I have been quite busy over the holidays and have lots to post in the coming weeks. Santa was good to me as you can see above. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a terrific 2008.
Dinner to Decorate By
Last evening we finally got around to decorating our holiday tree so dinner was pretty quick and easy. A simple burger made very flavorful was on the menu last evening. It was served with a butternut squash soup and an acidic red wine from Michigan. Sweet maple syrup was the theme. The meat was seasoned with some maple syrup as well as salt and pepper. This was topped with melted cheddar cheese served on a whole wheat bun with mayonnaise (Helman’s, please) and dijon mustard.
The soup started with an oven roasted butternut squash. The sweet flesh was added to a pot of sautéed onions and garlic. About 6 cups of chicken stock was added and it was flavored with some maple syrup.
After this had simmered for a little bit a splash of heavy cream was added and it was all whirled up together. Slightly sweet with just a dusting of fresh grated nutmeg to complement the maple.
Some of our decorations – ceramic doves placed over the lights glow nicely while perched on the branches. A crystal holly and angels also can be found along with many other eclectic pieces from our past.
Betty and Me
We have a very old relationship going back at least 30 years. This belonged to my mother. She became ill with MS when I was quite young so the holiday cookie baking fell upon my shoulders. With Mom’s guidance and Betty to tell what to do I was able to put together quite an array of holiday treats. Mom is gone but Betty remains in my kitchen to help me along.
I have had requests for Betty’s Cranberry Drop Cookies. They are so easy peasy to make that even a child can do it! Here’s the well worn page that still keeps me on track year after year. As I mentioned in the previous entry below, I don’t have my mother’s ‘Chef Moule’ hand cranked grater that I always used to perfectly chop the cranberries. The food processor worked but it just isn’t quite the same. If you can’t read the recipe just click on the picture for a larger version.
Cookie Baking Bonanza
I’ve finally got around to doing some holiday baking. I had a great weekend and the whole family pitched in. DW made snickerdoodles. I haven’t had these for years. They turned out crispy and delicious.
Of course a staple around the holiday season are peanut butter Hershey’s Kiss cookies. I made these quite large to enjoy the peanutiness in all its glory.
My favorite xmas cookie is this wonderful tangy and sweet cranberry walnut cookie. I got the recipe from my mothers old tattered and torn Betty Crocker Cookie Book. I remember making these by the truckload when I was a kid. So easy to do. A simple drop cookie. The only thing is I don’t have my mother’s old “Chef Moule” hand cranked grinder to chop the cranberries. It always did a terrific job. The food processor does not get them all even.
My Muhammara
This evening I’m heading out to a party and I was looking for something to bring as an appetizer. When Clotilde over at the Chocolate & Zucchini blog posted a Middle Eastern roasted red-pepper and walnut dip called muhammara I knew I found my dish. I followed Clotilde’s recipe and it came out delicious. I didn’t have any pomegranate molasses so I made my own version. I took the seeds of half a pomegranate and cooked them up with a couple tablespoons of sugar. I crushed them up well and strained it off. It had a nice flavor so I think it was ok. No smoked salt either but I added a wonderful smoked paprika that I have from Spain. The roasted red peppers were so sweet and the walnuts and cashews are so rich. The cumin adds a nice spice that mingles with the smoky paprika. I think people will like it.