It's Been a While, I know... (Lemonade Cookies)

My schedule has been pretty manageable lately. For the most part, I have kept up with the laundry. I have even been cooking. The reason I haven't been blogging is that I am working on getting my real estate license. Right now, every spare minute I have at the computer is put into working on the on-line courses that I have to take in order to get to the Final Exam (just the word "exam" stresses me out!). I'm not really doing it to get into a full-time career in real estate. I have family members who can help you there. My goal is to be able to help Michael with his customers who want to buy rental property. For anyone who reads this that doesn't know me, Michael, my husband is a mortgage banker in Douglasville. So... I am learning something new and we will see how it goes. I am trying to be finished with the on-line part of my classes by the beginning of April.

Meanwhile, back to the kitchen. Sophie and I had a fun time making chocolate chip cookies the other day. We even videoed it in the form of a cooking show. I would love to post the video here because it is too cute! Sophie does everything herself! She uses the mixer and splatters sugar and butter all over the place. She tells what all the ingredients are. I especially love it when she says, "Next you add the manilla." Unfortunately, I can't figure it out and it just won't come up on my blog. I will try to get Michael to help me if I can lasso him down long enough. Here's a picture I did manage to pull off of my video.

I had a kitchen "FLOP" last week too. 4 words: Split Pea Soup = Disgusting!

On Saturday, Bo played 2 baseball games. It was such a beautiful day! Here are Mom, Dad, Michael, Bo and Russ hanging out after the game.

We had a home tennis match on Sunday and I was in charge of bringing something sweet. I made Lemonade Cookies and they were wonderful! I wasn't prepared for how long it took me to make these, but they were worth it. Here's a picture and the recipe:

Lemonade Cookies

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

Lemonade Icing

In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter. beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, lemon zest, and lemon extract beating well.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed, blending well after each addition. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of chilled dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 6 - 8 minutes. Let cool in pans for 2 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate with Lemonade Icing and Sprinkle with decorator sugar or sprinkles if desired.

Lemonade Icing:

3 cups confectioners sugar

6 Tablespoons butter, softened

6 Tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, butter, and lemonade concentrate. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until well combined.