Peak Cookie

by forumholitorium

The actual winter solstice was a letdown – a completely cloudy slate blue sky obscured the sun entirely – but the days leading up to it bestowed some impressive sunrises over Lake Michigan on the lucky observer. Timing is everything as the sky shapeshifts quicker than you think. And here is Christmas already, and with it peak cookie. Despite the mad work schedule of the past month, I managed to bake seven different types of cookies and the MG made one as well. On top of that, we received a boxful of cookies that include family favorites, so I won’t need any more sugar in the first half of 2024.

Since my celebration of Christmas culminates on Christmas Eve, the preparation and work are now over. Following the COVID pandemic, the heartbreak of late-stage dementia, and last year’s decision to remain in Vienna over the holidays, this was the first Christmas I celebrated with family in four years. We remembered those no longer with us and enjoyed a homemade meal and good cheer. The MG and I served up a feast for seven. Following a buffet of diverse appetizers, there was pork tenderloin with fig glaze for the omnivores and then polenta, spinach-ricotta pie, and arugula-walnut salad for everyone. I couldn’t bring myself to buy the rollable pie crust the recipe called for since the supermarket only had crusts with palm oil (which is destroying the rainforest) or lard (which is not vegetarian). So I made my own pie crust using a rustic galette recipe. The balls on top are the result of my attempt to make it look like a medieval pie and not waste any extra dough.

Fortified by leftovers, I finally have time to sink into a good book or two or three or more. It’s the perfect time of year to lose track of time and travel far from the couch in the company of a good writer. If you are looking for engrossing nonfiction published in 2023, my favorites of the year have been John Vaillant’s Fire Weather, Katherine May’s Enchantment, Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger, Cat Bohannon’s Eve, and Philipp Blom’s Aufklärung in Zeiten der Verdunkelung. Bookworm readers are welcome to leave a comment with their favorite book of 2023. When the leftovers run out, there are also a few cookbooks on my stack with recipes to try out.

There may also be some new knitting going on during the twelve days of Christmas. A laceweight shawl started in spring is finally finished and blocked. An incredibly simple charcoal cowl has become my favorite item this winter – simply cast on 100 stitches with a fingering weight yarn on a yarn-appropriate needle size and knit in the round until it is 13 inches or as long as you would like it to be. I used the 30 grams of Le Petit Lambswool that remained after I knit a charcoal beret.

As the sun sets on Christmas Day, it’s time to hibernate from the screen for awhile, to stare at the sky and see and hear what is in front of me. Thank you, dear reader, for traveling to the forum, which will reopen in the new year.

Wishing you a peaceful and restorative end to 2023 and a healthy and serene 2024!