Category Archives: CHRISTMAS RECIPES

CANDIED FRUIT AND NUT BRAIDED YEAST BREAD

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I have been enjoying a variation of this bread since I was a child. Every Christmas, our close family friend Charlotte always made a similar bread, and I routinely made a pig of myself. It was just so amazingly delicious.

So, when I started making bread in my early twenties, I found this recipe which was very like Charlottes, but also included a small amount of candied citron and candied cherries. And I liked it even better. (Some days an angel really does land on your shoulder.) Well, as you might have guessed, I have been making this bread ever since.

One of the fun Christmas events when my kids were young was to have an open house. All kinds of goodies were served including this Christmas bread. It was a way to share Christmas with our friends. And to teach the kids the enjoyment that can come from hosting. Other years we would deliver goodies to friends and family. The picture you see below was taken I believe in 1974. Ursala on the left and Paula on the right.

I didn’t bake this bread every year because there are just so many incredible breads out there that make wonderful Christmas treats. Like cinnamon rolls (several recipes on site), Christmas Berliner Stollen, Krendl (Russian Christmas Bread), Dried Cranberry and Almond Braided Danish, Bread Pudding with Spiced Rum Sauce, Baba Au Rhum, and Cream Cheese Danish. To name a few.  

But as with other favorite recipes of mine, I just make them and assume the recipe has already been posted on this site. Silly me. So, I apologize for not getting this braided yeast bread recipe posted sooner. (Like in time for Christmas 2023.) Also, this year, I changed things up a bit. Shape wise that is. I decided to make 5 small loaves instead of three braided breads. Every year I give 4 of our neighbors a small loaf of some type of sweet bread for Christmas. This year, as you can see from the picture above, it was a loaf of this delightful bread. (And yes, the fifth loaf stayed here and was gobbled up very quickly.)

So, if you too are a bread lover, and want to make something special for Christmas (or any other day of the year for that matter), this is a bread I am sure you will enjoy as much as I do. If you aren’t a candied fruit lover, just leave it out. Or change the type of candied fruit. Or add more nuts. Whatever appeals. Just don’t forget the glaze. It is just so wonderful. Not too sweet – just perfect. And if you have never used vanilla paste, get some at your earliest convenience. It is tantamount to heaven in a jar.

Well, it’s still raining here in NW Washington. But at least we aren’t having the same terrible snowstorms that are battering the East Coast and California. But there is a small chance of snow this weekend. And I say – bring it on! I love snow. Especially when there is nothing on our calendar. And for more weeks than I care to count, our weekend is free. And to that I say – HALLELUJAH! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

And as always, peace and love to all.

2 c. whole milk, scalded

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

2/3 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. crushed cardamon seed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

scant 2 T. active dry yeast

¼ c. lukewarm water

2 lg. eggs

8 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ c. chopped walnuts

1 c. diced citron

1 c. chopped candied red and green maraschino cherries, plus more for decoration

veggie oil

½ c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla paste or vanilla extract

milk

Combine the scalded milk, butter, salt, crushed cardamon seeds, and cinnamon in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cool to lukewarm

Add the yeast softened in water. Add eggs. Mix well. Add 4 cups of the flour and beat well. Add the nuts, citron, chopped candied cherries, and enough remaining flour to form a firm dough (dough will be sticky).

Pour a bit of veggie oil in the bowl, and using your hands and a stiff spatula, form the dough into a lightly greased ball. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes. Punch down the dough.

For three braided loaves:

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into thirds. Divide each portion into thirds again. Shape each into a 14-in. rope. Place 3 ropes on parchment paper or a greased baking pan and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise for 40-50 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches at least 195-degrees.

Remove from oven and place on wire racks. Make the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste together with enough milk to make a thin consistency. Using a pastry brush, coat the braids with a thin layer of icing. Decorate with holly leaves and additional red and green candied maraschino cherries.

For 5 small loaves:

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 5 equal sized pieces. Shape into footballs and place in small, lightly greased loaf pans.

Cover and let rise for 40-50 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches at least 195-degrees.

Remove from oven and place on wire racks. (If you have baked the loaves in aluminum foil pans, let the bread cool in the same pans. If not, remove from pans. Make the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste together with enough milk to make a thin consistency. Using a pastry brush, coat the braids with a thin layer of icing. Decorate with holly leaves and additional red and green candied maraschino cherries.

     

DANISH PUFF  

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There are just those times when we as bakers desire to make a special occasion pastry, but don’t want to go to a lot of expense or effort. Well then, if you ever find yourself in that head space, this is the recipe for you.

When my kids were young, I made this pastry quite often at Christmas time. My daughter Paula especially adored this treat. And to this day, I totally love it too. And one of the main reasons is that it is delicious and ever so easy to make. And pretty, too.

And I know, I should have posted this recipe before Christmas, but I too was super busy. Why every year I add more things to my Christmas to-do list is a question best left for a trained counselor to determine. But the fact remains. Every year I think up at least one more goody to prepare for family and friends. So, basically, I’ve never had the time in December for even a quick trip to a trained professional to determine if there is any hope for people like me who suffer with MSS (Martha Stewart Syndrome). And it’s too bad. I seem to have a flaming case of this misunderstood but authentic condition, and I know plenty of others who also “yust go nuts at Christmas”. (Thank you, Stan Boreson.) The rest of the year, I seem to be able to contain my zest for producing prodigious amounts of goodies. So, who needs a counselor then? (For me it’s just a seasonal disorder. And maybe some time in the future, it will disappear just like my ability to drink wine has gone the way of the dinosaurs.) Grrrrrr

So, even though you may think you don’t really need this recipe until next Christmas, don’t forget about Easter morning, or for a Sunday brunch, or for a special Valentine’s Day breakfast for your honey. There are lots of occasions when this pastry would be a welcome addition to your menu.

And you can decorate this pastry any way you want. Valentines Day it would be fun to top the pastry with pink glaze and sprinkles. For Easter, pink glaze, pink coconut, and Cadbury mini eggs. The decorating choices are endless.

So, remember this recipe the next time you need to make something special for your family or friends. Think of this recipe as a gift from Betty Crocker. But who was Betty Crocker?

Well, according to bettycrocker.com “We got our start in 1921 — and thank you, we do look good for our age. Who could have guessed that a simple contest by The Washburn-Crosby Company would give birth to an icon? The contest called on home cooks to solve a jigsaw puzzle for the chance to win a pincushion in the shape of a bag of Gold Medal Flour (cute). Washburn, a flour-milling company and predecessor of General Mills, Inc., was surprised to find themselves suddenly inundated with questions from home cooks who used the competition as an opportunity to ask for expert baking advice.

But who could offer the public the spoonfuls of wisdom American cooks were so hungry for? Enter, Betty Crocker. Now, Betty was not a single person. The name was created as a way to personalize responses to questions, and if you guessed that the name has meaning behind it, you’re right. “Crocker” was chosen in honor of a popular company director, and “Betty” was selected because… well, she sounded friendly. We love a little history moment.

But there was one final element needed to bring Betty to life. The Washburn-Crosby Company invited their female employees to try their hand at a Betty Crocker signature. A distinctive winner was chosen and is still used today. Talk about an icon in iconography!”

My Betty Crocker cookbook (1961 First Edition, Third Printing) given to me in 1964 by my Aunt Ruth along with several baking pans and cookie sheets. I still have all the bake ware, but I’d rather still have my aunt. She lived to be 90, but I still miss her. She was a great woman and a true friend.

As you can see, the book is now in two parts. And if you look closely at the top left recipe on the right page, you will find the recipe for Danish Puff. As you can also see, this cookbook was very well used/loved. (Battered and bruised might be a better description.) And yes, I still consult it periodically. Old habits die hard.

So, to all of you who also learned to cook from reading a Betty Crocker cookbook (or any other cookbook for that matter) from cover to cover several times a year, congratulations. We did it. We read recipes, we made casseroles and soups and cookies, and were inspired to feed our family and friends both nutritious and delicious dishes. And has there ever been a better way to show our love. I think not! Keep up the good work everyone! Happy New Year.

And as always, peace and love to all.

Pastry: 

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

pinch fine sea salt

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

2 T. water

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse a few times until the pieces are the size of coarse crumbs. Mix in the water. 

Or in a medium sized mixing bowl, cut the softened butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions, until pieces are the size of coarse crumbs. Mix in the water. 

Gather the pastry into a ball; divide in half. Pat each half into a 12×3-inch rectangle, about 3-inches apart, on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Topping:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 c. water

1 tsp. almond extract

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

3 eggs

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, heat the butter and water to a rolling boil; remove from heat. Quickly stir in almond extract and the 1 cup flour. (Stir as quickly as possible to prevent lumping.) When smooth, drop in 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition.  When smooth, spread half of the topping over each rectangle.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until topping is crisp and a nice, light brown.

Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before drizzling with glaze and garnishing with sliced almonds and maraschino cherries. 

Vanilla Glaze:

½ c. powdered sugar

¼ tsp. almond extract

1-2 T.  milk

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract, and enough milk to make a thin icing.

Garnishes:

¼ c. lightly toasted sliced almonds

candied maraschino cherries, opt.

BOOZY CHOCOLATE ORANGE BALLS  

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So, after making these chocolate orange balls, I asked Mr. C. to give one a try and see if they were fit to share with others. Once he stopped smiling, he assured me that they were more than alright, and could I please save him at least 5 dozen for his own consumption. I quickly explained that I hadn’t even made that many to begin with, but yes, there would be plenty left for him. (As if he ever had to give a thought to me not saving some of the goodies for him!) (Silly guy!) Anyway, I’m no dummy. I quickly figured out that he REALLY LIKED THESE TASTY TREATS.

So, if you too are thinking about giving something homemade to one of your nearest and dearest for Christmas, this might be the perfect recipe for you.

Now I know, this is not a quick and easy recipe to prepare. But I suppose if push came to shove, you could buy shortbread cookies for the crumbs part of the recipe. Or as I read in some recipes, you could use vanilla wafers. But using vanilla wafers just wouldn’t be the same. Nothing could ever possibly replace a true shortbread cookie for depth of flavor or consistency. Plus, if you make the shortbread yourself, you will have leftover shortbread to go with your eleven o’clock cup of coffee or tea. And how delightful a contemplation is that?

So, since I am also very busy getting ready for Christmas, I will stop writing today and get on with ticking off more items on my “to do” list. (And yes, at my age I must make a list, or important things like wrapping gifts simply wouldn’t get done.)

So, from one harried Mrs. Santa to all the rest of you Santas out there – have fun, stay sane, take frequent short breaks, and think up ways to lift the spirits of others. It starts with each of us. And we all know that a positive attitude is contagious. And if we are having fun, so will those around us. On that happy note – have a holly, jolly Christmas and the best New Year ever!

And as always, peace and love to all.  

3 c. shortbread cookie crumbs (see shortbread recipe below)

1 c. powdered sugar, plus more for rolling

1 c. lightly toasted pecans, finely chopped

7 tsp. good cocoa powder

3 T. corn syrup

½ c. Cointreau or other orange liqueur 

Mix the shortbread crumbs, 1 cup powdered sugar, pecans, and cocoa powder together in a mixing bowl.

Whisk the corn syrup and Cointreau together in a small bowl and add to the dry mix. Mix well. (If the mixture seems a bit wet, you can always stir in a couple more tablespoons of shortbread crumbs to the mix.)

Using a small ice cream scoop, form the mixture into equal sized balls. Place on a small parchment paper lined baking sheet. After the balls have all been scooped, use your hands to compact the mixture into smaller balls. Then roll them in powdered sugar and place back on the parchment paper. Refrigerate for about an hour. Transfer to an airtight container and store in your refrigerator.

Shortbread Recipe:

1½ c. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ c. powdered sugar

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

¾ tsp. salt  

3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

With an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.  With your mixer on low speed, add flour, mixing just until dough forms. Place dough on a long piece of plastic wrap. Using your hands, wrap the dough into the plastic wrap gently shaping it into a compact round log about 1½ inches wide.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Un-wrap log and using a sharp knife, slice dough at least 3/8-inch thick. (If dough feels really hard, leave at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes).

Arrange slices, about 1-inch apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Prick each cookie about 3 times with a fork.

Bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. (Do not under-bake.) Cool on baking sheets for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Place a few cookies in your food processor. Whirl until you have cookie crumbs and repeat until you have 3 cups of crumbs. Use the crumbs as directed above.

Store the remaining cookies in an airtight container. (This is a good thing. To have extra cookies that is. Because there is no better cookie than a simple shortbread cookie. And you’ve now built 2 treats for the work of one!)  

  

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

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Staying on the theme of Christmas and my favorite recipes, I again offer you my recipe for Swedish Meatballs. Which BTW, was one of my kids’ favorite dishes. (Probably still is!) They would gobble the meatballs up every time I made them. And for me, they were easy to build. Especially if I’d made the meatballs ahead and either refrigerated them overnight or hid them in the freezer.

So, even on a work night, I could throw this dish in the oven and dinner would be ready in about an hour. That left me time to start a load of laundry, make a salad or steam a green veggie, and slowly unwind from my workday. And I often needed that little bit of time to transition from managing people at work, to managing kids at home. (Not that different BTW!) It also left me time to talk with the kids about their day, even though we would be sitting down to dinner together and every subject imaginable would be fodder for our conversations. With 4 kids there were always stories to be told. Sometimes even more information was provided than I wanted or felt I needed to know. But the discussions were always lively. And I learned a lot about what the kids were experiencing just by these easy and relaxed exchanges. But I bet you are wondering why Swedish Meatballs would be considered a Christmas dish.

Every Christmas Eve my sister-in-law Evelyn and brother-in-law Dan and their kids feast on homemade lefsa and Swedish Meatballs. They spend the day making the lefsa and the meatballs and it is a tradition cherished by one and all. So, I too think of Swedish Meatballs as a part of what makes Christmas special.

So, if you too are still making Christmas traditions, I offer this recipe for your consideration. But don’t stop at Christmas time to serve this dish to family and friends. Meatballs are good any old time of year.

Well, enough posting for today. There are presents still to be ordered. And Christmas goodies to be baked.

But before I leave you today, just a hint about making cookies. Especially if you are crazy like me and insist that there be several different types of cookies for family and friends to enjoy. Make all the dough one day and bake it off the next. Most cookies profit from time spent in the fridge anyway. And make refrigerator cookies whenever possible. Much easier slicing the dough rather than shaping it. And making all the dough in one day only makes sense.

I place all the ingredients I will be using that day on a kitchen counter or sometimes on my kitchen table. Then any recipe calling for room temperature butter, vanilla, all-purpose flour, etc. etc., is right at hand. No putting ingredients away just to have to get them out again for the next recipe.  Plus, you only make a mess one time. And measuring cups and spoons if used for dry ingredients can be used repeatedly thus saving time for cleanup. And yes, it took me years to figure this out. But there is no looking back now. This system just plain makes cookie baking easier and faster.

OK Patti, enough pontificating. Let these fine folks get back to their real lives. And the real reason they are reading this post in the first place!

As always, may you find peace and love in your life. And Merry Christmas.

⅓ c. dehydrated chopped onion

½ tsp. granulated garlic

2 T. parsley (dried or fresh)

½ tsp. ground savory

¼ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. dried thyme leaves

¼ tsp. dried rosemary

pinch nutmeg

½ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs

2 T. milk

¾ c. uncooked oats

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. pork sausage

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 tsp. beef base

2 c. sour cream

Combine the onion, garlic, parsley, savory, paprika, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, salt, pepper, eggs, and milk in a bowl. Add the oats, ground beef, and pork sausage. Form into balls with a small ice cream scoop. Place on a low sided baking pan and bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Meanwhile whisk the cream of mushroom soup, beef base, and sour cream together. When meatballs are out of the oven, layer them with the sour cream mixture in a covered casserole.

Cover dish and bake at 350-degree for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking an additional 15 minutes.

Great served with thick al dente egg noodles.

MINCEMEAT  

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Since it is December, and along with December comes Christmas. And with Christmas, at least at our house, comes fruit cake and often mincemeat pies, tarts, galettes, or bars. So, of course this year again, homemade mincemeat is happily mellowing in my refrigerator. What recipe I decide to use containing this amazing mixture is still to be determined. But I do know that whatever I make will be topped with a hard sauce. And not just any hard sauce. A bourbon hard sauce. (I’m still working on the recipe.)

And since it happens to be Christmas time and I am in the process of re-posting some of my favorite recipes, I decided to post some of the dishes I most associate with the holiday. And mincemeat has been a part of my Christmas for as long as I can remember. So, for me, it isn’t really Christmas unless mincemeat is featured in one of the holiday desserts.  

Now, some would argue that mincemeat without meat (beef in most cases) or even suet in the mix is not the real thing. Don’t care! And I only mention beef because that was the most common meat used in the making of mincemeat in the 19th century. But before chunks of beef, it might have been tongue, tripe, venison, lamb, or veal in with all the fruit and spices. None of which are ever going to be included as an ingredient in any mincemeat I make. I frankly see no reason to mess up perfectly good, dried fruit, apples, brown sugar, spices, and booze by adding meat of any variety. And suet – no way! I use butter! Because butter simply makes everything better!  

Also, most mincemeat recipes call for brandy, rum, or whiskey. But not mine. I leave those liquors for someone else to use.  Instead of brandy, rum, or whiskey, I use both bourbon and cognac. Why? Because I use bourbon a lot in cooking. Can’t stand to drink the stuff, but to cook with it for either sweet or savory dishes, bourbon is perfect. It’s the sweetness of bourbon, with hints of both caramel and vanilla, that I believe works so well in this recipe. And many other recipes for that matter. And as far as that little bit of Cognac I throw in at the last moment, well, when does Cognac not add an extra little bit of joy to any dish? Especially because of the flavor sensations that are unique to Cognac – sweet, spicy, fruity, and slightly bitter. So, there you have it. A recipe for homemade mincemeat that is easy to make and absolutely delicious.

But as with other Christmas treats like Holiday Fruitcake, Caribbean Black Fruitcake, and Christmas Berliner Stollen (all on this site BTW), it is best to let mincemeat contemplate the meaning of life for a few weeks, or months, in your refrigerator before using it in one of your favorite Christmas treats. Some things just get better with age. Like fine wine, many great cheeses, and men and women who cook. Cooking helps keep older minds remain active and bodies stay limber by making multiple trips into pantries trying to remember why they went there in the first place! Or second place, etc. etc.

So, from one old cook to all of you – Peace and Love. And happy Christmas preparations.  

1½ c. dark raisins

1½ c. golden raisins    

1½ c. dried currants

2/3 c. bourbon

2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced

8-oz. candied orange peel

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

¾ c. brown sugar

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground mace

¼ tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange

¼ c. cognac

Place the dark raisins, golden raisins, and dried currants in a small saucepan. Add the 2/3 cup bourbon, bring just to a boil, stir to coat all the fruit, remove from heat, and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine the apples, candied orange peel, melted butter, brown sugar, spices, and the zest and juice of the lemon and orange in a large ovenproof dish. When the raisins and currents are cool, stir into the apple mixture. If there is any liquid left, throw it in too. Cover the dish and place in your refrigerator overnight.  

The following day, place the ovenproof dish in a cold oven, bring the temperature to 200 degrees, and bake for three hours, stirring every hour or so. Remove from oven, let cool completely, and stir in the cognac. The mincemeat will look quite runny. But don’t be concerned. After it has rested in the refrigerator for a few days it will be perfect.

Store covered in your refrigerator until ready to use. (Best if left to mellow at least 4 weeks, but if you are like me, the mince only gets to age for about a week. It’s still good, so no worries.)

This recipe makes enough mincemeat for 2 10-inch tarts, 2 8-inch pies, or 3 10-inch galettes.

 

HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE (revisited)

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Notice the 1-gallon container for macerating the dried fruit, candied fruit, and pecans. It’s actually a jar I saved about 40 years ago that originally contained dill pickles. Never throw a one-gallon jar away. They store cookies and other assorted items that you want to keep airtight or keep something like spare silverware clean.

The finished product.

Well, in keeping with my decision to post my list of personal favorite edibles (by category) and re-publish some of my favorite recipes, I offer my previously posted recipe for Holiday Fruitcake. I also have a wonderful recipe for Caribbean Black Fruitcake on site, but this year I decided to make this fruitcake for gifts and to set aside for the year to come. (I love to bring out a fruitcake on a trailer trip, for example, because for us and our friends, fruitcake is a favorite treat.)

I hadn’t decided to start with fruitcake with my re-posting project because I am well aware that there are those among us who think fruitcake is a dreary dry brick-like- cake containing icky tasting candied fruit and burnt raisins. (That would be me from my grandmother’s fruitcake.) And, that there are people who still believe that anyone who actually likes fruitcake has a mental deficiency. I get that, because I too felt that way until about three decades ago when someone gave us a fabulous fruitcake they had purchased at great expense. And OMG, it was the best thing I had ever tasted.

Well, you know me! I immediately went to work developing a fruitcake recipe that would result in a fruitcake that was as good or maybe even better than the one we had been gifted. And I came up with this recipe.

But the real reason I am posting this recipe today, is because yesterday I fulfilled the first requirement in preparing this recipe. I filled a one-gallon glass container (as witnessed by picture above) with dried fruit, candied fruit, pecans, and 3 cups of spiced rum. This delightful assembly of ingredients would then spend the next few days being periodically turned upside down so every single tasty morel could become good friends with Captain Morgan. (See picture of Captain Morgan above.)

After I finished this hour and a half of cutting and chopping fruit and nuts, I went back to my computer and decided to see what was happening on Facebook.

OK, I’m not a woo-woo kind of gal. But right there on “Your Memories on Facebook” was my post from December 1, 2009, containing only the following words on my post: “One gallon of fruit and nuts soaking in 3 cups of spiced rum on my counter. I wonder what it will be when it grows up? Fruitcake perhaps?”

Now if that’s not a less than subtle hint from the beyond to post this recipe today, I don’t know what else it could be. Coincidence? I think not!

But in all reality, this is the perfect time to remind people that a) fruitcake can be amazingly delicious, b) fruitcake makes a perfect Christmas gift (but only to those we truly love), and c) if you are going to make fruitcake, now is the time. Because fruitcake only gets better the longer it is allowed to “ripen”. In fact, I should have started this process about 2 months ago. But I have yet to even think about making fruitcake before the first of December. I do, after all, have a life outside the kitchen!

But starting this year, I’m adding one more step to my original recipe. After the baked fruitcakes have cooled, and before I package them, I am going to poke holes in the top with a toothpick, and slowly slather (using a pastry brush) on more of the Captain’s finest. Not too much rum to make a soggy mess. But I believe this will give the fruitcake even more flavor (ya think?) and help its taste and texture to better resemble a fruitcake that has been allowed to age longer. That’s the plan at least.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope you too have plans for the holidays that include some homemade gifts. Our dear friend Vicki has the whole Christmas giving thing down pat. She always includes homemade jams, curds, stollen, and various and sundry other edibles that make her packages a real treat to receive.

And for me, giving is the real secret to enjoying Christmas. It’s not about receiving. It’s about the joy you can bring someone else by thoughtful and from-the-heart gifts. So, please don’t feel you must provide expensive gifts to your loved ones. Or that homemade gifts would be less appreciated than something purchased. In my humble opinion, homemade gifts best exemplify the spirit of Christmas.

So, happy yummy fruitcake to everyone and to all – peace and love.

1 lb. chopped dried fruit combination (peaches, pears, apricots, apples, golden raisins, currents, etc.)

½ lb. dried Bing cherries

1 lb. chopped dates

1 lb. candied/glazed pineapple, coarsely chopped

1 lb. or more red and/or green candied/glazed cherries, coarsely chopped

3 c. spiced rum, plus more for soaking

1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

2 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1½ tsp. ground allspice

1½ tsp. ground nutmeg

5 lg. eggs

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 lb. coarsely chopped pecans (about 4 cups)

Combine dried fruit, dried Bing cherries, chopped dates, candied pineapple, candied cherries, and rum in a covered glass container for 3 to 7 days. 7 days is best.

Cream butter, sugar, and spices until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time.

In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Stir into butter mixture just until combined.    Stir in the macerated fruit and nuts, including any remaining liquid. 

Place a large shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven to prevent the cakes from baking too dry. Pre-heat the oven to 275-degrees.

Line 3 (9×5-inch) loaf pans or 1 (9×5-inch) and 5 (7×4-inch) loaf pans with parchment paper and lightly grease paper. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven for 2-2½ hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool on racks for one hour. Remove cakes from pans, and carefully peel off the parchment paper.

When completely cool, place on a rimmed baking sheet, poke lots of tiny holes in the top of each, and slowly slather with more spiced rum. Allow to sit for several hours while the cake absorbs the booze before tightly wrapping in plastic wrap and foil. Store for at least 1 month before serving. (Good luck with that!) (Haven’t had it happen yet!)

 

BRIOCHE DINNER ROLLS

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In my opinion, there is just nothing better than homemade bread. And I don’t care whether the bread comes in the form of loaves or rolls. I’m easy in that regard. So, when I was planning the menu for our last JazzVox home concert meal, I decided to make 2 kinds of bread. Why? Because bread is easy and inexpensive to make, and people love it. So, in combination with Light Rye Bread (recipe on site already), our guests gobbled up all but 1 of these rolls and a few slices of rye bread. Thank goodness there was at least a bit of bread left for us. Because dang, there is no such thing as left over bread at this household.

What wasn’t left was any of the double batch of Kräuterbutter (German Herb Butter) I had made to slather on the rye bread. Well, that didn’t go as planned. People frosted both kinds of bread with this amazing, flavored butter. (Find the recipe for Kräuterbutter below.) And frankly, given the opportunity I would have done the same thing.

Anyway, the main thing you should know about these rolls is that they are really quick and easy to build, and absolutely delicious. And you don’t even need bread flour for this recipe. Just plain old all-purpose flour. And as you can see from the picture, they are beautiful to boot.

And remember, Thanksgiving will be fast upon us. And these rolls would be perfect on your table. And because I am the kind of person I am, I’ve included directions so that you can make the dough and form the rolls one day and bake them off the next day. So, no excuses about dinner rolls being too hard to make, too time-consuming, or being too last minute. Nonsense! There is nothing easier than this recipe to build delicious dinner rolls to serve your family and friends. And boy will you be the hero of the day!

Well, it’s sunny outside. A bit of scattered cloud cover here and there. But although the sun is shining, it’s cold. So, I’ve built some soup that is happily burbling away on the stove. Along with a couple slices of leftover rye bread, we will be dining in style at the dinner table tonight.

May you too find happiness at your dinner table sharing the wonderful world of fine cuisine with your family and friends. For me, there just isn’t anything more rewarding than seeing someone smile when they bite into something I have served them. As you may gather from this comment, I live for those smiles.

As always, peace and love to all.

¾ c. whole milk, slightly warm   

2 tsp. instant dry yeast

¼ c. granulated sugar    

1 tsp. kosher salt

4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

4 lg eggs, divided

½ c. unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into chunks

veggie oil

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the warm milk, yeast, and sugar together. Let sit for about 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy. Add salt, flour, and 3 eggs to the bowl. Using your dough hook, mix the dough until all the flour is absorbed. Then add the butter cubes. Knead the dough until it is smooth, elastic, and only a smidge sticks to the bottom of the bowl. If needed, add a bit more flour.  

Pour a small amount of oil into the bowl, and using your hands and a stiff spatula, shape the dough into a round, lightly greased ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 75-90 minutes or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, make an egg wash by whisking the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon of water.

Shape the dough into 15 rolls and place in a lightly greased 9×13-inch pan. Let rise again for about an hour, then brush with egg wash. (For building the rolls on day 1 and baking them off on day 2, see directions below.)

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 23-25 minutes. The internal temperature should reach at least 190-degrees.

Remove from oven and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

For making the dough ahead and baking it the next day, once the rolls are formed, cover and refrigerate them overnight. They will rise while in the fridge and be ready to bake in the morning. Make sure to let them sit out for about 20 minutes to come to room temperature before brushing with the egg wash and baking them in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 23-25 minutes. The internal temperature should reach at least 190-degrees when they are done.

Remove from oven and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

KRÄUTERBUTTER (GERMAN HERB BUTTER)

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 T. finely chopped fresh chives

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh basil

¼ tsp. dried dill weed

¼ tsp. dried marjoram

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. finely chopped fresh or scant 1/8 tsp. dried rosemary

freshly ground black pepper

Mush all the ingredients together with a table fork and refrigerate covered until ready to serve at room temperature. (Best made the day ahead so the flavors have time to get to know each other.) This butter is a great spread for rye bread. (Or any other kind of bread for that matter!)

     

LIGHT AND FLUFFY CINNAMON ROLLS WITH RUM RAISIN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING  

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This recipe produced the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted. And when the title says light and fluffy, it means light and fluffy. A lot like the fabulous cinnamon rolls you can buy at Cinnabon at super exorbitant prices. And Cinnabon cinnamon rolls don’t come with rum raisin frosting either. They certainly should, but alas they do not!

The recipe for the bread dough I found on thewoksoflife.com site. (Great site BTW.) I changed the preparation instructions quite a bit, but then I’ve baked a lot of bread products in my time, so I do know a thing or two about dough containing yeast. However, the filling and the yummy frosting are all on me. You’re welcome.

Anyway, for us, Christmas morning would not be the same without cinnamon rolls. But this Christmas we were both ill, so I made these rolls for a New Year’s day breakfast treat. But I can tell you right now, I am not going to wait until next Christmas to serve these little darlings again. I’ve decided life is just too short to not eat cinnamon rolls more often. (And the older I get the shorter life becomes.) (Funny how that works.)

Well, that’s it for today. I have been having nothing but trouble with my site. And not because the site is the problem. It is the user who is so technically challenged that I’m sure it took every ounce of strength from the nice person who was assisting me with my system problems to keep from asking me if I still used a rotary phone? Or did my TV still have those little antenna things attached? Because seriously, that’s about when I stopped understanding anything mechanical. I am so ill equipped for today’s technical world, that I’m reasonably certain the engine in our Prius is smarter than I am. But my innate lack of mechanical aptitude doesn’t seem to stop me from plunging ahead. It just means that I will always need assistance from an expert for simple fixes that a normal person could handle instinctively. Oh well, I have other qualities. (I keep telling myself this so I won’t stop daring myself to take on new challenges and adventures.) You know, we are all different. And that’s what makes life so much fun.

So, keep on trying new things. And like I used to tell my kids, so what if you fail or find that whatever you tried didn’t really appeal. You had a new experience. And bottom line, we only live once. So, keep going for it.

And of course, peace and love to all.

And sorry for no picture. I planned to take one after the rolls were frosted, but somehow, that just never happened. But next time I make these lovely rolls, I’ll edit this post and add a picture. (If I remember to do so, that is!)

For the rolls:

2/3 c. heavy cream

1 c. whole milk

1 lg. egg

⅓ c. granulated sugar

½ c. cake flour, fluffed 

3½ c. bread flour, fluffed, plus more as needed 

1 T. active dry yeast

1½ tsp. kosher salt

veggie oil

¼ c. (½ stick) soft butter

¾ c. brown sugar, packed 

4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mix the heavy cream, milk, and egg in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add the granulated sugar, cake flour, bread flour, active dry yeast, and salt. (There is no need to activate the yeast beforehand.)

Turn on the mixer to the lowest setting, and let it go for 10-15 minutes. If you’re in a humid climate and the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together. (I needed 4 additional tablespoons of flour.) The dough should be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, but not the sides.  

Pour a bit of oil in the bowl, and using a stiff rubber spatula and your hands, roll the dough into a well-greased ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. (Mine took 2 hours.)

In the meantime, butter a 10×16-inch baking dish or 2 9-inch square or round pans on all sides.  

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down several times to get rid of any air bubbles.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 12×24 inch rectangle. Using a small offset spatula or butter knife, spread the butter all over the dough. Next sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up tightly, beginning at one of the wide ends and cut it into 12 equal rounds.  

Arrange the rolls in the buttered baking pan(s). Cover and allow them to rise again for about 30-40 minutes.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the buns on the sides are a very light golden brown. Do not overbake. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting. Serve warm!

Hint: I usually prepare these cinnamon rolls for the next morning, so I don’t frost them until after they have been gently heated in my microwave. Then I let everyone slather on as much frosting as they want.

RUM RAISIN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 T. dark rum

½ c. golden raisins

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
4 oz. (½ pkg.) cream cheese, room temp.
2-3 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla paste or extract
2½ c. powdered sugar, or more as needed

Bring the rum and raisins to a low simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, milk, and vanilla. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. Add the raisins and any remaining liquid. Add additional powdered sugar or milk as needed.   

GLAZED EGGNOG FLAVORED BISCOTTI    

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Since eggnog is a favorite of my husbands, and for him Christmas just isn’t the same without a bottle of the stuff in our refrigerator starting around Thanksgiving, I thought an eggnog flavored biscotti might just be a perfect treat for him. So, I went online to find a recipe. What I found were recipes that contained eggnog as an ingredient. And I thought to myself, what a waste of good eggnog when all the flavors of eggnog can so easily be duplicated by ingredients I always have on hand. Plus, then if he wanted eggnog biscotti in July for example, I wouldn’t have to build some homemade eggnog just for this recipe. I could basically make these delightful biscotti any old time I chose. (Or Mr. C. ever so nicely requested.)

So, the recipe below is what I came up with. And if I do say so myself, the biscotti were (they’re all gone now) delicious. And quite different from all the other biscotti I make. And yes, we love biscotti, so you will find several recipes on this site. They are all fabulous, and very easy to make.

Well, that’s all for today. Mr. C. has a rehearsal this evening, so dinner needs to be on the table by 5:30, which is much earlier than when he doesn’t have a rehearsal or gig. Usually, we get around to eating dinner around 7:00 pm. Then it’s reading time for me and reading and/or practicing the piano for Andy. In other words, very sedentary after dinner pursuits, which are not only consistent with our ages but also our inclinations. And doesn’t that make us lucky people.

May you also be able to follow your inclinations and enjoy some quality down time each and every day.

And as always, peace and love to all.  

For the biscotti:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

1 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

½ c. whole milk

1 tsp. dark rum

1 tsp. cognac

1 tsp. vanilla paste or extract

3½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. kosher salt

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine butter, sugar, and eggs until well blended. Mix in milk, rum, cognac, and vanilla bean paste.   

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together. Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended.

Roughly divide dough in half. Using buttered hands, shape each dough half into a long roll, approximately 14″ long. Carefully place rolls on prepared baking sheet, about 3-inches apart. With your fingers, lightly flatten each roll so that they are approximately ¾-inch thick.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack for about 15 minutes. Carefully move the logs to a cutting board and cut diagonal slices (approximately ¾-inch thick).

Place slices, cut side down, back on original baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn slices over and return to oven to bake for another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch and lightly browned. Remove from oven and transfer to wire racks to cool completely before glazing.

For the glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. rum

tiny pinch cinnamon

tiny pinch nutmeg  

2–3 T. whole milk

In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, rum, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons milk together. If needed, add more milk to achieve desired consistency.  

Place completely cooled biscotti pieces, top side up, about a half inch apart on your large baking sheet. Drizzle the glaze over the biscotti. (You may not use it all. That’s OK.) Allow glaze to harden before storing biscotti in an airtight container.  

     

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

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The tea cakes on the left have yet to receive their sprinkle of powdered sugar.

My daughter Paula called me before Christmas because a fellow worker wanted my recipe for Russian Tea Cakes. Paula was at work so didn’t have her recipe at hand, so she went to her momma’s site but couldn’t find the recipe. And no wonder! My favorite cookie recipe and the one that always appears at the top of my list for “goodies that simply must be made at Christmas” had never been published. What! Wait! How could this be right? But sure enough, this fabulous recipe had never left my fingertips and as if by magic, landed on this site. The only reason I can think of to justify this omission, is that I practically have this recipe memorized. (Or I used to have it memorized when I still had my full set of faculties. Now I have to read, re-read, and then check off ingredients as I place them in the mixer. (Getting older can be a bit trying at times. Hopefully none of you can relate. But if you can, I sympathize.)

Anyway, here is my recipe for Russian Tea Cakes. (And I know. Most of you already have a great recipe for these fabulous and easy to make cookies. But for those who don’t, I felt compelled to share the recipe with you.)

Well, that’s it for today. I’m totally burned out from making reservations for our upcoming trailer trips, so I think I’ll keep this short and treat myself to an afternoon helping the protagonist in the book I’m reading figure out who done it. (I’m very good at being an armchair detective.)

Have a great new year. Stay healthy. Stay positive, and don’t forget to laugh. Laughter is so good for us, and although laughter can be contagious, it’s not infectious. And isn’t that refreshing!    

Peace and love to all.

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ c. powdered sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 tsp. vanilla

2¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

¼ tsp. salt

¾ c. finely chopped walnuts

Cream the butter, ½ cup of powdered sugar, and vanilla together. Add the flour, salt, and finely chopped walnuts.

Use a small ice cream scoop or roll the dough by hand into 1-inch balls. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for about 10-12 minutes. Cookies should be a very light golden brown when they are done. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

When cool, sprinkle* with powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container.

*The best (and least messy) way to coat the top of the cookies with powdered sugar is to place the cooled cookies back on your baking pan, then scoop a bit of powdered sugar into a small, fine sieve (strainer) and shake over the cookies. (You don’t have to coat the bottom of the cookies.) Let sit for about 30 minutes before storing.