St. Patty's Day Fun

In addition to Saturday being the half marathon, it was also the only holiday that I've found to be more fun as an adult than as a child. Growing up I actually hated the "day of green." I think this was largely do to the fact that I owned little to no green clothes (it was never really a color I gravitated to) so it was always burdensome to find something to wear to keep people from touching me all day (I also don't like to be touched, let alone pinched). As I've gotten older, green has infused itself into my wardrobe and now it's no longer a question of if I have something green to wear, it's more deciding which delightful green item I should adorn on this joyous occasion. 

Although I spent the majority of the day resting up from the race so that I could  celebrate to the fullest later on, I still found time to whip up a little holiday treat in Mr. Red. I realized I had even seen his smiling face since my first (and last) baking project in him and that simply was not ok. I mustered the strength to bake about two hours before I had to meet up with everyone, so I was somewhat limited in what I could take on. Sugar cookies had been all that I could think about for the better part of the afternoon, so I decided to whip up a recipe I'd found a few months back and loved, cutting them into cute little clovers and decorating them with some festive sprinkles. Yes, I have sprinkles and cookie cutters for every occasion (or so I thought). As I went to get out the cute little clover cookie cutters I envisioned in my giant cookie cutter box, they were nowhere to be found. As I scoured the side of the box for their picture, I was shocked and appalled to find they weren't included in the mix. Literally the only cookie-appropriate holiday not represented! Fear not, I'm resourceful. I let go of the shamrock dream quickly and end up just making circles...I guess that's not really resourceful so much as it is me just wanting to make some cutout cookies so I'd have something to put my festive sprinkles on :) And at the end of the day, I still have a fun cookie and recipe to share!

Easy Sugar Cookies

Courtesy of All Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut with cookie cutters. Place shapes onto ungreased cookie sheet
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks
4. Decorate icing (I used my favorite buttercream recipe from Martha) and festive sprinkles

Happy Belated St. Patty's Day!!

Celebrating the day of green with two of my loyal readers