Osso di Morte

Step One:  Crack six eggs one-handed, whip the shells into the sink; get that mess out of the way, now.

Step Two:  After beating the eggs, pour in a two-pound bag of confectionary sugar.  This is not for those who like to measure, it already says "two pounds" on the bag, so get those scissors working and open that rascal. Flour is added, and this is the tricky part; I don't measure.  Put in a cup at a time until it looks like dough, but is still soft.  Try one and a half for starters. Four teaspoons of vanilla, four teaspoons of baking powder at the same time and mix with a spoon, not with a mixer; do that and your cookies will be dry, and there is no room in life for cookies that should be used as styrofoam peanuts.  This is Christmas, so get your tail moving.

Step Three: Roll the dough with both hands so it looks like bones.  Christmas, you ask?  This isn't Halloween, is it?  No it's not, it's a tradition around here and if you don't like tradition, maybe you can tell us when you joined Al Qaida.

Step Four:  Put these bad boys on parchment paper and let them dry overnight.
Step Five:  Bake.  Your friends will lay down on the floor and scream after eating just one, these Christmas cookies are that serious.

Sit down and congratulate yourself on another holiday festivity accomplished; keep the ingredients out 'cause you aren't done yet.  Tomorrow it's meringues.   Find that piping bag.   Merry.