Christmas baking

Every year, I give away baked goods as Christmas gifts. I definitely put more love into it and more time and energy than shopping. And by the time I'm done, I'm exhausted. But it's all worth it when I hear the recipients say things like, "OMG, it's so good!" or "What's in this? Crack?" (it's true, people do say that).

So, this year, I decided to forgo sugar cookies all together (which I usually give out) and baked other stuff. Plus, I knew that if I did sugar cookies this year, I'd spend days and days decorating them (because I realllllly wanna practise decorating) and they'd end up stale. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Here's a stale but pretty sugar cookie!

Instead, I whipped up some Ginger Snaps/Gregs, Double Chocolate Chip cookies/Roberts, Brownies, French Macarons and whole LOAD of Bananarama Breads, Lemon Poposeed Loaves and Pound-for-pound cakes. My kitchen became a bakery/factory full of 10kg bags of flour and sugar, bricks upon bricks of butter, cartons of eggs, piping bags, food colouring, vanilla, measuring spoons, measuring cups, prep bowls, pinch bowls, stainless steel bowls... IT WAS A MESS. But an organized mess...just in a very small space. And it spread into our dining room, which was where all the goods were left to cool or left to be stored until packaged...in our living room. My nights were long but full of sweet, sweet aromas.

Mess. See?

Now my hands are dry as a lizard's back, my mixer is on a well-deserved vacation, but, my loved ones' bellies are full.

I hope you're feeling full from the holidays...and not just from the food, but from the love of the ones with whom you share your life.

Cheers to 2011!

New Site!

I've been working on a new design for the Treeh's Treats site for months. I started very slowly earlier in the year and only recently have been working many late nights to finish it up. So, how do you like it?

It definitely does more of the things I've wanted it to do, and is more easy to navigate.

It was also really fun to write up descriptions for all the baked goods. I found myself laughing out loud at some of them (or maybe it was because it was so late at night). My husband called me crazy. That's not something new.

Anyway, as I try out new recipes (ooooh nuts, I can almost taste you!) and perfect them, they'll make their way onto the menu. You'll hear more about my experimenting right here.

Enjoy!