I like to cook. Usually. I’m much more a fan of baking because although cooking and baking both tend to make a crazy mess and use up every pot and pan in the house, with baking, the results tend to stay around a bit longer.
I’ve been doing a lot of both lately, what with the holidays and cookie exchanges and whatnot coming up. It’s been a crazy time, but I’ve been remarkably organized to the point where I had to run out to the store for sugar and flour only twice. So far.
My baking will make you diabetic. This I can guarantee. I have a friend who is also doing some baking and she talks about hemp seed oil and ground flax seeds and stevia extract and organic this and natural that. Not me, baby. I’m alllllll about white flour and white sugar and butter. These are the things that make us happy. There is a reason why I love Paula Deen, you see. In fact, I am about 75% of the way through with my planned holiday baking and I just opened my 5th five-pound bag of white sugar. Awesome.
What have I made so far?
What’s next? Blondies, something called ‘dream bars,’ lemon bars, toffee squares, more snickerdoodles, more Mexican Wedding Cakes, more fudge, and Hard Rockin’ Candy experiements #6 (tutti fruity) and #7 (raspberry revisited).
Then, perhaps, a salad will be in order.
Oh yum! I’ve just gained another 17 lbs reading your list of goodies. How, pray tell, do you manage to bake that much with a toddler about? I used to bake some but after the third item I was soooo done. Stopping to break up fights over who got to lick the beater, bowl, or spoon and then watching it all disappear in and hour…Still. Every year around this time, although I live alone but of course see people, I make rum balls (and I’ve been told I have a ‘heavy’ hand with the rum!) and a snacking mix that is spicy and salty. I give most of this away.