Here's a closer look at the cookies at the far end of the table (Pistachio Pinwheels and Spumoni Slices, with some Mexican Wedding cookies on the fringes):
I had never taken pictures of my baking frenzy. Somewhere I do have a picture of the pasta I used to make at Christmas, but not of the cookies.
Anyway, it was a full weekend.
Saturday was devoted to cookies -- Mexican Wedding cookies in three variations (117 classic, 120 chocolate, 86 cherry-pistachio), 60 Cinnamon Coins, 41 Pistachio Pinwheels, 80 Spumoni Slices, and 180 green spritz. I also went Christmas shopping.
Sunday was supposed to be biscotti day, but I ran out of steam on Saturday to bake the sugar cookies. So, first I baked 97 sugar cookies; they still need to be frosted, so I'll do that later in the week. Then I made biscotti -- 60 Almond-Grand Marnier, 61 Hazelnut-Chocolate, 66 Pistachio-Cranberry, and 64 Double-espresso. While these were baking, I made the second batch of Amaretto-Cinnamon nuts (10 cups of walnut and pecan pieces) and prepped the Chile-Chocolate truffles and the Macadamia-Lime truffles. I need to shape the truffles and get them in their little paper liners, but I can do that in front of the TV.
Somewhere in there I finished my Christmas shopping (Yay! Now, I just need the various e-Santas to come through), went grocery shopping, and made dinner.
Oh, yeah. My brother called and said he was on a road trip from Seattle, and he and a friend are coming tonight. Hmmm, that meant picking up the disaster we call home. Because baking takes over the world this time of the year, it's not worth cleaning up until after I'm done. Everything wears a film of flour and sugar, including me! But, it's not a pretty sight and you don't want strangers seeing that! So, my husband spent a lot of time cleaning up and doing laundry. I helped between batches of biscotti and while dinner was cooking.
Tired? Yes, I am! Is it worth it? Yes, people enjoy the gifts I make, so I'll keep at it for a while...
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