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West Virginia
When I started my retirement travels in 2009, I wanted a way to share it with family and friends as it was happening. Hence, "My Travel Journal". However I realized I wouldn't always be on a trip and wondered what to do with the blog in between times. My daughter pointed out, wisely, that travels can also include trips to the kitchen to try a new recipe, trips to visit family, trips to my neighborhood Starbucks, or a fun day trip with a friend. You're welcome to join me on any of these journeys! I've set up individual pages for each of my major trips (see tabs above).

Also, I have an Etsy shop where my current needlework resides. The last pieces I posted here were in 2013! So if you'd like to see what I have accomplished recently, go to (and I apologize for having to copy and paste):

www.etsy.com/shop/thedollhouseneedle

I recently added an "Italian Word a Day" thingie which shows up at the bottom of every page. You see the word and can click to hear it pronounced. I've been enjoying it and I think my accent is improving as time goes by.

December 18, 2011

I'm Getting There...

Yesterday I got the filling for the cuccidatti cookies made and in the fridge and last night I made the dough and put that in the fridge, and this morning, before I had too much time to think about it, I bit the bullet and dug in.  With these cookies you divide the dough in half and just work with one half at a time, leaving the other in the fridge.  And believe it or not, by the time I got the first half out of the oven and the glaze put on, it was probably around 1:30 or so.  Figured I deserved a break and ran a couple of errands (which turned out to be pretty fruitless), had a Subway for a late lunch and got back home.

Decided I would try a new recipe I had saved for a raisin-cinnamon apple bread before I tackled the rest of the cookies and that had to be in the oven for about 70 minutes.  About halfway through I started on the cookies again.  I tell you, I suppose it's old age creeping up or something, but I really have to push myself to get going on them.  Once I get them made I'm really glad I did and this year especially they seem extra good, but oh my gosh, they're a lot of work.  And, of course you have to keep cleaning everything up cause there's the filling stuff, the dough stuff, the putting them together stuff, the frosting and glazing stuff and at least in my tiny kitchen, there's not enough room to just let all that stuff accumulate.

But I took a little package of them to my friend Peggy today (she's pretty much lost her voice and sounds pitiful but kind of hilarious) and have made up two more little bundles - one for a few of the women I used to work with and one for the barristas at Starbucks.  The rest I'll take with me over to the kids - they all like them too.

I also got started gathering things up that I'll be taking with me.  Wrapped presents, unwrapped presents, and such.  I told myself to take something down to the car each time I go out of the building and then there won't be so much to do come Monday morning when I'm hoping to leave.  Might be Tuesday, but I think I can be ready by Monday.

This was a stellar week in my Etsy shop - I sold four items! I think shoppers must have been having one last fling before settling down to getting ready for the big day. :)

Sorry there are no pictures - there are pictures of the cuccidatti cookies in the recipe collection including pictures of some of the steps in making them.  Wish I had looked at them myself this year cause the new method I tried for measuring and cutting the strips this year didn't work as well as the new method I tried last year and forgot all about. :)

6 comments:

Elga said...

Well, I take my hat off to you for doing all this baking, I like recipes that go quick, my Christmas cake is 15 min mixing and then 3 hours baking, I can do a lot of other stuff while it is baking!!!! I hope your family appreciates all the hours that went into making them.

Oh, if you missed it I posted pictures of the Camel on PP's and my blog, it is over halfway done, tell your son I say thank you!!!

Mary Lynne said...

I DID see your camel progress pic in the new photos, Elga. You've made great progress on it. And I'm sending the link to your blog to my son so he can see your progress too. He's going to say "gee, Mom, you should stitch one for me!" :)

Christopher said...

Can't wait for some fresh cuccidatti! :)
And Elga, that camel is going to be gorgeous!

Lisa Salati said...

Mary Lynne, I made the cucidatti cookies - they are wonderful!!! Glad I made the whole recipe as the first batch of dough was my learning curve. I must be more careful next year to really get the pieces of butter small. I used a pastry cutter and think next year I will use my food processor.

Mary Lynne said...

Wow, Lisa - I think you're the first person to try ANY of my recipes let alone the (probably) most complex one on there. I'm so glad they turned out well and, by all means, if you're lucky enough to have a food processor, use it! My mom was a great pie baker and at some point she got a food processor and finally decided to try making her pie crust in that. It took her several tries before she was able to not overmix the shortening into the flour, but once she got it downpat, it was just zip, zip and it was done. That would be so great!

Christopher said...

I can attest; the cuccidatti are fantastic as usual, after a sampling last night!

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