... because it was force-fed goodies from my Christmas baking basket! Now that's some sweet foie gras. So here's what I've got the this year: These gingersnaps are probably my favorite out of all the cookies I make. Don't tell the chocolate chip cookies, they tend to get jealous. I just love the way they sparkle! And, they're long-lasting because there's no butter in them! Before you ask me to divulge my low-cal gingersnap recipe, let me just tell you that while there is no butter, there is 3/4 cup of delicious golden canola oil. Yummay! I used to like this toffee recipe, until it gave me my first holiday baking-related injury. I get one such injury each year. Guess what I did? Burn myself on hot sugar? Nope. Cut myself while chopping the pecans? Try again. Stab myself in the thumb while breaking the toffee into pieces, leaving a two-pronged wound much like the mark of a venomous snake? Wow, you guessed it! The offending piece was summarily executed with no trial. Well, I trialed a little bit that wasn't bloody. Ooh that orange peel is even better dredged in dark chocolate. And Santa's little helper, rum balls. And finally, my first foray into homemade marshmallows was a success! Many thanks go to Amy for invaluable advice and reassurance that the chunky glob of horse-smelling gelatin would indeed turn into marshmallows. Making these was an interesting experience. It was reminiscent of growing a giant slab of flesh for a skin graft, complete with a thick layer of subcutaneous fat! It looked nothing like a skin transplant, of course, but there was something about the texture of the uncut plank of marshmallow, and the way it clung slightly to the mold as I attempted to excise... er... extricate... er... remove it. I'm definitely making these again, perhaps with some glurps of rum to replace the vanilla extract. That would be nice, wouldn't it? Or ooh ooh I know! Kahlua. OK, now if you're a classy baker who puts as much energy into packaging goodies as the goodies themselves, look away. You're not going to like this. Hopefully, the only people reading this are tacky. Because look at what I got to package my goodies! This is so horrible, I'm almost ashamed to show it to you. Yes, holiday-themed Ziploc bags with snowshoeing polar bears. Augh, it's dreadful. A few years ago I got cute holiday cello bags from Mrs. Cooks, and labeled them all with tags I made using tasteful, vintage-y clip art. But I ran out of those, and... uh... there's no excuse. If you want to see some examples of what I wish my goody bags looked like, go here. I'm pathetic.