Christmas Butter Cookies

Christmas Butter Cookies C Is For Cookie…

This weekend I am having a couple dozen kids over for a cookie decorating party ‘cause who needs their sanity? Am I right?

This is the third year we have hosted it, and despite the craziness, it really is a lot of fun. If you ever want to get in the spirit of Christmas or just re-live it through the eyes of an eight year old—have a cookie party.

In the past I have made a massive amount of sugar cookies and gingerbread men/woman for the kids to decorate as they see fit. This year I was thinking about mini gingerbread houses. but as the weekend fast approaches, I’m realizing that would be a one way ticket to crazy town. I might just provide some graham crackers for the kids who want to try their hand. I am also cheating by purchasing the cookie icing instead of making it and coloring it myself. I did that the first year. #Rookiemistake.

The hardest thing about making the cookies is finding a recipe that actually tastes good. There are plenty of sugar cookie recipes, and most make cookies that are easy to decorate, but are too hard and have little flavor. This year I am going with a butter cookie instead, because the whole purpose of making and decorating cookies is to eat them. By the handful…

This recipe originated with America’s Test Kitchen. I played around with it. It makes a great cookie sturdy enough for icing, and with plenty of butter for tastiness. Yay for butter! Read more…

Gam’s Apple Chutney

Interpretive Cooking

Every family has a Thanksgiving recipe handed down through the generations. Even if it just opening a box, it still counts as a family tradition (or at the very least, a funny commentary on whether or not your ancestors could cook). Case in point, my paternal grandmother was a disaster in the kitchen. In fact, my grandfather did all of the cooking during a time when it was definitely not the norm, and they always came to our house for Holiday meals.

My maternal grandmother was just the opposite. If you read my posts regularly, you will know about Gam’s recipes—she was a really great cook. I have come to realize that she was pretty bad at actually writing her recipes. When you consider she was a teacher for most of her life, it seems sort of strange that her recipe writing would be that “open to interpretation”. It may be more a generational thing than her inability to get her point across. Gam never had a problem getting her point across. She made her opinion very clear…often.

In my cookbook collection, I have some “antique” cookbooks that were written at a time when people, mainly women, did a lot of the cooking. Certain steps were implied, and were not written down—it was assumed the reader just knew. I would definitely put my grandmother’s handwritten recipes in this category, especially because they were written for her own use. She didn’t elaborate. That thought was underscored when I pulled out her recipe for apple chutney in anticipation of Thanksgiving leftovers.

My favorite part of Thanksgiving are the turkey sandwiches the next day and I really like them with some thickly-spread apple chutney. For me, Gam’s apple chutney is the best. But I had to read through her recipe a few times to make sure I understood her thought process. There were a few important pieces of information missing, but I managed to channel my inner Mary Jane, and figured it out.

Below is the revised recipe. Although cooking yet another dish this week might be the last thing you would like to do, keep in mind that a tasty little jar of homemade chutney makes a great gift for the hostess or that last minute gift for the person you forgot! Read more…

Pie Month — Bonus Post

Pink Pearl Apple Pie November is Pie Month at Piedmont Grocery, and we have been posting a pie a day to our social media feeds. Here is the compilation of the pies so far. We will update the list again at the end of the month.

Happy feasting!

Autumn Salad with Apples, Comté, and Hazelnuts

The Big Cheese

Cheese is good. I have always been a big fan of cheese in many forms, though I DO draw the line at spray cheese. ( My sister, on the other hand…)And don’t forget the Earthquake Velveta buried in the back of my Mom’s pantry. Uh, no thanks. I would rather perish!

Around the holidays I find that I eat much more cheese than usual. (Of course I am eating a lot more than usual of a lot of things, but it’s the holidays, who am I to fight tradition?)

Cheese is one of the easiest things to nibble on at parties, and since there are numerous parties during this time, the chances of finding oneself in front of a cheese plate or creamy baked brie are pretty good. In fact a cheese plate with an assortment of interesting and not your everyday cheeses is my easy, go-to potluck contribution. (It’s also a great way to get a conversation going, ”This cheese is awesome!” “Oh, what is it?”)

There are plenty of ways to incorporate some really good cheese into your holiday meals. Cheesy dips are a no-brainer and cheese balls are always festive. (The real ones. Not the neon orange things, and not your Uncle Bob.)

One of my favorite ways to enjoy a little cheesy decadence is in a salad. Most people add goat cheese, or feta, or even crumbled blue to their salads– which is great, but don’t under estimate the power of a good, nutty Parrano Gouda or Emmenthaler. When cut into matchstick sized pieces and tossed into mixed greens with some dried cranberries or cherries, these hard cheeses are darn good.

A favorite salad with cheese is this Autumn Salad with Apples and Comte. The Cider vinaigrette alone is straw worthy. This dish would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving table or any other celebration.
Read more…