Almost Christmas!

It's almost Christmas :D :D :D

And the only reason i know is because of the ever increasing hours of orchestra practice we have until the actual Christmas Eve concert, haha.

To bribe us, the conductor, (We call her Aunty, like real asians lol) give us monogrammed cookies and also cookies with faces. She's a professional baker as well as music teacher! So she's really good at both cookies and yelling at us when we're off a semitone. lol.

TBH, sometimes, i get SO sleepy during rehersals, that I fall asleep at the piano, and I wake up finding myself playing the final chord. And AuntyS is all "you played very well" and I don't really know how I finished the piece... lol

Tomorrow it's Christmas eve! Or I think it's today by the time I post this haha. Do you guys have any plans? I can't wait for Christmas, with our present openings and Christmas foods. :D :D :D I'M SO EXCITED!

Do you have any family traditions at Christmas? In my family, everyone wakes up early to open presents, and then we go to a church service, and then I help my mum make food for Christmas lunch, which is taken at my YehYeh's place (So my Dad's parents lol) and my grandma makes like a bajillion dishes, no joke. Then we head to my PorPor's (mum's mum) and we eat MORE food (and prep more food), all the while picking up and giving out presents.

It's a very fattening and fulfilling day.

Tomorrow i'm going to go baby sit before going to the concert, (as in orchestra, not some crazy fun event lol) and i'm doing christmas crafts and baking cookies with the kids! It's going to be hella fun haha. I hope. lol.

If you're interested, i'm making this recipe.

Basic Shortbread (about 14-16 cookies [big ones])

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour

• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 225g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• decorations optional 

Directions

1. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Wisk together flour and salt. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and continue to beat until pale and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of bowl, about 2 minutes more. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed, scraping sides if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.

2. Turn out dough, forming into 2 disks; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out 1 disk to a 1/2centimetre thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutter, and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Reroll scraps. Repeat with remaining disk. Indent cookies with desired stamps. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Bake until firm and golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

yum yum yum cookies

Bye guys!