One of the richest and tastiest of all the Christmas and New Year's traditions is eggnog. This creamy,boozy brew has been around for centuries, delighting generations at the holidays. There's nothing better than a cup of nog and good friends.
Egg nog is one of America's earliest inventions. It was a variation of milk and wine punches served throughout 17th and 18th Century Europe. The colonists decided to add their own spin by substituting the wine with the ever plentiful rum and the milk with cream. Whole eggs were also added in, to give the drink more body. The name started off as egg and grog and over the years evolved into egg nog. Another theory for the name was that it was first served in a wooden cup called a noggin (which held a mix of Spanish sherry and milk or a sack posset. )It was popular not just at Christmas but at any New Year's open house.
Like our ancestors you can make your own version of this rich drink. Unlike our ancestors, don't wind up with salmonella. Heat the eggs up in a gentle bath for a few seconds.Use a bain marie or double boiler. This will kill off any bacteria that could be there and enables you to have a safe drink. As for cream, I'd recommend whole because you want a rich, frothy brew. As for the alcohol , you can go traditional and add rum . It's probably the best choice be cause of its' sweet flavor which lends an almost caramel undertaste to the nog. Some recipes do call for sherry or bourbon. These give a different spin to your nog and may be too strong for some tastes. You can make an non alcoholic egg nog if you want (perfect for Christmas parties ). Just remember to add sugar and vanilla extract for flavoring.
This is the season for a good cup of egg nog. Toast the holidays with this traditional , creamy drink. It's the perfect way to celebrate with family and friends.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Holiday Candy Land
Even better than holiday cookies are holiday candies. These sweet snacks are just what you need after a hectic day of shopping or gift wrapping. They're also the perfect companion to a hot cup of coffee or tea and a relaxing book. Homemade candies are easy to make and don't have the hassle of a hot oven or a lot of pans and bowls. You can make up a batch without all the fuss and bother.
Chocolate bark is the easiest to make., It's basically melted chocolate spread over a greased cookie sheet. Swirls are made over the top to give it the appearance of a tree's surface. You can add everything form almonds (a good choice) to broken peppermint candies or candy canes. You can also make a peppermint bark using white chocolate and the swirling red food coloring through the candy to give it a true Christmas look.
My favorite candy to make are haystacks These are one of the staples of Jersey shore candy. They're just simply toasted coconut mixed in with melted chocolate chips and a two to three tablespoons of butter. The mix is then dropped into mound son a waxed paper or a greased cookie sheets. There are several variations on them, with some recipes calling for Chinese noodles and almonds along with the coconut. I prefer making mine with dark chocolate and a pound bag of shredded coconut. It's a perfect blend of dark fudge with chewy shreds. Yum.
My one friend is into making truffles for the holidays. She is a master cook and baker, with a history of creating top of the line treats. Lou uses fresh cream and the best cocoa to create mouth water ganaches. Her truffles are better than those at Lilac Chocolates, one of Manhattan's best chocolatiers. Truffles are a more labor intensive candy but worth the effort. There is an easy recipe out there that requires chocolate chips for those not wanting to get too involved. with truffle making process.
T'is the season for treats. Make up a few for you and your family to enjoy this holiday season.
Liz's Haystack Recipe
1 16 oz bag of semi sweet chocolate chips.
2-3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 12 oz bag of shredded coconut
Melt chocolate and butter or margarine in the microwave for a minute and a half or two minutes (this depends on your microwave) Stir in coconut .until thoroughly blended. Using a tablespoon, drop onto a greased cookie sheet or one covered with waxed paper. You can use two tablespoons to create bigger mounds. Let cool in the fridge or on your porch if you have one. Store in a cool dry place until serving.
Chocolate bark is the easiest to make., It's basically melted chocolate spread over a greased cookie sheet. Swirls are made over the top to give it the appearance of a tree's surface. You can add everything form almonds (a good choice) to broken peppermint candies or candy canes. You can also make a peppermint bark using white chocolate and the swirling red food coloring through the candy to give it a true Christmas look.
My favorite candy to make are haystacks These are one of the staples of Jersey shore candy. They're just simply toasted coconut mixed in with melted chocolate chips and a two to three tablespoons of butter. The mix is then dropped into mound son a waxed paper or a greased cookie sheets. There are several variations on them, with some recipes calling for Chinese noodles and almonds along with the coconut. I prefer making mine with dark chocolate and a pound bag of shredded coconut. It's a perfect blend of dark fudge with chewy shreds. Yum.
My one friend is into making truffles for the holidays. She is a master cook and baker, with a history of creating top of the line treats. Lou uses fresh cream and the best cocoa to create mouth water ganaches. Her truffles are better than those at Lilac Chocolates, one of Manhattan's best chocolatiers. Truffles are a more labor intensive candy but worth the effort. There is an easy recipe out there that requires chocolate chips for those not wanting to get too involved. with truffle making process.
T'is the season for treats. Make up a few for you and your family to enjoy this holiday season.
Liz's Haystack Recipe
1 16 oz bag of semi sweet chocolate chips.
2-3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 12 oz bag of shredded coconut
Melt chocolate and butter or margarine in the microwave for a minute and a half or two minutes (this depends on your microwave) Stir in coconut .until thoroughly blended. Using a tablespoon, drop onto a greased cookie sheet or one covered with waxed paper. You can use two tablespoons to create bigger mounds. Let cool in the fridge or on your porch if you have one. Store in a cool dry place until serving.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Garlic Bread - Comfort Food For The Holidays
Garlic bread has always held a special place in my heart. It was one of the first foods that I truly fell in love with and was a big part of my childhood. It still is. Who can resist garlic bread though? The golden loaf, , every other slice studded with a small slice of garlic clove, each slice a drift in butter and oil. Then you have the crust, well, oiled and salted down. Garlic bread is perfect for the upcoming holidays. It goes well with red meat or with any pasta dish. It's also good cold with a slab of roast beef on top.
When was this treat first made? Probably early on in Italian households. Garlic grows throughout the Mediterranean so it was almost a no brainer to pair it with a long loaf of crusty and rich olive oil. I'm guessing that my Piedmontese grandmother and great aunts added the butter part as an extra (they were also influenced by the Lombards and their many uses for butter). You can add cheese on garlic bread but that's ruining the taste. The one variation that I'll allow is rubbing the crust with seas salt as opposed to regular salt. This gives more crunch to the crust
Garlic bread is the perfect side to any holiday pasta or red meat dish . It will certainly be a part of my holiday dinners.
When was this treat first made? Probably early on in Italian households. Garlic grows throughout the Mediterranean so it was almost a no brainer to pair it with a long loaf of crusty and rich olive oil. I'm guessing that my Piedmontese grandmother and great aunts added the butter part as an extra (they were also influenced by the Lombards and their many uses for butter). You can add cheese on garlic bread but that's ruining the taste. The one variation that I'll allow is rubbing the crust with seas salt as opposed to regular salt. This gives more crunch to the crust
Garlic bread is the perfect side to any holiday pasta or red meat dish . It will certainly be a part of my holiday dinners.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Oatmeal - Your Diesel Fuel This Season
Cold winter mornings are no fun. You have to leave a blissful slumber and a warm bed to face the world. The weather is either bitter cold, snowy sleet or all three. What's going to keep you from crawling back under the covers?
A nice hot bowl of oatmeal.
It's no wonder that next month, January is designated oatmeal month. We'll be needing this age old breakfast staple until the spring thaw. It's not only beneficial but also a balm to comfort us on these meat locker cold mornings. Rolled oats are a good way to start a day. They perfect for those on a diet as well as being good for arthritis. It has complex carbohydrates as well as much needed fiber to keep us all happy and healthy. It's much less greasier than eggs and bacon and not full of calories like French toast or pancakes.
Oatmeal has been a staple of Scottish cooking from the time of the Celts. It's used not just for breakfast but for desserts (oatmeal cookies came about in the 1800's) and used as thickener for soups and stews. There are the uncut hulled oats, or groats which takes five minutes to cook and the cut ones which take only a minute. You can use the e cut ones in baking and thickening. The Scots also use it for their blood puddings and as poultry stuffing. it can also be cooked with butter and cream to create a type of porridge called brose. In the US, we see it on any thing healthy from granola bars to all natural cookies.
During these mornings, treat yourself to a hearty and healthy bowl of oatmeal. You'll be able to face that sleeting rain and crabby boss feeling fortified and full.
A nice hot bowl of oatmeal.
It's no wonder that next month, January is designated oatmeal month. We'll be needing this age old breakfast staple until the spring thaw. It's not only beneficial but also a balm to comfort us on these meat locker cold mornings. Rolled oats are a good way to start a day. They perfect for those on a diet as well as being good for arthritis. It has complex carbohydrates as well as much needed fiber to keep us all happy and healthy. It's much less greasier than eggs and bacon and not full of calories like French toast or pancakes.
Oatmeal has been a staple of Scottish cooking from the time of the Celts. It's used not just for breakfast but for desserts (oatmeal cookies came about in the 1800's) and used as thickener for soups and stews. There are the uncut hulled oats, or groats which takes five minutes to cook and the cut ones which take only a minute. You can use the e cut ones in baking and thickening. The Scots also use it for their blood puddings and as poultry stuffing. it can also be cooked with butter and cream to create a type of porridge called brose. In the US, we see it on any thing healthy from granola bars to all natural cookies.
During these mornings, treat yourself to a hearty and healthy bowl of oatmeal. You'll be able to face that sleeting rain and crabby boss feeling fortified and full.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Special Delivery
Even though Christmas is two weeks away you can still have food delivered to yourself or family and friends. The question is do you? Some companies do make a tasty product. Others make you wonder why they stayed in business in the firs t place. There's really no trick in finding the
best company with the best product. Sometimes it's good to go n recommendations while with others just cross your fingers and just click.
One of the safest foods to choose is fruit. Apples and oranges won't disappoint (unless they come rotten or wormy). Any kind of nut is good as is popcorn. You know what to expect with these. Cakes and cookies can be a little dicey. The catalog or online description may say one thing. The actual taste may be other. Luckily I've had good luck with the cakes I've ordered from http://www.coffeecake.com/ .They came moist and redolent of cinnamon and butter. They were never stale and never crumby or dry. I've also had luck with all sorts of candy and vegan products (this last is from a great website http://www.veganessentials.com/) . I have yet to order regular meat and cheese on line. Sauces are another item that won't disappoint. The web site, Ginger People, has provided me with some yummy ginger laced barbecue sauces along with marinades, cookies and candy. I can't buy their stuff in my local A&P so I have to rely on their shipping.
What websites will work for you? That's your decision on what you like to eat and to give. Again sometimes it's a trial and error , sometimes it's best to read what people have to say about these products. If you want togive any food for X-Mas, order now and press guaranteed Christmas delivery. Also popular items may be sold out and the company may wait until after New Year's to restock. (this rarely , if ever happens, yet some companies feel the need to reorder after January 1st).
If you want a special treat this holiday then go to the web and find it. It should arrive to you just in time to give to yourself or to family and friends.
best company with the best product. Sometimes it's good to go n recommendations while with others just cross your fingers and just click.
One of the safest foods to choose is fruit. Apples and oranges won't disappoint (unless they come rotten or wormy). Any kind of nut is good as is popcorn. You know what to expect with these. Cakes and cookies can be a little dicey. The catalog or online description may say one thing. The actual taste may be other. Luckily I've had good luck with the cakes I've ordered from http://www.coffeecake.com/ .They came moist and redolent of cinnamon and butter. They were never stale and never crumby or dry. I've also had luck with all sorts of candy and vegan products (this last is from a great website http://www.veganessentials.com/) . I have yet to order regular meat and cheese on line. Sauces are another item that won't disappoint. The web site, Ginger People, has provided me with some yummy ginger laced barbecue sauces along with marinades, cookies and candy. I can't buy their stuff in my local A&P so I have to rely on their shipping.
What websites will work for you? That's your decision on what you like to eat and to give. Again sometimes it's a trial and error , sometimes it's best to read what people have to say about these products. If you want togive any food for X-Mas, order now and press guaranteed Christmas delivery. Also popular items may be sold out and the company may wait until after New Year's to restock. (this rarely , if ever happens, yet some companies feel the need to reorder after January 1st).
If you want a special treat this holiday then go to the web and find it. It should arrive to you just in time to give to yourself or to family and friends.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
A Southern Christmas
The American South is known for its' variety of different dishes. This also means Southerners have a large choice of what they eat for Christmas. There are all sorts of meats , sides and of course desserts. The cuisine is a mix of African, Creole, English, Cajun and Spanish cooking. It is full of down home love with local ingredients. All this makes Christmas a special holiday a true feast for the senses.
Most Southerners appreciate a good ham to cook. This tradition has gone back to Colonial times when farms had plenty of pigs and hogs to spare. Fried turkey is another meat that;s on everyone;s dish on Christmas Day. There;s also that odd and bizarre creation of turducken where a chicken is stuffed inside a duck that in turn is stuffed inside a turkey. Of course there are home made biscuits to either dip in gravy or spread with butter. Sides usually consist of yams , okra, collard greens and green beans.
For Christmas parties there's always egg nog and non alcoholic punches.With this come a variety of sweets from pecan pies to snowflake pudding, a vanilla pudding riddled with coconut flakes. There is also the usual fruitcake. soaked in bourbon or whiskey as well as small butter cookies. Thanks to the French traditions. Louisianians have buche de Noel, a traditional holiday cake baked in the shape of the Yule log. There are also pralines for the kids to nibble on as they play with their new toys.
Christmas in the South is a unique experience, full of native foods and centuries old recipes. They make Christmas not only fun but full of tasty treats.
Most Southerners appreciate a good ham to cook. This tradition has gone back to Colonial times when farms had plenty of pigs and hogs to spare. Fried turkey is another meat that;s on everyone;s dish on Christmas Day. There;s also that odd and bizarre creation of turducken where a chicken is stuffed inside a duck that in turn is stuffed inside a turkey. Of course there are home made biscuits to either dip in gravy or spread with butter. Sides usually consist of yams , okra, collard greens and green beans.
For Christmas parties there's always egg nog and non alcoholic punches.With this come a variety of sweets from pecan pies to snowflake pudding, a vanilla pudding riddled with coconut flakes. There is also the usual fruitcake. soaked in bourbon or whiskey as well as small butter cookies. Thanks to the French traditions. Louisianians have buche de Noel, a traditional holiday cake baked in the shape of the Yule log. There are also pralines for the kids to nibble on as they play with their new toys.
Christmas in the South is a unique experience, full of native foods and centuries old recipes. They make Christmas not only fun but full of tasty treats.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Pfefferneuse A Christmas Treat
Germany and Holland practically invented Christmas. Thanks to them we have the Christmas tree and plates of sweets. They also gave us pfefferneuse or pfeffernusse, the staple of many a cookie tray. What would the holiday be without them?
Pfeffernusse means peppered nuts because there are ground walnuts and almonds in them. They originated in Holland where they were called pepernoten. Germans also loved the richly spiced taste of these cookies and incorporated them into their holidays sweets.They were brought here in the mid 1800's when waves of German immigrants flooded the US. They are a cookie not for the faint hearted. Pfeffernusse are richly spiced with cardamon, black or white pepper and cloves. They may taste too medicinal for the average shortbread or butter cookie lover.
If you do love these spicy little rounds the question is to bake or to buy? Pfeffernussesare about as labor intensive as any other spice cookie. Only German bakeries really carry truly authentic kinds. If you do get the mass produced store bought variety, then you're stuck with hard little lumps that have an unpleasant taste and glue like icing. (although Target has a chai spice cookie sold year round that actually comes very similar in taste to real homemade pfeffernusse) . The best bet is visit your local bakery if there's a good German or even Dutch one in your area. If not bake up a batch for the holidays.
Pfeffernusse is a holiday treat that can't be missed. Have a few for a very old fashioned Dutch or German Christmas.
Pfeffernusse means peppered nuts because there are ground walnuts and almonds in them. They originated in Holland where they were called pepernoten. Germans also loved the richly spiced taste of these cookies and incorporated them into their holidays sweets.They were brought here in the mid 1800's when waves of German immigrants flooded the US. They are a cookie not for the faint hearted. Pfeffernusse are richly spiced with cardamon, black or white pepper and cloves. They may taste too medicinal for the average shortbread or butter cookie lover.
If you do love these spicy little rounds the question is to bake or to buy? Pfeffernussesare about as labor intensive as any other spice cookie. Only German bakeries really carry truly authentic kinds. If you do get the mass produced store bought variety, then you're stuck with hard little lumps that have an unpleasant taste and glue like icing. (although Target has a chai spice cookie sold year round that actually comes very similar in taste to real homemade pfeffernusse) . The best bet is visit your local bakery if there's a good German or even Dutch one in your area. If not bake up a batch for the holidays.
Pfeffernusse is a holiday treat that can't be missed. Have a few for a very old fashioned Dutch or German Christmas.
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