Spiked Egg Nog Cookies (My Favorite Christmas Cookie)

Photo Courtesy of Southern Living

 Spiked Egg Nog Cookies

I don't have the original source to this recipe, I think it came out of a holiday baking magazine. It's been my favorite Christmas cookie for the past 4 years


Ingredients
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Cream sugar and butter until light. Add eggnog, vanilla, and egg yolks; beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Bake 20 to 23 minutes until bottoms turn light brown.

Spiked Egg Nog Cookies

Rum Butter Cream Icing 


1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream (or egg nog)
1 tablespoon dark rum (or 1/2 teaspoon rum extract)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1. Beat all ingredients until fluffy
2. Spead on cooled cookies.

Fake Santa

 When you're nine months old what's not love about Santa? He's soft, plump, wears bright colors, and his, "Ho Ho Ho", of jolly laughter isn't too far outside of your vocabulary. But of all the wonderful things about Santa the most important, in the eyes of my youngest child, is the beard. Baby H and those that know him consider him to be an expert in the field of pulling hair. Hear sudden howling in our home and one can almost guarantee it's Baby H's most recent victim in his favorite game of tangle and tug.

The thing about this particular Santa is he is the first person in H's life that doesn't seem to react to being tugged. He can't even get a "Ho Ho Ho" out of him upon yanking.

" I tugged your beard Santa, you should do something! Tug! Tug! Tug! Tug! Ugh...all your doing is looking at the camera can you not FEEL the power of my awesome baby hands? C'mon, you're no fun. Can I get a Ho, Ho, Ho? You really should  feel that. Are you fake?"

" Hey Santa, My Big bro isn't impressed with you either. He's upset that he can't hear the bell. We don't believe in you"

"Fake Santa, no tips for you!"

Patti's Festival of Lights

Taking advantage of the warm weather, the C family visited Patti's Festival of Lights in Grand Rivers, KY.    

Original article from Patti's Settlement

Festival of Light

Patti's 1880's Settlement? But, it’s always been Patti's 1880's Restaurant! Well it was... It still is. Only today there's so much more. In 1975, Bill, Patti and the kids stopped in Grand Rivers. We fell in love with the Land Between the Lakes area, and the dream of having a special place took hold. 
The original Hamburger Patti's was a block building that was part of a 6-unit motel. It quickly outgrew its walls. With the Tullar family working together, motel units gradually gave way to become dining rooms. The upstairs room and uni-sex lavatory (with my treasured cast-iron, footed bathtub and Indian Joe) was the Tullars’ personal living room and bath. Patti's 1880's Restaurant was on its way.
Great food and great presentation at great prices is Patti’s claim to success but as Chip, (the oldest) always said, “There has to be more to create a truly memorable impression.”
Bill soon got tired of being called Mr. Patti, so the boys built him a restaurant of his own in 1990. Mr. Bill’s was designed for bus tours in mind, with entertainment. Bill’s had Honky Tonk piano players, and four saloon girls for the hostess and servers.
Bill’s had a down home menu that fit right in. But Patti’s continued to grow, and needed more room so Mr. Bill’s” lost out and became part of Patti’s 1880’s Restaurant. Today Mr. Bill’s has the same food, same servers. Everything is the same except the room size.
Our two restaurants serve over 350,000 people in our little town of 350 people. They come from all over for our great food, beautiful gardens and Patti’s great Southern hospitality. With our log cabin gift shops, animal park for viewing, streams, fountains, Arielle’s miniature golf, rock climbing wall and remote controlled boats we needed a meaningful name that would describe it all.

 November 11th is the Beginning of Patti's Festival of Lights. Patti's Settlement Festival of Lights will run through the First week of January. Outside Hundreds of Thousands of Christmas Lights glow and twinkle and Put on a Show for all to Enjoy. While Inside the Restaurants and Gift Stores there are hundreds of trees and garlands loaded with ornaments and lights too!

 Enjoy our photos!