All things sweet and nice!

Happy New Year folks!

I am back after a back breaking ski trip and wholesome family-style Christmas. First, before I start with all things sweet and nice, let me talk about my ski trip: I was a ball of pain when I got back. I reckon falling approx. 20 times didn't help as it was my first time ehhehe but I never ate so much snow in my life! Anyway, apart from the pain, I came out skiing better than I never did and fell much less. Oh and I also cried like a baby in the locker room too because I was having period cramps on top of the falls...BOOO. But like a champ, I stuck to it. My partner was so proud of me.

Would I ski again? Definitely. And this time, I want my own skis and not the crappy rental stuff that gives my shin bruises.

SO next to all things sweet and nice! How's your New Year's been? Time sure flies when you're not looking, I am still adjusting to the fact that I have to write 2008 now and not 1998. Ahem. And I can't believe I am getting older.....I was 17 a blink of an eye ago. Wtf? lol. *goes into denial mode*

I was suppose to get to sweet and nice stuff and look where that got me! Okay, I made this really cute and yummy chocolate gingerbread men/women/stars as Christmas gifts for my partner's family. If you want an affordable pressies that pleases the mass, nothing does it better than homemade stuff. Trust me, it's just better and you can get creative without burning a hole in your pocket.

And since I added chocolate chips into my gingerbread men, they're just delightful and surprisingly good. Frankly, I don't like gingerbreads, I made the whole batch for my partner's family :P

Here they are:


I've just rolled the dough out and cutting them with my newly acquired cookie cutters. I couldn't get over how cute they were.

Here they are freshly baked out of the oven. Warm and soft but they do harden up as they cool. It's better if you let them cool up to 12 hours before decorating them. They store very well in the freezer for up to 6 months ;)

Here they are decorated amateurishly snuggled in boxes. I bought these boxes and paper linings from the 1 Dollar store. In all, for these pretty boxes and ribbons, it costs me less than $10, how sweet is that?

Here they are all wrapped up, pretty and ready to be unfold by unsuspecting relatives. The Jack Daniels is for them to wash it down after a nibble of course...... nah, the Jack Daniel's for me especially. The silver package on the right is a beautifully adorned cast-iron teapot for my partner's mother. Really heavy stuff but she loved it to no end when she saw it :) I am just happy.

I'll let the picture do the talking here. Pfft. Shoo!

After getting back from Christmas, I was itching to bake again. It must be because I was still in baking mode after all that gingerbread men/women/stars. So when I saw sticky buns on the food network channel, I made up my mind to make some.

They are outrageously good. OUT OF THIS WORLD. Hips beware.

And to end the All things sweet and nice! post are blueberry pancakes. Use frozen or fresh blueberries for an antioxidant filled breakfast. Yum...


I know, i know. Where are the recipes? I will get to that soon :) One by one hehehe. Or maybe I will save the chocolate chip gingerbread men recipe for next Xmas!