Rainy Day Blessing

Morning started out with the sky blue, the ground wet, the air warm and damp. It kind of tricked me into doubting the weather forecast which predicted wild rain. By the time my Thursday morning mothers' rosary group had gathered though, the clouds rolled in and darkened the sky. Rain began to pour down and it lasted all afternoon.

Normally I only like sunny mild days, but every fall I find myself happy for "November weather" if I have nowhere I have to go and if the weather has been pretty nice for a while. A grey stormy day, a pot of carrot orange soup on the stove for lunch, friends visiting and drinking coffee, what could be nicer? Well, I've got the answer to that one! For me, it was my children home after school, my littlest one napping on the couch next to me and the chance to watch a movie with the 3 older ones that didn't feature princesses, an explorer and her monkey, or a ballerina mouse. Yup, we watched Open Season and it was goofy, boy-pleasing fun all around. The chance to do something so cozy and simple with just my "bigs", something that had us all laughing out loud, has filled my grateful heart right to the brim with joy.

Orange You Sweet!

I have to admit, I love to bake. I don't love for my family to eat too many sweets though, so it's a balancing act. I'll bake if company is coming, for holidays, for birthdays, and for school celebrations. I bake bread several times a week. Sweets just for us are not that common, but I think we probably end up having them once or twice a month. And... today was one of those baking days!

The last time I went to the market the grocery cart sported a little picture of some yummy looking pale cream colored frosted cookies on an ad for Land O'Lakes butter. It said something about holiday baking, but not, oddly enough, the cookie's name. Since I love love love the internet, I went happily to their web site and with a little sleuthing found Lemon Meltaways. Uh oh, one of my daughters can't abide lemon.

I pondered a few substitutes. No flavor? Too bland, I feared. Maple? Well, the same daughter only likes maple syrup, not anything flavored maple. Molasses? Ginger? No, I wanted something brighter. How about orange? As in the oranges in the fridge?

Well, that sounded just right.

Here's what I came up with.
Frosted Orange Snowdrops!
(I'm naming them that because the frosting looks like a little snow peak swirled atop the cookie).
Adapted from the Land O'Lakes recipe web site.

First I got out my ingredients.


1 1/4 c, flour
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/2 c corn starch
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 1/2 T orange juice

Then, I made the dough. Everything went into the bowl of my KitchenAid mixer and I mixed it until a smooth, pliable dough
formed.

(And meanwhile, I emptied the dishwasher. When the dishes were away, the dough was done. See? It doesn't take forever to empty it like everyone here in my house thinks it does! : ))

Then, I formed the dough into 2 logs, each about 8"x1" and set them in the fridge to cool for about 1/2 an hour.



I preheated the oven and when it was ready I sliced the dough into 48 cookies. They were a little more square than I hoped, but they rounded out a bit in the oven.

Next, the baking. Following Land O Lakes' instructions I baked them for 10 minutes in the 350 degree F oven. When they were done, they were not brown, but were set.


After they cooled, I frosted them with this snowy icing: 3/4 c powdered sugar, 1/2 stick of butter, 1 T orange juice, all mixed in the Kitchen Aid mixer until smooth and creamy.

But, they looked kind of pale.
Tasty, but boring.
So, I sprinkled a little cinnamon and a tiny bit of grated orange zest over them, and voila! These are beautiful autumn cookies!

And, everyone really loved them.

So, I'm grateful I had such a happy afternoon baking and I'm looking forward to the blessing of an autumn evening tea and cookie dessert with my husband and kids. And I feel even more blessed if just one of you readers makes up your own batch of Frosted Orange Snowdrops to enjoy with some tea. (I bet cocoa would be great too!)

Evening Song

I love the end of the day. The sun has long since gone down, the lamps are lit. The walls glow in the golden lamplight. The dinner is eaten, the table cleared and scrubbed. The floors are swept, the stove and countertops wiped and washed, quietly clean. The dishwasher hums. Children are bathed and in jammies. Teeth are brushed and shiny. Snacks are packed, lunches are planned, school clothes and shoes are waiting patiently on bedroom chairs for their owners to wriggle or jump into in the morning. My little children are picking out books and ready for stories. My older ones are quietly reading or talking to their father or me. The frantic pace of the afternoon is over. There is nowhere to go, nothing urgent to do, no next task to race to. We can just enjoy our home, our family, our blessings.

Thank you God, for the children in this house, for the walls that shelter us, and for the blessings of evenings here at home.