Gift, tree and bow ties

We received a gift through the mail and did not know who it was from? Then, we found out that it was from Margarita (Mike's friend in CA). Thank you!! She really likes it. Puts the letter and sings. Repeat. (Her hair was a mess because she had just waken up from her nap).
We bought this beautiful copper tree about 2 years ago when we went to TN and Mike finally put it up. Isn't it wonderful? Now, when we paint the walls eventually is going to look even better :)

We also brought down Ari's desk from her room. We bought this an antique store that was going out of business because the owner was retiring and had everything 50-60% off. So, we got a super deal on it. We loved it right away too.

This is a new recipe that I got from Fine cooking magazine. They are soooooooooo good! And they are not hard to make:

Bow Ties ( or Kolackies )

It says it yields about 70 cookies, but I got about 50ish (the 2 times I made them). Maybe I am making them bigger?

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

21/2 cups unbleached all -purpose flour, sifted; more for rolling (I did not sifted)

1 12 oz jar good quality apricot preserve (about 3/4 cup). Tried normal preserves and they worked - I used pineapple, strawberry-rhubarb, apricot, and a mixed mango - peach preserve.

1 large egg, beaten

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Mix cream cheese and butter on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 mins. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. With the mixer on low gradually mix in the flour until a smooth dough forms.

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough gently to form a ball. Divide the ball in thirds. Wrap each in plastic or waxed paper and flatten into squares. Refrigerate at least 4 hrs. or overnight ( I tried after 4 hrs and it worked, but it was better overnight)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat at 400 F Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment. Remove one piece of dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 1/8 in thick rectangle. Use a pizza cutter or something similar to trim the rough edges of the dough so the sides are straight and then cut into 2 in squares. Spoon about 1/2 tsp. of preserve onto the center of the square. Fold one corner into the center, dab with the beaten egg, and then bring the other side into the center and pinch firmly together to seal the corners. Transfer the cookies to the sheet. Repeat with the other dough.

Bake one sheet at a time until golden and very lightly browned and puffed - 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely and then dust with confectioner's sugar.

(You can freeze these cookies in freezer bags for up to 3 months)
Done :)