Irish Coffee

Christmas Cheer

I have always wanted to be one of those people who doesn’t stress out around the holidays. Visions of me sitting in front of the fire wearing velvet and sipping egg nog while I gaze contentedly at the wrapped presents under the tree have taunted me for years. And, alas, this year was no different.

It started out well. By December 13, I pretty much had all of the presents wrapped and ready to go with only a few stragglers. It was an incredible feeling but I wasn’t sure what to do with my time, which is always dangerous. (This is when the dreaded impulse buys occur…the “Just one more little one” syndrome.) Things were going so well that I tempted fate by thinking to myself that this had been the easiest Christmas ever. I should have known better.

First our TV blew up, which is bad enough in itself, but when the kids are home on winter break it’s disastrous. So we braved Best Buy on the Sunday before Christmas. This is not an activity for the faint of heart. I had moments when I thought I had been dropped in the middle of the Hunger Games.

And then, we found out the dog has an infection. Awesome. Not only does the dog feel horrible (which makes the rest us feel horrible for her,) but we have to follow her around with paper towels. Sigh.

So forget it. I accept defeat. I will no longer seek Yuletide perfection, for it is obviously unattainable. Instead I will just sit back and revel in the insanity and drink 5 or 10 of these.

Irish Coffee Read more…

Anise Cakes

Spice is Nice

Have you noticed that you use particular spices at certain times of the year? I have. Some spices are a year round thing—cinnamon, cumin, thyme, and of course, salt. (What would we do without salt!) And others only make a short appearance during the holidays, then quietly go back into spice drawer obscurity.

I come from a very Scandinavian family therefore many of the things we enjoy for the holidays have a very Nordic flavor and nothing says I am a Viking more than the flavor of anise. Full disclosure: I am not a fan. It reminds me too much of black licorice, another Scandinavian obsession. Most people in my family agree. (I guess we should turn in our Longenhurden.) My sister though, loves it.

Growing up, we all had our signature Christmas cookies that my grandmother would make specifically for the lover of said cookie. My cookies were the Swedish Rosettes made by dipping irons into a thin batter, and frying the dough in hot oil. A quick dusting of powdered sugar and they were good to go. So good! (I mean, how can you go wrong with fried food?)

My sister’s signature cookies are Anise Cakes. They were hers because she loved them, and because no one else would eat them. Her cookies were always the last ones left on the table at Christmas Eve, but it wouldn’t have been Christmas without them. And, of course, there were the requisite pronunciation jokes. Were kids after all!

These hard cookies are meant to be dunked into coffee or tea, like biscotti–only a little bit more dense. If you love the flavor of licorice, give these a try with your morning coffee.

Anise Cakes
Makes 6 dozen 2-inch cookies Read more…

Roasted Fresh Ham with Citrus and Rye

Meat The Challenge

As with most families during the holidays, mine likes to split duty for the numerous meals that happen in the 48 hours between midnight December 24 and midnight (or sometimes later) December 25. I am responsible for Christmas Eve Dinner.

I see Christmas Eve Dinner as a yearly challenge to see what off the wall, out of the box, totally different thing I can make for a party of 15. I think it’s fun. My Meat Department doesn’t always see the humor in making them hunt for the obscure at a time when they are so busy they just want to sit in the corner and drool.

All year long I throw little challenges their way just to see if they can pull it off. But I get even more creative during the holidays—just think Willy Wonka, but with meat. (You’re right. Bad visual!)

Last year I ordered a slab of pork belly, complete with the skin, to make a Porchetta. For obvious reasons, this is not something we normally carry. (I am that 1 in 1000 who thinks this would be super cool to make myself.) My guys in the Meat Department ordered it for me and it was awesome. The good news is that I’m not special. My guys will special order for all y’all…even whole pigs. We’ve sold a few of those recently.

Other wacky meals included whole sides of salmon (not much of a challenge), Ducks, Geese (for Christmas Dinner), and a fresh Ham (otherwise known as a Leg of Pork). This year I tried for venison, but it turned out to be a little too difficult and cost prohibitive. We are talking dinner for 15 and I do actually have limits to my mania, though my husband may disagree.

I am giving the guys a break this year, and going with the fresh ham again because it was really good. You have to plan ahead since its needs to cure it for 4 days. But once you have the spice mixture on the ham, you just flip it every day to make sure the flavor gets everywhere. The results are well worth the effort, and it is an impressive presentation for a buffet table. Read more…

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…