[When Life Hands You Lemons... Make a Martini] The Summer Crafting Challenge....

[Sarah]

Since it has been way too humid, for what seems like all summer, I can no longer enjoy outdoor activities.  I've been thinking of things that I can do with all my free time and while I absolutely LOVE Bravo, I need to break away from ALL of the Real Housewives (and Jeff Lewis and Matchmaker Patti and Rocco) and be slightly more productive.  Therefore, I have begun The Summer Crafting Challenge.  I wanted to see what I could make/create/redo/ simply using things that I already had lying around the house/garage or what I can find while walking around the 'hood (aka my parents' house/garage - ha, I dare you two to go out of town again).  My goal is to have a new post every other day...  Let the challenge begin :)  

To start this little adventure, I figured I would tackle something easy.  Cookies!!  Who doesn't love some delicious cookies and milk?  People who have to turn on an oven on a 90 degree day... but I guess this is a lesson learned.  Anyway, I saw this adorable post on Pinterest and wanted to create my own out of sugar cookies.  I had some frozen dough in my freezer from earlier this summer and figured it would be perfect.  

I chose three adorable shapes:  Shooting Star, Beach Ball and Summer Love (aka: the star, circle and heart cookie cutters that I already own becoming summerized!)  

Scratch that.  Stupid sugar cookies.  There was not one star or heart that didn't break when I tried to remove them from the pan.  I'm not even showing the "after baking" pictures because it is too depressing.  I think they would have turned out really well if I was able to actually keep them in one piece.  On a happier note, my dog loved all of the bits that came flying off as I was trying to fight each cookie with all my might.  

Oh well, on to my other idea.  As I dug through my freezer to find the sugar cookie dough, I came across those pre-cut "take and bake" cookies.  Peanut Butter cookies nonetheless.  Even better!!  I had to get over the thought of preheating the oven again but figured I would bake these little gems first, and then when they were still warm, poke the holes in the middle with the straw.  

BAM!  Once I pulled the cookies out of the oven, I transferred them to a different cookie sheet and used the straw to make the holes.  After a couple wiggles (make the hole a little bigger than the straw because it will shrink up a little as they cool) and a couple twists back and forth, the middle came right out.  The dough stuck in the straw but came out with a little puff on the other end. 

Now, I have a delicious cookie and milk treat that I can carry to bed with my one hand and I can carry my book in the other.  Like I said before, I'm trying really hard to break this Bravo addiction!!  

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Posted By Sarah to When Life Hands You Lemons... Make a Martini at 8/02/2011 08:35:00 PM