~one~
This week will be very quick for a few reasons. First, I take way too long to do this sometimes. Second, I've got things to do, including wrap a couple Christmas presents, put together one for my father from my girls, and get those cards out. Third, I've got cookies to bake - still.
~two~
Cookies. I really do love baking them, and this year, my husband gave me my Christmas present early. I didn't even think we were exchanging gifts, and he goes and offers to buy me a STAND MIXER to make my cookie-baking easier this year. I was SO blown away! It has made it very quick and easy to make my cookies this year, which is good on several levels. My poor old hand mixer had been in its dying throes for the last two years, and I'd burned out a couple of gears on the thing, which made mixing on low impossible. But the big reason I was so excited to start using it right away was ...
~three~
...Travel Man asked me to bake cookies for his co-workers as a Christmas gift. Which I agreed to. And then, when I went to get containers at Wally World I asked, "How many little boxes of cookies am I putting together, anyway?" The answer was 15. Well, actually, the answer was 17, but we miscounted the first time, and I went to Wally World at 9:15 last night to get the other boxes. Then I started stressing out, especially when the cookies were getting eaten as I baked. I put the kibosh on eating anything but the Tollhouse cookies (and not even all of them) until after I had packed cookies up. Oh, and I had Little Girl's dance class/party last night, which I also baked cookies for. And we're having an open house on Sunday, which I also need cookies for. And I also baked another batch of Tollhouse for Travel Man's training class on Tuesday. (Someone said my cookies were "bangin'," and I think that's good. At any rate, the cookies were gone by the end of class.) Oh, did I mention that I put together a hefty box for our pastor? Yes, I know that there are better gifts than cookies, but they really were made with love.
I baked hundreds of cookies by Thursday evening, in eight varieties, including one single batch of Tollhouse and two double-batches of said same. I have some left for Sunday, but I've still got three other kinds to make. And I forgot to take a picture of the cute boxes. Maybe Travel Man will bring home the last, extra box I sent with him. But here are some pictures of my cookies. :)
*My list of cookies I'm making this year. Yes, I am deranged enough to organize. I need to know what has to be put in the freezer or fridge so I can plan it out. Plus, if I bake two kinds of cookies in one day that bake at different temperatures, I can bake the lower-temperature ones first.*
*Tollhouse - notice the extreme amount of chips - doubled the recipe, tripled the chips. Dough is a carrier for the chocolate. Try these out of the fridge with a tall glass of cold milk.*
*We made Lollipop Sugar Cookies. Ball the dough - we used the cookie scoop I got from Wally World - then roll said dough in sprinkles or colored sugar, then pop a popsicle stick into it...*
*...press down on the ball of dough with a greased and floured glass (use the bottom, silly) so they are flat-ish. Bake 'em up ... *
*...and they come out like this. More than 50 of these, most of which are saved for the open house. These are by no means low-fat. I will post the recipes sometime soon, but trust me, these are delicious! We even made them one year for Big Girls' birthday sleepover.*
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
I'll have to take some pictures of the other cookies, too. I'll even arrange them nicely so you can see them in all their Christmas-y glory!
~four~
Next year, I will not think that I can include cookies-as-gifts in my grocery budget. They get their own budget.
~five~
In a wild demonstration of God taking care of little details in life - merely because it seems to please Him to do so - at the Knights of Columbus Christmas party, we won a turkey that seems to be around the 20 pound mark. Father K. (a brand-new Knight!) pulled Travel Man's number for the win! I am certain he's got plans and a bazillion invitations, but we invited him to dinner. We'll probably invite him to our Thanksgiving dinner in February, too, since I'm pretty sure he's been snatched up for Christmas Day.
~six~
Yes, I said Thanksgiving in February. Aren't you thankful all year long? And don't you love Thanksgiving dinner food? Why don't you have Thanksgiving dinner more often?
~seven~
Next week, I fully expect there to be no Quick Takes, so let me take this opportunity to wish you a blessed Christmas. It does begin on December 25, you know, and it goes to either the Epiphany (January 6) or Candlemas (February 2 - also known as the Feast of the Presentation), depending on how Old School you are. No, Travel Man doesn't let me keep the Christmas decorations up until February, though I do lobby for it every year.
So, Merry Christmas. Oh, and Happy Chanukah to any readers who celebrate as such!
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