So Royal it Deserves a Crown

This past weekend was crazy. Not just crazy, INSANE. I'll get into that later in the week, but despite my crazy long weekend, I had some time to dash into the bookstore near my parents house while in Atlanta. And you know those theme table of books they always have set up (ie. sappy books for Mothers Day, inspirational books for Graduates, you get the idea) when you walk in the door? Well sometimes they suck and there is no cohesion to them (I mean really, my kids could do a better job putting together a table of books with a common theme, people), and sometimes there is a golden light glowing from one of those tables. Like a little halo, if you will. The table that was just made for you. Piles of new books with fresh, hard bindings waiting to be cracked open, just chock FULL of books that you want to devour. I found my table. To be fair, I found several tables and quite frankly could have wiped out our 401K at that bookstore but let's not be too hasty. We are in a recession after all and Mr. Monogram does work in the automotive industry (a moment of silence, please), so all I did was whip out my phone and start adding to my "Books to Read" list.

Here's one of them...

All glossy and shiny (and yes, gold!), this book has it all. A must have for any Martha wanna-be like me (and you). And while I didn't read the dedication in the book, I'm pretty sure it was written for me.

Now, while I've got you all thinking about cookies, it just so happens that a friend has asked for my Royal Icing recipe. What better time to share it, right? So here it is. I'll admit, I do less measuring with this recipe and more tasting. I go a lot by texture, weight, and taste, but just know you can't really screw it up. Oh, and don't forget as with any royal icing recipe, it's always best to keep your bowl of frosting covered w/ a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.

Ingredients

3 egg whites

1 lb confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1tsp of flavoring of your choice (almond extract, vanilla extract, lemon extract, etc)

Instructions

1) Put all the ingredients in a bowl and beat on medium for a good 10 minutes or so.

2) You want the icing to form a good stiff peak, and become nice and glossy.