way more than cheesesteak

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Sunday, December 26, 2010 @ 4:34 PM

Christmas Spirit

Hello my lovely readers!

It's been a while. The end of the semester always seems to sneak up and catch everyone by surprise, myself included. Final papers and end of the semester-related work things left me more stressed than I expected, so my happy little blog was neglected. It's probably for the best because I transmit my emotions into whatever I make via some weird sentimental baking osmosis and I had a few baking mishaps during my most anxiety-ridden stretches. Luckily, papers are in, grades are posted and I'm at home in Connecticut with a sleeping kitten and a much better frame of mind, ready to tell you of all that I've eaten (and baked!) in my absence.

Isn't he the cutest?

I had done some light baking to start the season off, beginning with my family's Black Friday tradition of baking Hungarian cookies

The dough takes over 45 minutes to knead, so my sister and I usually take turns.

They're filled with apricot, prune or nut filling and topped with a beaten egg wash.

They're not the prettiest cookies in the world, but they're made with love and generations of memories behind them!

Next, I made gingersnaps for class...

I was pleased with their softness and a few of my classmates said that they appreciated that the spice wasn't overwhelming. I'd consider them a win.
Recipe here from allrecipes.com

I also love making spritz, but this year I hit a snag when my mom's cookie press was nowhere to be found. To me, it wouldn't be Christmas without spritz, so after some heated eBay bidding, I got myself a vintage Mirro cookie press which looked pretty similar to my mom's (hers has copper-colored ends). I baked a few batches (some more successful than others) and we found my mom's press hiding out at Amy's.

I feel the need to compensate when I've been unable to do something for a while. I had an abundance of pent-up Christmas spirit that needed to be released and decorating a one foot tall miniature Christmas tree wasn't going to cut it. Instead of catching up on sleep when my papers were finally turned in, I decided to pull a baking all-nighter.

I made marshmallows...