Friday, January 1, 2010

Christmas...baking with Zoe & Francesca

Hello again all you fine kiddies...

Christmas time...a time to bake, and bake, and bake some more! Now I thought this would be no big deal, but my Jacqueline doesn't eat dairy...so there go the eggs and butter, along with the milk chocolate chips for the cookies.

But...that was not going to be the case...for I wanted to surprise my friend Rose (out there in Ohio) with something special. So, I invited Rose's two granddaughter's, Zoe and Francesca, to come and bake for grandma. Now if you know Rose you would know that she is constantly baking something...she brings to the table those grand recipes from her native Italy. Gosh, do I ever miss her!

The girls baked sugar cookies...dressed them with red, green and white icings...and, of course, lots of sprinkles. The chocolate chip cookies were quite crispy...and looked like they were made for munchkins.

Zoe enjoyed very much doing the peanut butter cookies...adding marshmallow and chocolate to the mix...then rolling the cookies in crushed chocolate chips cookies.

By now, Francesca just about had it with baking. She threw up her arms and said, "Claire...no more baking." With that, she exited the kitchen, went into the living room, sat on the sofa and announced to Joseph that he might think to change the channel. With that, Joseph told her, "Francesca, no way, this is a Giant's game!" That being explained, she laid down on the sofa and told her it was 'okay' for him to watch the game...and dozed off within minutes.

Zoe separated the finished cookies into two batches...one to be mailed out to her grandma Rose...the other to be carried with her to Canada. Zoe, Francesca and mom and dad, would be spending the holiday up in the Laurentian Mountains visiting her Canadian grandparents.

The following Saturday (or was it Sunday?) the girls came back over and made gifts for their parents. The first thing Francesca said as she walked in the house was "no cookies...too much work!"

Zoe made her mom a bibbed white apron...she cut, ironed and sewed it all by herself. Francesca selected the rhinestone buttons from my jewelry box. Together they put together two compact mirrors (with their latest Christmas photo on one side) one for their mom and the other for grandma Rose...and a small mirrored drawer for their dad. Zoe filled the drawer with four black iridescent hearts atop their picture, each heart representing Zoe, Francesca, mom and dad...so when dad is out camping he need only open the box as a symbol of how their hearts touch. That was Zoe's thought...not mine. They also decorated a Christmas placemat with their pictures for Grandma and Grandpa in Canada.

I must say...this was one of my best ways to prepare for Christmas. Thank you Rose for sharing your wonderful grandchildren with me. And, thank you Sonia and Louis for putting such a lovely twinkle in my holiday remembrance.

I hope you all found a way to put a twinkle in your holiday.

Peace,

Claire / OWW

1 comment:

  1. wishing you a very happy happy happy happy happy and a prosperous new year..

    ReplyDelete