Reflections in the Dragon's Eye: A Journal

13 December 2000

Well, the last of the cookies (except for the Moon Cookies, which is an all-day production) are done. I made three batches of breakfast cookies last night. Foolishly, I thought I could make the batter for all three batches at once. I'd finished adding the flour when I looked into the mixer and realized there was no way I was going to be able to add six cups of corn flakes (hey, they're called breakfast cookies for a reason!) to the bowl without making an enormous mess - and I'd already spattered my counter with eggs.

So I had to settle for spooning about two-thirds of the base batter into a bowl and adding the final ingredients in three batches. But for once, I actually managed to get the precise number of cookies out of each batch that the recipe said I was supposed to get. And I figured out how, for next time, to get them to be more like cookies and less like tiny muffins. (A higher ratio of base batter to "breakfast" ingredients, that's how.)

But Matt and I each had a cookie (quality control, you know. Wouldn't want to hand out bad cookies!) and they were pretty good. If you like that kind of thing. Everyone always gives me a weird look when I tell them about these cookies. "Cookies with bacon???" they squeal. (See? You're doing it now.) Try something different every now and then, that's what I say. Not everyone likes them, and that's okay, but at least try them before you make faces. I like them because they're sweet without being cloying, and the salt in the bacon adds an unusual but - in my opinion - lovely edge.

So, between my pantry and my refrigerator and my freezer, I have a couple dozen pieces of peanut butter fudge; black gold chocolate cookies; breakfast cookies; butter-rum and brandy-butter ice cream topping; and chocolate fudge ice cream topping. By Sunday night, I'll have added a couple dozen small Moon Cookies, and some large ones. And then I'll have to wrap everything up and get them in the mail!

As Matt and I were going to pick up our pizza that was dinner last night, I experienced a small frisson of fear: We still haven't decided on presents for his brother and sister. And we need to order another present for his mother, because what we had ordered came in, and it's nice, but much smaller than we'd expected.

All the other gifts that have to be mailed are well in-hand: we either have them now or we have notice that they've been shipped and will be here soon. But it's looking like we'll have to have Rachael and Evan's gifts shipped to Jill for wrapping, and we might actually have to (gasp!) go out shopping in order to get something else for her in time.

Another shiver hit me last night when I parceled out the stocking-stuffers. They made pitiful piles. I'm going to have to go out and buy more stocking stuffers. When? The gods alone know. Tonight, I guess, since tomorrow is the company Christmas party and after Friday's surgery I'm supposed to avoid walking for a week or ten days. (It kills me that I have to have all this stuff done before Friday. I'm going to be going crazy with boredom for all of next week, but I can't put anything off until then!)

I'm also going a bit crazy waiting for ordered items. It's less than two weeks to Christmas, now, and I really need to get some of this stuff in the mail! And I need to hurry up and wrap the stuff we do already have. At least this year I'm going to dump on poor Matt the responsibility of taking boxes to the post office.

'Tis the season for going a little bit crazy! Ho-ho-ho!

Word of the Day: frisson - a brief moment of emotional excitement; shudder, thrill

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