Holiday Baking - The Easy Way
Baking to many of us is fun and form of therapy. Many
frustrations have been worked out kneading and pushing that
dough around. But to others, it may be difficult, or they are
not sure of themselves around cookies, cakes, breads, rolls,
etc. One quick-word of advice - just dive right in - its fun,
and the more you bake, the better you become at it. With
Christmas and get-togethers coming in bloom, sharing baking can
be a fun event. Early in the Seaon, family, friends, neighbors,
and offices and factories everywhere should have a Cookie
Exchange - its not a lot of work - in fact, you only have to
bake one kind of cookie - if there are ten guests, you will have
an assortment of ten delicious treats to use for the Holidays.
The more guests, the more of an assortment. There will be a lot
of laughter, and no one will be counting calories. Ask each
guest to bake one type of Christmas cookie - a family favorite,
or one that they found while surfing the net, or reading their
favorite magazine. They can be drop cookies, filled cookies, or
special ethnic treasures.
Your invitations should be small index-size bookets, with
several blank cards inside, tied together with a festive ribbon.
This way if your guests write out their recipes on - say six to
eight cards, depending on how many guests you are inviting,
everyone can get a recipe and keep it in their booklet not only
to check back when they want to bake, but as a wonderful memento
of a fun time.
If a lot of people are included in your cookie exchange, then
printing the recipes for everyone to cut and paste in their
booklets might just be a lot easier.
The decor for your party should be Holiday oriented, of course,
but with a slant toward baking. Garlands of scented gingerpeople
could hang from arches and doorways and a centerpiece could
include miniature baking utensils found in toy stores. Tiny cake
boxes, spoons, measuring cups, etc. add a whimsical touch.
To serve your cookies, divide a large table into sections with
ribbons that have wooden spoons attached to the ends so that the
ribbons are weighted down and don't move as people encircle the
table. You could ask your guests to pre-package their cookies in
individual wrap so that everyone can take just one - or in small
packages as they see fit - just make sure that there are enough
of each type of cookie so everyone gets to take some home.
Keep your menu simple and informal. You could provide decorative
canisters or paper bags that you have enhanced with Holiday
cheer for taking home all those goodies.
A cookie exchange is a wonderful way to get your Holiday baking
started - and you get a wonderful array of cookeis to serve to
your family and friends or just to munch on as you sit by a fire
or watch the snow fall and the cold winds blow. ENJOY!