December, Day 23: Back home again in Indiana

We've arrived back home for the holidays, safe and sound after a wrinkle-free travel day. As ever, we hit the ground running when we arrived, heading immediately to the Mexican Restaurant of my dreams, then to finish shopping, then home to BAKE with my mother. The difference this time is that we got up at 3 AM, Eastern Time and haven't stopped moving since. Awesome.

It seems she took on a small cookie-catering gig for tomorrow and we had to churn out five different batches of cookies. Right now, we've more or less conquered four of them, with the fifth to be baked in the morning.

Things I always remember when baking at home:

1. The right tools (offset spatulas, clever cookie cutters, lots of parchment paper, proper piping bags and tips, Viking Professional Stand Mixer, etc.) make ALL the difference.
2. It never hurts to make things look as good as they taste. I'm famous for making delicious, but FUGLY food. New leaf: make my food pretty.
3. Sanding sugar goes a long way toward making sweet things pretty.

That's all for tonight, friends. Back tomorrow with more tales, maybe photos, and if you're lucky, a recipe or two.