C'est Pâques ..soon~

So I have been busy in the kitchen..it's off season here for everything.
Not enough snow to snowshoe..
Way too early to garden..
We did go and see The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with one of our daughters..
It was good..not as good as the first though.I do admire that cast tremendously.
Judy Dench is 81..she looks fantastic..I love her clothes  in those movies..all that linene..all that fabric..I don't see any evidence of face lifts..etc..just a gorgeous face.
Maggie Smith 81 also..again..no artifice..a lovely face that still looks like Maggie Smith..
To be so fortunate at 81.I just love them to bits.
They are both..:"Dame"~
I must admit at the end..it was a bit exhausting trying to hold back tears  thinking we would witness a moment..at every step..I thought here it comes..the tears would well  and  then dissipate.
Nice little outing .Took the routine out of the week~
Actually it was quite unroutine like..Tuesday I took Jacques to lunch for his birthday..about an hour away.. what are the odds of your son-in-law..being in the adjacent booth?
Imagine..we hardly go out..and there he was with one of his reps.:)
Wednesday we babysat Noah..and I showed him how to cut the tops off choux..and fill with whipped cream..sprinkles and icing sugar~
Oli took the routine out of the weekend on Saturday.Tell me..I only had girls myself..now I only have boys..but I can't remember my girls lifting a marble rolling pin over their fragile little heads....and using it as "weights"..saying:"Look Nana I'm strong"~
There's the proof up above.
We baked cookies..the same sugar cookies..  and I had only made a 1/2 recipe..I was able to make the 4 x-large eggs..and we were able to make numerous small cookies with the leftover dough~
I think he used about 10 different cutters:)
Bunnies..chicks..animals..Angry Birds..I love baking with kids..everything is fun for them.
I did make some while I was alone..I had picked up a BIG egg cookie cutter at Williams-Sonoma at a truly great reduced price.It's in a shopping city..far..more than an hour away..where I took Jacques for lunch;)
It must be 5-6 inches high..I made one for each of the boys for their baskets.
I made plain round sugar cookies..added a wee bit of rolled fondant and added he Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit edible wafer papers.
They are soooo sweet!!
I found those on Ebay.from the UK.I think I do these things for me also.

Last night was our first epi of Call The Midwife.I thought I would miss Jennie..I do..but the cast carries on beautifully and I cried again.So moving..That little boys and his siters..:(..


I have a few more things to do..but I must tell you ..not a chore.Play.
I played with paints..also and wanted to try scanning..


Can anyone tell me why the white watercolor paper scans greyish?
I find whites are so hard to capture in photo backgrounds and scanning.
Help? Please?
The other thing I wanted to know..is how do we create a downloadable file to share on blogs?
I tried everything to no avail..
Cloud..Behance..Docstoc..
I watched you tube videos..I spent about 2 hours Sunday..I know it is good for our brain to try and learn..but the soul gets depleted after so many failed attemps~?
I seem to get it..but when I add the link on my blog..NOTHING HAPPENS.
Please?

La Recette  des "sugar cookies"  tirée du livre Sprinkle Bakes.
I have shred this before..w/ links etc..;)

I made half..so this is what I do..

1 stick of butter..I use salted always...she does not though.
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 egg;)  This is easy..simply lightly beat one egg..measure..use half.
1 tsp of vanilla extract..I don't halve this and use the paste..that's why all my cookies have sprinkly tiny ,dark dots in them.
1/4 tsp of almond extract..I don't want the lmond overpowering for the boys..so I do  halve this.
1 1/2 cup of flour
I don't add the pinch of salt because my butter is perfectly salted.

In my KA..I blend the butter and sugar until just combined..don't overbeat.
Add egg and extracts.. combine..scraping down bowl..with half the recipe even more important.
I add my flour to that..and mix until it comes away from the bowl.
I have already prepared a cooking sheet with my Silpat..
I don't refrigerate.. I wrap and let rest..on my cool ceramic counter for a bit..it is cool enough here..in summer I do.. refrigerate..it;)
I lightly flour a board..roll and cut to the shapes I want..
I put the whole sheet w/ cut-outs..in my screened-in porch..that is unheated and frigid.For about 15 minutes..this summer I will refrigerate.
While the cut out shapes are chilling..
I pre-heat the oven to 350F

And bake ap 15-20 minutes.
Success every time..
Check them though..if they are bigger or smaller..keep an eye out..baking times will vary.
Cool on cooling racks..
When cool you can roll out fondant..the exact shape of your cookies..and apply w/ a gel (edible) or corn syrup..
Then you can add you wafer paper.. by cutting out the designs..and again adding a gel or corn syrup..that becomes your glue.

You can also just dip in a mleted candy melt..let dry..and addthe wafer paper in the sma manner..that's how the little button one is made.
I have a little tich for round wafer paper..once it is applied..a small piece of saran wrapping ith tightly will assure that the wafer paper adheres uniformly and tightly to even the periphery..
Lots of fun being had making wafer paper cookies.~


PS..
Yippee I figured it out!

Google Drive was the easiest way..

I think my problem was trying to view a download in a Preview mode..it works in published mode..
Now if I find something cute..I can scan save and share.