Christmas has passed again.

Well, I hate to say it, but this Yule time could have gone better! I suppose a good deal of bitterness has developed after two years of missing my mother. This is also almost the time of year that I found myself homeless a year ago.

However, this is also the time that I turned my life around and, in five more days, I will be celebrating the one year anniversary of when my partner and I made our commitment. Naturally, I will be working, but it's still exciting to think that so much time has gone by so quickly and with little incident. I also reconnected to an uncle of mine that I had no idea had so much in common with me. So, I still write this year up as a win for me.

I have to say that the best gift this year is the wii that Santa brought to our family, but the more useful of gifts(I still haven't gotten some from other family members) so far was a brand new Kitchen Aid mixer!



Before, I was mixing everything with a whisk, fork, and hand. Then, I had bought a six dollar had mixer at Wal Mart. That was a waste of money. The first batch of chocolate chip cookies I made nearly burned the motor out and it's not like the dough was over-thick or anything either. But this sweet momma has turned my cooking around entirely! Sure, I have to pull a TV tray out and hold it steady while I'm mixing (I have no counter space), but it's so much faster and efficient! I can't wait to see how it will be able to help me with pizza dough!

Of course, my favorite present came from my son.




Those are my partner's lovely hands by the way.

One more good thing about this Yule Time has been a great improvement in my cooking and baking skills and reputation. Having my own kitchen to work in has been a big factor in this- not to mention a growing family. It's not just me and my son anymore. My partner is a part of the household and I LOVE to cook for her as well as my son. (My son just happens to be too picky to be able to properly appreciate and critique what I do.)

Kana, my partner, just so happens to be a major carnivore and has been longing for a steak or a roast, or SOMETHING that is thick, meaty, and rare. I've never been too big on overly-meaty dishes, and red meat isn't all that appealing too me, so cooking it has been somewhat foreign to me. So, one of the presents for my hubby this year was to learn the special art of cooking a roast!




My first ever roast came out great! Even I liked it a little bit. The potatoes and the gravy were especially good. I'll have to share the recipe I used later. I do want to share one recipe with everyone though.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

This isn't an original or new concept, especially to experienced bakers or cookie eaters, but to a lot of people, it's a favorite! My family love these and so do some of my co-workers. In fact, I was asked to make these as a Christmas present for some. So, I may as well share, just because I'm proud to say I can make these- and well at that.

You can use any peanut butter cookie recipe, but if you don't know any, you can use the one I use. This recipe is a hand-me-down recipe from my partner's side of the family.

What you will need
1/2 C white sugar
1/2 C brown, packed sugar
1/2 C softened shortening
1/2 C peanut butter
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 3/4 C white flour
1 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp salt
20 oz bag of Reesee's mini peanut butter cups (how many depends on how many cookies you make. I recommend estimating high and having leftovers)

How to do it
Preheat oven to 375f.
Cream shortening and sugars together, then add the peanut butter, milk, vanilla and egg. Mix until smooth.
Sift together all the dry ingredients and then gradually add to the liquid mixture.
Once all ingredients have been nicely blended, spoon balls slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball onto a greased cookie sheet. Flatten the balls in a criss-cross pattern with a fork.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
While cookies are baking, begin unwrapping your peanut butter cups.
When cookies begin to brown, remove from oven and immediately push the peanut butter cups into the center.
Allow to cool, then enjoy.


Enjoy the cookies, everyone, and I'll be back later!