Christmas Gifts

I had every intention of publishing this post before Christmas, but Santa had this kitchen elf working overtime up until the big night.

Hoping you had a wonderful Christmas!!

My family did! It was made all the merrier when surrounded by friends and tasty treats.

Here are some edible, homemade gifts I made for friends and family this Christmas...

Ginger Cookies

     You'll remember these from a few weeks ago. The smell of ginger and cinnamon always remind me of Christmastime. Click here for the recipe. 

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Cranberry, Almond & Cinnamon Granola

     adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

     yields 10 cups

Ingredients

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut

2 cups sliced almonds

1½ cups dried cranberries

½ cup vegetable oil

⅓ cup honey

2 tsp cinnamon 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together. Drizzle the vegetable oil and honey over the oat mixture, stirring together, until fully coated.

Pour out onto a sheet pan, baking for 25-30 minutes. Every so often stir the mixture to ensure everything is baking evenly. 

Remove from the oven when the granola is a nice golden brown color. Stir in the cranberries.

Allow to cool, stirring occasionally, breaking up any large chunks.

Store the granola in an airtight container. Save it for later, serve it immediately, with yogurt, milk, or fruit. The sky's the limit!

 

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Lemon Curd

     from Willow Waldeck

Ingredients

½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, about 2 large lemons

¾ cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 oz. unsalted butter, cubed

Directions

In a double boiler over medium heat, combine the lemon juice, sugar, and eggs. Whisk together. Once combined add in the butter and stir constantly until the lemon curd thickens. This will probably take 10 minutes. Be patient - it's well worth it. 

Once the curd is thick enough to stick to a spoon, see above, remove from heat and stir the curd until it cools. To speed up this process you can put the pan in an ice bath (large bowl filled with ice water) and stir. 

Here's the finished product, ready for serving or canning.

The consistency and color you're aiming for.

The curd will last up to once week. Serve it on toast, pancakes, waffles, in tarts, with pastries, etc...

Enjoy!

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This is a family tradition and holiday staple. It's not Christmas without Nona's Pumpkin Bread. 

Nona's Pumpkin Bread

    from Nona Anne

    yields 2 large or 5 small loafs or 24+ muffins

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

2 cups pumpkin

⅔ cup warm water

3⅓ cups flour

1½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup nuts, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and center racks.

Using a standing mixer, combine all the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl gently whisk together all the dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet. Scraping down the sides of the bowl, making sure everything is fully incorporated.

Have loaf pans greased and prepared. Fill each loaf a little more than half way.

For the large loaf pans bake for 1+ hour, for the smaller pans check at 40 minutes. They are done when set and golden and a toothpick comes out almost entirely clean.

These breads last a long time if wrapped in plastic. They are soft and flavorful. 

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Merry belated Christmas!

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

The flavors in this soup are amazing! 

The squash and apple are sweet and the curry and onions give a nice spicy balance.

I made this soup for a lunch my mom hosted for her coworkers. It got rave reviews.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

     adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

     yields 3 quarts

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

3 large yellow onions, chopped (I accidentally left the food processor on too long, pureeing them - don't worry if this happens to you, too, the whole thing is pureed at the end)

2 tbsp mild curry powder

3 lbs butternut squash (2 large)

2 sweet apples

2 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

2 cups apple cider or juice

water

Directions

Over low heat, warm the butter and olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the onions and curry powder, cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally. 

To prep the squash:

- cut off top and bottom

- peel the skin

- cut in half

- cut lengthwise

- remove seeds and dice

Peel and chop the apples, or use a food processor to chop them. Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil 

Once boiling, cover the pot, reducing the heat to low and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft.

Using a food processor with a steel blade or food mill, puree the soup.

Return the pureed soup to the stock pot on the stove. Add the apple cider. Over a very low heat stir the soup. It will be sweet, smooth, and thick. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot!

As this soup was for a lunch party I only helped myself to a small bowl in the kitchen, 

but it was damn tasty, if I don't say so myself.

Hope you enjoy it!!

Chocolate Kissed Ginger Cookies

Soft, chewy, chocolaty, and spicy. If you like that combination then you will love these cookies.

Chocolate Kissed Ginger Cookies

     from Becky Bakes

     **dough must chill in the refrigerator for 3+ hours or overnight

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1½ unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Granulated sugar
Semisweet, bittersweet and/or dark chocolate disks
Unsalted butter

Directions
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Sifting

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the molasses, egg, and vanilla. Mix together, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. In three parts add in the dry ingredients. Stopping the mixer when the last of the dry ingredients has been combined.

Cover dough and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a small ice cream scoop or your hands, create small balls of dough and roll them in the sugar, coating entirely. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should appear set but not firm. 

As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, use the back of a teaspoon to create a well in the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.

Using a double boiler, melt ≈ ⅓-½ cup semisweet, bittersweet, and/or dark chocolate. Add 2 tbsp of butter, cut into pieces, to the chocolate, stirring constantly. You do not want the chocolate to burn. Once the chocolate is melted remove from heat and stir for 4-5 minutes. If the chocolate is dull looking, add another tbsp of butter and stir. The butter not only helps the consistency but also adds shine. You want shiny chocolate.

Use a spoon to fill the cookie wells with chocolate. Let cool completely.

The cookies will be spicy and chewy and the chocolate will be soft and rich. Yum.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Oh this is the night 

It's a beautiful night...

Come on. We're all thinking it.

Here's a classic and a staple for anyone's culinary arsenal. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs

     adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

     yields a ton

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey 

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup bread crumbs

¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or 1+ tbsp dried parsley

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 large egg, beaten

¾ cup warm water

Vegetable oil & olive oil

For the Sauce

½ yellow onion, diced
½ red onion, diced
3-4 heads garlic, diced 
1 can, 28 oz., canned plum tomatoes 
1 can, 28 oz., canned tomato sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
Red wine
Oregano, Nutmeg, Basil, Italian spices, your choice of seasoning
Spoonful of sugar
Salt & pepper
Capellini, or Angel Hair pasta

Directions

Start your sauce as early as possible so that it can simmer, bringing out all the flavors.

In the large sauce pan saute the onion. Add in the garlic once the onion softens. Garlic burns very fast so once the garlic is fragrant add in the plum tomatoes,  sauce, and some red wine.
Turn down the heat to low. 
After 10 minutes or so add in the tomato paste, sugar, and season to taste. Let simmer on the lowest heat, stirring occasionally, while you make the meatballs.

In a large bowl, use your hands to combine all the ingredients. Don't mash the ingredients together. You want to keep the meat - for lack of a better word - fluffy and light. Form small 2-inch balls with your hands.

 

In a large frying pan, add equal parts vegetable oil and olive oil to ¼ inch depth. Heat the oil on medium-low and in small batches brown the meatballs. Browning on all sides should take 8+ minutes for each batch.

Put the meatballs on a plate, dry off excess oil with paper towels. Discard the oil. 

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on low for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. 

Cook pasta according to its directions. Capellini noodles take about 3 minutes.

Serve hot with a side salad and glass of Sangiovese.

This is a great dish to serve at a dinner party, family style. 

It's comforting and delicious.

Enjoy!

Good Ol'Apple Pie

Another day, another pie.

Sunday dinner with my parents. Dad made the pot roast and I made the apple pie.
This meal was very 1950s.

Apple Pie
     from Tyler Florence

Ingredients
Pie dough (see previous post)
5 medium-large Granny Smith apples
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
½ cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, cubed

Directions

Make pie dough, divide into 2 discs, chill dough in the refrigerate while prepping the filling.

Peel and thinly slice the apples. If they start to brown lightly sprinkle lemon juice on them. Preheat oven to 375°F.

For a classy baking experience I recommend a glass of bubbly.

In a large bowl, combine the apples and sugars. Sift the flour and cinnamon over the apples and toss until coated.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a floured surface. One will be the base, the other the top,  or lattice, or shapes. Transfer to a 9 or 10-inch pie pan. Pour in the apple filling then top with the other pie dough. I used a heart shaped cookie cutter and placed dough cut-outs to form the crust edges and topping. 

Before putting the pie in the oven, dot the top with the cubes of butter. 

Bake for 25 minutes then check to see if the top is getting too brown, if so cover with foil. Bake for another 22-25 minutes.

Remove from oven once the top is golden brown. Sprinkle top with sugar. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

 Happy baking! Happy eating!

Pumpkin Pie & Mini Tarts

Here's to the pie eating, cider drinking, 

yuletide merry making season! 

 Pumpkin Pie and Mini Tarts

     from The Silver Palate Cookbook

     yields 2-9 inch pies or 1 large tart and 6 mini tarts

Pie Dough Ingredients

2 cups flour

½ tsp salt

12 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed

½ cup ice cold vodka

Directions
In a food processor combine the flour and salt. Add in cubes of butter and pulse until the butter is fully broken up and in small pieces.

Slowly pour the vodka in as you pulse. The dough will start to come together. 

Stop the food processor once most of the dough has formed into a ball.

Turn out on a floured surface, bring all together, form two balls, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.

Pie Filling Ingredients

3 eggs

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 cups canned pureed pumpkin

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp cardamom

Pinch of salt

1 ½ cups evaporated milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugars together until light.

Stir in pumpkin puree, spices and salt and mix thoroughly. Stir in milk.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured work surface, and line the 9 inch pie pans or tart pans, trim and crimp edges. Pour in the filing.

For  the pies and large tart, bake the pie at 450°F for 8 minutes, then reduce heat to 325°F and bake another 40-45 minutes, or until filing is set (a knife inserted in the center will come out clean.) 

For the small tarts, bake at 450°F for 8 minutes, then reduce heat to 325°F and bake another 25-30 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Enjoy your pumpkin tarts! Or pies!

Danke & Pecan Pie

Thanksgiving, our truly American holiday, has come and gone and what we have to show for it is packed refrigerators, full bellies, and the most important yet oft-overlooked feeling of thanks and gratitude for loving family and friends. 

My love for cooking and sharing holidays with others probably stems from the feeling of delight we get from eating together. It is just so much better when you have people to talk with and laugh at - I mean with - laugh with while eating. Eating alone can be depressing. And who wants to be depressed when pumpkin pie and stuffing are involved?
In our family and extended "second family" of friends there is a tradition of celebrating together on the Friday after Thanksgiving in what we have come to call "Thanks Again". We all bring a leftover dish and enjoy each other's company... and yummy spoils.
 

Hope you had a very Happy Thanksgiving and Thanks Again!

"You display the true marks of a Great Gourmande... 
which always includes the warmest and most generous natures... 
and is why people who love to eat are always the best people." - Julia Child

Sukey has her eye on the prize

My little sister and I were in charge of the Thanksgiving pies: two Pecan and two Pumpkin. Our traditional family Pecan pie recipe comes from the Silver Palate cookbook but we've found Alice Water's pie crust to  reign supreme. So, from the Sisters to you... 

Pecan Pie with Annie

     from The Silver Palate Cookbook

     serves 8-10

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Pie Dough

     adapted from Alice Waters

     yields 2 crusts

Ingredients

2 cups flour

½ tsp salt

12 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed

½ cup ice cold vodka*

Directions

In a food processor combine the flour and salt. Add in cubes of butter and pulse until the butter is  fully broken up and in small pieces.

Slowly pour the vodka in as you pulse . The dough will start to come together. 

Stop the food processor once most of the dough has formed into a ball.

Turn out on a floured surface, bring all together, form two balls, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.

*The vodka is recommended by America's Test Kitchen for its ability to add more moister than water while leaving no trace of the alcohol. It works like a charm. 

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Pie Ingredients

4 eggs

1 cup dark brown sugar

¾ cup light corn syrup

½ tsp salt

½ stick unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups shelled pecans, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Using a standing mixer, beat eggs. Add in brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, butter, and vanilla and mix together. Roll out pie dough on a floured surface. Make sure it is large enough for a 9-10 inch pie pan. Transfer to your pie pan, press lightly down, and flute the edges.

Sprinkle the chopped pecans into the lined pie pan. Pour filling over pecans. Arrange whole pecans decoratively along the edge of the filling or however you wish.

Bake pie on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 325°F, baking for 25-30 more minutes. Remove from the oven when the filling is set.

Let cool to room temp and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Well done, Little Miss!