Christmas Eve

This Christmas Eve I hosted my in-laws for dinner and gifts. I cooked from 8:30 am until I sat down at the table about 5:30. We ate:

Rock Salt Crusted Prime Rib

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

Green Bean Bundles

Focaccia Bread

Garlic Hummus (no picture)

And of course, oodles of cookies and other Christmas goodies!



Colder Weather = Baking Time

I think my body is subconsciously trying to put on weight. I've been cooking and baking like crazy the past few weeks, which Andy loves. I tried "flooding" cookies as a frosting method, and the results were great. I'll definitely be repeating this when it's time for Christmas cookies!

Then I tried a homemade chicken pot pie with homemade pie crust. I just used Betty Crocker's crust recipe, which I've used before, but I wasn't thrilled with the results. It tasted fine, but it didn't look quite right to me. It got glossy like it was supposed to, but I don't know about all the puckers on the surface. I expected smooth and shiny. Also, I probably overfilled the shell a smidge. Oh well, Andy loved it so much that it didn't last long!

Two nights ago I made homemade oreos from the Smitten Kitchen. I didn't take a picture, but they looked exactly like the pictures on her blog. As she suggested, I reduced the sugar, and in the future, I'll use less filling. These babies are sa-weeeet.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/05/my-kingdom-for-a-glass-of-milk/

October Baking Club

Together with some cousins, I've decided to have a baking club at least once a month. We did our first one last Saturday. We baked for 6 hours! We made:

* Brownie Bites

* Chocolate Scary (cherry) Cupcakes

* Pumpkin Creme Brulee

* German Chocolate Cookies
* Apple Cranberry Tart

* Cut Out Cookies

* Spritz

* Witch's Fingers

Here are the goods: