Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

...sounds so inviting. However Jack Frost is not likely to be nipping at my nose this Christmas. Twill be a green Christmas around these parts. Which is really bumming out the kids. The adults, not so much. Kids don't have to worry about long commutes or rising heat costs. Where was I? Chestnuts roasting...right.

It might be my own reaction to a green Christmas, my recent obsession with roasting chestnuts. I bought a huge bag of chestnuts a couple of weeks ago and decided I was going to make chestnut soup. I found a recipe in The Essential New York Times Cookbook that sounded quick and easy, so I filed away 'make chestnut soup' on my to-do list for Christmas Eve day. As it turns out, I got to make chestnut soup the day before Christmas Eve. We all decided to take Friday off - from work, from school - from the hustle and bustle of the mall and the grocery store. And we all did whatever we wanted Friday. Wore our pajamas until 2:00 in the afternoon. Read every word of the newspaper. Made a huge mess of the kitchen making chestnut soup.

Caramel Corn

Our house smelled like a carnival on a Saturday night. Not the dodgy area of a carnival where the gas generators are belching out smoke to keep the Tilt-A-Whirl going and you find row upon row of Port-A-Pottys. And certainly not the part where you can hitch a ride on a pony or pet a goat. Our house smelled like the concession area of a carnival where you can enjoy fresh-squeezed lemonade, bright pink candy floss and sweet, sticky caramel corn.

Sunday Dinner - Breakfast Edition

I have quite a collection of holiday food magazines and cookbooks. Whenever I leaf through them I always marvel at the breakfast menus that are trotted out for Christmas morning. At our house, we eat breakfast every day but never a huge feast. Just enough fuel to get us up and out the door and keep us satisfied until lunch. So I like the concept of Christmas breakfast but don't think I have the appetite to pull it off. That includes getting up early enough to prepare the darn thing.

Then I had a brain wave. Why not make breakfast for this week's Sunday dinner? It's a week before Christmas, the kids are off school for two weeks - there are no rules right now! So that's what we did. Gingerbread waffles, diner style potatoes and turkey sausages:


Everyone loved the gingerbread waffles, which I found at Tasty Kitchen. These smelled amazing when they were cooking (waffling?) and really, it's like demanding your children eat cake for dinner. Who's going to refuse? The potatoes are another Cook's Illustrated find from America's Test Kitchen TV Show Book 2010-11. They were wonderful. I've tried dicing / frying potatoes for breakfast before and they never seem to turn out. With these babies you dice the potatoes then cover them with water, add some salt to the pot, and just as they start to boil you take them off the heat and strain them. Then you put them in a hot skillet with both butter and oil. Delish.

So that's our last Sunday dinner before Christmas 2010. So no blog posts about holiday heroics in the kitchen, or at least none relating to 'official' Christmas dinner. Although I am on tap for dessert. I already made a Sticky Date Pudding for our dinner with D.'s family but I plan on making one more thing...for a Christmas food craving I have yet to satisfy.

Gingerbread Waffles

• ⅔ cups Brown Sugar
• 2 whole Large Eggs, Yolks And Whites Separated
• 1-½ cup Buttermilk (or Regular Milk Plus 1 1/2 Tablespoons Vinegar)
• ½ cups Molasses
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 cups Flour
• 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
• 1-½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cloves
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cardamom (optional, But Recommended)

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and egg yolks until smooth and creamy. Stir in buttermilk, molasses, and butter.

Into a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom.

In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks have formed.

Add liquid mixture into sifted dry ingredients and stir together. Fold in egg whites.

Cook according to waffle iron instructions.

Fudge

'Fudge' is one of those great food words that seems to perfectly describe itself. When I say the word 'fudge' I immediately think thick, rich, sugary goodness. I've not made a lot of fudge over the years; I don't tend to do a lot of candy type baking/cooking, but when plotting out our must- make holiday treats last week D. suggested we try to make fudge. He was specifically thinking of his grandfather's fudge, which used to be sent to us every Christmas, homemade from Hugh's kitchen in Kenora.

I got the recipe for Hugh's Fudge from my MIL, who had it written down as dictated over the phone years ago. It comes with a few warnings (use a heavy pan, don't stop stirring, keep it at a high heat, it burns quickly) so we were prepared to have to work for our fudge.

First our equipment. We used the heaviest pot we have, which is actually my roasting pan. I wanted to use it for a couple of reasons. It's a Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick roasting pan and when it says 'nonstick' it means it. I swear we've roasted turkeys in the thing and clean up could have been accomplished with a paper towel. Whatever the nonstick surface is made of (which is likely shortening my life span) it means business. So I figured if we did end up with a sticky mess we would at least be able to to clean the pot without too much trouble. Also it is heavy, so I hoped the heat would distribute more evenly then in one of my regular saucepans. Happily my new oven has multiple burner sizes; in fact it has a front burner option that is way larger than the one on my old oven, big enough to accomodate most of the roasting pan.

Here is how things looked once we had combined all of our ingredients and turned up the heat, stirring, stirring, stirring:


And here it is after we had poured it into a dish to set. After about 2-3 minutes I started to cut it, another recipe directive: it's easier to cut when it is slightly soft:


I will admit to having tasted the fudge during several stages of its development. At this stage, it tasted exactly like a Kraft Caramel. Chewier than the fudge D. remembered. As the fudge cooled and set the texture became more granular, and therefore familiar, to D.'s tastebuds. Here is the final product:


We are definitely going to have to gift some of this fudge. It is seriously delicious and I could eat every single square myself, if challenged to do so. Go ahead - dare me.

Hugh's Fudge

1 can Eagle Brand Milk
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
5 tbsp corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Heat on stove at a high temperature 20 minutes, stirring constantly (we started at about an 8, reduced to a 6 and ended up at a 4). Take off the heat and add 1/2 tsp vanilla, continuing to stire 2-3 minutes. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan (we used a Pyrex dish). Let cool; cut fudge before it gets too hard (3-4 minutes after you pour it into the pan).

Christmas Snacks

I can't believe that by this time next week Christmas will be, for all intents and purposes, over. So we really only have another seven days to soak it all in, including noshing on once a year snacks like Nuts and Bolts.

Our version of Christmas Nuts and Bolts omits the nuts. A casualty of the nut-free environment my kids now occupy at school. As such our Nuts and Bolts might more aptly be called cereal mix, since it relies heavily on cereals - Shreddies, Chex and Cheerios. I tend to call it snack mix. Here is how you make it:

Christmas Snack Mix

4 cups shreddies
4 cups chex
3 cups cheerios
1 cup pretzels (I like to use Alphabet Pretzels)
6 tbsp butter
2 tbsp wooster sauce
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
3/4 tsp garlic powder

Combine the cereals and pretzels in a large microwave safe bowl. In another smaller microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add wooster and seasonings, stir to combine. Drizzle over the cereal/pretzel mix, stirring well to coat. Heat in microwave for 6 minutes, stopping every 2 minutes to stir. Spread mixture on paper towels to cool, store in airtight container(s).

This year I jazzed up one batch of our Christmas Snack Mix by adding some peppermint M&Ms, which add some nice colour and are a great sweet complement to all the salty goodness that is snack mix.


I give out a lot of snack mix this time of year. People seem to love receiving it and it's a real no-brainer to make. Our next batch of snack mix will be extra special because I'm pulling out all of the stops and adding...Bugles! Remember Bugles? I once loved Bugles. I haven't seen them in stores for years. A friend at work mentioned them this week and I couldn't stop thinking about them...then he offered me two whole bags of my own, acquired during a trip to the States. Which I left in my office Friday, or I would have included them in this batch of snack mix. Which makes for a great excuse to make more next week.

Christmas Cookie Fail

Really Martha? Really?

Shira's Cranberry Thumbprints sounded promising. I even got over the fact that my CT might not look the same as those pictured with the recipe before I started baking. Been there, done that. What I wasn't prepared for was an inedible cookie. Which is what I produced.

I'm willing to accept some responsibility for these cookies not turning out. I suspect I might have overmixed the dough since it resembled sand, which didn't work out so hot when I started trying to shape the cookies. Apart from that, I'm not sure what went wrong. Here is what I ended up with:


I did try one before ditching them. They're all squished together because I was about to sweep them off into the garbage then decided I should record my failures along with my successes. They tasted like sand. Or what I imagine sand might taste like, having never tasted sand before. Which shouldn't have surprised me given that's what they looked like earlier. Not destined to become a holiday classic at our house.

I had to recover quickly from this little setback, having made a promise of holiday goodies to deserving co-workers. So I went back in the archives for something festive yet simple. These should do the trick:


I first made these Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies in 2004. They are meant to be drizzled with white chocolate, which would make them extra festive, but I had to work with what was in my pantry so they will be served unadorned. They still taste good - three kinds of chocolate chips, chopped fresh (okay, frozen) cranberries, oatmeal...cinnamon. I have a whole whack of yummy homemade Christmas fruitcake to serve alongside.

Now I'm trying to figure out what to make D. for this birthday dinner. Decisions, decisions...

Martha, Martha, Martha...

Yes, I do remember the Brady Bunch. But I'm not upset with Marsha, rather it's a certain Martha who has me a bit wound up. See, I decided to get radical and try new Christmas cookie recipes this year. I attempted my first newbie this weekend: Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps. Now, I have no quibble with how these turned out taste wise. The espresso powder definitely adds a little something to the overall taste of the cookie, which is chewy, chocolatey deliciousness. No, my quibble is with the presentation. My cookies looked nothing like Martha's beauts. Go ahead. Click on the recipe link above and see how pretty her cookies look. Now look at mine:

Even my cuter than cute polar bear doesn't look so impressed. I mean, he's trying to be supportive and all but he can tell something is a bit off. My cookies don't look nearly as snowy. And I followed the instructions; I rolled my cookie balls in sugar twice, I even tried a batch where I made my balls a tiny bit smaller. But to no avail. My cookies are at best Chocolate-Espresso Snow(dusted)caps. So I'm a bit irked, although really how they look is really a moot point since they are all gone, less than 24 hours after they were baked. So that's gotta count for something, right? I do think these are a keeper. They are quite divine.

Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 teaspoons instant espresso

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 cup confectioners sugar, for coating

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients; beat in milk just until combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar twice.
3. Place balls on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

From The Martha Stewart Show, December 2006

Ginger-tastic

I appear to have developed something of a crush on ginger. Ever since I made and subsequently devoured this awesome Gingerbread Cake I have been craving more ginger. I thought I could get my fix with this:

Which makes a very convincing gingerbread latte. In fact, I now prefer the gingerbread coffee/steamed milk/cinnamon and sugar concoction I brew up every morning to what Starbucks has to offer. But it turns out that the coffee isn't enough, so tonight I surfed around looking for something to further my ginger obsession. And I found it! Here. Chocolate banana gingerbread works on so many levels. One, it means I have something yummy to pack for school snack/lunches. Two, it's a loaf. As much as I loved my recent gingerbread cake triumph (yes, I'll go so far as to call it a triumph) I have this notion that gingerbread should be loafed rather than caked. Turns out, I was right. Chocolate banana gingerbread is gooo-d. It's still warm from the oven and between the boys and I, it's rapidly disappearing. And I have a feeling Chocolate Banana Gingerbread is the kind of loaf that just gets better as it cools. Oh yeah.

Chocolate Banana Gingerbread

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup molasses
2 medium bananas, mashed
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, salt, baking soda and spices in a bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until pale yellow and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in molasses and mashed bananas. Add half of dry ingredients, just mixing until combined, then add buttermilk. Add remaining dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and pour batter in. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let's Do The Time Warp....

Yes, I'm a big ol' Glee fan. And tonight is The Rocky Horror Episode. I went to a Rocky Horror screening once, when I was in high school. It was bizarre and crazy but theatrical and fun too, if you like that sort of thing. I like that sort of thing but my husband does not. D. thinks Rocky Horror is...horrible. Can't stand it. Hearing even the first few bars of Time Warp are enough to make him start twitching. Same thing happens whenever Queen music is played. So it's likely a good thing that he's at the Leafs game tonight.

My post title is a bit of a fake out, meant to disguise that despite the fact we haven't exited October yet, I want to talk about Christmas food. I know. It's way too early. But I have a reason! I was cleaning up my computer desktop the other day when I found a folder of pictures I had forgotten about. It doesn't show in the directory where all of my other photos are stored - for some strange reason I put it all by its lonesome on the desktop. It was like finding a stray roll of film that never got developed or a packet of pictures at the back of a drawer. I clicked through the pictures, which were from December, and was immediately transported back to Christmas 2009. Time warp!

I was very proud of myself Christmas 2009. After hanging on to the December 2001 issue of Bon Appetit for way too long, I finally made the cover recipe: triple chocolate cake with chocolate peppermint filling. And I took a picture! Which I obviously forgot about, until I uncovered it on my desktop in all its chocolaty, peppermint glory:


This was a v.v. good cake. Seriously good cake. Super moist and incredibly rich. And not that complicated to make. The kids helped me smash up the candy cane pieces with a rolling pin. And I can't quite remember, but I bet we all licked a beater or two. That's the best part of holiday baking. Having the boys in the kitchen 'helping' while the weather outside is all frightful. This cake followed a wonderful Christmas dinner, so we served up small slices to those that could even fathom eating just one. more. thing.

Okay. I've got holiday baking out of my system, for now. Please return to your regularly scheduled season, Fall.