Christmas Baking Begins Today

I'm starting off with maple-pecan cookies from Penzey's Spice Catalog: www.penzeys.com.

Penzeys is my favorite source for spices. Why do I like them? Great prices, fantastic selection, ability to purchase in very small to very large quantities, good service, good recipes. You save the cost of the postage in the reasonable prices. Team up with a friend and split the order. They have some great rubs, too. Barbeque of the Americas, Northwoods Seasoning, the list goes on and on. And the dried peppers! No, they are not paying me to shill for them. Great vanilla, by the way. And several curry powders with different "heats." Love it. love it love it.

I ran across a Proust blog titled, "Everything In the Medicine Cabinet Has Expired." When I cleaned out my mom's place before she moved into senior housing, I couldn't believe what I found. My parents had moved frequently over the course of their married life, and they always packed themselves. Did they toss anything? Never.

I found perscription eardrops from 1942! I am not making this up. Some of the cosmetics dated to the 1950's when my Mom sold something call Luziers. I must have carried a couple big trash bags out of the house. And speaking of spices, some were so old that the inside of the jar was full of little worms, including the Cayenne powder. How could that be?

It's cold today, and I don't see much sun. We have leftover pot roast for tonight, and I'm wrapping gifts, too.

Grapeshot