What Are You Cooking For Christmastime?

Cafe Society
1

This weekend I am making these most excellent cinnamon rolls. I made them last summer and they’re superb. Most of them will be going to a few friends, neighbors, and coworkers but I will keep one pan for myself. Happy holidays indeed.

I also am planning on making chocolate-covered orange peels such as these but I haven’t settled on a specific recipe yet.

Another thing I want to bake in the next couple of weeks- stained glass cookies. Haven’t started researching that yet, so no recipe, but I saw it on the Food Network.

So what are you making, and do you have a recipe?

2

I’m making Nikki Tikki Tavi’s pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes for our department holiday party at work. I dunno yet what I’m making for Christmas. Might be the same thing.

3

I’ll be making some form of Christmas sugar cookies. My recipe will probably be the Hanukkah Sugar Cookies recipe in my giant book of cookie recipes. Why it’s Hanukkah specific I don’t know, but that’s what the recipe is called. I just like the recipe because it’s tasty and rolls out easily.

It’s more for the sake of making cookies than it is Christmas specific, for me. I truly enjoy baking in general, cookies in particular* and cut cookies most of all (though I have no skill for decorating them). At this point, I collect cookie cutters of all sorts.

I sort of started collecting cookie cutters when my family had to move my grandfather and great-grandmother in with my parents and sister (I was already almost done with college at that point). My great-grandmother was fabulous with cookies, and had this set of cutters in the shapes of card suits, which I thought was terribly cool. So I started making cookies, and really enjoyed the process. In part, I think, because it was so much akin to my happy memories of Christmastime with my mother.

This September I visited my parents again. I live across the country from them, and don’t see them very often any more. My mother was cleaning out the kitchen while my sister was there, and asking her if she wanted anything. My sister said she knew she did, but she didn’t know what. I mentioned to my mother that I collect cookie cutters, so if she had any that neither she nor Sis wanted, I’d be glad to take them out of her house.

I didn’t expect her to give me the cherished copper set from many of my childhood Christmases. I further didn’t expect to find out in that moment that my great-grandmother, who had died about a year and a half prior to this moment, had given her this set.

I’m really looking forward to using these again, even if it’s just me making them (as I suspect it will be). I may even try to decorate them.

*You know this statement must be true since I still bake cookies after making (with my mother, grandmother, aunt, sister and cousin) ~2,500 cookies for the traditional cookie cake for my wedding. I love baking cookies, and received some amazing old family recipes from this event.

4

I have made my pudding, it’s aging in our spare room.

I’m considering doing a ham. Traditionally ham over here is just a cured ham served cold and sliced. Which I love, but a couple of years ago I found a recipe for a maple mustard glazed baked ham, which was beautiful. I’ve lost the recipe but it shouldn’t be hard to recreate.

5

I have some pots that belonged to my grandmother. Every time I use them I feel her presence, and I think it’s so awesome that I have this little piece of her that she used to show her family love.

Just now I found these pecan pie cookies. They’re not cut cookies, but holy crap, they look good. I’ve just added to my list.

6

I am making rose-flavored Turkish Delight this week. If it turns out well, I am going to get some orange-flower water and make a few varieties of it.

7

Yeah, that’s exactly why I feel I really have to make cookies this holiday season. I love the process anyway, but I won’t be near anyone I’m truly close to for the season and I did tell my mother these cutters would be used (not that I really need an excuse).

Again, decorating may thwart me. But what better way to learn???

Also, next time I visit my dad, I’m makin’ a batch of those pecan pie cookies. But I’ll make it for a night we’re visiting the whole family, because that looks like a recipe for lots of people.

8

That sounds good… but I’d be afraid of the chocolate overwhelming the pumpkin flavor, which can be delicate. I recently discovered on these very boards that there’s pumpkin fudge!! and that’s yet another thing I need to make.

9

If my hand’s out of this cast soon, I’ll be making some orange shortcrust pastry mince pies with mascapone when I go back to London for the holidays. I might also make a light (and moist) fruitcake and some white chocolate brownies.

10

Aging pudding?

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Don’t ask me. I’ve never made pudding before, I don’t eat pudding (xmas pudding, not american pudding).

But the recipes all suggest to make it at least 4-6 weeks before you intend to eat it. I dunno why. I just do what they tell me.

12

So the fruit and rum and cake have time to get thoroughly acquainted.
I promised my Dad chocolate cinnamon buns- cinnamon buns filled with ganache as well as brown sugar/butter/cinnamon- and I’m giving a whole bunch of people boxes of homemade candy: brittle, caramels, chocolate pepermint bark, oreo truffles, and anything else I feel like making. And I’m going to make ham and black pepper bread for a friend.

13

Mmmm . . . .

Hubby makes it once in a while. He had written an article on Turkish food, and he always tests recipes. He found some rose water at the local Indian market, and he ordered some orange blossom water from one of his suppliers. He’s also played with making it with apple and cranberry juice instead of water. Don’t forget the nuts! Pistachios are the best (although, walnuts with the apple ones are good!).

You can buy something called “Applets” which are really Turkish Delight - they’re made someplace in Washington. I don’t recall the company that makes it. They also make them with apricots, and call them “Cottlets”.

Olive

14

I was going to make them last night until I realized I had forgotten pistachios. :smack: So it looks like I’ll make them tomorrow. ETA: Any chance you could refer me to your husband’s article? If so that’d be cool, but I realize many people want to protect their privacy as much as possible on the 'net, so no worries. :slight_smile:

I am really intrigued about apple and apricot flavored lokoum, though. Methinks I shall have to google…

And I’ve decided to make brittle, fattigmands bakkelser, and other assortments. My MiL is asking about my almond toffee. I think I’ll have to have a candy/cookie session sometime between finals and my flight outta here.

15

It’s actually Aplets and Cotlets, and they’re made in Cashmere, WA by Liberty Orchards, based on Armenian Rahat Locoum- which is like Turkish Delight, but Armenian. Liberty Orchards also makes several other similar candies, my favorite being the Fruit Parfaits.

16

I had planned on making Divinity today. Except it’s raining. Apparently, the only time it rains in Vegas is the one day I don’t want it to. I made biscochitos and snowballs today instead.

17

Is anyone eating anything besides dessert? :stuck_out_tongue:

My Xmas menu (actually Xmas eve; we go to my stepdaughter’s on Xmas) will be a rib roast. For the last 5 years, I’ve made it according to Alton Brown’s recipe–start low and slow, finish high. Also on the menu: Yorkshire pudding, fresh sauteed spinach with garlic, possibly mashed sweet potatoes.

18

When I cook Christmas dinner, I do roast prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, boiled red potatoes, and asparagus. (FWIW, Thanksgiving I make turkey, New Year’s Day I make ham hocks and black eyed peas and cornbread, St. Patrick’s Day is corned beef and cabbage.) Not expecting any guests, so I’m going to get very sick of prime rib.

19

Sailor Duff Pudding

Serves “6”

1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar beaten together

Add 1/2 cup molasses
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in a little warm water

1 1/2 cup flour mix thoroughly

add 1 cup boiling water

steam for 40 minutes, serve warm (cook in double boiler)

Sauce:
yolks of 2 eggs lightly beaten with
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup whipping cream whipped

Fold together and pour over steamed pudding

20

“Fantasy Fudge.” Recipe available on the Kraft marshamllow goop jar.

I don’t know why, but this time of year I want to bake. I hate cooking and I’m a terrible cook; chipped a tooth when I attempted shortbread. But something about the cold weather and/or holidays makes something kick in.