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Holiday Baking Party

December 12th, 2011

Being an introvert, social occasions are not high on my list of things to do, especially if they will be attended by a large group of people that I don’t know. You see as a introvert social activities, especially those with lots of people and folks I don’t know really wear me out; I’m exhausted the entire next day. So when my friend Sofie, aka The German Foodie, invited me to a baking party I had to think about it before agreeing to go. I decided that I was going to suck it up, bake some cookies, and head over to meet some interesting new people. I baked up a batch of my Super Spicy Gingerbread Men and was ready to go.

There were tons of people there, both kids and adults. The kids had a great time decorating cookies with a variety of colors of icing and sprinkles of all colors, shapes and sizes – what kid wouldn’t want to be able to decorate each and every cookie differently?



Lots of people brought cookies already made, some brought dough, and other mixed up cookies while we were there. The oven was on for the entire 5 hours I was there, churning out cookies all afternoon and some delicious homemade pizza later in the evening.



I’m glad I went and had a wonderful time. Was I tired the next day, absolutely. But I met lots of new interesting people and had a lot of great conversations. You see, Sofie’s friends are very varied and interesting. I think I counted 3 or 4 different languages being spoken throughout the event, and conversation topics from Argentinian political history and what kind of King Arthur flour works best for artisan bread to a long conversation about growing edibles in a cold frame all winter long. As a Colombian with a very eclectic life experience I fit right in. I even got to teach Sofie how to throw pizza dough to make a nice thin crust.

Have you baked any holiday cookies yet? Any holiday parties?

If you’d like to see more photos from the event head on over to my Facebook page and look through the album.

21 Comments to “Holiday Baking Party”
  1. goatpod2 on December 12, 2011 at 9:17 am

    Haven’t started yet but my Mom and I will be baking cookies soon though. Went to 2 Christmas parties yesterday at my Grandma’s Assisted Living (1 was upstairs and the other downstairs).

    Amy

    Reply to goatpod2's comment

  2. Annette on December 12, 2011 at 9:30 am

    No cookies yet, though the gingerbread dough is chillin’ in the fridge. Those’ll hit the oven within the next few days.

    No parties either…yet.

    Reply to Annette's comment

  3. Texan on December 12, 2011 at 10:33 am

    I have not baked any cookies, probably won’t. But I will bake a pie at some point :O).

    I totally understand what you said about being a introvert and how social events with lots of people wear you out. A book I read about being a introvert, said for introverts social events are not just being around people. They are exhausting for them. Like you were saying… That was the first time I had read that or heard it said that way and I remember thinking, Yes they so are!! It also said there is nothing wrong with picking and choosing how we want to use our energy. I wish I could think of the name of the book but its been quite a few years back. It gave me some really good insights and thoughts and tools. One being, not a darn thing in the world wrong with being a introvert, it takes all of us to make the world go around :O)

    Glad you had a enjoyable time :O).

    Reply to Texan's comment

    • Susy on December 12, 2011 at 10:57 am

      Perhaps it was The Introvert Advantage – a fantastic book I highly recommend for everyone, not just introverts. If you are an extrovert it’s worthwhile to read to understand a little about those introverts you know.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  4. Sincerely, Emily on December 12, 2011 at 11:04 am

    What a fun party. Glad to hear you had a good time. All those cute cookies decorated by the kids – what fun! I go to a cookie exchange this Wed and I still need to make 12 dozen cookies. I can’t decide between cardamom peanut brittle or Mexican wedding cookies or pepparkakor (Swedish cookie). I will start with the peanut brittle today and see how it goes…

    Reply to Sincerely, Emily's comment

  5. SixBalloons on December 12, 2011 at 1:01 pm

    Christmas actually puts me in the mood for baking! I have done some, and can’t wait to jump on my cranberry oatmeal cookies next.

    Reply to SixBalloons's comment

  6. Ashley on December 12, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    i love the opening sentence to this post! i sometimes, can definitely relate! this actually looks like a lot of fun!

    Reply to Ashley's comment

  7. Eliza J on December 12, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    I made your Mom’s cookies this weekend ~ they were awesome! I have two more varieties to make and I’ll be done. Just want to mention that I love seeing all these cookies in “glass containers”! …and oh yeah, introvert…ha ha…I get that one. I am definitely into small get togethers with close friends. I just happened to fall in love with and marry a very social person, we offset each other nicely :)

    Reply to Eliza J's comment

    • Susy on December 12, 2011 at 3:02 pm

      It seems to work best when you marry someone who complements you. Mr Chiots is our face to the world being the social one, I work behind the scenes. As a result we make a great team!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  8. Elizabeth on December 12, 2011 at 3:29 pm

    I found some gingerbread boy cutters at Ross the other day, can’t wait to make your recipe.

    I’m making an order from Mtn Rose Herbs and thought I might try some of their tea. Which are your favorites? (I meant to ask you back when you posted about tea)

    Reply to Elizabeth's comment

    • Susy on December 12, 2011 at 3:52 pm

      OH, it’s so hard to choose. Their chai is great if you like chai, I drink their Blossoms of Health or VitaBlend tea every day, it’s good hot or iced. I figure if I’m drinking water it may as well be herbal tea that will add lots of extra vitamins. In the spring/summer/fall we drink their Seasons of Discontent tea as well for allergies. If you like non-herbal teas we drink their Assam and their Red Rooibos often too. If you like lavender you’d probably like their Fidnemed Nighttime Tea, I don’t like the flavor of lavender so it’s not my fave to drink, but it works like a charm on those nights you have trouble sleeping so we keep some around and always drink it when traveling.

      Every time I order from them I try a new variety of tea and I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed. Right now I’m loving their Herbal Coffee and drink a few cups a week.

      Just a reminder, when you do order from Mt Rose Herbs use the link in my sidebar and they give me a few cents, I certainly appreciate the support!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  9. Elizabeth on December 12, 2011 at 4:19 pm

    I clicked on your Mtn. Rose sidebar link. Thanks for the recommendations, those teas all sound great. I usually buy bag tea, what is your favorite method for making loose leaf?

    Reply to Elizabeth's comment

    • Susy on December 12, 2011 at 4:25 pm

      I use a mason jar, put the tea in there (usually a quart since I’m taking tea for 2) I put a small plate over the jar and let steep for 10-15 min, then I put a piece of cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar with a rubber band and pour tea into cups. I like doing it this way because I need no special equipment for making tea.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  10. Elizabeth on December 12, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    Sounds like a perfect method for me. Thanks Susy!

    Reply to Elizabeth's comment

  11. daisy on December 12, 2011 at 5:24 pm

    Can I just tell you how much I LOVE your refrigerator dishes? SO COOL!

    I know how you feel with those social occasions. Glad you had a good time.
    We make cookies all the time, so no special plans for designated baking.
    Sounds like you’re enjoying the season!

    Reply to daisy's comment

  12. Kathi Cook on December 12, 2011 at 6:54 pm

    I’m not a big cookie fan,but I do like gingerbread, so i am going to try your spicy ones since I haven’t found a favorite recipe yet. I like them very crunchy! Sounds like a fun day.

    Reply to Kathi Cook's comment

  13. alison@thisbloominglife on December 12, 2011 at 8:01 pm

    What a great idea – maybe I’ll push the introvert in me and organise something like this for the kids who starts holidays this week. And, I’ll have to track down the book!

    Reply to alison@thisbloominglife's comment

  14. Sofie Dittmann on December 12, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    Hey, thank you SO much for coming AND for hanging out w/ us! Also, thanks for the wonderful writeup (your photos are awesome, as usual…). Yes, that was a pretty eclectic group there, which is why I was hoping you’d enjoy yourself.

    Last but not least, that delicious gingerbread of yours has inspired me to try and make another recipe of mine in the same spirit some time soon (it calls for cinnamon, I plan to use different spices next time).

    PS. Alptekin is an introvert, too. He still enjoys people, just like you do. :)

    Reply to Sofie Dittmann's comment

  15. Victoria on December 12, 2011 at 8:47 pm

    Looks like fun :) the angels are divine!

    our annual Xmas cookie bake is Saturday. I need to do one more ingredient check – last year we ran out of icing sugar!

    Reply to Victoria's comment

  16. KimH on December 13, 2011 at 6:20 am

    Ive been to two holiday parties so far.. and we’re having a pot luck today at work that’ll last a couple hours so that should be fun too..

    I have made a few of those Pies in Jars I fell in love with for gifts, and I’ll be making more for the rest of the week.. http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/09/single-serving-pie-in-a-jar/

    I havent made one Christmas cookie as of yet.. too many things going on and Im running like crazy staying on top of Life, but after Friday (vacation-yay!!) I’ll be free to spend time on baking cookies..

    Thankfully, at work, there is a guy from the military being trained on our medical equipment, who is making some awesome peanut brittle with his wife as a fundraiser for the Wounded Soldiers, so I’ve gotten a few tins from him to keep m’honey’s sweet tooth happy…

    Reply to KimH's comment

  17. Christmas Cookie Recipes on December 13, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    Ahhhh! My new Christmas cookie cookbook would have fit right in with your party!

    Reply to Christmas Cookie Recipes's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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