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Reduced to a lost art? Perhaps.

But cooking together is a tradition for Jan Miller and her daughter Jordan, as their sweet concoctions are featured in the newest issue of Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publication, "Christmas Cookies."

"The story designer was looking for moms and their kiddos who liked to bake with each other," Miller said. "Jordan and I do, so it was an easy fit."

Living in Des Moines, the former Marshalltown High School graduate works for Meredith Publications which distributes the seasonal supplement. When asked to participate, they grabbed their favorite sugar cookie recipe, a few sprinkles, and the knead for dough began.

"The photographer told her to just get busy and start doing her thing," she said of the seven-year old. "Jordan just had a ball."

While there aren't enough hours in a day for some, sharing time in the kitchen is an opportunity for teaching life's simple ingredients like adding, measuring, or just mixing up a batch o' fun.

"Our moms aren't cooking as much with their children nowadays and there are so many wonderful things to learn," Miller said. "Plus, it's good when they can experiment - don't worry about the mess, just let them go and be kids."

But what happened to all those cookies they made?

"Of course we gobbled them," she laughed. "They never last."

The current publication of Better Homes & Gardens "Christmas Cookies" is on newsstands now.

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Contact Tammy R. Lawson at 641-753-6611 or tlawson@timesrepublican.com