It's the Holiday Season! + Recipe | Snickerdoodles

 

      I can't think of a better way to usher in the holiday season than spending an evening with the boys at one of Detroit's wunderbar gems----The Dakota Inn Rathskeller!


      The Rathskeller was opened August 1, 1933 by Karl Kurz.  Mr. Kurz was employed at Henry Ford's Highland Park factory and dreamed of owning his own business.  He bought a dilapidated Chinese laundry and worked on transforming the building over the weekends and week nights into a Bavarian-style Rathskeller; like the ones he remembered as a child in Weikersheim, Germany.

   


      This is the first time that we took Erich to the Rathskeller---he loved it!  He really enjoyed the sing-along.


He liked the food too!  We all had the Rouladen with German Kartoffelsalat and red kraut.

      The following weekend we made our way to Blake's Tree Farm to select our tree.  It was really cold that day and cloudy!  We still had a good time and went in the apple barn for some cider and donuts.

            Now that I'm working it took a few days to  trim the tree in the evenings after dinner.

                                'What's-his-name' found his way to the hutch a couple of times.

                   Erich is fifteen and it's still fun to watch him open gifts on Christmas morning!

  Stephenie, Steven, Ryan and their dog Pasha came over for brunch and to exchange Christmas gifts.

Stephenie and Ryan

      Stephenie and Steven gave us this beautiful photo book of Ryan's first 10 months.  I will treasure this forever.

                                                                    Snickerdoodles

                                                                                                                          Preheat oven 375*
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2  teaspoon baking soda
1/2  teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2  teaspoon salt
1  cup butter room temperature
2  cups granulated sugar
2  eggs room temperature
1/4  milk
1  teaspoon vanilla

In a shallow bowl mix together:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Stir together flour, soda, creamof tarter and salt.  Beat butter in large mixing bowl for 30 seconds; add 2 cups of sugar and beat til fluffy.  Add eggs, milk, and vanilla; beat well.  Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture, beating till well combined. { I put the bowl of dough in refrigerator to cool for a few minutes before forming the balls and in between baking each batch]  Form dough into 1" balls; roll balls in sugar and cinnamon.  Place the balls 2" apart on cookie sheet; flatten with bottom of a drinking glass.  Bake at 375* oven about 8 minutes or till light golden.  Transfer to wire rack to cool.

I made these cookies twice over the month---the boys loved them and I took a batch to work.
Recipe from "Old Faithful" a.k.a. Better Homes and Gardens (1984)


                                             I can't believe that later tonight---- will be 2017! 

                                                                               ~Marcie