Christmas baking is well in hand and it’s not because I’ve taken control; no, it’s because I’ve gently handed the reins over to my oldest son, who lives loves to bake. Now, the rest of the year I continually pepper him with reminders that we can’t just be baking and eating treats all the time, and I think he mostly gets that, but at this time of the year I really can’t justify holding him back. I mean, the kid has a list of 10 or 11 things he plans to bake this month, and he knows that most of it’s being saved for when guests come over the holidays. I can’t deny that I love having another passionate baker in the house, one who is even more willing to experiment that I am.
First on the list this year was Oat Caramel Bars, and they were baked, tested (yum!) and promptly frozen. He then got to coast a little when his little brother made Chocolate Button Cookies. But not for long. Yesterday he whipped up a batch of Lemon Lime Bars and did a very fine job; so fine, that half the contents of the pan has disappeared (to be fair, he had a friend over today and they made a bit of a dent in a way that only teenagers can). I’m holding the other half hostage as we have a special guest for an early Christmas celebration this Friday and I know that this type of treat is a favourite of hers. So, this batch won’t make it to the freezer, but that’s quite all right.
Still to come: Chocolate Dipped Biscuits, Triple Layer Brownies, Chocolate Buttermilk Brownies, Gooey Mixed Nut Bars, Toffee Bars (I’m liking the sound of these!), Caramel Sandwiches, Earl Grey Bocca di Nonna, and a fudge-type confection. Oh, and candy cane bark. Does anyone else spot the heavy weighting towards chocolate? The only downside to this list is that I had very little input to it, but I can’t say that I mind a whole lot. If I can get most of what he bakes into the freezer, we really will be able to feed an army (or at least give them a serious sugar high).
Meanwhile, I think I’m free just to spend my time planning the main meals and savoury treats for the holidays. Heaven!
By the way, I totally missed the best shot ever of a (brazen) deer who stood outside our home office window for a good ten minutes this afternoon, thanks to a dead battery in the camera. So you get lemon lime bars instead.
And a dam update: our efforts in reinforcing our pond’s dam have worked! Our pond was looking very sorry (empty) by late fall, but with the bit of rain and snow that we had recently, and the reinforcing to the dam, we now have a full pond again. Must get a good shot and post it here.
