Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States. Have you ever been here for it? The City That Never Sleeps does slow down for Thanksgiving. We relax with our families and cook. And cook. And cook. And cook. And then eat and eat and eat. And reheat and eat some more. A great holiday!
The first Thanksgiving celebrated the first successful harvest of the Pilgrims in 1621. They thanked the Native Americans for helping them survive the long, hard winter. Watch a fun video about the history of this holiday called, "Bet you didn't know: Thanksgiving" at this link:
So right now, we New Yorkers are planning our menus, cleaning out our refrigerators and getting excited to see our family. Robin is baking Thanksgiving sugar cookies! Do you like baking? Let's talk about it and share recipes. See one of Robin's favorite sugar cookie recipes below.
And for listening and reading practice about baking, go to this website for a great activity: http://www.esl-lab.com/bakingcookies/bakingcookiesrd1.htm
Check back next week for more Thanksgiving ideas and some photos of the Macy's Day parade balloons!
Robin's Rolled Sugar Cookies
Use a mixer at medium speed to cream together: 1 cup butter (salted or unsalted) and 2/3 cup sugar (about 2 minutes).
Beat in 1 large egg.
Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt (do not add salt if you used salted butter), and 2 1/2 cups sifted flour (sift the flour BEFORE measuring).
Mix all ingredients for 2 minutes until well-mixed.
Form 2 flat balls of cookie dough. Wrap them in waxed paper or saran wrap and put in a plastic bag. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (350°F).
Roll dough out on a lightly floured table to 1/4 inch thick.
Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Top with colored sprinkles. Bake 8-10 minutes until just lightly colored. Remove from cookie sheets. Cool on wire racks. Makes: 24-30 delicious cookies! Enjoy!
Robin's Thanksgiving Cookies!