Did everyone have a good Christmas? We had a full house! I decorated like mad, and it was so festive around here. My brother, his fiancé, and their two dogs came into town, and my sister and her boyfriend were here as well. Despite all the people and dogs under one roof, we had plenty of room, and no one felt on top of each other.
Before everyone arrived, I had my oven running all day and night. I baked cookies, cakes, and even dog treats. I was so excited for the holidays. I baked chocolate cakes, spice cake, zucchini bread with walnuts, Toblerone cookies, Andes mint chocolate chip cookies, Grinch cookies, sugar cookies, candied pecans, and almond croissant blondies. It was a nice mix of different baked goods, not just traditional Christmas treats. I usually buy a Christmas cookie tray, but this year I wanted to try baking—and it worked out so well. I even put together cookie boxes for friends and neighbors. I’ve posted the recipes for some of these items before, but I’ll be sharing all of the new recipes in the coming days. It’ll also be helpful for me—just in case I accidentally lose the printed versions. 😉
We had so much fun during the week leading up to Christmas. Mom made different dishes, and each day I put out a charcuterie board with a variety of meats, cheeses, vegetables, and dips. Before everyone arrived, I spent an insane amount of money on cheese. My sister’s boyfriend gave me a large Beecher’s cheese for my birthday, and I finally got to use it—it was so good. I also put out some Carmody cheese, which wasn’t really for me. It’s a hard cheese that literally tastes like butter and felt a little too refined for my taste, so I happily stuck to the cheddars. I also got HEB’s famous glazed croissants and it was sugar overload for sure. Anyway, the charcuterie board was a big hit, and I think I’m going to do it again next year. It was so nice to be able to graze on snacks and baked goods throughout the day.
Everyone had a great time, and I’m so glad everything went well. The only thing I wish had been different was the weather. The week before Christmas was nice and cold—at least to me, though everyday folks probably would’ve called it chilly. Then the week of Christmas was warm… like shorts-weather warm. Of course, the week after is expected to be cold again. Oh well. Typical Texas weather, I guess.
