Christmas

Entries Tagged as 'christmas'

Candied Orange Peels

12.20.2012

If you live in the Midwest (like myself), you may be bracing yourself for the big Draco Storm (when did they start naming thunderstorm? I get naming hurricanes and tornadoes but T-storms?) that is planned to hit within the next two days. We had our first wave last night with constant rainfall all night long. What does this mean? It’s time to lock myself in the kitchen and get Christmas baking!

This is the first time I’ve ever made sugared peels and I was pleasantly surprised with the process. Yes, it takes awhile but it’s not labor intensive at all and is a super easy project to have on the side while you bake up other Christmas goodies.

I made these to go into a little gift box that I’m making for Wyatt. He loves getting an Old Fashioned cocktail when we go out for fancy dates so I thought it would be fun to make him a little kit for home. I’ve included a nice bottle of bourbon, bitters, some fancy maraschino cherries, and now these homemade orange peel. Even if these peels are too sweet for him to put in his cocktail, I’ll enjoy the extra touch of sugar when he makes mine!

I highly recommend using organic oranges for this. Since you are using the peel any sort of pesticides used to grow the fruit will have seeped onto the peel…better to be safe than sorry!

Candied Orange Peel

4 organic oranges
3 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves

Start by cleaning and scrubbing the oranges very well to scrap off any dirt. Next, cut through the orange in four different sections by slicing into the peel and pith but not going all the way through. Peel the oranges and set the insides aside for a different use (my “different use” was munching on them for an after dinner snack and again for breakfast).

Add the orange peels to a saucepan and fill with water until they are all covered. Bring the water to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat. Strain the water and let the peels cool until they are okay to touch.

Okay, this is the trickiest part! It’s time to remove the pith from the peels (the white part) or the end result will be tart. I used a spoon and scrapped off the pith as much as possible (don’t feel like you have to get the white part COMPLETELY gone but the more you scrape away the sweeter they will be). Cut the orange peels into long, thin strips.

Next, add 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir often until the sugar has dissolved (about five minutes). Add in the orange peels and let simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let the peels cool in the sugar water (I let them cool for about an hour so they could continue to absorb the sugary syrup).

Once cooled, combine 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a shallow dish. Using a fork or slotted spoon, remove the peels (one at a time) and dip in the sugar mixture. Transfer to wax paper and repeat with the rest of the peels. Let them sit out at room temperature overnight to harden.

Enjoy as a snack or dessert or in your next fancy cocktail!

Festive Rum Balls

12.17.2012

…And I’m officially feeling behind on holiday prep. When did Christmas become a week away? Yikes! Is it okay for me to admit that I have not started my Christmas shopping yet? Okay, let’s not talk about it.

Instead. let’s talk about these little balls of chocolate. We had our annual holiday party for work over the weekend and it was…I mean this politely…a shit show. Every year, we have a combined party with the three record labels that work in our building and a manufacturing company that manufactures our vinyl. We had three alcohol companies sponsor the event this year which meant cases of liquor and several kegs. Did I mention all the people who I work with LOVE to drink? Go figure. Well, I decided that these rum balls would go with the ‘alcohol’ theme of the party. And they did. They lasted a whole 15 minutes.. A success? I’d say so.

These rum balls have a texture somewhere between a super moist brownie and cakey fudge. And then there is the ever-so-slightest tint of rum flavor which makes it fancy (adding booze to anything classes it up, right?). I rolled mine in red sprinkles and cocoa powder but feel free to experiment and try any sprinkles you have on hand, coarse sugars, chopped nuts, etc.

Rum Balls

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

3/4 cup butter (1 and a half sticks)
8 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips
3 large eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup spiced rum
red or green sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13 by 9 baking pan. In a double boiler, heat the butter and chocolate over simmering water. Stir constantly until melted and remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, salt and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Next, add in the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Finally, fold in the flour. Transfer dough to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean from the center. Remove from oven and let cool.

Once cooled, break up the cooked batter into chunks and transfer to a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment. Turn mixer on low and slowly add in the rum. Turn the mixer up to medium and continue to beat until the batter comes together and forms a large ball.

Use your hands to roll batter into one inch thick balls and dip in sprinkles or cocoa powder. Repeat with the rest of the batter and transfer balls to a wax paper lined baking sheet. Stick in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Done!

Looking for other Christmas cookie options? Try these Peppermint dipped Brown Butter Shortbread cookies or check out my Winter inspiration board on Pinterest

Peppermint Dipped Brown Butter Shortbread

12.11.2012

We put our tree up the Saturday after Thanksgiving but my Christmas spirit didn’t really kick in until I whipped up these cookies. There is something so calming about waking up on a sunny, snowy day and hiding from the cold in your warm kitchen with the lingering smell of butter cookies. We haven’t had any snow yet here but the weather was certainly chilly enough for me to stay inside and bake this past weekend.

We had a few friends over on Sunday night to watch ‘Christmas Vacation’ and I made these cookies to go with it. Nothing like a Christmas comedy and overloading on sugar to get you ready for the holidays! The movie put me in the spirit and I am now ready to Christmas shop, wrap gifts, and drink peppermint lattes. Hmmm… if only my family would tell me what they want already….

Peppermint Dipped Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies

2 sticks of butter (1 cup), divided & at room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 box of peppermint candy canes, unwrapped and crushed
8 ounces of white chocolate

Start by browning half (one stick) of the butter. Place butter in a small saucepan over low heat and let cook until small brown flakes form. Stir often so the bubbles don’t bubble over the pan or so that it doesn’t burn. Once the butter has browned, immediately pour it into a glass cup and let cool completely.

Beat together the butter (browned and regular) and the brown sugar. Next, add in the flour and salt and continue to beat until a thick ball of dough forms. Wrap dough (with parchment, wax paper, etc) and let chill for at least 30 minutes (this will help keep the dough together).

Once chilled, transfer dough to a floured surface and roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a round glass to cut out circular shapes. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the cookies in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes while the oven preheats (this will help the cookies keep their shape). Cook cookies for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown around edged. Let cool completely.

Crush the peppermint candy canes anyway you see fit. I put mine in a ziploc bag and went to town using a meat tenderizer (also known as the kitchen hammer!) until they were in tiny pieces.

Melt the white chocolate in either your microwave or over a double boiler. I don’t have a microwave so I used the double boiler method which consisted using one saucepan inside the other and letting water simmer under the first pot while I constantly stirred the white chocolate over it until melted (this was a terrible explanation. If it is your first time using a double boiler, use this as a reference). Once melted, dip half the cookie into the chocolate and then roll in the peppermint chunks. Place on wax paper (this prevents sticking) and repeat with the rest of the cookies. Let cookies chill in fridge for 15 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened.

Enjoy with a peppermint latte or some eggnog and baileys!

Cranberry Mojito

11.21.2012

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Do you have the Tofurkey prepped, table set, and diagram of the seating chart made? Then let’s celebrate the calm before the store with a drink, shall we?

I made this cocktail for our Friendsgiving Potluck over the weekend and as I was sipping on it and watching the mint / cranberries swirl around in my glass…I couldn’t help but feel like this would have been even more appropriate for a Christmas gathering. My thought process was fresh cranberries —> cranberry sauce —> Thanksgiving. Boom! Cranberries are served at Thanksgiving and therefore this a great Thanksgiving drink (which, don’t get me wrong, was a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving drink). But the red [cranberries] and green [mint] staring back at me in my glass was filling my head with thoughts of pine trees, sugar cookies, and candy canes.

So let’s agree that this is a great SEASONAL drink and would be smashing at any of your chilly weathered events!

Cranberry Mojito

adapted from We Are Not Martha

White Rum
Ice
Seltzer Water
Lemons
Mint leaves

For the cranberry simple syrup:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh cranberries (+ more for garnish)

To make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water and cranberries. Bring to a boil and turn heat down to low. Let simmer for about ten minutes and remove from heat. Let cool completely and then strain (OR for a more intense flavor move to the fridge for a few hours or overnight before straining).

To make the cocktail: Mix 1 ounce of rum, 1 ounce of cranberry simple syrup, and a splash of lemon juice. Fill the remaining space in your glass with seltzer water and ice. Garnish with mint leaves and cranberries.

Apple Latkes

10.17.2012

Latkes for dinner?! Yes, please! My family is very German and every December we go up to the German market (Christkindlmarket) which takes place in downtown Chicago. The market runs for the whole month of December and people from all over Germany fly in to sell authentic goods which include candies, food, music, and decor items. To me, Christkindlmarket consists of warm mulled cider, loads of German chocolate, and potato pancakes lathered in apple sauce or sour cream (also known as latkes!). And although the chocolate is…well chocolate (need I say more?) and the cider is alcoholic enough to warm you from the inside out…it’s the latkes that get me oh so excited every year. There is nothing better than warm, fried potatoes lathered in apple sauce (this may sound weird to non-Germans but have you tried it? It really is amazing!).

Okay, that is enough day dreaming about winter already (yuck, what was I thinking?!). Not my fault though…I totally got the new ‘Thanksgiving’ edition of the Food Network Magazine in the mail today. Too warm out to be thinking about Mushroom Gravy and Stuffed To-furkeys? I’d say so. But, a craving is a craving so in an attempt to cool down my potato latke need…I made a fall version! Apple latkes! What a perfect idea! I, of course, did not top them with applesauce (wayyy too much apple in there) but did lather them in butter and maple syrup (since anything in pancake form has the right to be enjoyed with maple syrup. period.)

These little pancakes were awesome. They were flavorful, moist, fluffy, and full of fall spices. I would recommend these for a crisp fall breakfast served up with a batch of mimosas (or if it’s too early for you to start drinking then why not some sparkling cider?).

PS I had never been to the Christkindlmarket website until today – woah! I promise there are no giant fairies in wigs or bad typography to be found! Just lots of chocolate, alcohol, and fried foods.

Apple Latkes

1 egg
2/3 cups plain yogurt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg, cloves, and allspice
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup grated apples, about 2 apples (peeled and grated) – spritz a little lemon juice to keep from browning if you peel ahead of time
Vegetable oil

Whisk together the eggs and yogurt. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add in the egg/yogurt mixture and apples. Fold everything together until incorporated.

Oven medium heat, warm enough oil so that there is a thin layer of oil in your skillet. Add about a 1/4 cup of mixture into the hot oil (I cooked 3 at a time but it will depend on how big your skillet it) and make the latkes in batches. Let them cook for about 4 minutes on each side (this will completely depend on how hot your oil is so watch them closely and adjust accordingly). Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Serve warm with lots of butter and maple syrup!

Gingerbread Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

12.12.2011

To celebrate finishing my first exam of finals week, I dedicated my afternoon to baking festive goods and listening to Christmas Elvis albums. And damn, it was perfect. There is something about baking that is just so relaxing and it was a perfect ending to three straight days of studying.

Anyways, If you haven’t been able to tell yet, I seem to have this weird thing for cupcakes/muffins. Something about how they are in miniature form and easy to take on the go gets me everytime. I guess what I am trying to say is that I do realize that 1/3 of my posts are about cupcake and muffins but they always turn out so damn good that I can’t help it!

On another note, I found the original recipe for this muffin in Homemade by Yvette Van Boven which is a ridiculously inspiring cookbook. She does the most amazing photography in this book which makes me want to recreate everything in it (which I hope to, at least admit, to do over Christmas break).

Anyways, this recipe has the perfect balance because the muffin itself isn’t super sweet which is why the tangy cream cheese icing compliments it perfectly. I’d recommend this recipe for some type of breakfast or to go with your afternoon tea. It’s simple, easy if you’re in a hurry in the morning, and goes perfectly with tea or coffee. Plus, these taste straight up like christmas so how could they possibly be bad?

Gingerbread Muffins

4 oz. Butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all spice seasoning
1/4 cup milk

Icing:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup confectioner sugar
1 squirt of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and wet ones in a small. Grease a muffin tin or fill with liners. Fill liners about 2/3 full and stick in the oven. Cook for 15 t0 18 minutes.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the icing! Just mix all the ingredients together and lather over the muffins. Sprinkle cinnamon or allspice on top of each cupcake.

Munch down while dancing to Elvis Christmas tunes. Or over coffee while watching recaps from Kid Rock on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (if you’re feelin’ American). Uh yeah.