Never Marry An Icon

5~ Cake and Eat It (Or Christmas Cookies)

Pete arrived at my house about half an hour after I called him. The time was now 9:42, and as he hung the same leather jacket up on my coat rack which stood next to my front door, he took off his black suede ankle boots and left them next to the coat rack, then walked to one of my counters in the kitchen and leaned against it. "So, hun... what are we doing today? You called me so early, I barely had time to get ready,"

I smiled brightly, opening one of my cupboards and taking out a bag of flour. "Were making Christmas cookies!"

"We're making... wait what?"

"I called you over here because I wanted to make cookies with you. Trust me, it'll be fun!" I began to grab the bag of sugar and then the eggs from the fridge, and a bunch of bowls and wooden spoons. "And don't think you're here to just eat them. You're going to be part of it. I want my boyfriend to help me out." I winked, turning to him and copying his pose as he leaned against the counter.

He rolled his eyes playfully. "Fine. I'll help you. Just let me take my gloves off and everything. It was cold out... do I have to roll up my sleeves?"

"Only if you don't want the cookies to taste like fresh linen." I giggled, taking off my shirt to reveal a tank top underneath. "Roll 'em up."

"Ah... alright," He said, placing his leather gloves into his jacket pocket and then rolling his sleeves all the way up his forearms. "What's the first step in cookie making?"

"Well first off we have to pick out the kind of cookies we want to make. What's Christmassy?"

"Well my mom usually makes sugar cookies," Pete suggested. "They're usually the bomb. You'll have to find a way to beat her, she's been using the same amazing recipe for the last thirty years, though."

"Well they might not be as good as your mom's, but I can make you some bangin' cookies. Trust me, they'll be great."

"Oh, I'm trustin' you," He responded, smiling. "Now that we have the kind of cookies picked out, what follows?"

"Well we get a big bowl, and a smaller bowl. In the smaller bowl, we mix the wet ingredients. In the bigger bowl, we mix the dry ingredients. Then after both are mixed, we pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and mix that together. Then we shape the cookies and bake them." I noticed Pete's look on his face was that of someone who wasn't following. "Don't worry," I assured him. "You'll understand once you see me do it. And when I explain in more detail." I grabbed the smaller bowl and pushed the bigger bowl towards Pete. "I need you to pour three cups of flour, one cup of white sugar, and one cup of brown sugar into that bowl and then mix it all together. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Yeah, I can at least try. Where are your measuring cups?"

"Oh. They're right here." I looked down at the drawer in the middle of us and then pulled it out, showing an array of baking junk. As I looked around for a few seconds, my eyes caught sight of the color coded measuring cups and I handed them to Pete, shutting the drawer afterwards. "There you go. Now when you're done tell me." I began adding all of the wet ingredients together as Pete took his stance and began mixing the dry ingredients. He was doing pretty well for an apparent first time baker. As I poured two teaspoons of vanilla into my mix of two eggs, a half cup of water, and a stick of melted butter, I looked out of the corner of my eye and noticed Pete cleaning up for me, meaning he began to put the sugars away. I smiled a little. "All done?" I asked him.

"Yeah. I figured I'd put some stuff away while I wait for you to finish. Are you done?"

"With the wet ingredients yes. But we still need the flour. And I have some extra things I need to add to the dry ingredients before we're ready to mix everything."

Pete nodded. "Um... okay."

I went to the fridge and got some baking soda, pouring a teaspoon of it into the dry ingredients, and then some salt followed. "Now it's done." As I began pouring the wet into the dry, I looked up towards Pete. "Do you want to do the honors and stir the mix until it's a fine dough?"

He nodded. "I'm not usually good at baking, but stirring seems easy enough. Lemme give it a go." I then gave him the big bowl and the spoon I was holding, with which he began stirring. The only reason I asked him to stir was because I was weak and usually used an electric stirrer, but I hadn't picked up batteries for today's adventure. About twenty seconds later he called me back to the bowl. "Hun, is this good?" He asked, us both leaning over some perfectly stirred cookie dough.

"Yeah. It's actually perfect. Now do you know how to cut out the cookies?"

"Cookie cutters."

"Yes but do you know how to use them?"

He shrugged. "You push the cutter into the cookie dough and it becomes a cute shape...?"

"Yes. But, here. Let me show you how to do it." I grabbed the bag of flour and threw a bit onto the kitchen table, Pete confused in the background. "So you have to put some of the flour on the table so the cookie dough doesn't stick to the table when you're cutting them out. It's also good to flatten the dough perfectly, and then sprinkle some more flour on top of that so the cookie doesn't stick to the cutter. Also dip the cutter in the flour. Watch me." I grabbed a cookie cutter that looked like a Christmas tree and dipped it into the flour, shook the excess off of it, and pushed it into the dough on the table. Pete sat down at the table and watched, mesmerized.

"Do... do I get to make one?" He asked, watching as I made a few perfect cookies and laid them on the cookie sheet I placed on the table.

"Of course. Just do exactly as I do." At the end of the morning I had taught Pete how to make sugar cookies with my amazing family recipe. Now, they were in the oven baking. After I cleaned up the kitchen we found ourselves in the living room, waiting impatiently for the oven to ding.

°•--○--•°

"How much time is left? I'm bored." Pete whined, glancing towards the oven every few seconds.

I looked towards the analog clock and squinted because it helped me see the clock better. "Um... about two minutes are left. But after I take them out we have to wait at least five more minutes for them to cool."

He sighed loudly. "You're killing me, Jenny...! I really wanna try your cookies, I don't wanna wait!"

"Well you're going to have to unless you want to burn your face off. And I'm sure you don't want to do that."

He crossed his arms over his chest, almost pouting. But as soon as he began to do so, the oven dinged and Pete jumped up, running towards the oven. "Can I take them out? I'll use an oven mitt,"

"Go ahead." I said, watching him take the mitts out of the drawer and then, after he opened the oven, he stuck his head somewhat in and pulled out the cookie sheet, laying it on the counter after shutting the oven door with his foot. He was lucky he didn't catch his beautifully curly hair on fire.

"I can still feel the warmth through the mitts," I heard him say to himself, and once he turned around, he gave me a small smile. "I can't wait to try them, hun."