And the winner is... (plus Argentinian tradition)

This weekend my baking extravaganza took place. I spent all weekend either at the grocery store or cooking/baking. I spent most of Saturday hanging out with mom which was fun. We cleaned out her garage some and looked through some boxes of Christmas decorations. I made out like a bandit with a bunch of lights and I'm excited about it. I have decided that I'm going all out for my tree this year... more on that some other time.
On to the cooking! I went to the grocery store and bought everything I needed for baking for pretty much the rest of the year so that I don't realize I'm missing something mid-recipe. I made ñoquis and salsa blanca (gnocchi and bechamel sauce, respectively) from scratch all by myself for the first time. I made them both right which was very exciting! Unfortunately I started making them too late (6PM) and mom and I didn't eat dinner til midnight (ooops...) but it was ok because they turned out great! Butthole was super jealous because ever since I introduced him to ñoquis at the Argentinian restaurant in College City he's fallen in love with them. Next time I'm going to start the prep earlier but I'm definitely going to do it again. They are really an Italian dish but they are a huge Argentinian tradition. I am quite eager to get more in touch with tradition even if I'm doing it on my own (neither one of my parents stuck to tradition at all).
For baked goods I made blondies, mint brownies, and peppermint brownies. The blondies were good but they turned out way too dry though I'm not sure if it was the recipe or if I screwed up. I'm definitely going to try them again. The mint brownies turned out be brownies with mint frosting and chocolate coating. The brownie was yucky and way too sweet in my opinion. Also, it was a very cakey brownie. Some testers liked it but regardless I'm not making them again. The frosting was too sweet but I might try it again with some slight changes. The peppermint brownies were BOMB. I liked them so much that I copied the recipe and took out the peppermint extract and from now on I will keep it was my permanent brownie recipe. No more box brownies!* They were topped with chocolate mint squares melted and crushed candy cane. Next time I'm going to skip the candy cane.
It still seems like the consensus was that I should make the Fudgy Fantasy bars for Thanksgiving. I'm still glad I tried the brownies because now I know of one more thing I'm adding to my gift baskets.
I also talked to my mom and I think we are also going to make tomates rellenos for dinner. Tomates rellenos is another Argentinian (delicious) staple. It's hollowed out tomatoes filled with a tuna/rice filling. They are way yummy. Another way for me to get in touch with my roots. I guess I figure connecting to my country of origin through food is the easiest at a distance. I've also looked up a recipe for lengua a la vinagreta (vinaigrette tongue). It's pretty simple but, again, time consuming. Butthole said eating cow tongue sounds gross but it's actually really good. I totally loved it as a kid.
About my tree... not all that interesting. It used to be that I liked a plain tree with uniform round bulbs in a few solid colors but I've decided that I want a more eclectic tree this year. I guess I'll expand on the subject once I put the tree up. I'll come bearing pictures.
All in all it was a great weekend even though I didn't get to see Butthole. I had a good time with my mom and I had fun baking and cooking.

*My box brownies are awesome but I never had the guts to try them from scratch. Well, I did it! I can do it. I am effing awesome. True story.