Lemon Glazed Shortbread Cookies

This cookie recipe has served me well in the four years since I made the first batch. I've not had anyone say they don't like them.   It's a winner!

Bonus Points:
It's an easy recipe to pull together.
My five year old loved being part of the process (especially the glazing part!).
The dough can be made ahead and placed in the freezer to be baked another day.

Charm your friends and family. Make a batch or two.

Lemon Glazed Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients
3/4 Cup Butter (1 1/2 sticks, salted or not - your choice) at room temperature
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Large Egg Yolks
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Flour

Glaze
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (fresh or bottled)
1 teaspoon Grated Lemon Zest (optional)

Use a mixer and beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg yolks, vanilla and salt.  Mix well.  Gradually add the flour (I place mine in a sifter and sift in slowly).

Dough gets crumbly as
you add the flour.  That's okay!

NOTE: The dough will start to ball apart/break up - this is fine and expected.




Mix until the flour is incorporated into the dough.   When you pull it out to make logs you'll hand mix the dough into a smooth consistency.

See how the dough is now 
smooth?  Easy peasy.

Divide the dough in half and roll into two logs.  Wrap each in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

You'll get two of these logs. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  Slice logs into 3/8 inch thick pieces and space them on parchment lined baking sheet.

People wonder how I get these 
cookies so perfectly round.  Funny.

Perfectly cooked!

Bake until lightly golden, 16 - 20 minutes (my oven cooks them perfectly in 16).  Let cool a minute or so on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack (or on newsprint on your counter) to cool completely.











Glaze.
In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest  until it forms a glaze that is thick, but pourable (add more lemon juice as you desire). Dip top of each cookie into the glaze and let set, about 15 minutes (overnight is better).  

Truly luscious. 

Freezing the dough.
You can freeze the dough for up to two months.  Roll into two logs, twist the ends of the wax paper to help seal the dough, place in a gallon freezer bag.  When you're ready to bake, pull from freezer, slice and pop in the oven.  Your bake time will probably be longer from the frozen stage.  Keep an eye on them once placed in the oven.

Recipe originally pulled from December 2010 Real Simple magazine.

Bathroom Remodel!

Before.  Loved the tile.  Durable (until the 

drywall disintegrates behind it!)

In my seven years as a homeowner, it's clearly obvious the house is actually in charge; forcing your hand into the most interesting things you weren't exactly prepared to do at the time you're presented with it.  Case in point, my bathroom.  

When I moved in, I liked my bathroom.  Tile enclosure for the tub, glass block window, tile wainscoting, adorable floor tile (see the black accents?), and plenty of storage despite its tiny size. 

When the shower wall caved in, I thought I'd patch the hole, maybe replace the entire enclosure; however, since I'll be in my home for at least another five years,  I opted to take the room down to its studs and replace every single item, right down to the switch plates.  

What to expect.

My contractor (A&S Improvements) and I scheduled the remodel in and around my family's vacation.  We have only one bathroom, so getting us out of the house saved us from figuring out which neighbor had the closest toilet and allowed Aaron and his crew to work without rush. 

I had some four months to source ideas for the design and to researching what to expect/what to plan for in a bathroom remodel.  I found this article, by Pam Kueber  to be helpful.  Your bathroom is a complex room. It serves multiple functions, so be patient, take a deep breath and focus.  

My contractor left the toilet for about four days so I had somewhere 

to go besides my neighbor's.  Once we left on vacation, this 

component was yanked out. 

Lots of insulation; this wall meets up with the exterior of my home.  

My favorites.

I was about two weeks into my research when I was introduced to Houzz.  The site is aspirational, providing hundreds of ideas you can place in an "ideabook" complete with your comment as to why you've saved any one particular idea.  Houzz allows you to sort based on numerous variables (drilling down to my area's contractors), and you can purchase through Houzz.   I was able to easily share links with my contractor allowing greater communication between us. 

Pinterest served its purpose in the selection of colors, storage opps and innovative ways to remodel. My contractor wasn't as impressed with this site's ability to share, but the two of us worked through it. 

Locally I visited The Tile Shop and Tile & Stone Warehouse.  I got a recommendation to visit Faucet Direct , and I used this site purchase items.  

Home Depot and Lowes, of course.  I found navigating the Home Depot site infinitely superior to Lowes.  HD's layout is easier to maneuver through and it offers multiple filters so you can narrow your search quickly to avoid looking at items that won't work.  

Look. It's all finished! 

I'm thoroughly pleased with my newly remodeled bathroom.  A&S Improvements did an outstanding job, were tidy with their work and kept me grounded while providing options to sustain my vision.  

Wow. Right? It's been too long.

I have to really prioritize things in my life.  I've been online for three years?  What?

So, I have gone on some dates.  Amazing.  You'd think I'd of gone on hundreds by now.  Clearly not a priority.  I'll say that three months after I set up my profile I landed a genuine keeper of a job.  That's changed my life.

My mom's health took a steep decline. I started visiting her a lot.  It took all my spare time.  She died in late February. That changed my life.

My friend's mom found a guy online. I thought, really, she found love online that quickly? BTW, she's in her 70s, widowed just at a year when she met him.  Then I remember that others make choices that are unique to them.  Lucky lady, I hope.  This did not change my life, but did cause me to pause.

I recently started looking online again.  I'm also reading a few dating books including Love is Blind Only if You Are.  It reminds me to ask what I want vs. wondering whether he'll call back.  The other one is written by the millionaire dating lady.  It tells me to keep my hair long or men will think I've "given up."  What??

Not much, but a concert notification!

Sadly, the title doesn't translate into a date to a concert.  In fact, it means some online somebody knew more about the music I enjoy to mention (albeit from a post I gave him) that my favorite alternative country musician is in KC in the next two weeks.  I got tickets for me and my daughter.  We can't wait.

Of course, I can't share that I'm going to the concert to this guy.  In fact, I'm not sure if I'm cut out for this kind of interaction with the human race.  It's weird, takes time, initiative (and in some cases that initiative is for naught) and patience.  Maybe the cool kidz (read: 18 - 35 y/o) don't have to be so patient, but now that I'm in middle age (yes, I said it), the patience it takes to find one with which you'd give up an hour for coffee is greater.

One guy who I'd exchanged a few back & forths with suggested he'd like me to contact him if I'm free on a Friday or Saturday night.  My first thought was why on earth I'd waste an evening with someone I hadn't ever met; is he wack?  One of my girlfriends took it a bit differently saying, "he wants you to ask him out; is he wack?"  Two rankings of "wack" means I didn't follow up with him. He eventually posted, "so, what are some of your favorite movies?" to which I haven't responded.  Hope he isn't holding his breath.

Two months in.

So, I’ve been busy.  Maybe too busy to keep the online thing going on, but I hate to drop it.   I rather like the diversion, and after a couple of weeks of crickets, I received three messages in the past 24 hours.  Okay, two don’t have pictures posted (drrr), but the other is one I’ve been communicating with on a limited basis.   I’m sad to realize that one guy (who I’d called my Sherpa) has removed his listing from OKCupid.  I don’t think we’d have ever met for real (he was the one who recognized me when I was out and about), but I can’t help feeling rejected in a small way.   He at least could write beyond an 8^th grade level and had a sense of humor.  Which brings me to things that annoy me:

One question/one word posts. 

“Hi.”  “You’re sexy, do you like slow kisses?”

Self-photos.

Okay, I get it; you don’t have any recent pictures of yourself.  Maybe you might consider at least holding the camera up toward your face vs. up shooting so we can see your nostrils or better, taken in the bathroom mirror.  Creepy.

No photo (thank you Melani!).

Really?  Dumbass, who wants to talk to someone who isn’t willing to share a pic?

Posts that are just this side of being violated.

One guy was all about performing oral sex on women. I guess, based on his message, he’s Mister Control at work (managing and bossing around “100s of people”), but in his personal life he just wants to be Mister ICanPleaseU.  Shades of Penthouse Forum.  Slurp. 

I’m so, so glad I have not signed up for a pay-service (yet).   Learning on a free scale gives me a clearer view of what to expect at Match or eHarmony.   I take it all with a grain of salt, wonder if anything of substance will ever happen with these so-called connections and, well, am enjoying the ride.  

Stellar.

I'm living all my online dating fears.

The one man I call my Sherpa? When I messaged him tonight, he messaged back quickly.  He asked if it was me he saw at a local coffee shop.  He relayed the name of the shop and its address. 

Really?  Now I know that the one I inadvertently gave my first and last name to (yea, Google email) is really sitting outside my home waiting to attack.   Keep out you psycho.

Laughing out loud.  Stunned.  And trying desperately to figure out if this guy who spotted me was the one I was holding the door for (he was awfully short!), or someone working behind the counter?  I scanned his pics on OKC, but I don’t remember anyone who looked like him.  Jaysus.  Just my luck.

At least I’m laughing about it.  For now.  After all, he recognized me because he was online too. I knew it could happen, I just didn't think it would happen, you know, in real life.  And why the heck didn't I see him?  I'm so obtuse, plus I was with my daughter.  We were having a special breakfast just her and me. That took precedence over me scanning the crowd for OKC faces.  

Now; however, I'm on the lookout.    

Slow Down.

I posted a picture of me with the cat and the online messages stopped including messages from the guy I inadvertently gave my name to.  Meow.

I have pro-actively written messages to two men (at the strong urging of the site’s administrators, "it works!"). Neither has responded.  Bleh.

I responded to a few gentlemen’s messages to me, but despite my witty repartee, crickets.  

My Sherpa (yes, for now, I have one) suggested that his best matches have come when he’s in “chill” mode and not actively trolling.  He made this comment when I’d said I’d fallen off the online dating wagon.  His thought was that it’s not necessary to become obsessed with it and, instead, relax.  Thought: He’s a man I pro-actively wrote to, and we’re still talking.  Hmm.

I don’t know why I’m in such a hurry to have a connection.  What a hassle and time suck it will be.  Sorry romantics, but it's the truth.

And this is why . . .

I had a natural fear of signing up for online dating.  Seriously??

Enjoy.

One Week In.

I’m going to attempt to give credence to my foray into online dating, one week in. Here’s a list of surprises that I didn’t expect, should have expected or hadn’t thought out:

 Marrieds.  Bad relationships, swingers, cheaters.  Online sites offer a plethora of people looking for diversion.  I give credit to those who are up front about their relationship status, but it’s not my thing.

 Poor Grammar. Typos.  All. The. Time.  Ghastly.  Did 90% of the online population fail high school English? 

Stupid Handles.  SlowHand, PotBurner, WhyNotHookUp, BushPilot (okay, maybe that one’s legit, but I have my suspicions after having read his profile). 

 Bait & Switch.  Profile reads one way, messages appear to have been written by someone else. 

 Speed.  Presumed Rejection.  You can quickly message someone. Seriously rapid deployment.   Despite your best efforts to be witty and flirty with a guy, he’s not always going to respond.  Some will, some won’t, so what, move on. 

 Stop, Too Much.  I don’t discount a boy who asks, “how are you” in an initial message. You don’t want to shoot your wad before you’ve figured out if the girl’s going to respond.  It’s not something I do, but I get it.  The opposite floors me: Boys gushing about love, going on and on about looking for love and how they like to love and all they want is love.  All right already.  I get it.  

What to Say Next.  This is my next big challenge.  I’ve got a dialogue going with someone and then hesitate as to what’s the next best thing to say.  Too much, and I’ve given up precious information I’d rather not share.  Too little, and I risk being cut off.   It’s weird and I’m working on it.

I’m actually pleasantly surprised at my limited experience. It’s not as scary as I’d made it in my head (isn’t that almost always the case?).  Tossing myself into the dating pool has provided me incentive to take care of myself (or at least think about it before I have one more helping of pie), to be authentic and recognize I’m not some middle-aged has-been with no future for a boy in her life.   At this point, the dialogue has all been online, and that’s okay.  I’m not ready for my close-up.

Crap, no I didn't!

For those just joining, I jumped into the online dating pool.  In a complete feat of utter stupidity (and just at three days of trial) I’ve managed to provide some complete stranger my first and last name. 

Oh, I was sly, I set up an anonymous email address using my online handle.  Unfortunately it wasn't anonymous (first & last name, egads) and I realized this after I emailed him a second time. 

Way to go whack-a-doo (that’s me).  You’ve probably given a more apt whack-a-doo just enough information to raise a serious ruckus. 

Good news?  I’ve only done this with one stranger. 

Bad news?  I’m sure that was his plan all along.  If you will, in the entire slog of online people I could have met, wouldn’t it be a karmic-bitch to have gone hook, line and sinker for the serial con man in my first plunge?

Ay, yi, yi.  

Lesson learned. Find another source for email linkage that is more secure.  And don’t give money to strangers. This online dating thing isn’t for sissies.

Plunge-a-rific, or Awk-ward?

I've just taken the dive into the online dating pool.  Five years after ending the lengthy relationship with my daughter's dad, it was time.

I've been setup on blind dates by my friends.  Never anything horrible, but I do remember when my friend's husband asked, after a setup, if I thought the guy was gay.  Really?  Blind dates have fizzled out, and I want someone to go to dinner with, take in a movie and, yes, have an occasional hook up.  Yikes, did I just say that?

Right now this is less than 24 hours old.  I've already recognized its addicting appeal.  It's hard not to respond immediately to a man's missive (well, sometimes it's not, like when he calls you "dear" in his first email, the message includes typos and his profile seems a bit nuts).  Guess I should check out The Rules before I delve too deeply into this foray.

I'll be posting updates here, as I have to let it out somewhere. As much as I feel giddy, I also feel exposed and vulnerable.  Blech, I hate those last two descriptors, but I have to be pragmatic.  

Stay tuned.

Glitter Fish.

I teach Sunday school to a group of five - eight year olds for a whole month about every other month.  It's always interesting coming up with something that teaches as well as entertains.  I found Glitter Fish while searching Pinterest. While these glitter fish aren't as spectacular as shown on Catholic Icing, they were a big hit, and I'm glad to have had the site for inspiration. 

Here's what we did today:

Take empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls, flatten them and cut them into strips.   Then cut the strips in half at one of the ends. 

Cut a slit on either end and attach them. 

Voila, fish!

Next, take white school glue and mix 1:1 with water.  Brush glue mix on the fish and drop them into a gallon-size zip lock filled with glitter.  FYI: I was able to easily put three fish into the bag.

Shake it up (just like I batter my chicken!). Make sure the fish are covered with plenty of sparkles!

By the way, I didn't have enough glitter, so I added some other sparkly items I had on hand.  

Voila, Glitter Fish!

We didn't have time to let these dry before we had to head to church. I brought in sandwich-size zip locks to place them in.  It limited the mess of glitter as the kids met up with their parents!  

The kids really enjoyed this activity, and kept asking for more and more fish to glue, shake and glitter.  

Great fun!  Thanks again for the idea Catholic Icing!

Hand-written thank you notes.

Always in fashion, I'm busy writing thank you notes for the gifts received over the holidays.  I sometimes wonder where people's heads are at when they forget to send the simple note that says, "thanks."

I had on my to-do list tonight to crank out two.  Got busy on the Internet instead.  Damn Facebook and Google+.   I wonder if that's where others' heads are at when they forget to put pen to paper in acknowledgement of a gift?  Hmmmm.

Yoga Rules!

Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.

~William Gibson

 

Yay Yoga Gallery for this fabulous quote!

 

I may not be able to afford regular yoga practice at a real studio, but I can certainly practice at home and reflect on how much I love it. 

 

Namaste my friends!

 

 

First Day of Summer!

I pointed at the calendar yesterday morning and showed my daughter that today was the first day of summer.  I then asked her how many days she'd thought summer had been already. 

"987,654,321," she replied. 

1) She can count backwards
2) Summer has been going on for quite a few days

Yea summer!

What the heck?

So many options for blog posts. I forget I need to write them down.  I've considered a pendant necklace in which the pendant is a pad of paper with a pen attached.  No good; too clunky, plus my daughter would request it off my neck on a regular basis.

New news: I've begun working with a career coach.  It's uplifting and is already helping me develop clarity with regard to the next big thing. 

Past two weeks: Girl Scout Day Camp, St. Louis wedding and Vacation Church School.  Been fun, but we need a break!

Go, go Girl Scouts!

Must have been your 'magination Mom.

Is it possible that in my mid forties I still don't know how to put on makeup?  Better, I'm not sure I've ever had the right kind of makeup.  Maybe once when I was 19 and working at Macy's.  Got treated right at the Lancome counter.  Ah, the beauty in that line.

Fast forward a couple of decades (or so). . This afternoon I spent a 1/2 hour in the lotions & potions aisle at Target chewing on L'Oreal, Oil of Olay or Aveeno.   I walked out with three different products for day, night and eyes.  Lordy.

Glitter, how is it made?

Courtesy of Paper Source.

My daughter and I spent most of Saturday evening making funny Valentines.  She got her inspiration from the latest cover of a Paper Source catalog.  I love what she did. The one pictured here was given to her grandmother.  The others grace our cabinetry in the living room.

You need to make some calls.

Ya think?

And so it goes.

Is joy the absence of fear?  I just read that in someone's FB status.

Joy is my daughter enjoying her life.  She's floating in the tub right now,  occasionally belting out "Angels We Have Heard on High" and having conversations with her dolls and other assorted floatables.

Joy is a sunny day.

Joy is a good night's sleep uninterrupted by fears (whoa, maybe there's something to the "absence of fear" FB post).


I'm going to have to think on this.