Holidays Archives | Page 10 of 11

Merry Christmas #6 and #26

December 24, 2009

Yes, I’m still making my way through that 30 Foods List. I may not have accomplished it all by my 31st birthday (this past Oct), but I’m determined to follow through and finish the list soon. I think my New Year’s resolution will be to finish it by June.

Yesterday I took on two of the Christmas recipes I listed – #6 Gingerbread men and #26 Stollen bread.

The Gingerbread men simply because I’ve never even made gingerbread of any kind. My mom doesn’t like gingerbread so it wasn’t part of our Christmas celebrations growing up.

The Stollen because I fell in love with this bread when I worked in a bakery. We would bake loaves and loaves of it during the month of December. I’m also drawn to it because of my German roots.

I chose some recipes I liked from the web, stocked up and got baking. Let’s start out by saying that it wasn’t exactly the most successful baking day.

The gingerbread men turned into round gingerbread cookies. I cut the recipe in half and I think I didn’t add enough flour. I couldn’t roll and cut them out, even after cooling the dough. However, the recipe I used from Good Things Catered is fantastic! I love the flavor and the gingerbread is nice and soft. I didn’t end up with what I intended, but the cookies were still tasty and festive.

Although, I think I’m the only one in the family who likes gingerbread. Therefore, I could be the only one eating them. Cut-outs or not, based on that little tid-bit of info. I’m glad I made a half batch and they freeze well!

I enjoyed every part of the process of making the Stollen – the sponge and dough, the kneading, the baking. Bread is just my thing. I only need to perfect my ability for making it. I can’t seem to align my love of baking it with truly great results.

I followed a recipe from In Mama’s Kitchen and instead of candied fruit I used dried cherries, dried pineapple and raisins. I was trying to get around products with high fructose corn syrup and most candied fruit has it. A friendly reader sent me a source for some without it last year, but I procrastinated and never got around to ordering any.

The bread has potential. The flavor of the fruit, spices and rum really come through. It was just a little denser than it should have been. I also tried to get away without adding the glaze which we used to put on top of the ones I made at the bakery, but in all honesty I really like that addition. Next time I will probably glaze them to add a little more sweetness.

So I’m not completely disappointed, but I will be attempting both again. Good, but not great, however, still worth the effort.

Did you try any new recipes this year? How did they turn out?

I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas! Whether you celebrate it or not, I hope you will feel all the warmth and happiness this holiday can bring. Thank you for reading Fake Food Free and for all your great comments. I’m looking forward to continuing this blog, and all the friendships I’ve found through it, into 2010.

Merry Christmas!!

Pumpkin Curry Cookies

December 14, 2009

While we were visiting Vegas before Thanksgiving we once again stopped in my favorite chocolate shop, Vosges Haut-Chocolate. I have to stifle giggles of glee when I walk into this place. It is full of the most amazing chocolate combinations I’ve experienced. Just the smell gives you that feeling of comfort only a smooth, rich piece of chocolate can bring.

The concept of the company is based on the phrase Travel the World through Chocolate. The company’s mission is to:

Create a sustainable luxury chocolate experience, to bring about awareness of indigenous cultures through the exploration of spices, herbs, roots, flowers, fruits, nuts and the obscure.

We stocked up well this time and I’ll do more reviewing once we break into the bars we purchased. Today, though, I want to tell you a little about something else that caught my eye while in the store.

My favorite chocolate infusion is the Naga Bar, a chocolate of 45% cacao which is mixed with sweet Indian curry powder and coconut flakes. The combination is amazing – a quality chocolate that melts in your mouth, tiny bits of coconut to add a crunchy texture and a curry flavor that lingers in the back of your throat long after the last bite.

As I was walking around the store this time, I noticed cookies. I checked out the label and was both intrigued and excited by the fact that they turned the Naga Bar into a cookie. The ingredient list looked something like this:

Pumpkin, coconut, curry and chocolate chips. My first thought – I can do that.

So here you have my new creation for the cookie exchange I co-hosted last weekend. I stuck with my minimally processed ingredients as much as possible adding in plenty of pumpkin, coconut, curry powder and chocolate.

Personally, I was thrilled with the results. Pumpkin and chocolate chips are always a great combo, but a few seconds after you take a bite the curry gently hits your taste buds intensifying the flavor experience. The only thing I would like to change is the cakey texture of the cookies. Although, I’ve made pumpkin cookies before and this seems to be the influence the addition of fresh pumpkin has. If you have a tip for making them less cakey, please share.

My husband liked them too, although I will admit that only a select few really enjoyed them at the exchange. They were a hit, but only a mild hit. I’m judging by how many were left over. I even set out samples for people to try knowing it would be a different combination for some. I’m not sure if it was that perhaps people didn’t like one of the ingredients in them or the cookies as a whole.

I didn’t let it get me down though. I loved the combination and will be making them again soon. If you have a bit of a diverse flavor palate, give them a try. Maybe you can even help me improve the recipe.

Pumpkin Curry Cookies

2 ½ cups whole white wheat pastry flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp curry powder
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup demerara sugar (unrefined cane sugar)
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup pumpkin, pureed (mine was a thin consistency as it was fresh that had been frozen & thawed)
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
¾ cup unsweetened flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt and curry powder, set aside. With a mixer, cream the butter, sugar and maple syrup. Add the eggs one at a time and incorporate well. Next mix in vanilla and the pumpkin.

Gradually incorporate the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate and coconut. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (or use a cookie scoop) onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen.

Olive Blue Cheese Pecan Spread

December 10, 2009

Olives, cream cheese and toasted pecans; such a great combination. At a bakery where I used to work we sold a spread made of these three ingredients so when I was trying to think of an appetizer to take to my cookie exchange it came to mind. Not remembering exactly how to make it, I did a search and I found this recipe for Cream Cheese-Olive Spread.

This one is a bit more like a cheese ball rather than a spread, but what is a holiday party without a cheese ball, right? I used it as a base and added a few of my other favorite ingredients to spice it up a bit. It also helped me put those Mezzetta Italian Castelvetrano Green Olives from the Foodbuzz Fest to very good use.

It was a huge hit pared with these homemade flaxseed crackers.

Olive Blue Cheese Pecan Spread
adapted from Cream Cheese-Olive Spread at myrecipes

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
½ cup green olives, pitted and chopped
1 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp olive juice
½ cup pecans, chopped and toasted

In a mixer, combine all ingredients except for the pecans. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Spoon the mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Cover in the wrap and shape into a log. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. Roll in the pecans just before serving. Serves about 10 to 12 people.

P.S. Mix the pecans into the cheese spread and you’ll have a great filling for mini party sandwiches on whole grain rolls.

Thankful For – The 2009 Edition

November 26, 2009

I think it is a pretty safe bet that most of us have food on our mind on this special holiday, but if you are like me, you are equally focused on some of the things you are thankful for. I don’t think there is any question that I have A LOT to be grateful for. We are talking a ridiculous amount. From food, to travel, to once in a lifetime experiences, I’ve been blessed with it all.

So here goes my list for 2009. Of course there is plenty more, but you likely have some eating and napping to get to!

The opportunity to live outside my home country. It is impossible to explain the value of this experience in only a few sentences. I’ve changed and grown in ways I never new possible.

Food blogs! I have discovered so many foods and so many people through food blogs. It is truly unbelievable.

Seeing a new part of the world. This goes for both Brazil and Southeast Asia. I never get tired of discovering what this world has to offer – food, people, culture, etc.

The ability to exercise. This one always ranks high on my list. One of my favorite quotes is: Exercising can actually be a form of prayer, a thanksgiving for the privilege of having a body and for simply being alive. – Regina Ryan and John Travis

A new career path. I love writing and blogging. It brings me joy and excitement that I’m not sure I truly felt in my previous work. I enjoyed that time in my life too, but working from home and being on my own schedule suites me so well and I feel I reach so many more people.

Another favorite quote of mine: It is never too late to be what you might have been. – George Eliot

A husband who supports me and wants me to pursue this path (or any path I choose) even if it means I’m a bit of a starving artist at the moment.

How good my friends and family make me feel when they say, “We’re so glad your back!”

A full size oven, hot water in my kitchen and laundry room, a dishwasher and a very fast washer and dryer. Certainly not necessities, but not having them for two years helps you realize how awesome they really are!

You! Thank you for reading, for your comments and discussion. You always help me keep my thinking and ideas in check while offering me new ones at the same time.

Oh, and last but not least, guess who’s coming home with us after Thanksgiving?!!!

Pear, Toasted Walnut & Blue Cheese Stuffing

November 19, 2009

This stuffing recipe combines seasonal pears, crunchy walnuts and rich blue cheese!

I enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Every single year my family makes the same exact dishes, and they are all delicious. However, when I started getting into food and cooking I felt the need to rock the boat, or rather the Thanksgiving table.

Don’t get me wrong, I value tradition, but there is also nothing wrong with putting a new twist on things or adding a new dish each year. My first attempt at this was sweet potato casserole. We had never had this growing up. My grandma used to always make the sweet potatoes ones straight from the can, whole with marshmallows on top.

When I first introduced the casserole there was a lot of resistance. So much so that my mom told me only to make a small dish because it probably wouldn’t all get eaten. Well, the size of that dish has grown each year and she just asked me last night if I was planning on making it again this year.

Change is good.

I have similar rock-the-boat tendencies with stuffing. My mom still makes my grandmother’s and it is a coveted side around the table. Let’s just say that the stuffing meets much more resistance than the sweet potatoes ever experienced. Therefore each year I make a small Thanksgiving meal the week before for my husband and me, and one year we invited a small group of friends, a tradition I hope can continue now that we are back in Kentucky.

I happen to love the stuffing recipes from Rachael Ray. I go back and forth between her Apple and Onion Stuffing and her Cranberry-Pecan Stuffing each year. This year, I wanted to try to find a way to put my own twist on it and a familiar combination came to mind.

I really enjoy the pear, walnut and blue cheese flavor combination. I often take a pear slice, top it with cheese, a walnut half and drizzle it with honey for a snack. It is also my go-to salad topping.

So I thought – if apples, onions, cranberries and pecans work in a Thanksgiving stuffing, why not pear, walnut and blue cheese?

Guess what? It does!

Last night I made Pear, Toasted Walnut & Blue Cheese Stuffing and it turned out great. I used both 9-grain and whole wheat bread slices, dried them out in a 200 F oven, and then cut the slices into cubes. I mixed half the blue cheese in the stuffing and pressed the remaining onto the top of the stuffing once I transferred it to the baking dish.

It is officially on the Thanksgiving menu for years to come!

Pear, Toasted Walnut & Blue Cheese Dressing

½ tbsp olive oil
¼ cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large pear, chopped
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp rubbed sage
½ cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
8 cups dried bread cubes
2 – 3 cups chicken stock
1 egg, beaten
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled & divided

Preheat the oven to 400 F and butter a 2 quart baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and then add the butter. Once melted add the onion and garlic, cook on medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes. Next add in the pear and cook until tender, about 7 minutes more. Add the salt, pepper and sage and stir to coat the mixture. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Add the bread cubes to a large mixing bowl. Add the onion-pear mixture and stir to incorporate. Stir in the toasted walnuts and add the chicken stock one cup at a time until the stuffing reaches your desired consistency. If you like it dry, add about 2 cups, wet, add all 3. Stir in the egg.

Finally stir in half of the blue cheese and transfer the stuffing to the baking dish, pressing it down gently. Sprinkle the remaining blue cheese onto the top of the stuffing and press the pieces into the top of the mixture. Bake covered for about 30 minutes, remove the top and bake about 15 minutes more, or until the top is browned and crispy.

Note: The baking time has a lot to do with how you like your stuffing. This was my method this time and it was a little wetter than I like it. Next time I would likely bake it uncovered to dry it out more.

Makes 6 to 8 servings depending on how many other sides you have.

New Kitchen, Back to Cooking – Acorn Squash Soup with Cranberry Sauce

November 16, 2009

I am happy to say that I’m back in the kitchen! I even have enough boxes unpacked to cook an entire meal. I was so excited when I found my Kitchen Aid mixer that I had to announce it on Twitter. I got all kinds of friendly responses.

I tend to spend a good amount of time just staring at my stove with a big smile of contentment on my face. It is actually the exact same model as I had in our house before our move abroad, but now it is like a brand new toy.

I’m just so darn excited here is a picture for you.

Last week I spent some time shopping around for the ingredients that I know I want to cook and bake with. I haven’t been able to find mascavo sugar here, or the exact equivalent, but I did end up trying out demerara sugar, which is unrefined sugar made from evaporated cane juice. The sources I’ve found so far state that it is the same, or very similar to, turbinado sugar.

It is a different consistency than the mascavo sugar I used in Brazil as it has much larger crystals. I know I can order the mascavo online so we’ll see how the demerara does in baking to decide which I like better. For coffee, it works great. (I’m trying to wean myself off adding sugar to my coffee, but I do still like it a little bit sweet. )

Along with my sugar I picked up some fresh cranberries which just happen to be one of my favorite parts of this time of year. I’ll be buying more soon to freeze for later use. I also grabbed an acorn squash. My parents tell me that they have plenty of squash and pumpkin for me at home from the garden, but I just couldn’t wait.

Finally, I found a great deal on grapefruit. After paying about 1 USD each for imported ones which would show up in the Asian market where we lived in Brazil, I gladly handed over $2.50 for a whole bag.

I decided to make a soup with it all this weekend incorporating turkey day flavors, of course. When it comes to Thanksgiving flavors I tend to like them combined in any way possible. I’ll take cranberry sauce on just about anything, add in turkey to my squash side dishes and eat walnuts or pecans on my sweet potatoes.

I’ll admit that this recipe may not be too terribly exciting and is very similar to a butternut squash soup I make regularly. There seem to be a lot of similar recipes out there on the web this time of year as well.

However, it is the first official recipe and meal to come out of my new kitchen so that alone makes is special.

Acorn Squash & Apple Soup with Cranberry Grapefruit Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, chopped
¼ cup onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 medium apple, chopped
¼ tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp demerara sugar (or any type of unrefined cane sugar)
2 cups chicken stock
Flesh of one acorn squash, roasted (about 1 ½ to 2 cups)
¼ cup milk or cream
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

In your soup pot, heat the olive oil, then add the carrot, onion, garlic and apple. Cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring often. Add in the ginger, cinnamon and sugar and stir to coat the veggies and fruit. Pour in the chicken stock, cover the pot and simmer until the veggies and fruit are tender, about 10 minutes. (This is a good time to make the cranberry sauce.)

Next, stir in the squash until it is smooth and well incorporated. Remove the pot from heat and blend all ingredients using an immersion blender. You can also transfer the soup and blend in a standard blender. I leave mine a little chunky, but you can make it as smooth as you like.

Return to low heat and slowly stir in the milk or cream. Add more or less to reach your desired soup consistency and heat through. Salt and pepper to your taste.

Cranberry Grapefruit Sauce

1 cup fresh cranberries
¼ cup grapefruit juice
2 tsp demerara sugar
Chopped, toasted walnuts for garnish

Combine the cranberries and juice in a small sauce pan and cook on medium heat. Add in the sugar and stir until the cranberries burst. Allow the sauce to thicken to your desired consistency. It gets thicker as it cools. You might also want to add more sugar if you don’t prefer your cranberry sauce tart.

Ladle your soup into bowls. The recipe makes 2 to 3 servings. Top with some cranberry sauce and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Thoughts on Easter

April 6, 2009

I begin this Holy Week with a lot of reflection. Easter has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. I do realize I say this about a lot of holidays throughout the year, but Easter truly is my very favorite.

Aside from the religious meaning for me, Easter brings about thoughts of simplicity, peace and happiness. Even if I wake up to a rainy Sunday morning there is a sound to the birds chirping and a smell in the air that reflects new life. I consider myself lucky to have always lived in a place with four distinct seasons (except for right now, of course). I really wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the change that is brought about by Easter and spring.

My memories of Easter as a child were nothing but warm and fuzzy. This was the holiday that we almost always received an animal – a bunny, a chicken and one year even a new lamb.

In addition, my mom loved playing a bit of hide and seek with us early on Easter morning. The gorgeous baskets she would put together with candy and toys were never left out in plain sight. We always had to work to find their hiding place.

After finding the basket and consuming massive amounts of sugar in record time, we would then make our way out to the yard. Each year on Saturday we would build a nest outside consisting of three sticks and some grass. This was a bit of a tradition with the nest-making responsibility being passed down through my brothers. I remember being happy when I was the only sibling left in the house and making the nest became my official job. This is where the Easter Bunny would always leave plastic eggs filled with a little bit of money.

Once the excitement came to a close around the house and some time spent in church concluded, later in the day we would head off to my grandma’s house to have a big meal and an Easter egg hunt with my cousins.

Maybe my fond memories are the reason Easter still remains so important to me today. When I think about Easter in relationship to other holidays I can’t help but compare it to Christmas. Although it isn’t supposed to be, Christmas is often filled with things more commercialized and stressful for me. Easter has always been about peacefulness and nature. Yes, I know chocolate and eggs are a bit commercialized as well, but there was a lot of family mixed in there; a connection overriding that which I feel at Christmas.

As I was considering my thoughts on Easter my mind went directly to food. Of course with Lent leading up to the big day, I am always ready for my basket filled with chocolate and I enjoy it thoroughly. However, my weeks before Easter are spent in thoughtful reflection and sacrifice. On the other hand, I spend weeks planning, baking and cooking in preparation for Christmas. Such a difference; a difference I’ve learned to truly appreciate.

So this week I won’t be doing a whole lot of baking, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have treats already lined up. I’m thinking about satisfying my chocolate craving from a visual perspective by sharing a chocolate truffle cake my brother made for me recently. Then as the weekend approaches I will be attempting croissants made from scratch to be enjoyed on Easter morning. This will be my first shot at making this delicate treat. Wish me luck!

Does Easter hold a special significance for you? How do you prepare for or celebrate the holiday?

St. Pat’s Day in Brazil

March 17, 2009

Last week I set out to plan a meal I could put together for Sunday that would serve as somewhat of a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The holiday is non-existent around here (along with Valentine’s Day) which has always confused me due to the fact that I’m living in such a Catholic country.

Anyway, I tossed around ideas for a while considering what my ingredient restrictions would be. Then a recipe came to mind. On my ex-pat blog a long while back someone mentioned that I should try Escondidinho. This was followed by a comment from another ex-pat saying that it was like a Brazilian Shepherd’s Pie.

I had forgotten about this recipe and a couple months ago my husband took me to a new restaurant in town that he had been to previously. He said there was something on the menu he wanted to try. After ordering it, eating it and feeling that the name of the dish sounded oddly familiar I went back in my bookmarks and sure enough, it had been Escondidinho. My commenters were right, it was very similar to a Shepherd’s pie type of dish.

So keeping with the spirit of the holiday and representing the fact that I do currently live in Brazil, I decided this would be our main course. With a little research I learned that as with most popular dishes there are a variety of ways of preparing it. Many recipes exist, each with their own little twist.

The one we had at the restaurant that night was made with carne seca and topped with mashed mandioca mixed with a creamy cheese here called catipury. It was delicious. However, the recipe I had was for Escondidinho de Frango (chicken). I decided to go with this one because we had already had some ground beef throughout the week and I didn’t want more red meat.

I’ve learned it is difficult to translate recipes from another language. Some things I followed exactly and others I improvised from the original recipe, slightly guessing what the translation meant.

A few notes about ingredients. This recipe, of course, called for mandioca (manioc, yucca), considering it is likely you don’t have access to this, potatoes or another root vegetable would work well. The recipe also calls for creme de leite. This is an ingredient that doesn’t exactly match anything available in the US. A Brazilain friend once told me it was “like sour cream without the sour”. The best substitute would be heavy cream or half and half, although the viscosity isn’t exactly the same. That’s about it. Everything else should be easy to find in most places.

Escondidinho de Frango
Translated and adapted from Mais Você Culinária at globo.com

Olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 tomatoes without skin (I used canned, similar to whole tomatoes)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 kg (2.2 lbs) of chicken breast, cooked and shredded 2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 kg (2.2 lbs) mandioca, cooked (substitute potatoes) 2 Tbsp butter
1 can cream of milk (1/2 cup heavy cream)
1/3 cup coconut milk
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Pepper, ground nutmeg, parsley, chives and crushed red pepper all to taste

½ cup grated mozzarella

In a medium pan cook garlic and onion in olive oil until tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken breast and soy sauce. Heat through, stirring to break up tomatoes. Set aside.

In a bowl, use a potato ricer to mash potatoes or use a mixer, add butter.
In a mixer beat cream milk, coconut milk, parmesan cheese, pepper, ground nutmeg, parsley and minced chives and red pepper. Add the cream to your mashed potatoes and mix well.

Grease a large glass baking dish. Pour in chicken mixture. Top with potato mixture and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake or broil until cheese is melted and top is browned. Serves 6.

And what would St. Paddy’s Day be without a little Irish whiskey. So along with this…..

I also put together a cake using the star ingredient. I came across a recipe for Apple Cake in my Joy of Cooking cookbook that was perfect to modify for making a Spiked Spice Cake.

This recipe makes one 9 –inch round cake and in order to keep us from having cake around all week I just made the one layer and then cut it in half to make a half layered cake, you’ll see below. Double recipe for a full, round layered cake.

Spiked Spice Cake

1 cup all-purpose white flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup mascavo sugar (or use brown sugar)
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp Irish whiskey
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together dry ingredients removing any lumps from the sugar. Stir in wet ingredients and mix until a smooth batter is formed. Poor into a greased and floured, 9-inch round cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, de-pan and cool completely.

Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp Irish whiskey
Milk as needed – 1 to 2 Tbsp

Cream butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla, whiskey and enough milk to create a smooth, spreadable frosting.

I Have a Confession…

December 10, 2008

I like fruitcake.

Yes, those unwanted holiday bricks are welcome at my house. I will say that I don’t care for the store-bought version. It has to be homemade. The kind I make weeks before Christmas and baste with good ol’ KY bourbon.

I decided with all my travel that I would opt out of making a batch this year. Fortunately, I was thumbing through a cookbook by Ina Garten at the library and found an amazing recipe for Fruitcake Cookies. Just what I needed to satisfy my fruitcake craving without all the labor.

First let’s talk about the health of things. I just can’t pass up cookies during the holidays, but I do my best to make them with real ingredients skipping all the shortcuts and mixes.

I do have one bummer to report. These cookies call for candied cherries. Unfortunately, after label inspection I realized they were made with none other than high-fructose corn syrup. I wasn’t really surprised, it is everywhere. If you know of a brand without it let me know.

The recipe actually calls for sherry, but I substituted bourbon. You’ll need to start the night before to allow the fruit to marinate and then the dough will need a few hours in the fridge before slicing into cookies.

The combination of the smooth bourbon and spicy clove is perfect in these cookies. As my Dad said last night as he finished up a couple – they kind of melt in your mouth.

So don’t give up on fruitcake! You might just like it in the cookie form.

Fruitcake Cookies

Modified from Barefoot Contessa at Home

1 cup raisins
1 cup candied cherries, chopped
1 T honey
2 T Kentucky Bourbon (I used Jim Beam)
1 T lemon juice
¾ cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts and pecans)
2 sticks unsalted butter
½ t ground cloves
½ cup white sugar (or equivalent sweetener of your choice)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 ¾ cups flour

In a bowl combine raisins, cherries, honey, bourbon, lemon juice, nuts and a pinch of salt. Cover and allow to marinate overnight at room temp.

Cream butter, cloves and sugars until smooth. Mix in egg. Slowly add flour and ¼ t salt. Mix just until combined. Stir in fruit and nut mixture with liquid.

Divide dough in two and place each piece on wax paper. Roll into a log using the paper. Refrigerate several hours until firm.

Slice into ½ inch cookies and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.

And check this out. I took the cookies to the screened-in porch to get some natural light for the photo. Look who decided to hop up on a nearby ottoman so she could get a closer look.

Have you found any different recipes this year that you are going to try for Christmas?

I’m making a couple new things and couple standards. My husband is bringing back some goiaba (guava fruit) jam from Brazil for me so I’m going to spice up my ordinary thumb print cookies with that this year.

Hot Yoga, Turkey Day Wrap-Up and Recipes

November 29, 2008

Wow, turkey day is over. The fun times always seem to go the fastest. It was two days full of cooking, eating with some relaxing mixed in for me.

First I have to tell you about my yoga experience. Last week I was driving by the yoga studio in town and saw that they had a sign outside about a free Hot Yoga class on Thanksgiving Day. Apparently, it is a tradition used to get people in to workout on the holiday and to give newcomers a chance to try it for free.

I’d never done hot yoga before. I’m not a huge yoga fan because it is a little slow moving for me. I love mind/body fusion classes, though. I take Body Balance in Brazil which is a combo of tai chi, Pilates and yoga. I enjoy the techniques and principals of yoga, but tend to like it mixed with other things.

Anyway, I was just too intrigued by an opportunity to try it for free. I couldn’t pass it up. It ended up being amazing! If you have the chance to try it definitely take advantage.

The room was packed with over 50 people. It was an intermediate level class and the temp in the room ranged from 96 F to 102 F. It is amazing what the heat does for you regarding concentration and focus. Hopefully, I can incorporate it into my regular workouts when we move back to the States. I haven’t seen it where I’m at in Brazil and even if they did have it, surprisingly that type of thing is more expensive there than in the States.

So after sweating my buns off I was ready for some cooking and eating too. I promised some pictures so here is my Thanksgiving recap. I altered the recipes to my liking so below I’ll tell you what I did.

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

This is kind of a combination of a couple different types I’ve made over the years. It is easy and they always turn out great.

15 white mushrooms, stems removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T butter or olive oil
¼ c grated parmesan
½ block cream cheese
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Place mushrooms in baking dish and brush with a little olive oil or melted butter. Finely chop mushroom stems. Add butter or oil to skillet and cook stems and garlic until tender. Add parmesan and cream cheese, mixing well. Finally stir in spinach. Allow mixture to cool enough to touch. Fill each mushroom and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. Serve hot.

Rum and Sweet Potato Casserole

This is probably my favorite Thanksgiving dish. I made quite a few changes to this one because I thought some of the ingredients were adding unnecessary fat and calories. I’m not too worried about this on Turkey day, but why add what isn’t needed. I left out the ½ c melted butter in the potatoes, I used only 2/3 cup sugar and a little less milk. It turned out great. I had bourbon instead of rum and this was a great change to make. The sweet flavor from the bourbon really stood out. I’m glad there are some leftovers.

Cranberry-Pecan Stuffing

This recipe is pretty basic, but the nutty pecans and tart cranberries give is such incredible flavor. I doubled up on the chicken stock to keep it from getting to dry. Yum!

Cranberry-Jalapeno Relish

This stuff is the perfect combination sweet, spicy and sour. I love it spread all over my turkey and the leftovers are great on sandwiches. My brother even mentioned the idea of eating it with chips as a salsa. I used less sugar than what the recipe called for and I also chopped up all my oranges in the blender instead of leaving large segments as the recipe calls for.

I’d love to hear about your Thanksgiving. How did it go? I’m really looking forward to moving into the Christmas season and all the baking that goes with it.