Candy Coated Everything

There is nothing like taking something beautifully nutritious and drowning it in caramel, chocolate and cookie chunks. 'Tis the season, right?

Isn't Happy Husband cute?

The Joy of Baking!

Let the Season of Sugar officially commence!

Every December, as far back as I could remember, I bake Christmas cookies - a lot of them. I have done the tried and true recipes (the chocolate chip, the oatmeal, and the holiday staples - sugar cookies and snickerdoodles). A few years ago, I dove into Mom's cookbook collection and selected the Betty Crocker Cooky Book from the 60s or 70s. I cannot praise that masterpiece of baker's delight enough!

I have tried to recreate a couple German cookies that I fell for during that year: Zimtsterne and Pffernusse. Hubster and I love spiced cookies and these two have a real zing! Zimtsterne, so heavenly-cinnamony,  are rolled out then cut into star-shapes and basted with an eggwhite-wash before baking. I have also seen them iced.* Pffernusse have a good dose of black pepper in them, but that heat is subdued by the dusting of powder sugar on the outside (after baking). The cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg make this a real warming treat in a white snowball.

*My Zimtsterne were a bit different because I do not own a cookie cutter that is not in a Halloween shape. So I made mine into a drop cookie, making them a softer-pillowy texture unlike the hard and crunchy texture they are "supposed" to be. Also, the photo above is from audrinapatridge.com (I am writing this at a time inconvenient for plugging my camera into computer... tee hee hee)

For the Children

I know I have had a long day at the office; it is evident in the recent goings-on in my mind. Several times in the past hour, I could swear I heard a baby's cries. "Not normal," I thought to my (already overheated brain) self. Again, a baby cries.

"I really do have baby fever!"

Wow, not even a minute later a pair of children run by my desk. Today is our TV station's Childrens' Party.Whoops!

What a way to realize that I do have babies on the brain. Is it also normal to blush when I embarrass myself only in my head?

Wunderkleen!

Behold ladies and... well... ladies! I have discovered a miracle solvent to clean just about anything! Okay it is a powder that is not a solvent, but it certainly solved a cleaning dilemma we have faced.

Our fantastic kitchen knives cut cut about anything with the greatest of ease. I use them all (bread knife, paring knife, fish knife, santuku knife, slicing knife, chef's knife, etc) and Happy Husband uses the steak knives to cut it all. All of this chopping/slicing/dicing/mincing/julienne-ing has caused these beloved kitchen features to accumulate rust spots here and there (okay, I admit that the steak knives are fine and it is only the ones I use that have the blemishes).
 
The genius customer service-guy at Home Depot (if you have a cleaning problem thay are the dudes to talk to!) suggested Bar Keepers Friend to keep my gear spotless. Grab a rag - not a kitchen towel, like I did, dampen, then dust it with the powder. Scrub the knife for just a few moments, washing off after no more than a minute. Voila! My wedding present knives look as good as new!

But wait! There's more that this "Friend" will take care of for you! My glass cooktop (inherited from the previous owners of our home, who apparently burned food on the stove surface more than cooked food in a pot) has been cleaned to better-than-when-we-bought-the-house condition! Our everyday stainless steel flatware shines and sparkles! Hoping I can get my hands on Hubby's golf clubs to get them twinkling soon!

Go here for a coupon (it's 55 cents, but for such an inexpensive product, that discount creates a real bargain!)
If I didn't work myself into such a scrub-a-dub frenzy, I would have taken some before and after photos.

XOXO

Stupefy!

Saw "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" last week. I give it several thumbs up. Excited to see the final installment this summer :) It is a little bit scarier and darker than previous films in the franchise. Let me know what you thought of it

Not the best start to the day

7:15 am:

• Attack of Morning Coffee down front of white cardigan; too far from home to drive back and change.
• Must wear brown splotchy badge of defeat until return home at 6 pm

8:45 am:

• Toner Explosion from ancient technology known as fax machine
• Hands blackened, white cardigan unbelievably remained unscathed

10:00 am:

• Cuticles sliced by toilet paper dispenser (seriously, the roll was waaaay too big for the plastic dispenser)
• Developed mild paranoia will contract deadly tropical disease despite "antimicrobial" sticker

Currently is 12:00 pm. Hoping bad luck really does come in threes and I am done for the day. Ugh. I want to crawl under my desk and hide from my future.
 

***UPDATE: ***
12:30 pm:

• Phone died (this may have been averted if I did not leave charger at home)

2:00 pm:

• choked a bit on a Granny Smith Apple; feeling intimidated by equally raw and crunchy baby carrots

The stakes in this game of bad luck are getting a little high for me. As of 2:10 pm, have not found voodoo doll in office. Searching for alternative explanations to "Unfortunate Happenings" phenomena

Listening to: "Fleur de Saison" by Emilie Simon

El Fin

Le Jour Trente
A Photo