Christmas Cookies
I just spent a good part of today making Christmas cookies with my roommates. It reminded me of the Christmas baking tradition that I always got to sneak into with the Hanna ladies. Not that my own family didn't do it's share of Christmas baking, but the Hannas start the day after Thanksgiving - yeah in November!!! The first year I was friends with Quimita I was astounded to discover this odd factoid about their family. And the worst part was that the cookies all went into the freezer without any of the essential quality controls being carried out. Yes, into the freezer they went without any taste testing at all! Every weekend from Thanksgiving to Christmas was full of this grinchish type of Christmas cooky baking. My thirteen year old mind was horrified. Ah, but then came the day when the cookies came out of the freezer. Plates full of peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate, pistachio moons, butter cookies decorated as if they were to be served to the queen, fudge, spritz cookies and everything in between peeked out of Christmas-y cellophane and wouldn't have needed"Eat Me" scrawled across them for Alice to devour them all. So, over the years I have learned to enjoy the weekends of grinchy Christmas baking in anticipation of the tantalizing managerie of cookies delivered just before Christmas.
This year Lauren, Karen & I baked a million and one camels. Most of them were properly decorated to distribute to friends, but we couldn't help but create at least one Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed-Camel!
Merry Christmas!
posted by Bequita17 @ 12/11/2005 05:31:00 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Hi Rebecca,
Another descriptive essay that certainly made my mouth water! You have such a way with words...
Well, thought you might like to know that M & G, Bev/Charlie, and I will be at the Adams' residence on Dec. 26th. Bev got it all figured out yesterday w/Heather, including picking up Chinese food in Clinton (for lunch) on their way down from Skippac (C's dad). I am not sure how that "fits" with tasting your Morroccan recipe - Bev didn't know about that! We will just stay for the day, so M/G can sleep in their own bed that night, and B/C can get back to Skippac to meet C's sister who is flying in that evening.
We still don't have the ALex aspect figured out, but he will be gone by the time you are in NJ (goes back to CT on 25th to catch flight to AZ early the next am....)
Love you,
Aunt Shirley
Yay! I'm glad to hear you're coming over for a visit. We can work out the details for tasting the tajine. i'll talk to Heathe' when I get to Jersey & see what's on the agenda.
Can't wait to see you all!
Do Mam & Grampie have DSL yet?
Bex,
Great cookies! I just got done with a batch of sugar cookies I'll give the neighbors.
I have a friend whose family did the same thing with Christmas cookies! My family is very different - we eat most of the cookie dough and fresh from the oven cookies. We don't have many cookies to show for when we leave the kitchen.
Rudolph the red-nosed camel, had a very shiny nose . . .
happy holidays to you dear,
al
Hi again,
They get DSL 12/19, provided I can get it up and running! If not, Bev and I will work on it 12/22 when she arrives from VA.
If the tajine is a possibility while we are there, we'll bring the lamb and I think M has all the spices you need for it, too.
We're dying to see you, too!
love, Aunt Shirley
Hi, it's me again,
When you made the tajine with your friend, did you do it w/ beef or lamb or a mix of both? (we want to have what you experienced, so we'll bring whatever - I just said lamb in the last post...:)
love you,
Aunt Shirley
Beq - I just found this one - with CHICKEN!:
MID-EAST TAJINE OF CHICKEN WITH PRUNES, HONEY & ALMONDS
Printed from COOKS.COM
2 sm. chickens, cut up, skinless & boneless or the equivalent in turkey breasts
2 onions, diced
1/2 tsp. saffron threads, crushed (or powdered saffron)
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 c. chicken broth (or veg. cubes dissolved in 2 c. boiling water)
1 stick cinnamon
2 c. prunes, pitted (also apricots or raisins, if desired)
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. whole almonds, blanched & toasted (opt.-pine nuts)
Wash chicken. Sprinkle with a little pepper and seasoned salt. Saute chicken, onions and saffron in melted butter until golden and onions are tender. (Chicken should be laying comfortably in pan. You may have to use 2 frying pans for larger parties.) Add broth and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
Add prunes and apricots and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove chicken to plate temporarily. Discard cinnamon stick. Add honey and cook until sauce is syrupy. (You can use arrowroot to thicken the sauce quicker if you are in a hurry.) Cook until the syrup coats the spoon. Return chicken to the pan and heat through. Arrange on serving platter and sprinkle with the almonds.
HINT: While you are waiting for the chicken to cook, try this: Put the almonds in a small frying pan (be generous with the almonds), add olive oil and garlic powder, and stir on high heat continuously. When they are golden brown, put them aside. Use on the chicken dish as described and save the rest of the almonds to be used in your side dish.
OK I'm too hungry already - Love, Aunt Bev
Aunt Bev - THANK YOU!!! I have a friend here who has been wondering if we could make it with chicken b/c she has had giardia & problems w/ eating red meat. I will email that recipe to her. Cool!
Aunt Shirley - I had it with beef when Lamyia made it, and then when I made it I tried it with lamb. I like it both ways, but my dad doesn't like lamb, so I'd rather make it with beef if he's going to be at the table.
Al - mi familia is like yours! There weren't ever many cookies left over, especially not with 4 kids running through the house!
Hi Rebecca,
Beef tajine it will be!
Got a kick out of Sean Tucker's left hand use, too...maybe it's not going to be just you, your dad, and me anymore?!
GRINCHY????? You left out the parts about how much dough we ate that if we ate any of the cookies we wouldn't have any left!!!! Grinchy, my big toe on my left foot with the hangnail on it!!! ;-)
~Quimit
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