Rosedown Plantation - St. Francisville, Louisiana

A few weeks ago,  I visited the Rosedown Plantation in St. Fancisville, Louisiana with some of my family. Although it was raining all day, it was one of the best and fun days I've had had in awhile. Before visiting the plantation, we ate lunch at a little cafe called the Magnolia Cafe in St. Francisville. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was very inviting. I will definitely be going back sometime in the near future. 

From what I can remember I've  never visited a plantation home before, needless to say, I was blown away with how beautiful this place was. It was very extravagant, symmetrical and Victorian like. We toured the house and learned about the family that used to live there in the 1800s, and what it was like to live there during that time period. It was very interesting to hear about and to picture what it was like then. Because it was raining, I didn't get to see all of the gardens, but here a a few pictures of what I did see. Hopefully I will go back soon to see more!

                              Haley

Jam Filled Christmas Cookies

It's Christmas time!!! I love the holidays, especially listening to christmas music, baking and enjoying family time. The absolute best part though is getting to eat sweets and pastries. I was recently watching one of Tanya Burr's Christmas videos where she was making mince pies and other goodies, which inspired me to make my own cookies. What I love most about this recipe is how easy it is to make.

What you'll need:

1 Pack of pie crust

Your choice of jam (I used Strawberry and Apple)

1 Tbsp butter, melted

Pinch of sugar

Powdered Sugar for topping

Cookie Cutters

Parchment Paper

Baking Tray

Start by taking the pie crust out of the freezer and letting thaw, then take both sides of the dough and make a ball. On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it's about an 1/8" thick, then cut out an even number of cookies and place them on the parchment paper. Now make a whole in the center of half of the cookies (these will be the top portion of the cookies). Spoon about a teaspoon of any type of jam in the center of the cookie (without the whole) and then place the one with the whole on top. (I used less than a teaspoon when I did these so I think using a whole teaspoon would turn out better.) Take a fork and press down all of the sides of the pastry. Next, brush the top of the cookies with the melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake on 370 F for about 15 minutes. When they are done dust some powdered sugar on top. I find they are best eaten when still hot/warm served with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

Happy Baking!

Haley