Christmas Baking Mess Uno

In addition to my usual list of baked goodies for Christmas, I decided to make sugar cookie cut-outs. I remember doing this a few times with Mom when I was little and all that seems to stick with me was the mess: every knife in the house dirty, little bowls caked with colored frosting, food coloring stained finger tips, and every piece of countertop filled with little snowman, angels, stars, mittens, and Christmas trees. The past couple of years I just couldn't build up enough Christmas 'spirit,' or (insanity) to attempt this endeavor again. That is...until this year.

I decided to make it a three day event. Friday, I mixed the dough. Saturday, I rolled, cut, and baked. Very successful I must say. I even wore an apron. I even told Beau that I wanted to start making cut-outs for every season.

Let's just say that enthusiasm diminished slightly as Sunday afternoon rolled around. I was knee deep in ungraded essays, but knew I had to get the 70 little pieces of Christmas cheer decorated before I started another week.

First came the frosting...why is it that flour, powdered sugar, etc. seem to fly and dust across every crack, crevice, and hole in the kitchen? No matter how careful you try to be, you still end up with flour everywhere. After going through about an entire bottle of red food coloring, I managed to get all the colors I needed and was pleased with the results.

Then, I began frosting. What started as perfectly lined stockings, mittens, and snowmen, ended up getting quite messy. I even asked Beau for help. I decided that those perfectly decorated cookies in Martha Stewart are staged. I'm sure they decorate three or four perfect looking cookies, arrange them on a beautiful plate, and throw the rest away. Or eat them unfrosted. Either way, I wish they'd stop. They give false hope to the wannabees like me.

By the time I got finished frosting, I was spent. I threw some sprinkles on some, got a little crazy with my easy squeeze frosting, and broke a few snowflakes in the process. By the time I was finished, I couldn't look at another cookie, let alone eat one. Beau, the wonderful husband that he is, helped me clean the mess (which looked as though a gingerbread house puked), and I crossed 'sugar cookies' off my list.

I had one this morning...they taste great!

Tomorrow I'm making monster cookies!

Here are a few pictures of my mess!

I have so many pictures of this same pose. Beau was "helping" a lot.

Beau's masterpieces. My personal favorite would have to be the one where he decided to mix three different colored frostings. It looks like a dirty sock!

My undecorated, but frosted cookies. They are cute. I especially love the green trees and sky blue snowflakes.