I've Got the Best Husband

 

        This weekend is cookie baking weekend. Baking cookies to put on plates that we give to people is one of the few things about this season that I enjoy. The reason why I like it so much is because it involves baking, something I have always enjoyed and it means I have to stay home always a bonus for an introvert.

        I've been baking holiday treats since I was in junior high. Back then I had a long list of things I would make. Cookies, bars, and mini marshmallows covered in chocolate and coated with coconut. A few times I attempted fudge. I had one really good batch. The rest turned out a bit grainy so I stopped.

        Now I make cookies. Last year I made cream cheese mints burning out out my hand mixer in the process. I think I'll pass on those this year. While the selection of cookies may change once thing stays the same. I always make cut out sugar cookies using my grandmother's recipe. They are frosted and decorated. This year I'm going to stick to white icing and use coloured sugars and other decorations.

        I prepare the same way I always have. The first thing I do is decide what I'm going to make. Then I go through what I have to see what I need to buy. I almost always get flour, white sugar, powder sugar and brown sugar even if I don't need them. These items are usually on sale this time of year so it doesn't hurt to stock up. 

        This year I got a late start as we needed to take Barnaby to the vet for his annual checkup. Once we got him home and settled, I got to work. First thing was to put Christmas music on the stereo. The next job was to clean up the kitchen. I put away all the dishes that were clean and washed the few dishes that were left. I found all my recipes. I got out my ingredients and went to work.

    This year I decided to make all the dough first and then bake. Several of the cookies I make require the dough to be chilled. I mixed those up first. Then I mixed the dough for the cookies that didn't need chilling. When the dough was made I started to bake.

        This workflow seemed to be more efficient than what I used to do which was mix and then bake. The doughs that needed chilling were the right consistency when it was time to bake them. Only one batch didn't turn out and that was because I used the wrong beaters and the butter and sugar were not mixed well enough. I'd have to make a new batch.

        It was getting close to suppertime and I still had sugar cookies to make. I mixed the dough and decided I would bake and decorate them the next day. That would spread the work out evenly over the two days I have allotted for baking.

        By now I bet you are wondering why I titled this column what I did. I haven't mentioned C once so far. C helped me by clearing off the kitchen counter. Usually I would cool the cookies on the dining room table. If I did that Barnaby and possibly Willow would "sample" them. I needed space on the countertop to cool the cookies before packing them into the containers.

        He also went to the store to get a couple of forgotten items. There's always at least one thing that I think I have but don't. While he was at the store he picked up a roast beef sub sandwich for us. We split it and ate it with some chips. I had never had one before. It was really good. 

        Those two things were very helpful to me. I didn't even have to ask him to do it. I'm grateful that he was so thoughtful.