Making Shamrock cookies: you don't "need" a special cookie cutter

Just a reminder, there's a giveaway still going on through Sunday, midnight PST, right over here. It's open to everyone, no restrictions. So hop on over and enter!

I also want to just say a big thanks to everyone who gave me ideas on how to dress myself properly on Tuesday's post. I really appreciate your suggestions. While I can't guarantee that I won't ever slip back into my holey sweats and frayed tee shirts, I am giving more thought to how I dress myself for around the house. This could take me a while -- baby steps!

So, onward and upward, right?!

Being March, with St. Patrick's Day nearly upon us, and having 2 Irish lasses of our own under our roof (my twin daughters' birthday is March 17, so we say they are honorary Irish), just what kind of cookies could I possibly make? Shamrock cookies, of course!

Many people think that gingerbread cookies are just for Christmas. But in our home, gingerbread is an any month sort of cookie. Not too sweet or rich, it's one of my favorites with a hot cup of either tea or coffee. And it's well suited to cutting into fancy shapes. I happen to have a shamrock cookie cutter. But you can make shamrocks or any other shape you desire, without a special cutter.

A few years ago, we were housesitting for my sister in So. California  (I know, rough job in winter, but we like to do our share to help someone out). It was just before Christmas and I wanted to leave her family a treat for their return. I thought to make gingerbread men, but couldn't find a gingerbread man cookie cutter in her kitchen. What to do! What to do! Then I remembered reading Tasha Tudor's Christmas book and how she talked about making gingerbread cookies free-hand. She cut these beautiful animals of all sorts, from her gingerbread dough, using nothing more than a paring knife.

outline of a shamrock -- you can enlarge, as needed,
 and print out to cut and use as a template

I didn't quite trust my free-hand abilities, so I did what I considered the next best thing. I drew and cut out a simple gingerbread man shape from a brown paper shopping bag. This would be my template. I laid this pattern on lightly floured, rolled-out dough (the light dusting of flour keeps the pattern from sticking to the dough). I used a paring knife to cut around the pattern. And voila! Gingerbread men cut-outs ready to bake.

cutting with a small knife is a little slower than using cutters,
but can be a fun activity with the family

So, if you're in the mood to make shamrock (or any other shaped) sugar or gingerbread cookies (any rolled out dough will work as non-perfectly perfect as can be), you can make a template, instead of using a cutter.

I find it easier to cut all my cookies, remove the remaining dough
 that surrounds them, and then lift the cookies

Simply draw or find a picture of a shamrock (enlarge if needed). Cut this out, and use as a template for cutting your cookies. I'll include a photo of our shamrock outline in this post, in case you just want to enlarge and print it out, and use as your template.

I trim any imperfections with a knife and I'm good to go

Older kids could help with the cutting. You could have a couple of templates in use at a time, to speed this up. Younger kids could help with buttering a baking sheet, or lifting cut shamrocks from the counter and onto the baking sheet.

So there you go. Next time you want to make some cookies in a shape that you haven't a cutter for, just draw and cut a template. It's the no-clutter cutter.

My cup runneth over. . .and now yours can, too! *a giveaway*

tea wallet giveaway -- cup definitely not included, sorry, it's one of my favs

Okay, so no offense to any men out there, but you know when the guy in your life gives you one of something, one year, and you exclaim how much you love it, that this practically guarantees that he will give you not one, but dozens of said item with the next occasion?

When you have a large pile of something,
don't you just want to scoop them up in your hands over and over?

My husband, bless his heart, discovered how much I loved his gift to me last year, of 2 small boxes of my favorite bagged tea. So, this year, just what do you think popped into his mind to gift me with? A large box filled with 100 sachets of my favorite bagged tea. It is definitely very good tea, and I appreciate his efforts to get me what he knows I will enjoy. I had thought about hoarding all this tea to myself. I could likely make it last a year (I don't drink tea every day, but several times per week). Or . . . I thought, why not share my good fortune with you?!

Let me tell you about this tea, so you can decide if you'd like some. It's double bergamot Earl Grey black tea. The bergamot is a citrus fruit, but instead of tasting citrusy, it tastes a lot like lavender, to me. I like the double bergamot, as it's highly flavorful, and can stand up to the milk I add to my tea. I have tried many versions of the extra bergamot Earl Grey, and this one is, IMO, the best. It could only be improved upon if it were a double bergamot, cream of Earl Grey.

And to sweeten this deal, I'm including one hand-sewn (by moi) tea wallet, that holds 4 sachets of tea, so that you'll never be without your favorite blend.

inside of tea wallet, when folded it's about 3 X 4 1/2 inches

This tea wallet has pockets inside for 4 tea bags, but also could be used to carry packets of your sweetener of choice where ever you go ( I like stevia for iced teas, and sugar in the raw for coffee, and rarely find them in coffee shops, restaurants or friends' homes).

This can be yours, you lucky thing --
imagine the boiling water frenzy in your own home!

I'm including 15 tea sachets with this tea wallet in this giveaway.  As I am aware, probably not everyone in this world shares my passion for a very bergamot-y tea, only 5 of the sachets will be the Double Bergamot Earl Grey. The other 10 sachets included are from my second and third favorite bagged teas, Decaf Chai Spice Black Tea, and Wild Blueberry with Acai Herb Tea.

The Decaf Chai Spice I enjoy when it's past my caffeine cut-off for the day, but want a treat of hot tea and milk. And the Wild Blueberry with Acai is my favorite diet treat. It tastes sweet, just as it is, and is great hot or iced.

So, this giveaway, absolutely free, no strings attached, includes the hand-made tea wallet, and 15 sachets of flavorful bagged tea. I know, it's not exactly fantabulous, but I just thought I'd share, as my cup was running over!

If you'd like to enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment below on your favorite tea. This is open to anyone on planet Earth (sorry, I can't ship to Mars, Venus or Saturn, due to planetary delivery complications). Tea sachets are lightweight, so shipping shouldn't be a concern for me, in case you're out of the country (USA) and worried on my behalf for expense (thank you, I do appreciate such kindness and consideration, but really, this is my treat, where ever you live!)

This giveaway will remain open until Sunday, midnight PDT (hey, we change our clocks this weekend!), March 10, 2013. I'll announce the lucky tea drinker on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, so do check back then. One entry per person, please. (But multiple people sharing one address can enter. I know of at least one mother/daughter who read here occasionally. And a shout out to my face-to-face friends who read here, you can enter, too. Don't think that because you know me outside of this blog that you are automatically excluded, 'kay? Good!)

And just an FYI, there WILL be a regular post on Saturday, as usual.