For the hostess with the mostest . . .

Texas hospitality is nowhere more evident than in my dad's neighborhood in Amarillo. When my son and I visited recently, a "come on over and use our pool" invitation by dad's friends, Kim & Vance, turned into an impromptu 5-hour pool party! Kim forced me (ok...not really) to have a few (3, 4, 10?...I lost count) of her poolside cocktails. I wanted to make cookies for her inspired by her drink. (It is a perfect summer/poolside drink: cherry 7-up, lime juice and vodka over ice...it beats the Texas heat, let me tell ya!)

I used my candy corn cookie cutter for these cookies. Here's a peek at just some of my drawings. I threw about half of the pages away before thinking to snap a picture. Sometimes, what is in my head just won't translate to the paper!

• With a #2 tip, pipe the outline of the lime in one corner. (AmeriColor Leaf Green)
• With a #3 tip, pipe the outline of the cherry in red, meeting up with the lime outline. (AmeriColor Super Red)
• Using the lime as a guide for the corner of the glass, pipe the outline of the glass in black using a #2 or 3 tip. (Spectrum Super Black)
• Thin white and light pink icing with water to a syrup-like consistency and cover both with a damp dishtowel. Let sit several minutes. (AmeriColor Soft pink with a smidge of Spectrum Peach)
• Gently stir the white icing with a rubber spatula to pop any air bubbles that have risen to the surface and transfer to a squeeze bottle.
• Fill in the top of the glass with the white flood icing.
• Stir and transfer pink icing to a squeeze bottle.
• Working with 6 to 8 cookies at a time, flood just below the glass "rim" with an uneven line of white icing.
• Go back through your 6 to 8 cookies and flood with the pink icing butting up against the wet white icing.
• While this is drying, add light green to the lime wedges using a #1 tip (or thin to flood). (AmeriColor Leaf Green)
• Using a #3 tip, fill in the cherry outline (or thin to flood).
• With a #46 basket weave tip, pipe the straw in white (un-thinned icing). Smooth side of the tip facing up.
• If the flood icing has come up over the glass rims, like mine did, go back over the glass rim in black outline icing.
• Switch the tip on the black icing to a #1 and pipe on the cherry stem.
• Using a #1 tip, pipe stripes on the straws in red icing.

Margaritas, anyone?

Go ahead, have a few! Guaranteed hangover-free! :)
To make the margarita cookies:

• Using a #2 tip, outline the cup and stem of the margarita glass in white.
• Using a #2 tip, pipe a lime rind on one corner of the glass. (AmeriColor Leaf Green)
• Thin both white and light green icing with water until they reach the consistency of syrup, cover with a damp dishtowel and let sit several minutes (AmeriColor Leaf Green).
• Stir the green icing gently with a rubber spatula to break any bubbles on the surface and transfer to a squeeze bottle.
• Fill in the majority of the glass with green flood icing to just underneath the rim of the glass.
• Fill in the lime wedge.
• Stir and transfer white icing to a squeeze bottle. Fill in the top of the glass with white (touching the green), making a somewhat wavy line. for a frosty glass look.
• Fill in the stem of the glass in white.
• Let dry overnight.
• Using warmed corn syrup or a mixture of meringue powder and water, paint a line across the top piping on the glass with a small paintbrush.
• Sprinkle with clear sparkling or sanding sugar to make the salted rim. Shake off any excess.

Olive You!

I made these cookies last year inspired by a Valentine card I bought for my husband. This same sweet husband actually made the cutter as well because I couldn't find one that was "just right."


To make these Olive You Martinis....

1. Outline martini glass design in white roayl icing using a #2 tip.
2. Pipe a line across the top where the pink "drink" will end. (see picture)
3. Thin white and pink icing to syrup-like consistency and cover with a damp dishtowel. Let sit, stir gently with a rubber spatula to pop air bubbles. (AmeriColor Deep Pink)
4. Pour pink icing into a squeeze bottle and fill martini. Use a toothpick to spread into corners.
5. Pour white icing into a squeeze bottle and fill in top of martini glass and bottom of stem. Use a toothpick to spread into corners.
6. Let cookie set at least one hour.
7. Using a #12 tip, pipe an olive/circle where the pink meets the white icing. (AmeriColor Avocado) If the olive ends up with a point on top, slightly dampen a finger and lighly tap to make more flat. (Too much water will change the color of the icing.)
8. With a #1 tip, pipe a red heart in the center of each olive and make an arrow-shaped stir stick. (AmeriColor Super Red)