As someone who loves Christmas, each year seems to top the one before it. This was an interesting holiday season for me because for the first time, I didn’t spend it at home with my parents. I stepped out of my childhood and into my big-girl pants and spent this Christmas with my boyfriend’s family. I had a wonderful Christmas! It all started when I took the NCLEX-PN exam, which is the licensure exam for Licensed Practical Nurses. I took this exam on the 16th of December, which I admit was not smart planning on my part because the nerves alone could have ruined the rest of my holiday. I passed the exam though! I received the results on the 21st which just put me in an over-the-top mood for the rest of the week. I’m a nurse!
I got a new hand mixer which I picked out for myself. This new addition to my kitchen just makes me giddy. I absolutely hated my last mixer because it had one speed: too fast. This mixer, however, is made for real bakers…and it’s green! My first step to my dream, green-colored-appliance filled kitchen.
From my boyfriend, I got a waffle maker! I am so excited about this, because I think I crave waffles all the time. I can hardly wait to start making them. He also got me some lovely new cookbooks which I am eager to start using. Today’s baking comes from one of the cookbooks he got for me. I also got many other perfect gifts from friends and family which I love, but I’m not going to ramble about them here because they aren’t for the kitchen (and this blog is!).
I wanted to mention the lime cookies I made for my dad’s birthday and for Christmas. I didn’t include pictures in that post because I didn’t want to give away some of the baked goods I’d made for people. Anyways, I made lime cookies which were like a shortbread, but laced with lime juice and zest, dough frozen and very thinly sliced. After a mere 6 minutes in the oven, they were ready to be coated in powdered sugar and carefully placed in paper cups. These were a big hit.
Today I made a berry crumble coffee cake. A true anytime treat, this coffee cake is crumbly, moist, and delicious. I made it with buttermilk and I used frozen mixed berries which gave it a sweet and tangy twist. I just love love love treats that have a crumbly topping!!
So, this Christmas was definitely a great one! I am now a nurse and searching for employment. I am also just about to finish an associates degree which is also exciting (and about darn time). I got some wonderful gifts for Christmas, and most importantly, a lot of time with boyfriend’s family, my nursing license, and lots of love from mom and dad even though I couldn’t be there with them.
Hey, I am checking this blog using the phone and this appears to be kind of odd. Thought you’d wish to know. This is a great write-up nevertheless, did not mess that up.
– David
What is “odd”?