By Request

  I had a request from a lovely young lady who procrastinates doing her homework by reading my blog. 

So, this one's for you, Caitlin!

  I know it's been a while since I posted. I really haven't been doing anything blog-worthy. I finished out drop cookies with Molasses Jumbles and  Jubilee Jumbles. I am not fond of Jumbles of any sort. I gave many of them away. I started on Bar cookies with Lemonade Prune Bars and Teen Time Chocolate Nut Bars. I ate all the Lemonade Prune Bars. They were very tasty. And now Karl has started a weight loss program which includes, (among other things) no white carbohydrates. So no sugar, no baked goods (even whole wheat), no fun. Too bad for him because next up is Lemon Bars.

  I joined my LMS bandmates in Arlington Heights, IL for a show at the Metropolis Theater. One of my friends, a fellow musician, came to see us. He was the toddler in the audience because I think he and his wife were the only ones under 80 in the audience! The show ended just in time for rush hour traffic, so with a heavy heart, I had to skip dinner at Portillos. I was really looking forward to it too!

  Back at the homestead, the chickens are not enjoying the wintry weather. But the increasing daylight is not only lifting my spirits, but Barbara's as well. This past weekend, we got three eggs in one day! Now all my girls are grown up. So grown up, in fact that Pickles has decided that it's time to start her family, she's gone "broody."

  A chicken's brain is not very sophisticated. They are wired to lay eggs, then hatch those eggs into chicks. It doesn't matter if there's not a rooster around. It also doesn't matter if they're actually sitting on eggs. Pickles has been sitting on an empty nest for three days. It doesn't seem to bother her when I reach under to collect the other girl's eggs. I hope she snaps out of it soon. It's cold and she should be snuggling with her sisters at night instead of by herself in her nest box. Plus, she stops laying eggs while she's broody. I had to buy eggs!

  So that's really all the news. I'm sorry it's not more, Cait. You know, you and your sister really need to come visit us and meet Sally and the girls. You could stay at my Mom & Dad's. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Maybe over spring break??

Oh Look! A New Blog Post!

  I have been remiss in blogging about all the cookies I've been baking. It's because I'm busy baking cookies! In the last week, I've baked four batches of cookies: Chocolate Drops, Brown Sugar Drops, Pineapple Drops, and Oatmeal Drops. Drops is a predominant word, and I'm getting tired of these super-simple, novice-level cookies. They're not necessarily bland, but they're certainly not exciting. Oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite, so I actually baked the full recipe on these yesterday. I got about 7 dozen. Most of them are gone, but I did send a bag of them home with my parents, who came for a visit.

  In non-baking news, the weather has turned bitterly cold for a while. I drove Katrina to school today because it was -5° and she has to walk about a mile. I also promised to pick her up after school. I hope I remember. The chickens are faring well despite the cold. They love their hot breakfast of oatmeal with bugs, and continue to reward me with eggs almost every day. I'm checking on them every few hours in this cold, so they expect a treat every time I go out. It's a great way to get rid of leftovers!

  I signed up for a women's only mountain bike clinic in March. I'm excited about that. I really enjoy mountain biking, I just need the skills to challenge myself a little more. Then maybe I can get a better bike to use those skills. (hopefully!)

Orange Drops

  Today's recipe was # 2, Orange Drops. Definitely a "meh" recipe. I keep biting in to one, expecting more flavor, but all I get are bits of orange zest in my teeth. It's probably for the better, since I single-handedly ate at least three dozen of Monday's batch. (Doesn't really fit in with the weight loss plan!)

In other news, I have a very busy weekend coming up - Friday night cycling fan geek-out, Saturday work then Girl Scout event, then Sunday bike race spectating.

See ya' on the flip side!

It Begins

  I've been baking cookies since I was a kid so I'm no slouch when it comes to baking.So it makes sense that my New Year's Resolution is to bake every recipe in my Betty Crocker Cookie Book. I used my Mom's copy when I was a kid, copied my favorites from it when I moved out, and was thrilled when I got a copy for Christmas a few years ago (a reprint of the 1961 edition). There are so many recipes I've always wanted to try, but just never did - like those twisted candy canes or the painted gingham dog and calico cat. So here I go. I'm starting with the first recipe, and going through in order.

It's like a teeny-tiny ice cream scoop!

Betty starts you out easy - drop cookies.  These are the kind of cookies I love to make - quick and easy! They're why I bought a cookie scoop.

 So the first recipe is applesauce cookies. They're cakey with a bit of spice. At first I thought they were bland, but a few hours later, the flavor developed a bit, now I can't stop eating them. That scoop makes the perfect "pop a whole one in your mouth" sized cookie. I had to put them away and put the can of chicken cereal on top of them so I won't take one every time I walk by!

I have a feeling I'm going to be giving away a lot of cookies this year. If you're in the neighborhood, drop by and I'll send you home with a couple dozen!

An Announcement

It's the time of year when people "announce" their New Year's Resolutions, so that's what I'm doing.

  So many people make resolutions that they never stick to. They set almost unrealistic goals for themselves. Sure, I'd love to lose 15 pounds, but a resolution isn't going to make me any more motivated to eat salad a for every meal. I really do want to ride my bike every day, but real life often gets in the way. But I am making a resolution that I know I will stick to. I know this will happen. Maybe not in  one year, it might take longer.

In 2013, I resolve to make every recipe in my favorite cookbook:

It's going to be tough, some are kind of weird. I will skip the "Baking for a Crowd" pages though. Lord knows, I don't need twenty dozen cookies hanging around.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. I suppose I'd better watch "Julie and Julia" for inspiration.

Hurry!

Wow, I can't believe it's only 5 days until Christmas! I haven't even gotten my Christmas cards out. Anyway, Karl has a great idea for this year's letter, but he's been too busy at work to get it written. So, if you normally get a card from us, be patient, it will come.

Last night we had our first big snow, with more to come later today (the blizzard warning goes in to effect at noon today), so no brown Christmas this year. I hope the snow stays around for the Cyclocross National Championship in January, so all those people from elsewhere learn about real Wisconsin winter.

I've got cookie dough chilling and the cookie cutters are ready to go. Karl and Katrina have a snow day today, so they're rolling, cutting, and baking this afternoon. We'll decorate tonight after dinner. I'll be sure to get some photos of the best cookies of the year. I have some new cookie cutters that will make for fun cookies.

And now, I have to get ready for work. I hope today will be a short one because of the weather. I want to play in the snow too!

Part 4, In Which I Eat Lobster

  There's been so much excitement around here, with the new TV and the eggs, and now Christmas season is upon us; I almost forgot that I was still telling you all about my trip! To review: I arrived, I shopped, I biked and it is now Sunday, the day after the ride.

  So, I mentioned that I received a lunch invitation. Yup. I was invited to have lunch with 3-D Ted's Mom and Dad. I had such a good time talking to Mom after the ride, of course I said yes.  It was yet another beautiful day, and Dad gave a tour of the King Estate - he's very proud of it, I could tell (and rightly so, it was beautiful!). It was very low key, and I had a great time. Dad asked if I could knit him some fingerless gloves, (and those are in progress right now).

  After lunch, I wandered back and finally found the ocean!!

  I was wearing the wrong shoes to step out onto the beach, so I had a nice walk on the sidewalk. None of the shops were open, so I couldn't buy any cheesy souvenirs. I was hoping to find something "crabby" for Karl and Katrina, since they are both my KrABs. Maybe next year.

  My other goal for this trip (besides to ride my bike for 30 miles in a row) was to eat a lobster roll. Now, I believe I have explained my relationship with lobster before, so I won't go in to it again. But, it has been at least 20 years since I tasted it. Tastes change, so maybe I like lobster now. It's possible, right? I'm in New England, I can't not try it. So, on the advice of a friend, I set off to the Beach Plum, home of New England's Best Lobster Roll.

Here's the Before

That's a BIG lobster roll!

And, here's the After

The chips were good, anyway.

  No, it's official, I Really Do Not Like Lobster. So, here I am, with a $20 lobster roll that I'm not going to eat. I felt really bad, and did not want to just throw it away in front of everyone. So, like a big girl I asked for a to-go container and stashed it away and left in a hurry (like maybe I was late for an appointment or something). The problem was, I was still hungry but nothing sounded good. So, I headed to a nearby grocery store, hoping for inspiration. I threw away my "leftovers" on the way in to the store. It was Sunday night, the hot food had already been taken off the deli, so I ended up with a microwave dinner and a mini box of wine (and a straw). How depressing. I believe this is where the whole tone of the trip took a dive. Back in my room, I heated up the dinner, unscrewed the wine and turned on the TV. Luckily, I found something good to watch, or otherwise, I would have skipped the dinner and gone straight to bed. A mini box of wine is two or three glasses, and I'm a real lightweight. It's a good thing I didn't have to drive.

  And that's the end of the day. Up next: A traveler's worst nightmare.