Campo Verde and Louis Dean's Baking Day....Thursday and Friday

The Texas Trash is all finished now and in tins ready to gift!

I got up early Thursday to bake the last 4 batches and filled all the containers, carried the trash can outside (it was a new one, by the way!) and cleaned up the floor. It sounded like I was walking on Rice Krispies the way it was crackling. 

Then we got dressed and headed to Arlington for a late lunch stopping at Walmart over there for some flour and ingredients Louis Dean needed for his baking day on Friday.

It's a December tradition to go to Campo Verde - usually the week right before Christmas.

It is over the top decorated and I don't think there's any place in the world that can best them in Christmas lights!

The place is covered!!!

Even the antlers are decorated.

The margaritas are excellent!

I may have to start ordering the smaller size.

It took a long time to drink this. Drink it too fast and you get a brain freeze!

The food is excellent!

I had a great time!

Every visit is like a party!

We drove home slightly ahead of the 5:00 traffic and we both went right in and took a little nap.

One of my jobs yesterday was to clean out the fridge.

I found some tasty treats for my possum!

I fed him two hard boiled eggs, a ham salad sandwich, a wedge of watermelon rind and some leftover chicken and dressing.

The bonus was getting to watch him eat some of it.

I use a fountain bowl with gravel in it for his food dish.

After he finished eating, he turned himself right around and drank from the kitchen pond!

He's getting bigger!

Once he finished his meal, he sauntered behind the pond and across to the deck and beyond.

The show was over so I got busy making a batch of sugarplum dough.

On Christmas Ever, my children and grandchildren will help me roll bits of dough into balls and then roll the balls in colored sugar or sprinkles. I will divide the sugarplums up between everyone and send them all home with some.

Before I went to bed, I made up a final batch of fruitcake cookie dough.

I like having it in the fridge all ready to bake up as needed.

Hopefully, after Christmas the candied fruit will be on sale and I plan on stocking up.

That stuff will keep well until next Christmas although I do bake up a batch or two every September.

This morning as soon as we had our coffee and reading time, I cleared the kitchen counter off of all the debris. It was Louis Dean's turn to bake!

And bake he did!!

I stayed out of his way and even walked through the living room instead of through the kitchen.

It helps him stay focused if no one talks to him and he doesn't get distracted.

It worked well today because these were the best rolls I believe he's ever made!

When I broke it in half fresh from the oven, it smelled delicious!!

Bread, butter, cheese and wine!

A perfect meal.

I packed away 6 gallon size bags of 9 dinner rolls per bag in the freezer.

54 dinner rolls. Enough for Christmas Eve here and Christmas Day at Amber's.

And each roll is the exact same size!

He weighs them.

Then he started right in on the cinnamon rolls!

He went on to bake four sheet pans full!

While he baked, I went out for a walk.

It's nice enough weather to be comfortable in a sweat shirt even at night.

Now his baking is all done and it's my turn to go back in the kitchen.

I need to frost all those cinnamon rolls and clean up the kitchen.....even though Louis Dean says he cleaned up after himself. And he did, pretty much. Still, only I know where all the debris goes and only I can put things back together.

So that's where I will be for the next couple of hours!