No Meringue Powder For You

It's been a pretty uneventful day here at the Neurotic Household.  I went to the gym; got some coffee from McDonald's; walked through a wind tunnel/parking lot to the grocery store near my gym and  bought some clementines and  broccoli slaw.  Then I went home and had some lunch.

I'm attempting something kind of scary this weekend:  sugar cookies with piped royal icing.  I'm kind of afraid of the whole process because I steady hand I do not have.  Frosting cut-out sugar cookies with regular buttercream is tasty, but the icing doesn't harden, which makes them look a little smudged after a day or two.  Royal icing hardens and looks so pretty and shiny.

I like pretty and shiny things.

You can make royal icing with raw egg whites, but, um, hello, have we met?  Not only am I freak about ridiculous things like pillow placement and limiting the amount of open cereal boxes at one time, I'm a major freak when food safety is concerned.  I don't leave food out on the counter for more than two hours; I religiously read expiration dates;  I wash my hands compulsively when handling raw meat.  So you can clearly understand that  I cannot do the raw egg thing.  A great alternative for those who take food safety seriously is to use meringue powder.

The PX on Ft. Belvoir sells meringue powder for significantly less than Michaels does.  Of course, when I noticed this and saw the two canisters remaining on the shelf, I didn't actually buy any.  That proved to be a costly mistake because this afternoon, when I went to purchase the meringue powder, they were sold out.

Of course.

Guess I'm going to Michael's tomorrow.  Good thing I saved my sales ad with the 40% off coupon in it.

Feeling kind of  bummed after my wasted trip to the PX, I walked over to the commissary to buy such fun things as Vitamin D and eggs.  I also bought some more Dove dark chocolate peppermint bark.  Shhh, don't tell Craig.

All in all, it has been an extremely thrilling afternoon.  Or not.

I'm feeling kind of sad today.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it has to do with how the crazy wind has been treating my hair these past few days.  It's not looking too good up there on the top of my head right now.
Or, maybe it's because we missed The Charlie Brown Christmas Special last night on TV.  I love that show with all my heart and I'm sad we missed it.  We have in on DVD but our DVD player isn't hooked up.  In fact, I don't even know where it is.   Um, yeah, tech savvy, we're not.  Our TV is not flat, nor does it have an LCD screen.  Someday we'll move up to something fancier and less bulky, but for now, we're kicking it old school.
I shouldn't feel sad.  Life is good.  I'm sitting in my living room with Christmas music playing from the radio in the kitchen and admiring my decorated tree.  It's hard not to smile and feel at peace when staring at the beautiful white lights on a lit Christmas tree. 

It's cloudy and cold; Silent Night is on the radio.  It's a perfect melancholy afternoon.

Hopefully tomorrow will be perkier.  A trip to Michael's is on tap.  And perhaps a swing through Ross and maybe a jaunt over to Trader Joes, as well. 

Okay, time to make dinner.  It's 4:50, after all, which according to Caroline, is a little on the late side.  That child of mine belongs in West Palm Beach, with her sensible shoes and tip calculator, dining on the early bird special with her friends from the retirement home.