Slice of Life Saturday’s ~ Jennie Who?

You guys, it has been far too long since I’ve posted a SOLS post. Jennie who?

Things have been busy in the kitchen over the past few weeks. I’ve been cooking/baking for just about every event, holiday, and family gathering. One night, I stayed up until midnight baking cookies. Eight hours of holiday baking is fun and exhausting all at the same time. The oven grate decided to attack my thumb and singed a deep burn into my skin. Thank you, oven grate! Eh, just another war wound to add to my collection.

Cookies as far as the eye can see.

If I created extended oven mitts, would you buy them? Mitts that cover your paws and extend up each arm. The phrase “suit up” will have a very different meaning for us bakers. I’ll keep that idea in my back pocket for now.

My site has a bright, shiny new look. Have you noticed? The lovely and talented Lindsay of Purr Design worked her magic and came up with a beautiful design for my home on the Interwebs. I kind of want to hole up and live here. Every time I sign into my site I think, “Is this really my home?” If you’re looking for a designer, Lindsay is your gal. She’s attentive, patient, and so very talented.

I received a ton of great gifts for Christmas, but this one is by far my favorite.

You guys, it’s a gigantic Ball jar full of chocolate. Does my momma know me, or what! Um, I may have devoured a quarter of the jar all by myself. I’m so very weak.

Did you make any 2014 New Year’s resolutions? I decided not to make any this year. It just results in dissapointment when I fail to meet my goals, so I called it quits.

Here’s how my resolutions usually work. Say I resolve to quit eating cookies. My brain then does this thing where it begins to think of, picture, and dream about cookies. All of a sudden, I’m now craving cookies more than I was before I made the dang resolution. Cookie thoughts pop into my brain 24-7. It’s just not worth it, so I’m just going to keep on keepin’ on with how I do things.

December 28th marked the 2 year anniversary of this here space on the Interwebs.

I have enjoyed every moment with my peeps (that’s you). Thank you so much for stopping by, leaving some love, trying my recipes, and being so dang nice. You guys are awesome! I look forward to spending another year sweating over an oven, whisking until my arm goes numb, burning my extremities, and testing dozens of recipes. Stay tuned, because 2014 is about to get delicious.

Look what I made:

Classic Sugar Cookies from A Periodic Table: These cookies were a hit with both my family and Squirrel’s family. They’re easy to make, easy to bake, and easy to eat (and eat). The texture of the cookie is so soft that they melt in your mouth as soon as they hit your tongue. I added a bit of almond extract for good measure.

Cherry Coconut Snowball Cookies from Chocolate Moosey: These cookies take a bit of work, but they’re totally worth the effort. The buttery cookie gets stuffed with a sweet maraschino cherry and glazed. It’s pure cookie heaven. The only recommendation that I would make is to refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before forming and again before baking to prevent too much spreading.

Double Chocolate Cookies with Pecans and Caramel from Movita Beaucoup: The moment I laid eyes on these cookies I knew I had to make a batch, and I drooled all over my dang keyboard, but that’s not Movita’s fault. We can’t blame her for having wicked good cookie baking skills that causes unintentional drooling, can we? Nah. Guys, these are superb cookies. Talk about chocolate-y, soft, rich, and oh so gooey. I pounded these babies back, and so did my family.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix from Crunchy Creamy Sweet: My mom and I made this recipe for our foodie Christmas bags this year and fell in love with the recipe. It’s perfectly sweet, uber chocolate-y, and deliciously creamy. We loved it so much that we made ourselves a batch to keep on hand for whenever a hot cocoa craving would strike, which, for me, was every single night.

4 Ingredient Fudge from Sally’s Baking Addiction: A.K.A the best fudge ever. Talk about a simple recipe. Four ingredients, one bowl, and a wooden spoon is all you need for this velvety smooth fudge. I added a handful of mini peanut butter cups and Reese’s Pieces to give it a triple peanut butter affect. My dad ate the remaining fudge that didn’t fit in the foodie gift bags.

Here’s a glimpse of real life:

Pretty Christmas heels.

Presents wrapped and neatly placed under the tree for the Watson’s enjoyment.

Watson taking a break from tormenting the Christmas tree and ripping bows off gifts.

Festive puppy treats.

Lots of booze to win over our friends and family. Everyone loved the Caramel Bailey’s Irish Cream.

I went seasonal candle crazy.

Granola overload.

My favorite Christmas ornament of all time. You guys, it’s a minion!

Comfy slippers is what you’ll find me in at all times during the cold months.

I found a new tea and fell in love.

I ordered a new planner from ninj & ninj. Gotta love that cover!

Cute pups hugging stuffed toys on dreamy puppy beds. I think my heart just skipped a beat.

So. Many. Sprinkles.

Christmas 2013 will forever be remembered as the year I was denied a dwarf pig by the name of Hank on Christmas morning.

It will also be remembered as a white Christmas.

It too will be the year that I overindulged in too many cherry cordial creme filled kisses.