Confection Perfection? I think not.

My friend Terri Rainer, Published Author, sometimes likes to compare me to Martha Stewart. I laughed quite hard the first time I heard the comparison, because seriously, would Martha Stewart let her daughter sit on the kitchen island to frost sugar cookies?

Would her counter look like this?

Would she produce a sugar cookie gingerbread man who looked like this?

Would she be able to think "outside the box" and make a Halloween Christmas cookie, instead?

Or have compassion for the handicapped?

I think not.

Kendall and I made sugar cookies today from my mom's recipe, which I'm not going to put here, because it's pretty basic, and everyone likes their favorite kind anyway. However, I will share with you this wonderful recipe for Holiday Sugar Cookie Icing from my niece, Nicki, because it's different, and we liked it a lot. It's delicious, of course, but also beautifully shiny, if a little less-shiny when dry. [For the record, we quadrupled the recipe and had only enough for three dozen cookies (counting the 10 that we ate).

Holiday Sugar Cookie Icing
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp almond extract
assorted food coloring (we used neon!)

In a small bowl, stir sugar and milk until smooth (it will be kind of stiff; use a knife or metal spoon). Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. (This is not for weaklings; you'll need to put some muscle into it :) Divide into separate bowls and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Spread frosting with a knife or brush. The icing hardens fairly quickly (don't make it ahead of time) into a smooth, high-gloss finish (it creates a "Martha Stewart" sort of finish.)

I did not add that Martha Stewart part to the directions (I swear), but it's true. They look almost professional, no matter how sloppy you are (the shiny takes away from the sloppy.) Here are some of the results. See if you don't agree:

This one reminded me of a Teletubby, for some reason:

Here's a motley crew...

I have to admit, Martha might admire these three, which we noticed at the end were all color coordinated...So you see, I am not the Martha Stewart of the kitchen (and if there's still some doubt, read this) but we have a pretty good time around here anyway. Truth be told, I don't mind the "Martha Stewart of the Blogging World" title Terri gave me....

I just went to see if Martha Stewart has a blog, and she does, and it's nice. I was sucked in right away, dang it! Anyway, as I was saying, I might not be Martha Stewart in the kitchen, but I'm willing to give her a run for her money in the blog department. And I can make a pretty nice cookbook, too. If you liked this recipe, there are many more in my family's cookbook: Hungry for More...A Second Helping of Draeger Descendant Favorites...with a dash of Family History.