Can't Trust Myself

We have lights! We have cookies! We have scones! We have company? Where to begin is my dilemma....

Let's start with the cookies, something I can normally do in my sleep. Except for now when I seem to be making all sorts of kitchen mistakes, including, but not limited to, the batch of pumpkin muffins that went into the trash can on Thanksgiving. And now some Christmas cookies have gone that same route. Originally I snatched the whole shebang from the cookie sheet and with a big sigh of disappointment, they hit the bottom of the kitchen garbage can. It was then I thought better of my actions because not for one minute do I want you to think that my whole life is a success because that is far from the truth. The evidence please...

How this came to be I really can't tell you, but could they be any more burnt? I think not. Here's what they should have looked like..

although I also cannot say why each batch was a little different color than the next because I had the timer set the same, and the cookie sheets were on the same rack inside the oven. That, my friends, is why there are now so many food science blogs out there! The good news is there were still enough left for folks to enjoy, one of which was Zarita, Bruce's workmate from Vancouver who came to dinner last night.

I'd set the table for the five of us, however, Carol and Hank were about an hour and a half later than anticipated. We warmed their food up when they finally arrived after 9 PM. Fortunately, earlier in the afternoon, Nancy called to remind me that an Adele special was on tv at 10 PM. What a voice, and an amazingly humble performer. Staying up late was well worth every minute!

Bruce really dislikes putting up Christmas lights. On the other hand, he really loves me so he relented and put a few up to make me happy.

While on the subject of outdoor Christmas decorations, how about this sign I came across on my bike ride yesterday morning?

Pretty darn low indeed. I have no idea what was stolen, however, evidence of the holiday spirit was still in evidence at this house.

In lieu of landscaping they have faux Christmas gifts! Actually, this decoration really makes me smile. Let's hope the thieves don't return and take the tree this time!

Scones. Have you ever made scones? I hadn't, however, I gave it a go on Sunday morning and by golly, they were pretty darn tasty. Some folks might use a food processor for this step, but this folk does not have one large enough (by choice--storage, you know) to accomplish this task. Instead, following the directions I grated a stick of frozen butter into the flour mixture.

Next you mix it with your hands until the dough becomes crumbly, followed by the addition of the extracts, dried cherries in my case, and sour cream and egg. You pat it into a circle like this:

Sprinkle the top with sugar and cut into triangles...into the oven they go.

Twenty minutes later you have some pretty tasty scones.

Should you like to make some of your own, follow this easy recipe. Because of my recent kitchen failures, I have been extra careful to set out all the ingredients first, double check the required temperatures, and in general try not to multitask while cooking. So, when I not only burned the cookies, but while making the white sauce for the scalloped potatoes and ham I served last night, the bottom of the sauce pan got black, I've come to the conclusion that I can't trust myself in the kitchen anymore which makes me sad indeed. I am open to all tips from readers!

In other news, Sunday, instead of the choir the chancel bell choir performed. Initially skeptical, I quickly discovered that they were fantastic! Coming in through the center aisle from the back of the church, they circled around the pews making very sweet music indeed.

More often than not, dessert is not part of my life at a restaurant. During yet another trip to Hawkers, I saw a ginger cheesecake on the menu which called out to me. Normally cheesecake would be at the bottom of the list should I order a dessert, however, this rendition did a whole bunch to change my mind.

 Super, super tasty.

Well, there are more packages to be mailed out which need my attention. Let us hope I can trust myself to get that right!!

Losing my touch,

Gail