2002- Horn of Plenty

*For future reference, 1 stick of butter = 1/2 cup = 113 grams.

After talking to Lisa long-distance on the phone last night, we agreed that I had better get baking - TODAY! Nov. 15, 2002! A week before Thanksgiving! Since Charlie and I are going "home for the holidays" from Dec. 2 to 18, I probably won't get another chance to bake if I don't do it before we leave. And since he's 21 months old, I'll be lucky to get much done at all!

Our Cookie Journal is a good read.

After leafing through "Our Cookie Journal" last night (crying and laughing), I had an intense urge to make Dunkable Brownies. I can't get the unsweetened chocolate I need on this side of the Atlantic, though, so those will have to wait until I get back "home from home". Not to be daunted, I popped "Kevin's Christmas Favorites" into the boom box and started with a batch of Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies. Charlie happily napped through each ding of the timer.

~ May I just pause between batches to say: Perfect! ~

Ahhhh! Four hours later and I have 13 dozen Chocolate Chip lovelies in the freezer and one dozen on a plate on the table for immediate consumption and enjoyment. This oven is a bit flaky, so I had to be careful: turn the trays midway through baking; checking them, starting at 10 minutes to make sure they don't over bake. 

I set out to make one batch but quickly realized it wouldn't be enough to sustain me - I mean, us - through Thanksgiving AND Christmas. So I made two batches. Charlie woke up at the halfway point, so we opened our Thanksgiving care package from Grandma! Talk about your "horns of plenty". Cocktail rye bread, egg nog mix, Chex Mix supplies, aluminum loaf pans for Pumpkin Bread (to be made this weekend), Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix, a Thanksgiving kitchen towel, a turkey-shaped oven mitt, and an actual cornucopia. Loads more, including a few treats for Charlie (like freeze-dried strawberries)! Let the holiday season officially begin!