To the left are undated version of my grandmothers Rich Rolled Butter Cookies with Maraschino Cherry filling topped with a Vanilla Sugar Glaze and festive sprinkles shown here fresh baked with a tall glass of cold milk ready for a visit from St. Nicholas.

This holiday was constantly filled with opportunities to reconnect with old friends and family as well as meet new friends and family.

Rich Rolled Butter Cookies
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on 10x sugar covered surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. For filled cookies, slice marachino cherries into half, add corn starch and heat to thicked half of the juice from the jar liquid. Place a tsp of the filling in bottom cookies top with cookie of the same shape. Press edges together
Bake around minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

make a thin glaze from 10 x sugar, drop small amount of skim milk stir until just thin enough to pour over cookies, if desired sprinkle with festive sugar sprinkles for extra color.

New family guests in our home this year were theMeghan's relatives the Green family. Uncle Dan, Aunt Lydia and cousin Danny have lived in Western New York since the 1970's. We had the pleasure to have them in as guests for dinner on Christmas Eve. We had such a nice, natural first visit that we decided to get together as second evening for dessert and dictionary word games. I am sure Barry's & Meghan's wedding will be more fun now that I have to privildege to meet more family and friends.

I love company in my home, love to cook and love to share time with the special people in my life. Company in for dessert and coffee was the perfect time to bake Italian Butter Rum Cake, layered with fresh egg custard, frosted with Butter cream and topped with toasted Almonds.

Italian Rum Cake
Cake
6 whole eggs
1 cup sugar
heavy splash dark rum
1 cup cake flour
In a 5 quart mixing bowl whip the eggs and rum adding the sugar 1/3 at a time allowing 3 to 4 minutes between additions until all the sugar is in, whip until real fluffy and fold in your cake flour, add mixture to 3-9x1inch cake pans, bake in preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown, cool.

Syrup For Cake:
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup rum
Combine corn syrup and rum
When cake is cool drizzle syrup on to all 3 layers of cake.


Filling:
3 egg
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/3 cup sugar
2 cup milk
1/2 cup rum
In a stainless steel sauce pan whip together eggs, cornstarch, sugar, milk and rum concentrate. Place pan on stove over medium heat until thick mixing regularly, don't burn. Cool to room temperature.
Assemble Cake:Starting with cake on a cake board or whatever the place filling evenly and repeating until ending with cake on top.

Your cake is now ready to be frosted:Frost with whip cream or Butter Cream Frosting

Don't forget to put your sliced toasted almonds on the top