Inventory

[wiseheart]

As I mentioned in my previous post, my friend Elise had graciously dumped a great deal of baking ingredients onto my lap yesterday. The kitchen table was literally covered with them. So I decided that I needed to know how much I have got of the various things each, and Mum and I made a pantry inventory today. (We don't actually have a pantry, just some shelves in the anteroom niche and the fridge/freezer combo, but I think you get my meaning.)

It took us all morning. Since I had bought the things one package a time during the last nine or ten months, I never realized just how much I have. Basically, I'm covered for the Christmas baking - the inventory list is two pages long! That includes the various spices, of course, but still... Anyway, the only things I still need to buy are cinnamon - such a basic thing of all things! - and orange and lemon peels. Other than that, I could start right away.

I won't do it, of course. Starting right away, I mean. Not before the end of November. These biscuits need a couple of weeks in a tin box to unfold their aroma, but no longer than that. I'm very excited, though. So far, there are 14 items on my list, some of them having alternatives, but knowing me, I'm afraid I won't stop there. I'm considering striking the banana cookies from the list, though. Bananas have become too expensive for cooking... unless I get them on sale, puree them and freeze them, that is.

So, as I said, the inventory took all morning. In the meantime Louise the Older (commonly known as our washing machine) finished the washing, so I went from inventory to hanging up the clothes to cooking lunch seamlessly. I made - noadvertising, cover your eyes! - cauliflowers with a cheese sauce, the latter of which refused to thicken properly for some reason (it never happened before!!!), so we ended up with some kind of baby food, with cubed ham and tomatoes for a better consistency... not that it helped. But Mum liked it, so it was OK.

After all this, I rested for half an hour or so, and then started on Dani's transportation-themed quiet book. The front page will be basically the same as this one:



... just with different colours, hearts instead of flowers, and, of course, a different name. I've cut out all parts save the letters, and even sewn on the middle panel. Tomorrow there'll be Velcro work again, yay!

When I put the sewing away, I talked a good 40 minutes on the phone with my friend Evie, which was very nice, as always. It is amazing, how much one can get done when there's nothing on the telly to watch!

Comments

[beauty-forashes.livejournal.com]

Looking forward to see what you bake. :)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I'll put up the list of planned cookies as a pinned post, soon. ;)

[lab-jazz.livejournal.com]

You're lucky getting so much donated Christmas baking supplies. Baking ingredients are so expensive these days.

Your craft is so gorgeous. You're so skilled at it.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :)
Baking ingredients are crazy expensive indeed. Which is why I star buying them months in advance, one piece a time. I also do the Christmas baking for several friends, including Elise, who's busy enough with an aged father, three grandchildren and her mother-in-law they had to take in.

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

ALL THE INGREDIENTS!
Wait, letting cookies sit is a thing?
I like the name page.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Certain biscuits are indeed better when they have sit in a well-closed tin box for a while first; they get softer and more tasty.

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Huh

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know it sounds odd, but that's how some of them work.

Edited 'cuz my grammar sucks.

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

lol

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

I am really happy to hear about your baking ingredients. That's an expense that is already covered and you can bake to your heart's content.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, I will! And as always, Elise will get the biggest box of biscuits of all. :)

[meathiel]

Yay for being all set for baking.
We are pretty much set as well, I think.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yay, then we'll be able to exchange cookie pictures, soon! :)

[noadvertising.livejournal.com]

I am nuts when it is about shopping nuts. There's always too much of them in my shopping cart. Only that this year I will have to buy the ingredients earlier than usual, at least before another shortage of nuts and sugar and the like will come up on the horizon, to make prices climb a bit more...

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I've been doing that for years. Lidl usually puts them on sale after Christmas, so I developed the practice to buy them at that time and put them into the freezer until next Christmas. They keep wonderfully. Of course, they also occupy a full drawer of the freezer permanently, which can be a bit of a problem sometimes.

[mirasaui.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, all our holiday goodies are store bought. It's a treat to see the pictures of your baked goods, yummies with virtual calories are probably the best for me.