A Favorite Sugar Cookie

 

Sometimes only a sugar cookie will satisfy...and this recipe delivers!!  Chewy inside with a brown crispy edge and a rich butter flavor, makes for a perfect sugar cookie.  This recipe comes from one of my favorite Minneapolis restaurants, "Lucia's", owned by Lucia Watson.  Whenever homemade ice cream is on the menu I make sure to leave room for dessert because a few of these cookies are always served on the side.

 BEST SUGAR COOKIES

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla or almond extract.  Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, then stir into the butter mixture to make a soft dough.  Scoop up teaspoonfuls of the dough and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart.  To shape each cookie, dip the bottom of a flat juice glass or cookie press in water, then in sugar, and press each mound of dough.  Bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are light brown and the center is golden.  Remove the cookies from the sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Oh Linden Tree!

This tree makes me happy every summer....oh, how I love my Linden tree!  It's in full bloom right now...the blossoms are not showy...yet they have the most amazing, sweet, and dizzy scent. If I could, I would bottle the perfume and wear it every day! Once, I picked a basket full of blossoms and put them in my bath.  The aroma was intoxicating and luxuriant.  It was a treat until I drained the water from the tub...and ugh, what a terrific mess!!  So, I honestly can't recommend it, yet I chuckle that it was an idea I went through with, once upon a time...

And a close-up of the blossoms:

Grandma

Today I said good bye to my Grandma.  I will miss her very much and our family will be different because of her absence.  She was the beloved matriarch of our family, one of a kind, who lived a rich 94 years.  In this photo of her wedding day she carried a big bouquet of pink roses and a similar bouquet was placed on her casket today from her children.  We have a large family and it was heart warming to see so many at her funeral.  Even though it was a sad occasion, it was terrific to be together with my many aunts, uncles, and layers of cousins. It verifies my existence to see common noses, smiles, personalities, hair qualities, and wrinkly eyes.  And to think it all started with these two people, my grandparents.....

Stenciling

Remember the popularity of stenciling for home decor from the 1980's-1990's?  I especially became a fan, creating my own mural/stenciling business.  With the housing boom of the time, I was hired to decorate many model homes.  It was something I enjoyed doing....but as a fad it fizzled out.  I had such a hard time painting over my stenciling in my own home....and still have remnants scattered about!  And guess what??? Stenciling is returning big time to the home decorating scheme...Hurray!!  Here are a few random samples from my home: