the finish line has been crossed...

...in fact, I stomped across that bad boy this afternoon and laughed maniacally with glee as I stood back and took stock of the gang:



Those are all the varieties of cookies I made (multiply each type by an obscene number). Take note of the lonely little springerle cookie on the far left. Not many survived and I don't feel the least bit bad about it.

These devils sucked up every single inch of my freezer. The snowflake sugar cookies have been stored in a tight container in the garage because for some reason I felt we needed sixteen thousand of them or Christmas just wouldn't be right this year. (Don't ask, I can't explain it...)

Because the freezer was overcrowded, I waited until today to make my personal favorite, the cranberry orange bread:


I got this recipe from a teacher back in grade school. I love it, can't get enough of it. Luckily these little loafs are about three inches long by two inches wide which makes them easy to freeze off and to let me consume them in little chunks at a time rather then big chunks at a time. Love it, love it, did I mention I love it? (I do, I love it...)

I'm hanging up my baking gloves for a bit. Its been quite the marathon. I've had fun, I've made the dog a nervous wreck (he wants to eat them all but I won't let him, something about not wanting a dog with an upset stomach doing bad things to my carpet that motivates me to not give in to his creative whining) and mom is looking forward to seeing the kitchen counter top again.

Tomorrow I celebrate Christmas with my extended family. We celebrate Wigilia, it'll be a nice evening. Then on Christmas Day I cook some Julia Child Beef Bourguignon in a slightly updated modern way. That should be interesting. Then I plan to lay on the couch like a slug and stare at television for a few days.

And eat some cranberry bread...(did I mention I love it?)