This will come as a surprise but I am not allowed to cook. Yes, those words went together in that order. My family refuses to let me cater everything at our holiday gatherings. Even though this is my job to cook delicious foods, the ban hammer came down on me years ago. So, instead we bake up a storm.
Don’t look for me a week before Christmas because I am busy. My oven practically never turns off the week before Christmas. We are making around 20 different types of cookies along with more grand desserts. This year I might have to try something in the sous vide that I just acquired. Yes, I am close to having a perfect kitchen. I don’t know what appliances I am missing but when I find out I shall catch them all.
The best part about Christmas is going all out. You will think that each year we deal with the long hours, yet each year is a new challenge. There are few recipes that make the cut to be reproduced. Recipes that earn a position on the roster are recipes that we only allow ourselves to make when they will be shared. So those homemade oreos appear only once a year.
So, one of the great joys of the Christmas season is that Costco stocks half gallons of heavy cream. At a price that is unbeatable, we can stock up on this essential holiday ingredient. If we offer you something delectable around the holiday season, then it is best not to ask what is in it. Either you will not want to consume the calories or you will know nothing will ever taste this good again for another year.
The holiday season is one of the reasons we tend to keep at least a hundred pounds of flour and sugar in our reserves. Butter takes up most of the space in the fridge and garage. That is one upside to living in the Midwest. The temperature is actually cold enough outside that you gain a giant refrigerator in the form of your entire garage and a freezer in the yard. This is something unimaginable near Seattle. You would think that with one less oven we would bake less, but instead we have all this extra chill to prep and store all our baked goods. Just remember not to leave food uncovered or out in the open because replacing an entire cheesecake takes time.