Shortbread binge

 I had been craving shortbread for at least a week. So after a very productive work from home day today, I took a little break around 3:30 to bake.

Confession: I don't follow recipes very well. 

I did look at some recipes online since I had never baked shortbread before. But in the end, I basically put the following into the ninja: 1.75 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, half cup cane sugar, 1 cup of cold unsalted butter (diced into small cubes), 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp real vanilla extract. Cookie dough setting, go! Followed by some pulsing and then just took it out and used my hands. Roll out, cookie cutter out, place spaced on cookie sheets then chill in fridge for about a half hour. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes depending on the sheet (I have two kinds and the darker one always bakes faster). Cool on sheets (another confession: I ate like 3 right out of the oven to test for poison and to see if I still have feeling on my lips or can I feel the burn??). Transfer to cooling rack after 10-15 minutes (polished off about a quarter of the batch in transfer and another quarter when placing in a container for storage at the end of the night).

The kids got a taste and I lack self restraint, so we don't have many cookies left for the morrow.  

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Whilst chilling and baking, work work work. Me multi-tasking means I'm feeling much better after the chemo.

Food aesthetics is another thing I don't do well. I mean I basically cookie monstered half the batch while making. Does it matter that they didn't hold their flowery shape? In the end they ended up looking like twisted off bottle caps. Something to remember if I ever host an UP themed party... 

I occasionally have thoughts regarding my death these days, or perhaps it is really about death in general. I hope, whenever it happens, the people I leave behind will be OK. I hope we won't have regrets or love left unexpressed. I hope they'll move on, maybe miss me but not miss out.

I try not to dwell on it for too long though. So far I have discerned that I am to direct my efforts towards survival and living for a while longer. It entails suffering, but... that's life.

So... shortbread but not too often because they're really not healthy.