Snuggling In

It's raining, not snowing, out but I am already practicing cuddling up like a bug in a rug. I haven't left the house much but I have been keeping myself busy with loan items, filling out online applications, planning for school beginning of next year, budgeting and other boring adult things. Also Christmas cards! Which I have never done before and am kind of excited about sending out.

I have almost finished reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I am reserving judgement until the book is finished but I can say this much; I am not displeased with the author, the writing style, the premise or the execution.

This week feels like an interlude, kind of an unremarkable but not unpleasant passing of time. I spent today with my little sisters shopping for odds and ends for the animal's Christmas. Call me wierd if you must, but I'll remain fully convinced that Bunny needed catnip mice and Olivia and Adeliade needed yogurt treats.

Tomorrow I'm doing a tiny bit more shopping that includes some yarn and baking items. Yes, tomorrow I will be practicing my housewifely skills. :p I plan to knit, bake and sew and I'm pretty happy about it. That ought to balance out my night of partying this Saturday with Katie, Alex and the gang.
Oh, and in case you're wondering what I'm baking, it's not people cookies. I spent the last hour looking up recipes for rat, cat and dog cookies! I think it's a splendid idea. See, some people don't want cookies for themselves because of allergies, or preferences or all the holiday junk that's already around. But cookies for someone's pet are a great Christmas treat.

Today's Advent Treat is a recipe I have made three times and I love it more every time I make it. It's super easy, yummy and quick!
I've heard Santa is partial to these cookies. :p

Simply Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup shortening
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

With a handheld or standing mixer, beat together the shortening and butter. Add the 1 1/2 cups sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

Mix the 3 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the dough, by hand, into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar. Flatten the balls into 1/2-inch thick disks, spacing them evenly on unlined cookie sheets. Bake until light brown, but still moist in the center, about 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.

A few hints from yours truly. I skipped the butter entirely and just used shortening for all of it. Also, the original recipe says this yields about twenty cookies but when Jennifer and I made them we had upwards of 32. I suppose it depends on the size!

Fifteen days till Christmas!

'Quel