12-Days Catch-up: Decorations, Cookies and Oprah's Favorite Things

I'm behind since I didn't blog this weekend, so here goes the last three of Aly and Molly's 12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge.

{12} Show us your decorations

This is just too easy, this is what I was going to blog about today anyway!  On Saturday, I put our tree up with lights and vowed to decorate on Sunday while M put our lights up outside.  Last night, we ordered a pizza after I'd wrapped 12 gifts (wrapping is exhausting, y'all!  I do enjoy it though.)  My gifts this year are beautifully wrapped with essence of Sally-dog.  No matter how hard I tried, dog hair ended up stuck to the tape.  Urg.

M and I's tree, complete with dorky Santa topper, train around the tree skirt, and presents! Lots of presents.  Sadly, only three of them are mine :(

Tree with the flash and overhead light off, so you can see the twinkly lights!

The front of our house!  M did such a great job!

Same, but with the flash

I have some other random decorations here and there, but nothing worth documenting.  M had a wreath already, so I decided against making my DIY wreath this year.  Maybe next year when I have more time...

{13} Favorite Cookie Recipe

I used to hate baking, so I have to admit I don't have that many cookie recipes in my cache, but I have a couple that are pretty delicious.

As a Friends junkie, I have of course made the chocolate chip cookie that Phoebe's grandmother leaves her which Monica asks for as a wedding gift.  Turns out, it's just Nestle Tollhouse's basic choc. chip cookie recipe.  But it's absolutely divine.

When M left the Adventure Science Center, the guy who replaced him's wife made us some mint chocolate chip cookies that were to die for.  I haven't made them yet, so I won't share the recipe, plus it's at home :)

The recipe I will share today, I found in this months edition of Real Simple.  M's mom had a Christmas party on Saturday, and she suggested we bring a dessert.  I looked through some of the recipes in there and found several I would've loved to have made, but turns out, I already had all the necessary ingredients for Chocolate Shortbread Cookies. 

They were fairly easy and quite tasty.  They call for kosher salt, which gives the not-too-sweet cookies a little salty taste, which I absolutely love.  So I didn't think to be Pioneer Woman and take step by step photos, but I will give you the break down and post the pretty picture that Real Simple provided.

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Makes 26; Hands on time: 15m; Total Time: 2hr40min

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the work surface
1/2 cup unsweeted cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Marvel at the tastiness and devour!  YUMMMM!

Coarse sugar for sprinkling  

Directions:

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt.

2) Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and confectioner's sugar on medium-high until fluffy; beat in vanilla.  Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in flour mixture until just combined (do not over-mix)

3) On a lightly floured surface or piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out 1/4" thick.  With a 2-inch cookie cutter (preferably fluted), cut the dough into rounds flouring the cutter and rerolling the scraps as necessary.  Arrange 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.  

4) Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Sprinkle the rounds generously with the coarse sugar and bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until set, 20-22 minutes.  Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to baking racks to cool completely.

{14} Oprah's Favorite Things

I must admit that I don't really care for Oprah.  I get that she's achieved great things and gives a lot of her money, but I think she's kinda crazy, and can be rather rude.  I also think she's reversed racist.  But this is a moot point, because the topic is which of Oprah's favorite things do I want?  There are 44 items so let's see...

1) Magaschoni embellished tunic and leggings

Cute, but overpriced outfit

2) Nordstrom lingerie

3) Le Creuset Cookware Set (custom for Oprah's favorite things)

<3

4) Miraclebody Jeans

5) Sophie Jewelry Box from Pottery Barn

6) Illuminations by Josh Groban

7)  A 5-year Netflix subscription.  That would save me almost $1000.  Crazy!


8) Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera

9) Sony Bravia LX900 52" HDTV with 3D (I could do without the 3D
  


But of course, I don't need any of these things, and thankfully I'm fortunate to not really need anything this Christmas, except to spend time with those I love.