I decided to weigh the rather small looking $56 Panettone I ordered that is made by a nice restaurant in Montreal . 500 grams. 
That trip from Montreal must have been expensive.
I can buy a good 1 kg Made in Italy Loison or Galup panettone at Eataly or at a local Italian grocery store for 50 bucks. Of
course, different margins, different demand, different customers.
Just fantastic, @MidwesternerTT!
You make this seem so effortless every year, even though the hours of labor and love that go into the project are evident!
Lucky, lucky recipients all.
Fair question. I only have one kid 
Decided to remake the cakes. Sigh.
All are good lessons learned.
Every morning I’ve been getting up and taking 2 sticks of butter out to get to room temperature for recipes.
I think I’m depleting my stash of frozen on-sale butter.
One very messy job done. Grating suet for mincemeat. Mince pies are delicious, but AAAARGH!!! the suet is an unholy PITA.
I was intimidated by the Camill1 Wynne recipe you mentioned loving last year - candy your own orange peel, grind your own spice mix - so opted for the simpler version at Stephie Bakes. I’m a big fan of fruitcakes, however, and could see myself experimenting in spring when there’s no other holiday meal prep/baking on the menu plans.
I think I used “only” 4 pounds this year, due to making one oil-based cookie and one no-bake candy “cookie”, plus having fewer local recipients. Like you, I’d get out 2-4 sticks every morning as I waited for coffee water to get hot.
If it’s any consolation, candying orange peel is real easy. Definitely worth trying when life is calmer.
I’ve never heard of this French apple-and-phyllo pastry, but now I’m considering it for my holiday party (this weekend, gulp.) Anyone made it before?
Looks gorgeous, go for it.
Blush… Thanks for the very kind words, @Saregama
No but I have used crunched-up phyllo before (in a savory application) and it worked well. And my skills are very amateur compared to yours!!
Have not made, would happily make and eat. So I vote make it and report back. 
Yes me too! I thought that I had an endless supply but not so..
Ditto!!
Holy moly that looks good!
I made up some cookie gift boxes, could only manage 3 kinds but they’re delicious:
NYT Snickerdoodles
ATK Pecan Crescents (This recipe has you roll them in powdered sugar when they are cool, not warm. Also, I think it’s necessary to refrigerate the dough at least a day)
Pistachio-Cardamom Shortbread from Samin Nosrat, I added the ground pistachios
THE INCREDIBLE COMEDY OF ERRORS SO FAR TODAY in trying to make this.
It’s now 10:53 PM and it’s not in the oven yet.
it took me almost two hours to get home from a haircut appt because of very bad weather, pushing the time i had to bake this way later than acceptable.
