Feb. 7: Biscochitos

WHO DAT BAKING COOKIES FOR ME?

Dat is Mary the Cookie-Baker Proxy!

Our friends Jamey and Mary are New Orleans Saints Fans. When the Saints got in the Superbowl, they of course had to throw a drunken, gumbo-drenched party. I offered to bring Biscochitos (pg. 242) because they're baked in the shape of the fleur-de-lis. Unfortunately, James had his money on the Colts at the time, so I was forbidden to provide baking support to the enemy.

I'm smarter than my husband: I sent the recipe to Mary, and she baked them. In the end, we changed sides, the Saints won, the cookies were a hit, and we had a great time at the party! (I even got a fleur-de-lis cookie cutter out of the deal.)

I snapped an iPhone photo (have I mentioned how much I love that thing?) and promised Mary she'd make the blog. So, even though I haven't baked anything in weeks, I get to do a blog posting. Yay Mary! The cookies were fab and the party was beaucoup fun. But I'm not sure which part I liked best: watching the Saints win or witnessing Jamey dance on the ottoman, drunk off his ass.

So here we are in February already. One of the reasons I haven't been baking is that I've been hard up for cake recipes. I still owe a cake for this month. I've combed through my cookbooks and cooking magazines, but nothing speaks to me. I think, though, I may have found the solution: Rose's Heavenly Cakes, by Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Cake Bible.

Linda, Aubrey and I looked at every page, declared it Girl Porn and decided what I'd be baking in the coming months. So watch for that.

Meanwhile, life chugs along. Highlights of the past few weeks include:

1. My new status as "athlete." Yup. I'm a runner. And I'm going to run Green Lake before the end of summer. All 2.8 miles of it. I'm working up to that goal slowly. Don't want to get all runner-type, with the stringy body parts. I want to look like Salma Hayek, only running. Yeah, I know: Good luck with that.

2. Travel plans. Over the next few months, Sam and I are going to Palm Springs to retrieve my mother-in-law and visit our dad (and shop); James is going to Mexico to go fishing; James is going to Palm Springs to golf; I'm going to Portland for the Mohanathon (aka Mohani Gras); and Motorhome Season officially begins.

3. My new talent for making crepes. Couple of terms for you: All-Clad Griddle. Christmas Return. Williams-Sonoma. Shopping Orgy. I bought a crepe pan (among many other things), and my family is now intimately familiar with the splendors of the crepe. I'm pretty damn proud of myself.

4. Dare I say it--Denise is coming back to Regence! At least 2.5 days of the week. And temporarily. If the Regence Gods continue smiling, Girlfriend will come work with me as a part-time contractor. I get a real-life coworker! In the cube next to me! For the first time in like three years! I won't know what to do with myself. I'm pinching myself. Oh, and she's a really good writer and editor and will do a bang-up job. But that's beside the point.

So that almost sums it up. Unfortunately, I have to end this blog on a sad note. Our cat, Kismet, passed away on Jan. 29. She was 17 1/2, and we loved her dearly. I wrote so many of my past blog entries with her purring behind the PC monitor or tucked up against my back. She had a long, healthy and privileged life. After a short illness, she died in her own home after an evening by the fire.

The house isn't the same without her.