of COFFEE-MATE powder, our favorite chocolates and tickets to the movies. This day will give us a chance to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and just enjoy some well needed girl time together.
I'm excited about this gathering because it will not only allow us to spend time together in a relaxed environment but that will also make our holidays easier by exchanging fresh baked goodies. This may be the first time we've done this, but I'm fairly certain it won't be the last.