Christmas Ideas

Last year a customer who I've known, casually, for years brought me the neatest gift. She made a batch of sugar cookie dough, which she rolled out on parchment paper and then loosely wrapped it around an empty paper towel roll. She then wrapped the log in a piece of cling wrap to keep it fresh. She tied a couple of cookie cutters to the bundle, with a cute note telling me that she knew how hard it was to find time to make cookies while working.

Why I loved this gift:
#1 I didn't have to mix the dough myself and it was ready to cut into shapes.
#2 When I received the gift, we already had tons of other goodies, so I threw the bundle in the freezer and later when we were bored and starving for something sweet, we got it out and made cookies.
#3 This lady, who I barely know, took the time to make something that was so appreciated. It was thoughtful, usable and didn't clutter up my house, plus it made 4 kids and one busy mom super happy.

This year I plan to make several cookie dough logs to take to my busy friends and to several ladies who are on my Visiting Teaching route.

This is my Mom's Sugar Cookie Recipe, my kids are huge fans of these!
2 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c butter or shortening
1 c sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 T. milk

sift flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg together. (I have never done this). Cream butter and sugar. Mix eggs and milk. Add eggs and milk to butter mixture. Add dry ingredients. Chill dough. Roll 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Cool. Frost cookies

*The nutmeg gives these cookies a special taste. Rick isn't a huge fan of that flavor, so I cut it down to 1/2tsp of nutmeg.