How has the New Year continued for you? If you have followed me for a bit you know that I tend to break out the mushrooms around the beginning of the New Year; it is an old German tradition as a symbol of good luck going into the New Year. It seems like we are all needing a little luck come our way with the recent surges in COVID. 

We have found our selves hunkering down a bit more than usual due to the increases here in our community but taking some chances with booking some trips in the spring. We are still feeling very fortunate to all be healthy in my family with the exception of the eldest and his roommates coming down with some respiratory infections.

We woke up to some snow today which I personally enjoy; if it is going to be cold at least bring me some snow! Before I bundle up and take Ursa out for a walk I thought I would expand on an earlier part of a post and visit about Springerle cookies once more. I have been receiving back some happy reports of folks who enjoyed eating them so I am encouraged to make more at different times of the year. 

As I mentioned I used a replica mold that I got from a company that is local to my state; House on the Hill. The first mold that I got from them was from a little shop at one of our state parks that has a German home preserved in a German settled river town in my state. I think I made the springerle cookies once with that mold and I look forward to using it in the spring; the mold is called Ric Rac Rabbit. The Buck mold that I used for the winter holidays was perfect and now packed away till later this year. 

I am on the hunt for a heart themed mold, but I am kind of picky when it comes to hearts. It really has to be a unique primitive style heart for me to use. I am just not too into hearts for decor generally.

As I mentioned earlier I tried to use the traditional hartshorn (bakers ammonia) this last time and it was a fail that it retained the smell; it did not bake out but they did puff quite a bit like they are supposed too. I think I am still going to use baking powder though.