ABCs of 2013

I cannot believe that today is the last day of 2013! I know this will sound so cliche, but where in the world has the last year gone??

Even though Christmas is technically over based on the date, it's most certainly not over for me. Not yet. Mom always kept our decorations up for the 12 days of Christmas, so that's what I'm doing too. However, I don't need a "legitimate reason" to get me to keep these decorations up any longer! I've seen so many people saying that since Christmas is now over, the decorations must come down. Sorry, but I've really been enjoying laying on the sofa, watching TV, with the only light in the house coming from the TV and the Christmas tree. I'm going to be really sad when it all comes down. Maybe Matt will decide to keep up a

25 Days of Christmas: Day 25

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

I had to wait to post this until later today, because I was giving our parents #25 as part of their Christmas gifts.

There's nothing I like more on a freezing cold day than hot chocolate! {But I've also come to like Hot Apple Cider, too!}

I thought finding a recipe for hot chocolate mix would be a great idea to end out this year's 25 Days of Christmas, and it probably couldn't come on a better day, since today was FREEZING cold!! But, I'd much rather have a cold Christmas rather than the warmer weather we had this weekend!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 24

I know, I know, you're probably going to say this is cheating to post these cookies today, but, it's my 25 Days of Christmas, so I make the rules and I say it's okay!

It just doesn't seem like Christmas unless you have some of these pre-sliced cookies, where all you have to do is plop them onto a baking sheet, put them in the oven for a few minutes, and there you go! I love the different pictures you can get on the cookies {which is why I had to confess to Matt that I bought three boxes, since I couldn't decide on which design to get...}.

Even though Matt thought it was ridiculous that I bought three boxes, I know he's secretly happy, because he told me last night that these are

25 Days of Christmas: Day 23

When I first saw these Grinch Crinkle Cookies I knew I just HAD to make them!

I mean, come on, they're not only festive cookies with a fun name, but they're actually GREEN. haha, I love it!

They are similar to the Brownie Crackles that I shared on the very first post of this year's 25 Days of Christmas.

While making these, I actually changed the name to Matt Cookies, since Matt seems to be a Grinch to my love of all things Christmas! haha. When I told him the original name of the cookies, he even said they should be called Matt Cookies, as well!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 22

I can't even put into words how much I lovvvvve fudgies!! They're
just so perfect and good!

When I found out that we were having them at our faculty & staff holiday lunch last week, I was SO excited!! {Thanks, Jenny!!! :) }

I knew I was definitely going to include these in my countdown, pretty much because I needed a good excuse to make them! haha

Hope you'll try this and enjoy it as much as I do!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 21

Believe it or not, I "came up with" a recipe without searching all over the internet for it! haha

I was looking through what we still had in our pantry and I thought, "hmm...that could work and be festive!" 

So, here's my idea for you, and it's very simple, just like I like it!

Brownies with Christmas colored M&Ms!!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 20

I knew that I wanted to include just a plain sugar cookie for this year's countdown.

A couple of years ago, I bought a pack of 3 Christmas tree shaped cookie cutters and have never used them until now! I thought about making green sugar cookie dough, but wasn't 100% sold on it. Plain sugar cookies it is!

According to this recipe I found online, it's apparently the best sugar cookie recipe out there. Personally, I don't see what's so special about it, but it's still good. haha.

Enjoy!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 19

It was funny as I was making these....I've eaten these cookies probably every Christmas for as long as I can remember, but I don't think I've ever actually made them before. Until now.  {Of course, I have had some of the cookie dough before :) }

My mom makes the besssssst chocolate chip cookies, so I definitely had to include those on this 25 Days of Christmas baking. Plus, Matt's been asking when I'm just going to make a plain chocolate chip instead of something "fancy" or "Christmasy." haha. But, with all the treats we've had in the house, I can't say that I blame him.

My cookies didn't turn out like Mom's, though. They taste the same, yes, but I like how hers come out flatter. I told her I like those better

25 Days of Christmas: Day 18

It just isn't Christmas until Mom's Chex Mix is made!

I remember Abby and I could walk down the stairs and just smell the chex mix baking and then it really felt like it was Christmas time!

It's one of our favorite snacks, and the few, rare, times throughout the rest of the year when we'd get Mom's chex mix, we'd try to make it last as long as we could! {Like the time she sent us a care package to Longwood with some!!}

Anyway, I know you want to try it, so here's the recipe for you!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 17

On Tuesday, our former Key Club advisors {and now my coworkers!}, Ms. Dick and Ms. Null, invited Matt and I to make Christmas cookies with them after school.  Ms. Dick had a great family recipe for cookies, and she was kind enough to not only invite us to bake and decorate cookies with her, but also share the recipe with us, as well, just to include for this 25 Days of Christmas of baking! She is too kind!

It was a great afternoon of fun, and also catching up! Even though I see or talk to Ms. Dick and Ms. Null a few times throughout the week, it's all school related things we discuss, and they rarely get to see Matt anymore, so it was just like old times! 

Hope you enjoy this recipe called Grandma's Lemon Cut-Out Cookies,

25 Days of Christmas: Day 16

Have you seen all of those food recipes that are shared on Facebook all the time? Do you ever wonder if people actually try them?

Well, I do know that my mom tried one recipe she shared on Facebook like that, and here's my first attempt at trying a recipe that was shared on my timeline. These Kiss Pies looked way too simple for me to not try, and they were very easy to make! Although, I did have Matt's help rolling out the dough, because apparently, I'm horrible at it and crack and rip the dough every time!

Hope you'll like these if you give them a try!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 15

Rice Krispies Treats always make me think of when I was in the youth at church.  When Ambra was our teacher, she would always bring some kind of food for us to have for breakfast, whether it was her yummy hot rolls, cookies, brownies, or Rice Krispie Treats......all always homemade of course!

I found this recipe for Rice Krispie Treats with a Christmasy twist to them, and they looked fun so I wanted to try them. Luckily, I attempted this one while Matt was home because I definitely needed the two extra hands to help me out!

They didn't turn out as sticky and messy as you would think, but they have the same taste and gooey texture once you bite into them!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 14

When I first came across this cookie recipe online, I knew I had to try it--the cookies just look so fun and festive!

The recipe uses a box of cake mix, so while they do still have the shape and some texture of a cookie, they really do taste like cake batter cookies! mmm!!

At first, I wasn't sure what to expect, because they have a kind of short baking time {9 minutes}, so I wasn't sure that they were done, but I was surprised that they were and that they turned out as good as they did :)

25 Days of Christmas: Day 13

I almost wasn't going to post this one, because it was a complete flop for me, and we didn't even eat it {all of it went straight into the trashcan, actually}.  But I figured someone else would probably want to try it, and would most likely have more luck than I did, so I thought I should share it anyway!

I really wanted this caramel popcorn recipe to turn out because 1) I love caramel popcorn, and 2) I was going to love it even more having red and green caramel mixed in!

For me, everything went great right until the end, naturally, but I'll explain that more once I get there.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 12

I've always wanted to try a recipe for Buckeyes, and when I found this one, I saved it so I could try it for Christmas. 

Now that I've tried it, I can honestly say I will probably never ever make them again in my life, at least voluntarily.  To me, they were the most annoying thing to make! ha. It's not even that the recipe is hard.  It's just that the process is a little bit time consuming, and then the dipping part made me too impatient!

However, if you'd like to try this recipe yourself, here's what you're going to need!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 11

I love most kinds of Chex Mix, trail mixes, snack mixes, etc., so of course I'll include a few of those here, too!

I came across this White Chocolate Christmas Chex Mix recipe a few years ago, so I brought it back out this year to share!

Most of the ingredients you're probably familiar with from any other chex mix or snack mix, so you can really make it your own by changing the ingredients up however you like!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 10

I actually came across this website while I was at work.

LET ME NOW ADD that NO I do not spend my day searching for new cookie and treat recipes! I always have NBC12 news and the Today Show websites open so I can keep up-to-date when I can.

This recipe was shared on the Today Show website, and it looked extremely easy to make, not to mention it looked yummy!

I made it in no time one night, and it has turned out to be a hit when others have tried it! Hopefully you will try it, too, and enjoy it just as much! :)

25 Days of Christmas: Day 9

This cookie isn't specifically a "Christmas cookie" but it always makes me think of Christmas!!

When we were younger, a big group of us from my church always used to go Christmas caroling. It was a lot of fun! Once we had made all of our stops, we'd end up back at church for cookies and hot chocolate and to play fun games, like Catch Phrase! Someone in my family, like my mom or my Aunt Cathy, would make these great peanut butter cookies with Hershey Kisses in the middle!! mmm!!

And I eat them the same every time: eat the cookie apart AROUND the Heshey Kiss, then eat the rest in one bite! Yum! :)

25 Days of Christmas: Day 8

When I came across this recipe, it was called a Chow Mein Noodle Cookie, but I've also seen these treats called "Haystacks" before.

Just a sidenote: I wasn't able to go to the grocery store when Matt bought the things I needed for this week's baking, so you can imagine his reaction later that evening when he asked me, "I could understand the butterscotch and the peanuts, but what in the world do you need chow mein noodles for?!" haha!

These are super simple {you see, that's a common theme here, haha} and yummy!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 7

So, I have another cookie recipe for you! These Ginger Cookies are so good! I love Ginger Snaps, so I knew I should try these.

I actually found this recipe in a cookbook at my Memaw and Papa's house years ago, and it's a great recipe.

HOWEVER, I must warn you, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, follow these ingredient measurements unless you're actually planning to make a lot of cookies. Yeah, for some reason, this year, I forgot that this recipe yields 14 1/2 DOZEN cookies. You totally read that right. Oh well, more cookies to go around!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 6

I know I've been a little MIA since Thursday, but don't you worry, I still have plenty of yummy recipes to share with you!

Friday, I was making a Christmas treat to share with you all which didn't quite turn out as planned, and we didn't have many baking ingredients left, so I decided Saturday I'd make two things.

Come Saturday afternoon after I had gotten home from work, I decided to head over to Martin's, not even thinking about the TONS of people that were already there trying to stock up for this ice/snow/precipitation storm we're currently having.  I walked in Martin's, saw that the lines were backed up down the aisles, turned around and walked right back out the store! No WAY was I going to even try

25 Days of Christmas: Day 5

This DEFINITELY is not a Christmas cookie recipe to share, but my gosh this Trash is good! No, really, it's called Trash...or Puppy Chow...or whatever other crazy name you can think of!

It's the perfect combination of sugar, chocolate and peanut butter, and it's so so addicting!

My sister and I love this, and when we'd both be at home for Christmas, you'd always catch us sneaking a handful of this every time we were down in the kitchen ;)

It's quick to make, so go get the ingredients now so you can make yourself some!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 4

I know all three posts so far have been three different cookies, but if you remember on my Day 1 post, I didn't limit myself to sharing only cookies. Tonight is the first night I'm sharing a treat other than cookies, and trust me, you won't be disappointed!

Whenever we go to the fair, our family lovvvvesss the candied/sugared nuts. They're sooo delicious! I happened to come across a recipe for making candied cinnamon almonds in the crock pot, and my gosh, they were definitely super good! Not exactly like the ones at the fair, but still as tasty and addicting! haha

25 Days of Christmas: Day 3

Today's cookies are very festive! I found them online a couple of times, with two different names: Candy Cane Blossoms, and Whoville Cookies.  I, personally, prefer the second name, because I mean come on, who doesn't want to eat a cookie themed around Whoville?! haha

These cookies are so easy to make, fun to make, taste good, and look cute too!

Hope you give them a try and enjoy!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 2

Hope you all enjoyed yesterday's post and are looking forward to more tasty and tempting posts through December 25th!

I found this recipe, and just because of the name, I knew I had to do it for one reason and one reason only! The cookies are called are Valencia Delights, and when my sister studied abroad in Spain, she was in Valencia! Naturally, after making them and realizing what was IN the cookies, I realized Abby was probably the one person who wouldn't even eat the cookies! hahaha. Funny how that works out!  But they turned how super, and were very easy to make!

The best compliment I got about the cookies came from Matt--he said, "They look just like the picture online!"  haha, it's not much, but for me,

25 Days of Christmas: Day 1

Nope, I didn't forget what day it is--I've just been really busy & productive today so far, but I am DEFINITELY doing my 25 Days of Christmas again this year! It took me a while to figure out what this year's theme was going to be, but, I finally figured it out!  I STILL think I'm crazy for what I finally decided to do, but, today is Day 1, it has begun, so there is no turning back now!

This year, I decided that I'm going to 25 days of Christmas baking! That's right, I've been working on gathering and making 25 different recipes of cookies and treats to make for Christmas time--mostly as things that can be given as gifts to family and friends, or just for you to enjoy yourself!  Our families have already been enjoying some of the recipes I've started making so far ;)