When One Thing Leads To Another

I purchased a copy of the 2003 Wilton Cake-Decorating Yearbook all those years ago when it was hot off the presses. Which led to my desire to make the ‘Autumn Harvest’ cookies listed within its pages; mostly because these cookies had smooth, satiny frosting . . . glorious stuff I’ve never felt capable of replicating.

The flaming passion that was my desire to make these cookies was intensified last March, when I found baskets shaped like cornucopias at my local Salvation Army. 25 cents each! Which led to my resolve to make those Autumn Harvest cookies for the Cookie Co-Op this Thanksgiving . . . no matter the (emotional or culinary-sanity) cost.

Damn Salvation Army. I knew those frickin’ bell-ringers would find a way to punish me for not donating last Christmas.

According to the 2003 Wilton Cake-Decorating Yearbook, you need super-awesome Color-Flow icing mix in order to make smooth, satiny frosting. And – wouldn’t you know it! – Wilton just so happens to make their very own version of super-awesome Color-Flow Icing Mix! Which led to my hopping on down to my local craft store to pick up a 6-oz. Container . . . of which I’d need perhaps 1/8 of an ounce for my cookies.

My trip to the craft store led to my purchase of Halloween craft kits (at 50% off!), which – naturally – led to my resolution to host yet-another party for toddlers next year. Which led to my drive to spend an hour online researching monster-themed food. For a party a year away.

But back to the matter at hand.

Now I had the cookie idea, the cornucopia baskets, and the Wilton super-awesome Color-Flow Icing Mix. But I did not have the proper cookie cutters. Which led to my tromping over to Dee’s to paw through her selection of cutters. Which led to a side discussion on websites with which to print out my year's-worth of digital photos. Which led to the discovery of easy photo Christmas cards. Which led to an hour-long debate with Bee this morning about whether or not to do a photo card this year. The debate is still unresolved.

Dee didn’t have the proper cookie cutters, which led to a mass thrift-store search for autumn-themed cutters. Which led to the discovery and subsequent purchase of a 12-pack of ‘Magic Hanger’ hooks (of which I have used 2), a Ziplock bag-full of replacement switch-plate covers (I only needed 3), 4 new tins for the Cookie Co-Op (which I didn’t need at all), 8 half-pint jelly jars (well, actually, I needed those), a $6 play house for Christmas (which we gave to Mr. C last week), and a pair of black-sequined kitten heels (no comment).

Four thrift stores later, however, I found a one-dollar set of mini cookie cutters shaped like leaves, apples and pumpkins. Which led to my eternal rapture, not only because they were exactly the shapes I wanted, but because they were adorably tiny and all fit together in a little tin just so!

Having the proper cutters led to an afternoon spent baking tiny little sour cream cut-out cookies. Which led to three-and-a-half hours (Yes. Three-and-a-half hours.) of decorating apples, leaves and pears (the latter ingeniously made from a mini-snowman cutter) with super-awesome Color-Flow Icing.

But I also needed Royal Icing to decorate the pumpkins and grapes (the latter, once again, ingeniously done with a substituted leaf cookie cutter). Which led to an Internet search on Royal Icing recipes. Which led to You Tube. Which led to a bout of watching proposal, military-homecoming, and “The Ellen Show” clips until three a.m.

However, I did indeed find a rather-tasty meringue Royal Icing recipe. Which led to two hours (Yes. Two hours.) of decorating pumpkins and grapes.

And there you have it! Cookies enough to fill two cornucopias, one mini Chinese take-out box, and a rather-chipped dinner plate! And because the cookies were so small, it was easy to view each as just a tiny, gourmet, ‘diet’ cookie. Which led to the consumption of six or seven in one sitting. Which, of course, led to disgust and self-loathing until every last leftover cookie was out of my house.

And now there’s nothing left of my Autumn Harvest cookies but the lovely photo at the top of this blog and some fond memories.

And some Halloween masks, switch-plate covers, black-sequined heels, and a new P!nk cd (which I got after seeing her on “Ellen”).

Oh, and some super-awesome Wilton Color-Flow Icing Mix.

Hmm . . . I’ll have to get some new cookie-cutters so I can use up that mix.