Cookie monster

I have a confession to make.

I have a fear of rolled sugar cookies.

Or maybe it isn't a fear so much as a lack of time in which to make them, as well as a tiny bit of worry that I won't be able to make thedough the right consistency.

All I know is that I have resorted to using Pillsbury dough and rolling it out to make cookies a few times in the last year and they just don't taste natural.

I like butter. And sugar.

In fact, I think I could probably eat a shame stick. Remember that from According to Jim? Sheryl's brother Andy dipped sticks of butter in sugar and ate them like that.

Anyway, I found this recipe for the dough and I can't believe how easy it is to work with! It's my new favorite thing. Cutting them out and decorating them after the boys go to bed has become my new creative outlet.

A little lemon flavor in the icing, and I'm in my happy place. Mmmmm - sugar, butter and lemon? Does it get any better?

Sometimes, I'll just make a batch of airplanes and let Jack just sprinkle them with red sugar. But I did make a few Easter-themed cookies too.

They're not the cutest cookies on the block, but they're not too shabby for a first attempt. Figuring out the right consistency to for the icing isn't easy. The white piping needs to be firm enough to outline and the inside icing needs to be runny enough to fill...well... the inside. Say what?

But I just made another batch of dough for more practice. I think I'll make some egg-shaped cookies next. More photos to come!

Top o' the mornin'!

We celebrated the wearin' o' the green around these parts yesterday. You may or may not know our heritage, but, well, I'm Eileen....he's Patrick. You do the math.

Patrick took the day off, and Jack was pretty excited to have a reason for a party. Since the only parties he's ever been to are birthday parties, he kept calling it a "Same Patrick Day birthday party" all day. I guess he was expecting cake and ice cream at some point, but really it was more of an all-day affair.

We started the morning with soda bread, Irish cream coffee and Irish breakfast tea. We munched on shamrock-shaped cookies and these

throughout the day. Don't you just love Irish potatoes? It's just an acceptable way to eat the block of cream cheese you've been eyeing in the fridge for a while. Or is that just me?

We all wore green or something with the theme for the day.

And we finished with the most amazing corned beef and cabbage I've ever tasted. Much better than typical boiled dinner, this recipe was full of flavor and we couldn't get enough. Even PJ was gobbling it up!

We watched Waking Ned Devine (love it), listened to Irish music, and drank lots of Guinness. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Hope you all had a happy St. Patrick's Day too!

Wine time

I've never been a big drinker. I didn't have my first drink until I was 21. It was a mudslide, bought for me by my friend, Kerry. Since then, I've come to find that I enjoy a sweet drink here and there (amaretto sours are nice), I love a gin and tonic on a warm summer evening (extra limes, please), I like a nice, hoppy beer (but you can keep the Budweisers or Coors Lights), and I have an affinity for wine.

I'm no connoisseur - far from it. I know what I like and I know what I don't like, and I have no idea about earthy undertones or slightly woody cask flavors. I love Cabernet Sauvignon, but I can't stand Merlot. I like sweet whites like Chardonnay and Riesling, but not Pinot Grigio so much.

But more than anything, I just like sitting down with my husband after our boys are in bed and having a glass of wine together. Or two.

In the summer, we'll sit out on the deck, play some music and light some candles and just marvel at how wonderful it is to be together.

We shared some Shiraz on Friday night (inside) and it reminded me how much I love sharing that time with him.

How about you? Are you a wine lover? Is it a passion or just a casual affinity like mine? Which vino is your favorite?

(Oh, and what do you think of the new layout?)