My "refrigerator" friends

This weekend my mom’s group gathered at my house to make marinades for chicken (for ourselves) and cookies (to send to one of the mom’s husband, who is stationed in Iraq).

When we were discussing the things we needed to bring, the baking queen in my group asked if I had a mixer. “Yes!” I said, resoundingly. “You do?” another mom responded quite surprised.

To help dispel this myth that I’m totally incompetent in the kitchen (I can cook and clean…I just choose not to…especially with little ones screaming and crying to be picked up all the time), I decided that I would actually make the cookie dough…using my mixer…instead of buying it from the store as we had planned.

Of course I had no recipe, so I purchased my first Good Housekeeping magazine…with Kelly Ripa on the front holding a tray of Christmas cookies. And I found the recipe and made the dough.
However, my cookie dough making ability failed to prove to my friends that I may one day climb to the level of all the “Marthas” in the world, as it didn’t make up for my lack of cooking utensils. They were quite entertained with my lack of measuring spoons (aren’t the teaspoons I use for my coffee adequate?), and my old beat up plastic measuring cups that were hand-me-down’s from my husband’s sister over 10 years ago (last I checked...a ½ cup is still a ½ cup, no matter how ugly the scoop is). Did it really matter that I didn’t have a ¼ cup? I was good at math and fractions….and know that ¼ a cup is just a little less than a 1/3. Not hard at all to adjust! But when they asked where my garlic press was, well, I couldn’t even pretend to know what the heck they were talking about. Luckily my neighbor did and was able to run across the street to retrieve hers. They all said they know what to get me for Christmas!

I was put even more to shame as I tried to decorate the cookies we made for the servicemen. My amazing friend Angela (http://www.angelaskitchen.com/), is a cookie decorating guru!
Check out her tie-dyed and polka dot bikinis, lacy lingerie, sexy ladies, and marvelous martinis.
Think the men in Iraq will get a kick out of them???? When my friend was telling her husband about the kind of cookies we were going to be making, his response was, "Wait a minute, I thought this was your church group who was doing this." We "church ladies" know how to have fun.

The night was wonderful, especially since one of the husbands offered to run Daddy Daycare in the basement! A day/night with fabulous friends, a little wine, no kids….what a fabulous time.

But I don't think I'll be making the cover of Good Housekeeping anytime soon.