Watch Out, Martha!

I had a great weekend, but it was a working weekend. For two and a half days, I slaved away in the kitchen. STOP LAUGHING! I know you are just trying to picture the scene, but for once I’m being serious. I really worked hard. I made like a dozen varieties of cookies and candies so that I could make give away Christmas treats to my work colleagues.

On Saturday, I spent the day baking at with Jessica and Becky in Becky’s new home. I liked the experience of using new appliances. Very fun! But on Friday evening and again Sunday after church, I worked at my place on my own. Baking at my house can be stressful.

1. I don’t have much room to work with. I have a small one-person kitchen, and there is no pantry to speak of. So I was using my dining room table for rolling and cooling cookies as well as holding all of my supplies, too.

2. Speaking of supplies, I may or may not have gotten a bit carried away with purchasing said baking items this season. I currently have 2 bags of brown sugar, 2 bags of confectioner’s sugar, 7 bags of chocolate chips – all unopened, and I think I’m nearly done with my baking experiments for the present. AHEM!

3. As for the experimentation aspect, I learned that making fudge is an art form that I have NOT yet acquired. I wound up making a peanut butter/chocolate taffy-like substance that was supposed to be chocolate-peanut butter fudge. It smelled odd and tasted awful. Truly, it did. I'm not sure what new chemical compound I discovered, but I chose to dispose of it quickly rather than send it to a lab for further testing. HA!

4. I’m such a perfectionist. I was taking my baking far too seriously for a few minutes last night. It reminded me of my younger days when I would freak out if my cookies didn’t look right. Can we say anal retentive? It’s just cookies, Mel-Belle. Let it go. HA!

5. I finished up at 9 PM last night completely exhausted. My feet hurt, I had a paper cut, I had peanut butter in my ear (don't ask) and a smudge of chocolate on my chin, and I felt like I had been run over by a Mack truck. But on the up side, I slept like a baby last night. So it's all good.

Today my cohorts have enjoyed the treats, and so far, no one has gotten sick or been rushed to the ER. It's always a plus when people survive your cooking. HA! You better watch out, Martha Stewart! There is a new cook rising in the ranks...