It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas...

I love everything about Christmas. The lights, the songs, the shopping, the FOOD! :)
Here is my latest Christmas Goodie:

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients

• 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Granulated sugar

Directions

1. 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
   
2. 2 Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
   
3. 3 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
   
4. 4 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each
   cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
   About 4 dozen cookies.
   
   Nutritional Information per serving (1 cookie):
   Calories: 90, Total Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 75mg,
   Total Carbohydrate: 10g, Dietary Fiber: less than 1g, Sugars: 6g, Protein: 2g, Vitamin A: 0%DV*,
   Vitamin C: 0%DV*, Calcium: 0%DV*, Iron: 2%DV*
   *%DV= %Daily Values are calculated based on a 2000 calorie diet

Where are you Christmas?

I have been racking my brain for weeks trying to figure out what to get my best friend for Christmas. Caitlin and I have been best friends since high school, and not just anything would do. I thought "oh, let me buy her shoes" because that's obviously what I would buy myself for Christmas. *shoe whore* But that wasn't very personal. Then with the brainstorming of my boyfriend and his best friend we came up with "oh! let's get her a massage." But then I remembered it's Caitlin and I'm not sure if she would even bother to schedule it to use it! So here I am. A week and a half before Christmas and no present under the tree...

Well... on the Mantle. I didn't have space for a tree this year. Blame my boyfriends blue couch! But I promise not one of those says Caitlin... Since I obviously didn't have a present!

So one night super late I was on Facebook, (shocker right) and a friend of mine from Middle School was online. She is now a wonderful photographer, and shoots beautiful pictures of babies. I was like BINGO! Genevieve is getting closer and closer to a year old with no true professional pictures. So (luckily) Laura had an opening for Sunday. There began the plotting to let Caitlin borrow her child on her day off. Which is no easy feat I might add! 

Finally we convinced Caitlin to bring Genevieve to lunch with us, Joe's mom, and best friend, and let us take her "shopping" for her Christmas surprise after! Little did she know that in the car we had stollers, blankets, a whole new wardrobe, and props. We headed downtown because the feel that I wanted for the pictures was soft and vintage. (yes... the stylist in me never sleeps. I have been buying her all new clothes to fit my vision for the last week.) 

We head to the park, and thanks to the boys we made it safely with all of our props and clothes and Genevieve in a great mood.  I think we had the most amazing turn out. Thank you to Joseph Hunkapiller, Dorothy Hunkapiller, John Gates, and of course LAURA RAE PHOTOGRAPHY for such a wonderful time. I hope Caitlin cherishes these memories forever and knows how much we all love her. I can't wait to see what Laura comes up with to shoot with Caitlin for their Mommy/Daughter Shoot. 

Now the whole reason you wanted to see this post.... Courtesy of Laura Rae Photography:

http://www.facebook.com/lraephoto