MC Daughter and DD Daughter Decorating the Tree - 1986

Word of the Day

Ecnalubma - An ambulance viewed through one's rear view mirrors.

And behind Door #11....

I've got the Christmas music on. The music is so loud that the paintings on my walls are starting to shift askew. I can't bake Christmas cookies without Christmas music playing. I'm baking Jan Hagel today. I've got a double batch of the Cinnamon Jan Hagel done and cooling. While I wait for them to cool down enough to remove from the pans, I figured that I'd blog. I only have two sheet pans that are the right size for Jan Hagel so I have to wait between batches. I plan to make a double batch of Almond Jan Hagel next. Then...I'll make a double batch of sugarfree Almond Jan Hagel. I always start my Christmas baking with Jan Hagel. It's an easy one and kind of eases me into the whole baking thing. Besides, there really isn't much better than sneaking a Jan Hagel cookie to enjoy with a cup of coffee in the morning. It makes the whole day of Christmas preparations a bit easier.

Jan Hagel

1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar ( 1 1/4 cup Maltitol if making the sugarfree version of this recipe)
1 egg, separated
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon ( or 1/2 tsp almond extract)
1 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolk (egg white is reserved for later use) and blend. Stir in almond extract or cinnamon. Add flour, gradually. More flour may be needed if dough is too sticky to handle. Pat dough into greased pan. About 1/8" thick. Beat egg white with water until frothy. Brush onto dough. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 20 minutes at 350°F or until browned. Cut immediately while hot into strips.

*****

Gypsy got a bath this morning. She didn't look too happy about the whole thing but she survived it. I'm happy to say that she smells a lot better and the special dog shampoo I used made her coat nice and shiny. She really needed the bath. My baby likes to grab her own ears and chew on them....just the hair. Weird. She also likes to chew on her dog tags. Actually...she likes to chew on whatever happens to be within reach. She's still teething. Anyway, the hair on the ends of her ears was starting to matt together and no amount of brushing (with her attacking the brush) would make her ears look "right". I was thinking of bringing her to the groomer's but decided that I could still take care of this task myself. She doesn't need her nails trimmed and I think the hair between her toes isn't too long yet. I imagine that I'll have to bring her to a groomer sometime before HTP and I head to Wisconsin for the summer. I don't do nails and I don't want to risk injuring her pads by cutting the hair between her toes. I'll leave that for the professionals.

Murphyism of the Day

Burgess's Law of Committo-Dynamics

Those most opposed to serving on a committee are made chairpersons.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Every improvement in communication makes the bore more terrible.

- Frank Moore Colby