'Tis the season to get really fat

The entire apartment smells like nutmeg and smoke. I crack the oven door, gag on the dragon's breath curling out in gray wisps, and slam it shut as soon as I'm sure that nothing is really on fire. I have had this new oven/apartment for a few months and this is the first time it has fought back. Have I been using it too much? I did a few items for Thanksgiving, a pie here or there, dinner...nothing too strenuous. In fact, it has been training with me these past couple of weeks. We've gotten up early everyday, downed a glass of raw egg yokes, and worked out for hours until we're sweating/rusting. It's Christmas/Hanukkah, which means cookies.

For the past few years, or rather for the past few years that I had steady employment, I have been baking cookies for the girls at the office. Virginia, Baxter, and Peggy have been putting up with my crap all year, and I show my appreciation by adding to their waistlines. I usually wait until the cookie tins go on sale at the local craft store, and then I plan on how to fill them [the tins and my co-workers]. Last year, the girls and I came to the idea of an informal cookie swap for the department if only because (1) it is cheaper than gift cards and (2) we were already doing one unintentionally.

Last year, I cranked out:

• Chocolate cherry squares
• Mexican wedding cakes
• Eggnog cookies
• Peppermint snowballs

This year, I decided to up the quality instead of the quantity [and I actually have a S.O. to shop for, which adds a whole person to budget for]:

• Port brownies
• Eggnog cookies
• Kris Kringles with dried cherries

I pull the first batch of the eggnog cookies out of the oven, but smear one with a stray thumb. Moving them from the sheets to the cooling racks, I pull the smooshed cookie off and pop it in my mouth. Richer than a normal sugar cookie [from the generous splash of eggnog], it tastes like Christmas/Hanukkah. The whole kitchen smells of cinnamon and nutmeg instead of the strange smoke from my tired oven. As it catches its second wind, I add the second batch and rinse out my mixing bowl. Looking down at the neat rows on the cooling rack, I decide to smoosh two more to make the rows even and check to make sure these, too, aren't poisonous.