Cookies, Cookies, Cookies (and some stir-fry...)

Since Friday, I've baked 7 containers of cookies. It's a nice escape to come home from a very busy day and basically just make a mess of the kitchen. :)

So far, I've mostly experimented with new recipes including a pathetic refrigerator cookie recipe from Martha Stewart. The cookies are cute (pinwheels and bullseyes in different colors) but taste, basically, like nothing. I had to cover them in powdered-sugar-icing and bits of candy to give them any flavor. I think I may be done with Martha's cookie recipes after this & two failed ones last year: first were Stained-Glass Christmas trees (sugar cookies with jolly ranchers melted into them) which I think she developed in a horrible conspiracy with dentists the world over, and some carrot-cake inspired cookies which just weren't quite right.

I've also experimented with a new technique for an almond lace cookie -- which didn't turn out anything like the pictures in the cookbook. Oh well... I blame my technique for that one.

On the more positive side, we have a box of coconut cookies, a batch of chocolate-coconut macaroons (Matt's mom's recipe which he totally loves), some chocolate pixies (also a recipe from Matt's mom - my first time trying it, and they turned out well), and some date pinwheels (which aren't a roaring success but are good enough). I also pulled out one old recipe for shortbread (I remember making these in 6th grade, from a little Pillsbury magazine).

I still need to make a huge pile of spritz (maybe I'll resist the temptation to make oddly colored ones this year), and I have the dough for candy-cane cookies in the fridge right now (my favorite ones!). I'd like to make some Lemon Bars from my Aunt Barb's recipe, though I might quit before I get to that. And, I will at least dip a few wheat-free pretzels in chocolate or bark for a few friends.

Hopefully that, combined with 2 more pie shells Matt has ready in the fridge, will be enough sweets for this year. :)

I also made some chicken-and-broccoli stir-fry tonight which actually turned out (I've never made a stir-fry correctly before). So, despite a few disappointing cookies, I think it was a good few day for cooking & baking at the Laswell home.

Here are links to the recipes I found online, should you be interested:

• The bad refrigerator cookies (don't make these!)
• The stir-fry (do make this!)