Busy, busy, busy

Today I was pretty much missing in action around blogland today because I was busy making this:

Cheese Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are perfect for those who cannot have a lot of sugar.

1 container (250 grams/1/2 lb.) McLaren's Imperial Cheese [the one in the red container with black lid] *Update: here is a link to this cheese. Apparently it is a Canadian product but I guess made by Kraft so I'm thinking it would be available for you south of the border!

http://www.ioriginals.net/imperialcheese.htm

1/2 lb. butter

2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. light brown or golden sugar

Bring cheese and butter to just room temperature. Mix all ingrediants together with mixer. Push into a ball in bowl, cover and refridgerate 1 hour or more.

On large square of wax paper, spread a little flour down. Place half the ball of dough on wax paper, folding the paper over the ball. Now roll into a tube like shape. Do the same with the other half of dough so that you have two rolls of dough. Place in freezer for 1 hour for easier clean slicing. Cookies will be pretty much as large as you made the roll and as thick as you slice them.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Place sliced cookies on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool on racks. Makes about 2 1/2 - 3 dozen cookies depending on size and thickness you make them.

If you don't consider rolling pins an instrument of torture you can roll and cut them with cookie cutters.

We also made these today with the 2 - 3 year olds:

On a large sheet of paper, I used newsprint, trace around a small plate or dish. For the hand prints I used 2 different greens. Use the round area as your boundary for the heal of the hand. For the young kids I totally helped them to place their hands turning the paper for them.

After cleaning up on a stiffer piece of paper, such as construction paper we colored 3 round shapes, then daubed glue on them, then shook sparkles to make them shiny. After then handprints were dry, I braced the back of them with strips from an old file folder as the newsprint tends to curl up a bit.

Then I just cut out the "balls" and let them glue them where ever they wanted and gave them a hunk of curled ribbon to glue on where they wanted. Voila: handprint wreath.

With the 4 year olds I made this Christmas countdown.

They traced and cut out the star shape (some with a little help), then cut strips of construction paper. I made 7 for the 7 days left for Christmas. With older children you can do from December 1 as their countdown. I find that is a big concept for a 4 year old and 7 days is plenty. They grasp that easier. We glue and sparkled the star, then made a chain of the strips. Each night at bedtime they tear off the bottom circle. When only the star is left it is Christmas Day.

So that is why I didn't get to visit to many of you today. I will catch up tomorrow.