My Christmas Vacation

I was off work the whole week before Christmas.  My decorating and shopping were done freakishly early, so I was excited at the prospect of  having oodles of time to bake.  I have not done much Christmas baking in the last few years.  I like to blame it on the fact that I lost the help of my junior bakers to that little "growing up" issue that I so despise.  The truth of the matter is more like....I'm lazy.  Anyway, I was excited and made a list, checked it twice....probably should have checked it three times because in the long run...it appears that in my mind, I believed I had the entire staffs of Charm City and Carlo's at my disposal. 

I started out the two days I had allotted myself for baking with high hopes and much excitement.  I dreamed of the array of wonderful goodies I would set before my Christmas dinner guests.  My reality was much more humble.  After two cookie disasters I gave up on the cookie thing.  The baking extravaganza turned nightmare stretched into a third day of peanut brittle making....my only real success of the whole ordeal.  At the end of the week I was left this:                

 Snowballs (Mexican Wedding Cakes)

 and Peanut Brittle:

Those turned out pretty well and my dinner guests were impressed.

I also managed a few shortbread cookies and some weirdly shaped, but none the less tasty, press cookies...those did not grace my table.  In the end I learned a valuable lesson.  When I make a baking list I'm going to cut it in half and then in half again...and then I'm calling Duff.

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Tomorrow, being New Years Eve and all...I will be posting about the most valuable lessons I learned in 2011 and some of the fun things coming to my blog in 2012.  I know you're all excited for this but try not to lose sleep, I want you back here tomorrow fresh and ready to read!  Happy Eve of  New Years Eve!  See you tomorrow!