the russian tea cakes expert and her slotted spoon

I made Russian Tea Cakes (commonly known as shortbread) today.

I used to make them all the time, but I grew bored of it and stopped. I also used to make chocolate crinkles, which I found worse than boring because I don't even like eating them. People who do eat what I bake assure me that they're good, and these people are people who tell me the truth especially if it hurts (my parents, Jacqui).

Anyway, I waited till I got rid of the flu from hell before baking and that was today. I made two recipes and played around with them because I had forgotten exactly how I used to make them, which meant a lot of new experimentation. The recipe said use an electric mixer. I remember that I never used an electric mixer, and since using the electric mixer meant hauling it out of the drawer and figuring out where to plug it in, I forewent the electric mixer and did it manually. While creaming the butter and sugar together, I then realized why I had to use an electric mixer. (My hands, poor unmuscled things, are so tired that typing this is giving me overfatigue.)

But after a while, I realize it's not that hard and I still would rather mix it manually than deal with the electric mixer. It involves washing the mixer after, much too much to wash compared to the spoon if I do it manually. And it's just too much responsibility for me.

Hahaha.

Anyway, I'm really pleased with myself as my first batch of cookies turned out great. Ms. Impossible-to-Please Jacqui says they're really good and taste better than the ones we recently bought in a store. I'll make some more tomorrow. Gotta spread the good cheer.