Today I woke up thinking I lived in Portland, Oregon. I’ve never even been to Portland but have been watching The Killing on AMC and I noticed that it rains in every episode.

It’s been raining here for several days straight. It’s dark and gloomy and it’s going to rain some more today, tomorrow and the next day. So it seems as if I am in Portland, in spirit.

Of course if I were in Portland, I would visit this bakery and have something delicious to eat.

But I’m not and I’m in need of a sweet goodie. So I’ll make these, which are really easy and I can freeze leftovers for the next time I’m in this mood:

Greek Butter Cookies

1 cup butter

1 large egg yolk

3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup ground almonds

confectioner’s sugar for coating

ground cloves, optional

Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolk, confectioner’s sugar and salt and beat until well blended. Add the flour and ground almonds and blend them in thoroughly. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour or until firm. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Take off pieces of dough to form balls about 1-inch in diameter. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool. Roll the cookies in confectioner’s sugar. Sprinkle lightly with ground cloves if desired. Makes about 4 dozen