The Kohlmans

We still have two more Christmas celebrations, but in the meantime... I've been spending a lot of time here... ...and here... ...and here... ...loving these... ...and even doing a little of this... I love a good, relaxing Christmas break.

On Sunday, instead of coming straight home from the north country, we made a nice, long stop in North Newton.

We went north on Saturday. Way north. So far north it snowed... All the way north for Kohlman Christmas... (it was worth the drive.)

Kipfel This is a recipe that both my grandmas make. Instead of rolling them into sticks, I made balls like my Grandma Lu. When shaping the cookies, smaller is better... you have to be careful not to burn the bottom of them.

Peanut Butter Bon Bons I remembered after I finished that Grandma sometimes used crunchy peanut butter. Darn. You can see in the picture of the recipe that I've started making some notes...

These are amazing. I'm usually a dig-a-piece-out-of-the-middle kind of girl, but the edges are the best - they're crunchy and taste a lot like real toffee. It doesn't say to grease the pan, but I trusted my instincts - thankfully, because it needs a good layer. These didn't grow as much as I thought they would, so next time I'll spread them a little thicker around the edges so the middle can get crisp. That's my only complaint, though. They're delicious!

Another of Grandma Donna's cookie recipes... I have to admit that Sarah and Brad really made these. I just scooped the dough onto the cookie sheets. These are really yummy if you like the extras, like coconut and cranberries and nuts. I do. Brad doesn't.

One of the goals on my new list (by the way, I've kind of abandoned my 25 list and just made a life list without a deadline ... did I forget to mention that?!) is to bake all my Grandma Donna's cookie recipes found in our family cookbook. Here's number one... Dump Bars (the name is unattractive, but the result is great!) super easy + super chocolate-y = super good

I've always loved decorating for Christmas. When we were kids, we would each pull our box of ornaments out, unwrap them carefully, and hang them on the tree. I remember, as we grew up, trying to force my siblings to join in the tree decorating; they would do so reluctantly, long enough for mom to snap the obligatory picture. (I'm sure I was not nearly as good about putting the decorations away.) For many years, we were also included in (and in the last few years at the house, took over) the decorating at Grandma Donna's house, hooking the ornaments onto the tree branches, exchanging everyday wall hangings for the jewelry Christmas tree and the embroidered holly branches. When Grandma and Grandpa moved, she chose one special thing for each of her granddaughters, gifting it to us with a handwritten letter. Mine was a ceramic nativity that she made 40-50 years ago with her sisters. She handed it to me last Easter as we were leaving dinner. On top of the characters wrapped ...