Greetings people: we did NOT make it to the Sound of Music with my fam like I had been planning all month 🙁 Nope, we spent the last two days holed up in our home, with the exception of a walk down the block I took yesterday to “explore the storm.”


Did I sit around feeling sorry for myself? No. In fact, it was probably a blessing in disguise for me, a chance to sit still for 30 seconds and stop distracting myself with trips to the library and grocery store. I tackled my to-do list, and actually had kind of a blast!


-Perused/ consumed library materials that had been sitting for 4-5 weeks in my caddy: Iphoto for dummies? check! People- Kate Middleton the perfect princess? Check! Up in the Air, Hearth and Home, Brainstorm, Making Stuff- An Alternative Craft Book? Done! (Well, started at least. Obviously I didn’t read Brainstorm  in its entirety this weekend… and I mostly blogged while Up in the Air was on)


-COMPLETED (not just started) two mystery craft projects (can’t reveal til after the holidays though…)


-Baked a batch of 60 peppermint meringues (see below)


-Brought DVR into living room, finally, and therefore got to watch the Wild play AND SNL with dreamy Paul Rudd


-Laughed at the metrodome falling apart, and watched the Packers instead


-Stared out the window at the madness outside a LOT (yesterday was more chaos, today was more entertainment)


-Bird watching, takin it easy- red headed woodpecker, blue jay, chickadee… its been a Disney movie up in here.


and more. blah blah blah.


I’m pretty proud that this baking experiment actually turned out. I tried making meringues about a month ago, but accidentally underestimated the spout size on the peppermint extract, and suffocated my “stiff peaks.” Today, I started out with some troubles… cracked two whole eggs into the bowl while trying to separate the dumb eggs. On the bright side, they turned into an incredibly beautiful omelet later! I nearly had it flipped like a pancake! In the end, I actually had kind of a good time baking, despite my utter dislike for baking (I am a cook by nature… not precise enough to bake usually!)


These are a creation I sort of invented by combining a whole bunch of recipes on allrecipes.com. It does seem that meringues are one of the more basic cookies one can make, so I didn’t exactly challenge myself here. 


Candycane Meringues a la Meri-Go-Round


-2 egg whites
-1/8 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp lemon juice (you can use vinegar or 1/8 tsp cream of tartar, but I went for easy peasy lemon juice)
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 tsp peppermint extract
-1 or 2 candy canes


1. Preheat oven to 225, line 2 baking sheets with foil
2. Crush candy canes in plastic bag (I used a coffee mug, and it was pretty fun…)

3. Use electric mixer (or I guess a whisk if you’re hardcore…) to get egg whites foamy. After a few minutes, add lemon juice, salt, and peppermint extract. Continue beating until the famous “stiff peaks” form.

8. Enjoy, share, and dance around hopped up on sugar and mint!


See? Easy Peasy! If I can bake it, you can bake it.
And how yummy would it be to try these in vanilla, or almond, or orange extract? Or some fancy schmancy liqueur? Has anyone tried variations on mix-ins or toppings? I feel like the world is now my oyster meringue!


Cheers!
Meri