♫ Chestnuts roasting on the open fire, mincemeat cooking on the stove ♫

Cafe Society
1

Just finished* putting together the annual Big Vat o’Mincemeat chez Pipers. Meat, and apples, oranges and lemons, molasses and apple juice, oh my!

Mrs. Piper came back from a shopping expedition, took a deep breath as she came in the door, and said, “It’s Christmas! You’re cooking mincemeat!”

Next up: shortbread. Real shortbread, not that whipped English white kind with poncy little maraschino cherry fragments on top. Nothing but butter, golden sugar and flour in Grammie Piper’s recipe.

So, what’s cooking (or soon will be) at your house that says “Christmas!” to you and yours?

*Yes, I missed “stir-up Sunday” this year - just running late.

2

Yum. We considered cooking our own Xmas pud this year, but decided against it on grounds of cost - a good-quality supermarket pudding these days probably costs less than the ingredients for a homebrew.

Since we’re not great cake-eaters either - at least, not the traditional Christmas cake - it’ll probably be the mince pies, if we do them, or even the turkey itself on the day, that’s the first smell of Christmas.

3

Have now moved on to gingerbread. Yum! real gingerbread (not cookies), made with butter and molasses, from an old Newfoundland recipe.

Tea and gingerbread, sitting by the Christmas tree, with the snow gently falling…

4

We’re still settling into our new house, and haven’t been able to move on to holiday cooking and baking yet. Can we come over?

5

sure! we’ll expect you in what, ten hours?

6

Last time I drove to your city, it took abour eight hours. But let’s say ten, since the roads may be snowy. :wink:

7

Let’s make it a Doper road trip! I love mincemeat - I didn’t even know you could make your own.

I made a ginger cake awhile ago, and holy cow, was it molassesy! I think I’ll cut the molasses significantly next time I make it. My baking list for today:

  1. Cherry cranberry tarts.
  2. Banana-orange loaf.
  3. Buckeyes!
    (Seriously, I am making buckeyes today.)

Hey, Piper, would you like an authentic Mennonite sour cream cookie recipe? It makes an excellent, soft, mild-tasting rolled white cookie that is perfect for frosting.

8

Hey Piper, I’m in GP, AB. Am I closer to you than Spoons is, or farther away? (I’m just looking at Google Maps, and seeing that Lethbridge is 10:24, or 965km from me)

S^G

9

Just finished five pounds of fudge, and a white chocolate bark stuff with lots of nuts, dried fruit and chopped candied ginger. My mom loves it. Next up, loaves of pumpkin bread and gingerbread (again, not the cookies, but the cakey stuff), plus pfefferneusse – spicy little hard German cookie.

10

Fifty-two “cookie mix in a jar” jars. OK, that’s not technically cooking but the recipients will soon be cooking the results.

Four loaves of banana bread, a tradition from my mother (now departed). I don’t know if I’ve got her exact recipe (she always used nuts, the version I copied some 25+ years ago didn’t have nuts in it, but it tastes the same).

Two (so far) batches of fudge - the Hershey’s Cocoa recipe (that mom used to make until she got hold of the easier “fantasy fudge” recipe, which is just nass-tee!).

Not sure what I’ll be inspired to try next :slight_smile:

11

Yup - I make it every year, from a recipe my mother got from an Anglican church ladies cook book.

I posted it over in ScareyFaery’s thread: Sweet Mincemeat in a crockpot.

what are buckeyes?

Sure! do you want to post it here? or you could send it in a PM.

12

Way farther! I’m on the banks of the Mighty Wascana (i.e. Regina).

13

One of the few good things I miss from Ohio. They are a peanut butter & chocolate confection that are made to resemble the tree nut from the Buckeye tree (Ohio’s state tree). I am also making buckeyes tomorrow with the fam as it’s a holiday tradition in Ohio to have buckeyes at Christmas. Since I won’t be getting them from someone else, I thought we’d make them for the first time and I could introduce my new southern friends to a northern delicacy.

I’m using this recipe from allrecipes.com.

14

Sour Cream Cookies
2 eggs
2 cups sugar (one white, one brown)
½ cup shortening (butter or margarine)
2 cups sour cream
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla, lemon, or almond flavouring
¼ teaspoon salt
Add enough flour to make a fairly stiff dough for rolling.

Cream shortening. Add sugar and eggs, then add flour sifted with dry ingredients alternately with sour cream.

Roll out, bake at 375°F until golden on bottom (about 8 minutes). Cookies are great for icing.

If you ever see a Mennonite Treasury Cookbook in your travels, I recommend picking it up. My mom’s copy is just about worn out. :slight_smile: Actually, I see you can order one online - I think I’ll be getting this.

The buckeyes turned out great. All that rolling was too much work, though, so mine are buckeye squares now.

15

Just thought I’d add a recipe I tried twice when I was in my teens, and the whole family was surprised by how good it was; Cloud Nine. Keep in mind you can cut the chocolate chip content in half and it’ll still be awesome. I’m tempted to try this one again, actually…

S^G

16

Well I live alone ::sniff:: so for me Christmas is a bowl of gruel and if I’m really lucky I may be able to scrounge some crusts of bread off a neighbour.

For New Year however I have a small tin of sardines, this is gonna be the best New Year ever.
Just kidding.

I do live alone, no problems. This year I’m having a couple of pals over and I’ve decided that Roast Goose is the way to go