Almond Snowball Cookies ( + seeing Conor Oberst live)

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First off, I just need to say that these are in no way sugar-free or low-fat or even just healthy in general - but they're absolutely delicious. I feel like these are one of those cookies that every person already has a recipe for, and every cookie cookbook includes, but in case you happen to be a rare case and don't have a recipe of your own, I'm posting this one. It's supposedly a family recipe, but it's probably just a Betty Crocker recipe that my family first made in the 60s. Either way, they're incredibly good. Nothing says winter quite like these cookies.

Almond Snowball Cookies

• 1 cup margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup almonds, ground [use a food processor or even a clean coffee grinder)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1) Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2) Cream margarine in a large bowl until light.  Add powdered sugar, creaming well until mixture is light and fluffy.  Stiff in vanilla. Set aside.

3) In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, ground almonds, and salt. Pour flour mixture into the margarine and stir until completely combined.

4) Shape dough into small balls and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Pour additional powdered sugar into a small bowl or dish (about 1 cup).

5) Remove cookies from oven and immediately roll in additional powdered sugar, then set aside. Once cookies have cooled, roll in sugar again.

Also, I feel like I just need to add an update since I haven't made a post here in a while. My week was rather uneventful, except for on Thursday when I went with a friend to the Conor Oberst concert in Boston. It was probably the most wonderful concert I've ever been to. Every single song on the setlist was perfect. I saw Conor almost two years ago with Bright Eyes in Portland, Maine, and he was incredible then too (also, I had front row that time and he touched my hand, NO BIG DEAL), but I think I enjoyed it more this time. Periodically throughout the concert, I would realize that I was actually in the same building as Conor Oberst and start crying. He's such a beautiful and talented person, and it's really a life-changing experience to see him live. I can't wait to see him again some day!

Also, just to keep this on topic, Conor is, or at least was at some point, a pescetarian. In case you were wondering. 

(I took this during the encore, when we moved closer. We had a better view during the rest of the show though. It looks like we were really far away, but we were actually pretty close the entire time. Forever regretting not having a phone with a better camera.)