Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe

Fall Baking Challenge - Sugar Cookie Pumpkins

To be clear, a sugar cookie decorated to look like a pumpkin, not a pumpkin flavored sugar cookie. I think there's enough foods out there that taste like pumpkin. Am I right?

I got my inspiration from JoyFoodSunshine on Pinterest.  She has a ton of delicious recipes.  I already have a sugar cookie recipe that works perfect for me. I posted it below. Keep reading for the recipe. I just really liked how the cookies were decorated and it's fairly fast and easy. I was able to bake and decorate all in one day.

I used the Wilton Brand Royal Icing that comes in a box. All you have to do is mix in some water and voila. Done. 

I wasn't sure which tip they actually used so each color has its own. For the white cookie, I forgot to put a tip on, so I just folded the tip and cut a shape out to mimic the metal tip star shapes (my cookies turned out a bit sloppy in my opinion, but I've come to realize I am my worst critic. 

 I think that even if though they aren't perfect, they're still cute and would make nice gifts. The frosting dries hard so that would be the longest you'd have to wait before packaging.

Here is my recipe for perfectly rollable sugar cookies. This recipe makes 18-24 cookies, depending on thickness.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 2/3 c flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoons of baking powder

Directions:

Mix together butter and sugar. I use a hand mixer. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add flour, baking powder and salt. I mix with a spoon until the dough forms into a ball. Cover and let rest for one hour up to overnight. 

When ready, turn on oven to 350 degrees. I bake mine at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. Take the dough, roll out and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, definitely check at the 8-minute mark and keep an eye on them.  

Let cool and then you can decorate.

End Result

The two below are my actual cookies. A bit messy but I didn't know which tip to use and so I just picked a couple. You can see how I didn't mix my blue coloring all the way. It has a faded effect. I kinda like it though. I was going to go for a teal color but I found this other blue shade so I just went for it.

Pumpkin theme sugar cookie

Final result

Do you have any ideas for my next cookie? Let me know, I always love a cookie challenge. Stay tuned for next week's cookie, my sister calls them little stabbies. I friggin' love Halloween!

Knife shaped cookie cutter

If you try this recipe, please share pictures. 

A Complete Guide to Knott's Scary Farm - 2023 Updates

Everything You Need to Know 

The scary season is around the corner. Time to put away the summer floaties and get out the pumpkins! Fall is most people's favorite time of the year. In Southern California it's still hot, even at night. But all the better to explore Knott's Scary Farm.

New for 2023 is a redo of what I used to call the Christmas store, it's called the Legacy Haunt Store and Museum. It looks like a haunted house. There is one entry and one exit. Enter from the south and exit north. 

The store is completely transformed to look like a haunted maze. You'll find all kinds of cool merch inside and relics from Scary Farm's past. 

Days and Hours

Knott's Scary Farm running on select nights beginning September 21st through October 31, 2023.  

Entry Price

Tickets start at $59.00 each and prices go up the closer it gets to Halloween; it also gets busier.  Click here for more details. Additionally, there are certain packages that include dinner.

Discounts

They offer discounts for military and season pass holders.

Add-Ons

The good news is you don't have to wait as long in line. You can purchase a Fast Lane Pass. It's gonna cost you $145.00 per night (online price). You get unlimited priority entry to all mazes, Silver Bullet, Ghost Rider, Return to the Fair and Beary Tales. 

Parking is $30.00 per night. Passholders with parking get free parking. VIP parking will cost you extra.

Boo-fet Dinner is a pre-scare dinner option that allows you early entrance to certain area of the park and you get a free souvenir bottle and one photo download. This'll run you $45.00 each.

They offer an ultimate VIP package that includes parking, entry to the park, the pre-scare buffet, t-shirt, a 6-hour guided tour with priority access to rides, mazes and priority seating for shows while you have the guide with you. I've never done this before but I'm sure it's worth every penny at $549 each.

Safety

A hot topic these days. Knott's has extended their chaperone policy for the duration of Knott's Scary Farm. 

On top of that, there is a continued bag policy. Clear plastic bags smaller than 12"x12"x6" are allowed as well as non-clear bags, sized 5"x8"x2".

I noticed on my last visit, last year, there are a lot of security teams walking through, all night. I felt perfectly safe. I also noticed a lot more kids, younger ones this year. The monsters don't seem to be giving kids a break either, fyi.

You Should Know

Knott's is cashless. If you bring cash with you, they have these exchange machines that turns your cash into a card so you can buy stuff.

Some cute refreshments

Food and Drinks

They do serve alcohol; it is pricey though. Be prepared to show your ID. 

Season passes with a drink pass can use it during Knott's Scary Farm. But because this is a special event, you cannot use your 2022 food plan.  They have entry ticket options for 2023 where you can add a meal and drink for the night of entry. 

What's There to Do Around There

Glad you asked, if it's a pre-party you're looking for, there is a TGI Friday's right outside the park. If it's the famous fried chicken, Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant is worth stopping by. The restaurant also has a bar if TGI's is too crowded. If you want something quick, you can order some chicken and eat it in the bar.

Our seats at the Conjurer's show 2022.

There's a couple of shops and a bakery as well. Next to the bakery, you can order chicken to go.

If you're ready to buy tickets and learn about all the different mazes or plan your trip, click here.  

Most importantly, have fun, take in a horror show and stay safe. Scare you later!

New for 2023, 10 mazes.

1. The Chilling Chambers. A throwback to Scary Farms inaugural maze. 
2. Room 13. A 1920s prohibition style maze.
3. Cinema Slasher. This maze is a theater with a "cinema slasher" style theme. 
4. Bloodline 1842. A steampunk neo-Victorian style maze full of vampires. Your job is to stick together as a group and destroy the vampires as you make your way through the underground catacombs.
5. The Grimoire is back. I think this is the campground gone wrong theme. Evil creatures have been released by a spell book and you must fight your way through the evil unleashed.
6. Mesmer. A hypnotic maze filled with torture and madness.
7. Origins: The Curse of Calico. This maze follows the story of Sarah Marshall and the evil curse left on the town of Calico.
8. The Depths. This maze explores the underground caves left behind by the miners.
9. Dark Entities. An outer space, extra-terrestrial super haunt of a maze. 
10. Wax Works. A scary walk through a wax museum. An old favorite. I am happy to see this one come back. 

Rafting the Rogue with Dogs

 

By Ana Carda

Rogue River Facts

According to rivers.gov the Rogue River is over 200 miles long. The river runs from southwest Oregon to the Pacific Ocean.  In addition to river rafting many people fish for steelhead and other salmon. If you’re lucky you can catch a glimpse of other animals (bears, deer, otter) in the area.

 

Planning Where to Stay

There are a lot of places to stay. I recommend the Edgewater Inn in Shady Cove Oregon. Location is key with this place. This motel is clean and comfortable. Some rooms come with kitchenettes. Because we travel with dogs whenever possible we need a pet friendly place. The pet friendly rooms are on the first floor and those south facing rooms are river adjacent. They also have a barbeque area if your room doesn’t have a kitchenette but love to cook outdoors. 

View of the BBQ area at the Edgewater Inn

If you are traveling by RV, I recommend you check out the Rogue River RV Park. It has a prime location on the river and is connected to the Edgewater Inn by a walking path next to the river. There are no tent sites here and spaces a bit tight but you can’t beat the location. 

View from the room at night

Another nice RV resort on the river is the Fly Casters RV Park located right across the river from the Edgewater Inn. There are plenty of spaces, some lucky spots on the river and there is a grassy area to relax on and watch the river rafters float by. The spaces here a bit larger than the latter resort. The perk to staying at Fly Casters is you can have Miguel’s deliver to your site. I recommend the arroz con pollo. It is magical and the margaritas are refreshing. They have an outside patio overlooking the river.

Tent Camping on the Rogue?

Quick note, if you are planning on staying in a tent, there are several campgrounds along the Rogue River that accommodate tents and RVs. The road to look for is Crater Lake Highway aka highway 62. Yes, this road will take you to Crater Lake. We’ll save that one for another day. It's a beautiful road.

 

Safety Before Fun, Not in Place of

A few ground rules. There are some parts of the river that are calm and you can relax. But there are parts where the river is rapid flowing. Take it from me, stay in the raft unless you are a very strong swimmer. It will likely take at least one or two people to pull you back in the raft. It’s not easy getting back in the raft.

The Rogue River is classified as a category II to III. Beginner level people can enjoy this river. Remember to be safe. While it may be a category II, the current is still strong and if you panic and fight the current you can tire out very quickly. I know this from experience. I recommend the following items to be safe:

Life Vests, Dogs Should Wear Life Vests Too

You are provided a life vest when you rent a raft from a local charter company. Many people do not wear them but I did and I’m glad about it. I brought my own $20 vest from Bass Pro Shop. A small investment with a huge payout. Be safe and dogs are allowed on the rafts. The charter company did not offer dog life vests because come on, it’s not realistic. Our dogs have some because they are always in the water but aren’t specifically ‘water dogs.’

Our puppy jumped out of the raft in an attempt to follow his brother onto the shore. In order to save him from drifting off, I had to jump in after him. Luckily, he was somewhat buoyant with his life vest. I passed him to my husband who was in the raft at the time trying bank the raft. It was deeper than thought and the current was strong.

Rafting safety with vests

Helmets, Or No Helmets?

I didn’t wear a helmet, for this type of river I don’t think it is necessary, but I can understand why someone would wear one. Things can go very wrong, very fast.

Grappling Hook or Rope

Rope or grappling hooks can come in handy in case you have to pull the raft to shore. But the thing about these items is that they should be easily accessible. Seconds count in an emergency. My husband brought rope with a hook but when I went overboard my husband didn’t have time to grab the rope and help me back on the raft at the same time and I was taking in a lot of water.

Rope ladder

This one is my favorite. We did not have rope ladder and thinking about it afterwards. I plan on purchasing one for our next rafting trip back to the Rogue. When you’re in the water you realize how high the edge of the raft is. The current is pushing you and even with a life vest, you only float so much. I recommend a rope ladder in case you find a calm spot in the water and need to pee or in more flowing areas, a rope ladder can help you get in and out quickly.

Where I was outside the raft, the water level was deep. I couldn’t push off of anything so I wish I would have brought a rope ladder.

It’s much easier to have a good time when you know you have safety equipment and someone who knows how and when to use them.

Most Important Have Fun

The charter company’s offer cooler rental and ice. Rafting tours can be anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. Depending on where you get dropped off. Remember that planning ahead and having the proper safety equipment, even if you don’t use them will lead to having a more enjoyable time. The views are spectacular and for the most part you can just float down thew river. Don’t forget the sunscreen and a hat.  Pack some splash proof snacks and have a great time!