That title was supposed to be “Soft start” – the phrase that kept coming to my head when I was feeling too tired Monday night to undertake the biberli. As in, “Can I have a soft start to cookie season and just make one kind tonight?” I made the fruit cake gems, and glazed them. I made the dough for the tiny Pfeffernüsse (Peppernuts), little spice cookies that I make with a glaze instead of tossed in powered sugar. I knocked off at 10:21 and watched the (bloody) season finale of Boardwalk Empire, and went to bed. Somewhere along in there I was going to the computer and sending comments on John’s final paper ideas, and I uploaded the jam star pics – and when I saw the “Soft star” title I liked and left it.
Tuesday night I continued to shirk the biberli. I made the Orangette fruit & nut balls (they’re not on her blog; you have to buy the book, or get it at the library). You grind up the fruit and nuts, form the balls, and roll them in powdered sugar. Then they rest overnight, and you chocolate glaze them the next day. So my current plan to to get up early and do the biberli in the a.m., then glaze the fruit balls, and make the Pfeffernüsse in the evening, after work. My excuse for wimping out Tuesday is that I had lots of dishes to wash – I parboiled the potatoes for tomorrow’s Thanksgivukkah latkes, and I made some meatballs to go with. And we had potato soup and grilled cheese for dinner.
To my credit, I now have the chex mix in the oven – I mean it has to get made in time for our Black Friday Thanksgiving, anyways, right? But I’m still being kinda slutty – in the lazy, poor housekeeper sense that is – because the chex mix bakes an hour and all you’ve got to do is stir it every 15 mins. Perfect for watching TV. Couch, here I come.
And now – Wednesday early afternoon – I did make the biberli first thing this morning. I erred on the side of overcooked, so they are packed up in their plastic bucket with an apple slice to soften them. Means I don’t have the too-soft collapsing ones of some years back. Got to work at about 10:00 and I have been successfully procrastinating the systems analysis final. The downside is I am sooo sleepy – that’s what I get for going to bed at 11:30 PM and getting up at 6:00 AM.
