Pace Your Christmas Cooking

One of the craziest Christmas tradition, at least here n the States is cooking and baking for just one day - Christmas. Everything has to be made for December 25th;A better and less frantic idea is pacing yourself. No one can make a ton of food for just one day. Spread out the feasting to two or three days.

That's the philosophy I'm following.As I pointed out yesterday I was going to bake two different kinds of premade cookies. Then on second thought  it seemed kind of crazy, We'd be inundated with them and they'd lose their specialness. Plus I have a mess of other things to do between wrapping presents and the usual household chores.To spend an entire Sunday afternoon in the kitchen would seem too much. The chocolate chips can be made when the sugar cookies get all gobbled up.After all the holidays are supposed to last for twelve days until Three Kings or Tre Re day, January 6th. I have enough time to create all sorts of sweet treats, from cookies to maybe a cake or a giant sharing cookie for the New Year's. I do not want to go crazy with baking. It could lead to all sorts of disasters  from under baked to burnt.Another reason for pacing the desserts is the pan d'oro I bought. I will be dressing it up in the Italian tradition where this airy brioche type bread is sliced horizontally and filled with vanilla cream pudding.The cake is a foot high and will be more than enough for three people.

Cooking should be treated in the same light.There are many who cook huge meals on Christmas Eve followed by a second banquet Christmas Day. This is taxing even for the most experienced home chef. There are usually two roasts, sides and salads. Sometimes two or three main courses share
 the spotlight.Families spend the days before preparing sides. Then comes the letdown on St. Stephen's Day, or Boxing Day, December 26th. This day can be celebrated  not with leftovers but with fresh cooked main courses and sides. My Christmas Eve will be making gemelli - those twisty pastas with homemade sauce. I could have saved it for our Christmas Day dinner but one, it would definitely be too much and two,it wouldn't go with a vegan turkey dinner.It would also be a day of nothing but cooking and a night of washing up. St. Stephen's Day is going to be when  I take panettone the Italian fruitcake and turn it into French toast. This is the perfect "day after" lunch, just a lazy day to enjoy a long brunch y meal, and go over the gifts.Whatever wasn't made during these three days will be baked or cooked in the ensuing ones.

The holidays can drive anyone crazy, especially the home chefs and bakers. Pace yourself. Stretch out the holiday kitchen scene before you stretch out yourself.