The Peppermint Extract Crisis of 2010

I spent last weekend in Omaha, Nebraska visiting friends and looking at apartments. I had the greatest time and was not ready to go home on Sunday. Luckily (or unluckily) for me, my car wouldn't start Sunday morning. After a few pathetic, cyclical groans, I knew that my battery was clearly dead. Dead dead.

Thank God for AAA. I had to laugh though. When I finally got through to an operator, I gave her the details of my situation, and she pointed out that I had requested help in the same location before. Literally, I was in the exact same parking spot last summer when I got a flat tire. I'm never parking there again.

Because of my car trouble and weather conditions in Iowa/Illinois, I ended up staying in Omaha an extra day. This ending up being a blessing in disguise, because I got to see a few more friends before I left town on Monday afternoon.

By the time I came home, I was ready to get into the holiday spirit. I promptly wrapped all of my Christmas presents. When I was done with those, I wrapped everyone else's presents, excepting the presents they had bought me. As a result, looking under the Christmas tree right now is really quite depressing. There are plenty of gifts for Patrick, Mom, Dad, and Grandma, but not a single one with my name on it.

After my present-wrapping frenzy, I was ready for my favorite part of the holiday season: Christmas cookies. Baking is one of my favorite hobbies. I bake out of boredom, happiness, anxiety, or pretty much any emotion. Last year, Christmas at the Roszhart household was a bit depressing. I was recovering from a serious liquid nitrogen burn on my hand and was not able to bake at all. Although I was feeling a lot better, my hand was still pretty grotesque, and no one wants a nasty hand touching their food.

This year, my baking has been over the top. For three straight days I have baked and baked and baked:

Ginger cookies,
Dipped pretzels,
Snowball cookies and Peanut Butter Surprise cookies,


Spritz cookies,
and Turtle cookies.

But then, I was getting out the ingredients for Chocolate Mint cookies, and I realized we didn't have any peppermint extract. Although I had been enjoying baking, after three straight days I was ready to be done. In the next few moments, the Peppermint Extract Crisis of 2010 ensued. I started tearing through the cabinets, positive that we had to have it somewhere. My mom meanwhile, was laughing at me, wishing she, "could videotape this moment to warn my future husband." Thanks, Mom.

Could I have run to the grocery store? You would think so, but no, I couldn't. I hadn't bothered getting ready yet and looked like living hell. I was not about to run to the grocery store looking like that. Our town is so small, you're guaranteed to run into at least five people and more than that if you're having a bad hair day.

So instead, I gave up, defeated. When my mom ran to the grocery store later that afternoon, she surprised me with peppermint extract :) My next day or two might be busy, but I'll find time to make my Chocolate Mint cookies!