Well, the holidays have come and are almost gone. This year, I just didn't get the same baking done and I had very little desire to do more. The season was kind of a blue holiday for me and one filled with stress. Strange because usually baking and cooking help relieve that. My husband asked why I do all that I do at the holidays and proceeded to tell me that no one would miss it if I didn't do everything.Maybe he's right. I asked my mom about it and she disagreed completely. There are some things that are a comfort and a tradition that people come to rely on each year. For her it is the pinwheel and molasses cookies I make just like her mom used to make. For my brother, it is the deep fried rolls. For me...I guess it is the process of putting everything together. It is how I keep that little spark of Grandma alive for me.
Christmas dinner itself was a small affair, just us and the kids, our parents, my brother and my cousin. We had the standard prime rib, popovers and side dished, nothing special. I was sick of pie so there wasn't a pie within 100 yards of us, but we did have chocolate mousse and cinnamon vanilla creme brulee. They were tasty.
Last night I finished up the last of the cookie dough and made several dozen snickerdoodles and molasses cookies to put in the freezer for later dates. Now it is all but done. There is a small piece of mint fudge left and I think I saw a couple of lemon sable cookies floating around, but they will soon be gone and I will be on my healthy kick trying to get thinner...in time for the cooking competition my husband has entered me. I have to perfect my grilling of cupcakes, chocolate is perfected and now on to the cocoloco tequilla cupcakes. If I get that down on the grill I might get a good review in the paper. Wow, that might actually impress my students! Well, off to practice. We all know the saying..."practice makes perfect" and trust me, it doesn't make for a skinny cook!
