With: Lisa Belcastro
Congratulations to "Tammy Y.", the winner in Lisa's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!
The
Christmas season is upon us. It is my favorite time of year, and the only time
of year I enjoy snow. I try to do the
bulk of my Christmas shopping before December rolls around, allowing more time
for friends, wrapping, cooking, and baking.

I
also love to cook, and I spend many fulfilling and filling hours in my kitchen
during December. Fudge, peppermint bark, and sugar cookies are family
favorites, with the sugar cookies topping the list. Everyone seems to love this
simple recipe, and you can substitute almond extract for vanilla if you want a
change of flavor.
Question: What’s your favorite
Christmas/Holiday cookie?
One commenter wins a box of
chocolates, a new recipe book, and a copy of A Shenandoah Christmas.
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
2 Sticks Butter (1 cup), softened
1 Cup Sugar
1 Egg, slightly beaten
3 Cups Flour, sifted
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Milk
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sift together flour, baking
powder, salt, and sugar.
3. Cut in butter until particles
are fine.
4. Add egg, milk, and vanilla –
blend.
5. Roll out dough onto a floured
area, and cut with cookie cutters as desired.
6. Decorate with colored sugar, or
an edible decoration. *
7. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes,
depending on thickness of cookie. (We like them on the thicker side in my
family so it’s normally 8 minutes.)
* If you’d rather frost the
cookies, bake them without sugar or sprinkles, and then apply frosting when the
cookie is completely cooled.
“Drew?”
Her sweet voice stopped him. She
sounded puzzled, but not angry.
His body moved as metal drawn to
the magnetic power of her lips when they spoke his name.
“Hey.” Thirty years old, and that
was the best he could summon from his mental vocabulary list? Pathetic.
“What are you doing here?” Allyson
walked past a customer and stood before him.
“I didn’t know you were working
here.”
“Sorry I didn’t tell you.” She uttered the
words, which sounded sincere, except for the fact that her focus was on a woman
examining the rack of shower curtains. “I, ah, wanted to pick up the extra cash
while I could.”
“Want to grab some coffee when you finish?”
Her usual eager smile did not
appear. “Sorry, Drew, but I’m already beat. I’ve got another two hours here.
Can we meet at church in the morning?” She lifted her hand as if to touch him,
then tucked it into her jeans pocket.
The urge to point out the movement,
to ask what gives, filled his throat. Andy choked it back, aware of the couple
standing six or seven feet to his left. The answers he desperately wanted would
have to wait.
He nodded. “Church it is. Any
chance we could grab lunch after?”
There it was, for a split second—a
flash of pain that darkened her cornflower-blue eyes. He closed the gap between
them and ran his hand along her left arm. “Allyson, are you okay?”
“Fine. Just tired. And I’m working
tomorrow from noon to eight, so I’ll be eating lunch as I drive from church to
the Emporium. But I’ll see you for dinner at your parents’ on Christmas Eve.
Okay?”
“Okay.” No, it wasn’t okay. Nothing
about this was okay, but what more could he say to her? He lowered his lips to
her cheek and gave her a gentle kiss. “I love you.”
“Me too,” she said as he stepped
back. A customer seized that moment to approach her. Before walking off with
the guy in the tacky Christmas sweater, Allyson smiled and said, “See you
tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there.” His feet felt
weighted, walking away from her. The conversation hadn’t gone as he’d hoped,
not even close to what he’d imagined.
As he pulled the store’s door shut
behind him, the click of the latch shifted a puzzle piece into place within his
heart. Allyson hadn’t said “I love you.” Not tonight, and not for days, maybe
weeks. She said, “me too,” but she hadn’t spoken an “I love you” to him
since—when? Thanksgiving?
He needed to think. He drove to the
dock and stared out at the water, at the stars in the sky, at the Shenandoah’s empty mooring ball. Andy
began scrolling through all their text messages on his cell phone. December
4—there it was. The last day Allyson had written an “I love you” to him. How
had he missed it? How had three weeks gone by and he hadn’t picked up on it?
The dull throbbing of doubt that
had plagued him all day grew to an intense searing pain as his heart rent into
unrecognizable pieces.
Allyson didn’t love him anymore.
Ebook Buy Links for A Shenandoah Christmas
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00Q8PUNOE
Kobo: http://ow.ly/Vp1nB
Nook: http://ow.ly/Vp1OZ
iBooks: http://ow.ly/UKuYJ
Paperback: http://amzn.com/0986299375
Website: www.lisabelcastro.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/belcastrolisa
Twitter: www.twitter.com/VineyardRomance
Lisa runs as an
ambassador for TEAM 413 (www.team413.org), and has completed a marathon (26.2
miles) in all fifty states.
Lisa’s stories are set on
the Vineyard amidst the magnificence of the ocean, the beauty of sandy beaches,
rolling hills, and ancient cliffs, as well as the people and events that make
the Island so very unique.
When she’s not at her
desk, Lisa is living in paradise, volunteering at her daughter’s school,
serving in her church community, planting and weeding her numerous gardens,
training to run the Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge in January 2016, walking
the beach looking for sea glass, or enjoying a great meal while she pens the
cuisine column for Vineyard Style Magazine.
Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST Dec. 6th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com with a subject title of JCR GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway. US residents only.
Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST Dec. 6th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com with a subject title of JCR GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway. US residents only.
Thanks so much for hosting me once again, Maureen. I'm looking forward to a few new cookie ideas!
ReplyDeleteMy family has a tradition of making M&M cookies together for the holidays! We also enjoy chocolate chip cookies with walnuts.
ReplyDeleteHi Colleen,
DeleteI'm a huge fan of chocolate chips with walnuts. We've never made M&M cookies. I think everyone eats the M&Ms before I can even think about using them in cookies - LOL
I love no bake cookies in the South they're called preacher cookies they are oatmeal peanut butter and chocolate
DeleteI love no bake cookies in the South they're called preacher cookies they are oatmeal peanut butter and chocolate
DeleteCherrilynn, I need to get that recipe from you! Peanut and chocolate is probably my favorite combination.
Deletechocolate chip
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Probably my all-time favorite cookie - chewy ones.
DeleteI love gingerbread cookies.
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
I love gingerbread cookies too! We also enjoy decorating them with yummy frosting.
DeleteI turn into a cookie fairy during the holidays. Everyone gets cookies. My personal favorite is dark chocolate pecan shortbread. We have some in the kitchen right now.
ReplyDeletecorozondemono at gmail dot com
Mandy, you're welcome at my house anytime!! A cookie fairy is better than the tooth fairy!
DeleteChocolate Chip are my favorite cookies, but my mother doesn't consider them a Christmas cookie and won't make them for me for Christmas! M&M is my usual Christmas cookie pick, but this year I chose Chocolate Blossoms.
ReplyDeleteForgot to leave my email address: amyp115 AT yahoo DOT com
DeleteAmy, I can't believe you said chocolate blossoms! This morning I made candy cane Hershey kisses blossoms for church. :-)
DeleteLoved this story! I always fall for the frosted christmas cookies. They are always good!
ReplyDeletelattebooks at hotmail dot com
Susan, I don't know about you, but I eat way too much of the frosting before I finish decorating all the cookies. :-)
DeleteLove gingerbread cookies.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Ann! I should make some this week.
DeleteHi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteMaking a big batch of Sugar Cookies has been a yearly tradition at our home. The kids decorate them for Santa and his Reindeer first, we set them aside with a glass of milk on Christmas Eve. The rest of the cookies are for our family and friends who visit through the holidays!
Merry Christmas!
sjeldridge09@gmail.com
Hi Sue,
DeleteI love your tradition! Sweet - in all the right ways!!
Hugs and Christmas wishes to you and your family!!
My favorite cookie is kolachy. Many spelling of that cookie. We called them thumbprint cookies.
ReplyDeleteI love thumbprint cookies too, Kathy! Raspberry jam is my choice, though I had ones with blackberry jam and enjoyed those too.
ReplyDeleteI love decorated sugar cookies for Christmas. We also make fudge.
ReplyDeleteyenastone at aol dot com
I made sugar cookies for church yesterday, Tammy. I don't think we've had a Christmas without sugar cookies. And fudge is always good!
DeleteWe love making Russian tea cookies (at least that's what they are called on the recipe we have, I've also seen them called Mexican wedding cookies). Whatever they're called, we love them and they are delicious!
ReplyDeleteI have a girlfriend who makes dozen of those cookies, Beth. She's a great friend to have!! ;-)
DeleteI like plain ole peanut butter cookies
ReplyDeleteDebbie, you can't go wrong with peanut butter. My favorite snack is a few tablespoons of peanut butter with either apple slices, or mini chocolate chips. Yum!
Delete