P365 - 2016 - Day 339 - I learned at the kitchen table

P365 - 2016 - Day 339 - I learned at the kitchen table

My mom was an amazing baker and taught me many of the tricks of her trade....when it came to Christmas cookies, I learned at the kitchen table from my earliest memories.  I started by watching, then moved to sprinkling, then eventually took on the bigger tasks of measuring and mixing and, in the case of the butter cookies, I finally was given the privilege of using the cookie press.  As the years went by, I took on more and more of the responsibilities of the cookies...even adding my own recipes to the mix until finally it became my job completely and I was given the cookie press.  (The original press broke a few years ago and was replaced with an Ebay find of the identical one that until this year I had had a hard time using....luckily a neighbor happened to have the very same press and has kindly let me borrow her's for the past 4 years!)
My own kids have followed the same path...watching and sprinkling to measuring and mixing.  This year, The Princess almost single handedly mixed the dough (not an easy job if you have ever made butter cookie dough) and used the press for the first time!  She was a pro and The Boy was an outstanding sprinkler this year, all while watching the rest of the process.  Nothing makes me happier than to pass these recipes and traditions on to my kids.  I hope they are making butter cookies with their own kids someday.