Favorite Family Recipes ~ Spritz Cookies

Here's another of our family's favorites ~ Spritz Cookies. I usually make them during the Christmas season.

They really are deliciously sweet, buttery cookies.

Here's the recipe I use. I adapted it from the Wilton Spritz Cookie recipe found on the Wilton Spritz Cookie Press box that I've had for years.

Spritz Cookies

1-1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp. milk

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 400°. Thoroughly cream butter and sugar. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour and baking powder. Gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough. Do not chill. Place dough into cookie press and press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with decorating sugar crystals as desired. Bake at 400° 6 to 8 minutes. Remove cookies from sheet. Cool on rack. Enjoy!

Makes 6 dozen cookies.

Recipe adapted from Wilton's Spritz Cookie Recipe found on Wilton Spritz Cookie Press box.

If you've never used a cookie press, here's a helpful video about how to use one.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

 
© 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Favorite Family Recipes ~ San Francisco Marriott's Pink Punch

This delicious punch is one of our family's favorite beverages. We make it on special occasions and holidays.



San Francisco Marriott’s Pink Punch

Ingredients

1 quart cranberry juice
1 quart pineapple juice
1-1/4 Cups sugar
2 quarts ginger ale, chilled

Directions

Refrigerate juices and ginger ale. When ready to serve, combine juices and sugar in large container. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add ginger ale, stir and serve.

Note: You can also mix the juices and sugar, mixing until the sugar dissolves and then place in the refrigerator. Then when you are ready to serve add the ginger ale to the juice mix.

Serves 20

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Advent Calendar ~ December 6, 2015 - Santa Claus

NOTE: This is a repost from December 6, 2012

This is part of the "Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories" by Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers. If you'd like to join in the fun, just click HERE.

December 6 – Santa Claus

Advent Calendar Prompt from 2014 - Today is the Feast of Saint Nicholas and the origin of Santa Claus. What are your memories of Santa Claus and waiting for him to come at Christmas? What does Santa mean to you today and how do you pass along that meaning to family and to others? Post your best Santa story and your memories of Christmases past.

Advent Calendar Prompt from 2012 - Did you ever send a letter to Santa? Did you ever visit Santa and “make a list?” Do you still believe in Santa Claus?



As you can see from the photo above, my brother and I did make a visit to see Santa Claus.  Unfortunately, we didn’t look all too happy to see him.  I was three years old and my brother was two years old at the time.

Between the two of us, I’d say my younger brother was the braver child during our visit, as he had the courage to actually look at Santa.  Whether or not I ever gathered up enough courage to look at Santa, I really don't recall.  Oh well, at least we weren’t screaming our heads off.  And for that, I’m sure Santa was very thankful.

At this special time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, I'd like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for December 4, 2015

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)

1. Growing Little Leaves Blog is MOVING! by Emily Kowalski Schroeder, author of Growing Little Leaves
2. My Journey of the Certification Process: Entry 2 by Amie Bowser Tennant, author of My Kith N Kin
3. Mapping Wars...Or Other Events by Schalene Dagutis for Worldwide Genealogy ~ A Genealogical Collaboration
4. FOLLOW UP ~ Why did Ralph Forsyth jump from a 9th story hotel window to his death? AND EVERNOTE ~ How it keeps my genealogy organized AND ANCESTOR WALL OF PHOTOS ~ It’s finished–Here’s how I did it by Diane Gould Hall, author of MICHIGAN FAMILY TRAILS
5. Ten Things I Miss About Dad: Remembering John Alzo 1925-2005 by Lisa A. Alzo, author of The Accidental Genealogist
6. Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories Returns for 2015 by Thomas MacEntee, author of GeneaBloggers
7. Make An Illustrated Storybook of Ancestors by Nicole Dyer for Family Locket
8. The Power of Story: Yours, Mine and Ours by Thomas MacEntee for MyHeritage Blog
9. Tuesday’s Child’s Family Heirlooms: Bomi’s Sewing Stuff by Cathy Meder-Dempsey, author of Opening Doors in Brick Walls
10. How to Find a Birth Date from Age at Death by Amy Johnson Crow, author of Amy Johnson Crow Blog
11. Record Selection Tables at FamilySearch Wiki by Pat Richley-Erickson for Worldwide Genealogy ~ A Genealogical Collaboration
12. Tuesday's Tip: Try, Try Again--New Records Are Always Coming Online! by Marian Burk Wood, author of Climbing My Family Tree
13. Printing a Book from Google Books by Diane MacLean Boumenot, author of One Rhode Island Family
14. My first easy attempt at a narrated photo by Becky Jamison, author of Grace and Glory
15. The Railroad Retirement File for James John McCarry by Patricia O'Donnell Kuhn, author of Touching Family History
16. Buried Here But Not; How I Played Hide and Seek on Find A Grave by Laura Aanenson, author of where2look4ancestors
17. What’s your biggest organizing challenge? by Janine Adams, author of Organize Your Family History
18. New War of 1812 Database Online by Lorine McGinnis Schulze, author of Olive Tree Genealogy
19. All it took was a little persistence by Michele Simmons Lewis, author of Ancestoring

RootsTech 2016 Related Posts

• Win a FREE Pass to Rootstech by Terri O'Connell, author of Finding Our Ancestors
• And the winner is ... by Jana Greenhalgh, author of The Genealogy Kids
• And the ROOTSTECH WINNER Is.........AND MORE by Renee Zamora, author of Renee's Genealogy Blog
• RootsTech 2016 Giveaway by Amy Archibald, author of Revealing Roots and Branches
• Deciding How To Award A Free 3 Day Rootstech Pass by Genedocs

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small -

• 52 Ancestors Challenge 2015: Week 45 Recap
• 52 Ancestors Challenge 2015: Week 46 Recap
• 52 Ancestors Challenge 2015: Week 47 Recap
• 52 Ancestors Challenge 2015: Week 48 Recap and December Themes

"May I Introduce To You" Interviews on GeneaBloggers.com

• May I Introduce to You . . . Krista Whitehead
• May I Introduce to You . . . Jana Greenhalgh

New Blog Discoveries

• Ancestry Island
• Annette Berksan
• THE MAN FROM THE SUITCASE
• TOO MANY PHILIPS
• segment-ology
• Spartan Roots

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Blogosphere Last Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• Advent Calendar ~ December 1, 2015 - Christmas Trees
• Advent Calendar ~ December 2, 2015 - Christmas Cards

Jana's Place

• A Savior Is Born—Christmas Video

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Advent Calendar ~ December 2, 2015 - Christmas Cards

NOTE: This is a repost from December 2012.

This is part of the "Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories" by Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers. If you'd like to join in the fun, just click HERE.

December 2 – Christmas Cards

Do you still send Christmas cards or has electronic communication taken the place of this tradition? Do you remember sending Christmas cards as a child – making a list, sending out your family’s cards and then checking the mailbox for cards sent to your family? How did your family display the cards?

Write about anything related to Christmas cards and your memories of Christmases past.

My parents did send and receive Christmas cards. And they were displayed in our home.  As you can see from the photo below, one of the ways my mom displayed them was by attaching the cards to a ribbon which was then attached to the wall.



I don’t display my Christmas cards the same way my mom did, but I have kept up the tradition of sending Christmas cards to family and friends. Lately though, I’ve started sending those fun Christmas photo cards from Costco instead of traditional Christmas cards. I also include a Christmas letter updating the happenings of our family.

You could say that my Grandma Ingrid sent a type of photo Christmas card as well in 1939.  Here is a cute little Christmas card I found in one of my Grandmother Ingrid’s Books of Remembrance. Pictured are my Grandpa Arthur and Grandma Ingrid Iverson with their three children.



At this special time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, I'd like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved