Mocha Roasted Almonds

These yummy snacks make great party fare, awesome little treats for gift baskets, and truly yummy snacks to keep in the office drawer.  I imagine you could easily swap any nuts for almonds if you liked something else better.

Mocha Roasted Almonds

• 4 Cups Whole Almonds
• 2 Egg Whites, Beaten
• 1 teaspoon Coffee Liqueur or Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
• 2 teaspoons Instant Espresso Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Mix together brown sugar, cocoa powder, instant espresso, and salt.  Beat together the egg whites and coffee liqueur until frothy.  Pour the egg white mixture over the almonds and toss together, add the spice mixture and stir until the nuts are coated.

Spread onto a parchment paper / silicone sheet lined baking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes giving the nuts a stir every 10 to 15 minutes.  Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container. 

Coffee Liqueur Two Ways

Looking for a quick last minute gift idea or just a way to fill up your liquor cabinet in a frugal manner?  Here is two ways to make coffee liqueur depending on the time you have available:

Coffee Liqueur - 1 Month Method

• 1 Vanilla Bean, split and chopped fine
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 2 Cups Water
• 1/2 Cup Instant Coffee
• 1 1/2 Cups Vodka

Combine the chopped vanilla bean and sugar in a saucepan, add 1 and 1/2 cups water and simmer for 10 minutes.  Combine the instant coffee with 1/2 cup water and stir until dissolved.  Add the dissolved coffee to the sugar syrup and allow to cool.  Add the vodka and let steep in a cool dark place for one month.  Strain the vanilla bean and bottle for gift giving or drinking.

Coffee Liqueur - 3 Day Method

• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 2 Cups Water
• 1/2 Cup Instant Coffee
• 1 1/2 Cups Vodka

Combine the sugar and 1 and 1/2 cups water in a saucepan, simmer for 10 minutes.  Combine the instant coffee with 1/2 cup water and stir until dissolved.  Add the dissolved coffee to the sugar syrup and allow to cool.  Add the vodka and vanilla extract.  Let flavors marry for three days in a cool dark place.  Bottle for gift giving or drinking.

Wassail

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! We are enjoying some wassail while waiting for the turkey to get done.  Wassail is such a great hot drink to serve during the holidays. And really easy to make. There are lots of variations to this recipe out there, but I like to keep it simple so here is what I do....

Wassail
1 gallon apple cider
2 cups orange juice
1 or 2 oranges - sliced
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Add ingredients to a 7 or 8 quart slow cooker.  Simmer for 2 to 4 hours. Turn to warm and serve in mugs.

NOTES:
* the orange I used today was fairly large so only used one
* if you don't have allspice use mixture of ginger and cloves they always taste good too

Gift idea: Biscotti

After baking up a ton of sweet stuff this holiday, I was looking for something homemade to gift some foodie friends on my list. Biscotti came to mind- not too terribly sweet, but flavorful and it still gives me the chance to play around with different combinations of ingredients.

I adapted Giada De Laurentiis' holiday biscotti recipe. I opted not to dip them in white chocolate and cover them in sprinkles, and changed out the nuts from pistachios to chopped walnuts. The result was a slightly sweet cookie with a gentle lemon undernote, just the right amount of crumble when dipped in coffee, and a buttery, nutty flavor accented with cranberries.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a heavy, large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend, and set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest and salt together.
Add eggs in, beating them one at a time.
3. Add the flour mixture and mix until everything is just blended. Stir in dried fruit and nuts.
4. Form the dough into a log, about 3” wide, on the prepared baking sheet. Mine ended up being about a foot long.
5. Bake until light golden – about 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. There may be some crumbling when you slice... I made sure to cool completely before moving onto the next step to minimize that.
6. Using a serrated knife, slice through biscotti at a diagonal. Arrange slices onto baking pan, slice-side-down. Bake again at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the tops are light golden brown and the edges are crisp.
7. Cool completely before packaging.



My next batch? Walnuts, dried cherries, dipped halfway in melted dark chocolate.

A little Latke here, and a little latke there...

In our house we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. And with Hanukkah quickly approaching, there is much discussion on what type of Latkes we will be eating. Everyone has a preference and no fear of expressing what their favorites are. So what happens is that we wind up having almost 8 different types of Latkes. My 4 year old says that's okay because it just means one type for each night. I, on the other hand, would rather not be frying food for my family for 8 nights.

That said, for those of you who may feel so inclined to try out some latke recipes, here are a few of our family favorite recipes and/or variations:

Traditional Potato Latke

Ingredients:
2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes ( I prefer to use red potatoes, but you can use any type of potato that you like)
1 tablespoon grated onion (Himself prefers more onion, so instead of using grated onion, I finely chop a whole onion)
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (If your mixture is too watery or loose, simply add more flour as needed)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
oil for frying (I prefer peanut oil, but you can use any type of oil you like -- olive oil doesn't work the best however so don't use that)

Directions:
place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible.

In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.

In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!

**note** we serve ours with both apple sauce and sour cream on the side for those who may want either with their latkes.

Sweet Potato Latkes

Ingredients:
4 large sweet potato, peeled and grated
2 onion, grated
8 eggs
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons oil, or more if needed
2 teaspoons salt
applesauce
plain nonfat yogurt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Fill a bowl with lightly-salted water. Rinse the grated sweet potato in the water, and drain into a sieve. Pat the grated sweet potato dry with a cloth or paper towels, then place into a bowl. Squeeze excess moisture from the grated onion, and place into the bowl with the sweet potato. Stir the eggs and pepper into the mixture until well combined.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, and spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon of the potato mixture per patty into the hot oil. Flatten the patties with a fork, and fry until golden brown and crisp on the bottom, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, sprinkle with salt, then set the cooked patties aside on the prepared baking sheet in the preheated oven while you finish cooking the latkes.

Stir the potato mixture before cooking each batch of patties.

**Note** we serve these with hot with applesauce and yogurt.

Variations:
Some variations that we like to our traditional potato latkes are to grate in some carrot, and celery.

Another of our variations is to grate in zucchini and yellow squash. If you choose to do this with the squash, you will need to definitely add more flour to keep things together as the squash retains a lot of water.

Another variation is to grate in apple with your sweet potato latke mixture. That gives it a bit of sweet and savory all in one. This is my youngest daughters favorite type to eat. We sometimes make those and serve them for breakfast. I also add some cinnamon to this mixture.

And lastly the latest variation we have tried is to grate potato, zucchini, carrot, onion, and eggplant all together. We season this mixture with garlic, salt, pepper, and some hot sauce into the mixture of egg and flour. These are served with creme fraiche in our house.

No matter what way you do your latkes this holiday season, may you share many memories, and good times. Happy Hanukkah.

Pumpkin Wontons

I got the original recipe off of Kraft. I think they would be great if you have to go a Christmas or New Years Eve party. They are easy and tasty. I did modify it a bit as I have worked with wontons before and didn't feel there was a need for the egg white that Kraft had in their recipe. I also used more wonton wrappers but kept their number in the recipe too.

12 caramels

1 tsp.  water

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp.  ground cinnamon, divided

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup  canned pumpkin

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp.  flour

1/4 tsp. orange zest

20-24   won ton wrappers

 water

2 cups  oil

2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

MICROWAVE caramels and water in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec.; stir. Heat for another 30 sec. Stir until caramels are completely melted.Cool 2 min. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Refrigerate until ready to use.

WHISK cream cheese, pumpkin, brown sugar, flour, zest and remaining cinnamon until well blended. Spoon about 2 tsp. onto center of each won ton wrapper. Moisten edges with water; fold diagonally in half. Moisten edges again with water pressing edges together tightly to seal.

HEAT oil in large saucepan on medium-high heat to 350ºF. Add won tons, in batches; cook 2 to 3 min. or until evenly browned. Drain. Cool slightly or to room temperature. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with caramel sauce

MAKE AHEAD

Cook won tons as directed except don't sprinkle with powdered sugar. Freeze up to 2 months. When ready to reheat, place frozen won tons on baking sheet. (No need to thaw first.) Bake at 350°F for 15 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

COOKING KNOW-HOW

* Won ton wrappers quickly dry out, keep them covered with a damp clean kitchen towel until you are ready to use them.

* I found the dip didn't go quite smoothly but it might have been because I didn't use Kraft caramels. When I mixed it into the sour cream, it hardened right away because the sour cream was cool so cooled the caramel. There were clumps of caramel in the dip. So it didn't exactly go as directed.  I think next time I would use like caramel you use for ice cream topping. I think it would mix more smoothly after being heated for a few moments. 

Friday Favorites: Holiday treats edition

Right now, my focus is on baking Christmas cookies. And so I've been digging through recipe site after recipe site to find a few that have consistently good feedback and meet our picky Santa's tastes (mmmm. shortbread!)

Here's the ones that made my cut:
Ina Garten's Shortbread
Russian Tea Cakes
Holiday Biscotti
Raspberry and Almond Thumbprints
World's Best Butter Cookies

We also do Caramel Popcorn for the holidays, too.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Cut Out Cookie

I  made these cookies last year instead of my cardamon cut-out cookies. But I love cardamon so I couldn't imagine my Christmas without a cookie with cardamon so I made a little change to the original recipe so that I could have cardamom.  I have to say I am not sure which I like better these or the Cardamom Cut-Out Cookies. These were a really good cut-out cookie.... flaky and buttery such great flavor. They even have some healthy elements to them. 

Cinnamon Oatmeal Cut Out Cookies 
adapted from King Arthur Flour's Chewy Oatmeal Decorating Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (King Arthur's recipe has ginger)
2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (I only use Unbleached All-Purpose flour now)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour, traditional or white wheat
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
cinnamon sugar 

To prepare the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter and sugar, then add the egg, vanilla, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and cardamom, beating until smooth. Beat in the flours and oats. The original recipe warns that the mixture may look dry at first but then it will come together - I didn't have that problem. It was pretty moist all the way through the mixing process. Divide the dough into two pieces, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

To shape the cookies: Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it into a circle about 14" in diameter. Use your favorite cutters to cut out cookies, re-rolling and cutting the scraps. Place the cutout cookies on lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets; set them fairly close together, as they don’t spread.

To bake the cookies: Bake the cookies for about 9 to 10 minutes: the shorter amount of time will make softer cookies, the longer amount of time, crisper cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and transfer to a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough. 

Yield: 6 1/2 dozen 2 ½" cookies.

NOTES:
* I wish I had ran the oats through my food processor just a little bit. Maybe just 2 pulses. Because in cutting the cookies out through the oats was difficult at times. And so the stars didn't have clean edges. I think having the oats in smaller pieces would have helped that. But you don't want oat flour you want oats so that is why I say only 2 pulses. Maybe only one. I just feel it would be easier if they were in a little smaller pieces. But they still turned out good and I even if I don't have time or the food processor thing doesn't work - then I would still make these cookies as they are very good. 

* These cookies are great for high altitude cooking. The oats and whole wheat flour helps hold them together. They don't spread at all. 

* They weren't good to ship at least not loosely in a container. They broke. We shipped some to Master's parents and I think I included some in a package to my sister and brother-in-law. But Master's parents told use that the stars didn't make it. As I said above they were light and flaky. Although they weren't crumbly. I just feel it was to being jostled so much in shipping they broke. But they aren't fragile cookies just in normal conditions (such as sitting in a cookie jar and being eaten because they are so good).

These cookies were really good. I loved that they had whole wheat and oats in them. And I will be making them again this year. I might be trying different spices in them and possibly drizzling them with some dark chocolate.

Cookie, cookies everywhere....

It's beginning to look a lot like cookies!! Cookies cookies everywhere. In our house one of the things that always signifies a holiday is food. As a child there were always different foods that came out at various holidays that might not have been seen at other times of the year. As an adult, I like to keep those same memories alive by continuing along those lines. So with that in the month of December, my daughters and I do a lot of baking. We make many different types of treats. Some to keep and eat, some to have on hand for that last minute holiday guest, and some to give as gifts to others.

No other time of year sounds, tastes, and feels like cookies to me as much as the month of December. By the time Chanukah, Christmas, and the new year roll around we will have baked at least 24 different types of cookies.

But our very favorite that would not be the holidays without is Florentine cookies. These delightful little tasty treats just scream holidays to me. I'm not really sure why other than I remember as a child making them with my grandmothers and my mother. So for the past forty years I have enjoyed these treats with my family and now with my own daughters. It's exciting to me to pass down cookie recipes from generation to generation.

Do you have similar traditions in your family regarding recipes? Do you have a favorite food or treat that signifies the start of the winter holiday season? If not, perhaps this is the year you will start a tradition that can continue on with your family into the future years. Making memories to me is far more important than any present we can share. In fact it is the best present we can share with our loved ones, the making of memories.

In this case, it's in the form of Florentine cookies. I hope you and yours enjoy these delightful cookies as much as my family does.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups sliced, blanched almonds
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I have tried this using wheat flour but don't like how it turns out)
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 to 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. I always use parchment paper.

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty. Stir together the nuts, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.

Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine. Set aside until cool enough to handle, 30 minutes.

Scoop rounded teaspoons (for 3-inch cookies) or rounded tablespoons (for 6-inch cookies) of batter and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread.

Bake 1 pan at a time, until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color throughout, rotating pans halfway through baking time, about 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining batter.

Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very low simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, about 1 to 2 minutes more.)

Drizzle melted chocolate over Florentines as desired. Set aside at room temperature until chocolate is set.

Busy baker's tips: Store baked cookies carefully, separated by parchment or waxed paper, in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Florentines are best stored separated from moist cookies and cakes.

Holiday Treats

Holiday treats that I have posted the past several years on Domestic Servitude. 

1. C.C Peppermint Bark Cookies - Chocolate chip cookies with peppermint bark in them too

2. "Gourmet" Popcorn -  Chocolate popcorn in the photos but 2 other popcorns in the post - Zesty and Butterscotch

3. Peanut Butter Blossoms - a classic cookie...peanut butter cookie with a Hershey kiss pushed into when they are warm out of the oven

4. Ritz Mints -  Ritz crackers dipped into chocolate with peppermint extract and then crushed candy canes on top

5. Maple Fudge - if you love maple flavor you will love this fudge.  I have given very detailed instructions as this was my own creation after searching the net and not being happy with any of the maple fudges I found

6. Cardamom Cut-out Cookies - my most requested recipe...they turn out very pretty and have a lot of flavor 

7. Chocolate Peppermint Cookies - these cookies always seem to be a hit also. Not much to them just a chocolate cookie with pink peppermint icing

8.  Gingerbread Muffins - really good for Christmas morning.  

9. Cookies-n-Cream Bark - This is probably the easiest recipe I make at Christmas time, but also something everyone enjoys

Cream Cheese Cookies

These cookies are so easy. I like that you can change the flavor on them easily too. This one I used lemon extract and they turned out really good. But I have also done almond, vanilla and orange extracts.  I think adding nutmeg, cardamom and/or cinnamon.  These cookie are really good cookies to make in high altitude - they keep their shape really well because it is cooked in a log before cutting. 

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. (lemon) extract --- use whatever flavor you like
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup powdered sugar

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Beat cream cheese, butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and extract to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Gradually add combined flour and baking powder, beating until well blended after each addition.

DIVIDE dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into 12x1-inch log; place, 2 inches apart, on large ungreased baking sheet. 

BAKE 25 to 27 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks; cool slightly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut each log into 12 diagonal slices.


click on the title and then the print button

Faux Cadbury Creme Eggs

Just in time for Easter, make your own Cadbury eggs!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
yellow food coloring
1 bag milk chocolate chips

First, cream together the butter, syrup, salt and vanilla. Slowly add the 3 cups of powdered sugar. It'll get super thick and you'll think you'll need to add some liquid, but it smooths itself out.



TIP: As you add the sugar, be careful not to let it poof up into a thick cloud of sugary-dust that is then sucked into the motor of your mixer, causing it to stink like fried electrical parts and resulting in a Master who says you can't use it anymore because it is ruined. Because then you will be mixer-less (sad face).

That's it. That's the Hogwarty-creation that is the magical deliciousness of the creme filling in a Cadbury egg. Who knew!

If you want it to look genuine, you can divide your creme filling, putting a small amount into a separate bowl, and add the food coloring to make the 'yolks'. We skipped this step because it just seemed like an unnecessary mess.

Now, take your filling, which is thick and very, very sticky, and try to roll it into balls. It's definitely easier to roll if you pop the bowl into the freezer for a few minutes and let it get nice and cold. The coat your hands in powdered sugar and make balls.

We had fun making balls.

More fun than is appropriate, actually.

We're strange.

Anyway.

If the mixture gets too sticky to work with, put it back in the freezer. Cold balls are best.

We lined up our balls on a cookie sheet and then stabbed them all with lollipop sticks. Again with the fun. [insert Psycho-stabbing music here]

We put the cookie sheet in the freezer while we melted the chocolate in the microwave.

If you're going with the yellow 'yolk' part, you need to first make smaller yellow balls, then somehow get that ball into the middle of the white ball. Meh. I'm lazy. Good luck!

We chose to go with the dipping chocolate method rather than trying to get the chocolate into egg molds, because, again, I'm lazy (and cheap. I wasn't going to go buy egg molds.) so I can't give you any hints on how to use molds. Needless to say, my yolk-less, nonegg-shaped, faux Cadbury eggs weren't very pretty.

We lined them up on a foil-covered cookie sheet (foil because I thought I was out of parchment paper, which would have been less sticky, and then found the parchment paper after we were done).




The dipping was difficult-ish. The warm chocolate made the balls get all gloopy and melty. They kept falling off the sticks. It became more of a 'roll it in chocolate' than actual dipping.

And we need to learn how to temper chocolate because it really didn't want to harden into a manageable shell very well. They did harden up some in the fridge, but... yeah. That part needs work.



Another part that needs work is the type of chocolate. The flavor was definitely not Cadbury-egg flavor. So next time, I would not use chocolate chips. I'm not sure exactly what I will use, though.

The finished product:



In doing bite-by-bite, side-by-side comparison with a real Cadbury egg, we determined that the filling was pretty damn close in flavor. Maybe not exact, and certainly a little bit off in texture, which I think was more a temperature thing than an ingredient thing, but close enough as to be acceptable. Because we were eating the homemade ones refrigerator-cold, and the real ones at room temp, the homemade filling felt thicker. I think at room temp, it would be the same. Unfortunately, at room temp, the homemade one's chocolate 'shell' starts to melt. Feh.

All in all, it was a great success. It was fun, and different, and Master ate about 10 of them so he obviously approved. The kids approved. Most importantly, I approve. ;-)





We ganked the recipe from here.

Holiday Traditions: New Year’s Superstitions

Most of us are familiar with the idea that eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day is supposed to be lucky.

How about some other New Year’s Traditions and Superstitions?

• First Footer – If the first person to cross your threshold is a dark-haired man, it is supposed to be good luck. It is BAD luck if the first footer is a woman. Also it is considered lucky if visitors on New Year’s Day come bearing gifts, bringing prosperity to the household they are visiting. Conversely, nothing should be taken from the home on New Year’s Day (which makes me wonder where you are supposed to store the items you are taking to friends??)
• Along these same lines, your pantry should be stocked, your wallet have money and you should wear new clothes on New Year’s Day. A full pantry and wallet ensure you will want for nothing in the coming year, the new clothes, especially red, ensure good fortune.
• A favorite tradition of mine is that a few minutes before midnight, I open up all the windows in the house, to let the bad luck from the previous year flow out and good luck for the new year flow in.
• Do some work, but not dishes or laundry. Doing work shows that you are willing to work during the new year, but washing dishes or laundry is said to foreshadow a death in the family. However, do not start a big project on New Year’s Day.
• Baba Jaga (or Yaga) – Now I haven’t been able to find anything on this particular tradition, but I remember it from my childhood. My Polish step-grandmother used to say that on New Year’s it was good luck to make a Baba Yaga figure and put it on the front door. Baba Yaga is a witch in Slavic/Russian tradition. She is sometimes seen as an old hag who steals children, but is often portrayed as someone who you seek out for wisdom and guidance. My own Baba Yaga is a Styrofoam ball covered in strips of cloth, with a handkerchief tied around her head and buttons for eyes.
• My favorite New Year’s tradition is one that is said to bring luck and wealth. You burn a bayberry scented candle and while lighting it say the following charm.

A bayberry candle when burned to the socket,
Brings luck to the home and money to the pocket!

• All Holiday decorations should be taken down by January 5th, which is the 12th Night or 12th Day of Christmas (remember the song?)
• I mentioned black-eyed peas, but how about some other New Year’s Foods? The following foods consumed on New Year’s Day are all said to bring luck:

• Grapes – in Spain it is lucky to eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight, one for each month of the year. If the grape is sweet or bitter, it represents how well that month will go for the person eating it.
• Greens – Collards, Kale, Mustard, the green represents money, which we all want more of right?
• Beans – Not just black eyed peas, but peas and lentils as well because they resemble coins.
• Pork – different countries all over the world will eat different parts of the pig for New Year’s. In Sweden, it’s pig’s feet, in Germany, sausage, in a lot of different countries including Spain, Portugal and Austria, roast suckling pig is served. Pigs mean prosperity (again with the money theme!)
• Cakes/Baked Goods - Sometimes with a hidden surprise (like King’s Cake in New Orleans that is served at Mardi Gras). In Italy they make fried dough called chiacchiere drenched in honey. I have a dim memory of my grandmother making these as a small child. Honey for a “sweet” New Year.

How about a few recipes?

Hoppin ‘ John

Traditionally served with ham hocks, I found a recipe that was slightly quicker and easier!

1 lb of bulk sausage, crumbled
½ small onion chopped
3 cans of black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
3 cups of chicken broth
½ cup – 1 cup water
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Dash of cumin
Salt and Pepper
Cooked rice

Place the sausage and onion into a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir until the sausage begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the black-eyed peas, chicken stock, water, and spices, and bring to a boil, simmer till reduced Serve over Rice.


I had a hard time finding a chiacchiere that matched what I remember my grandmother making. Everything I found dusted them with powdered sugar or chocolate chips. Also, she never called them chiacchiere, but crostoli. I found out doing my research that different areas of Italy refer to the pastries by different names. The EASIEST way to celebrate would be to buy some Stella D’oro Palmiere cookies. These are the closest to what I remember Grandma’s tasting like (and my aunties used to buy them as treats for us when I was younger!)

However, if you really want to make your own…

4 cups flour
4 eggs
1 1/3 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
Dash of salt
Dash of dry white wine or grappa (optional)

Oil for frying
Honey
Sanding Sugar

Combine flour, salt and melted butter in large bowl. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add wine or grappa if desired. Let dough stand for about 1 hour, covered.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then roll out into a circle or rectangle

Heat oil, fry each piece of dough, turning twice until golden. Remove to paper towel to drain of excess oil, drizzle honey while hot, sprinkle with sanding sugar.


My name is Rheya. If you would have asked me 20 years ago if I saw myself cooking, cleaning, sewing and serving the needs of another over my own, I would have told you to get your crystal ball checked. I was not a girl whose idea of bliss was being domestically oriented. I shunned Home Ec! A lot can change can’t it? I’ve found my happiness though in just that, domestic service. I currently live in an area south of Atlanta. I work outside the home, so balancing the two is always a challenge. But I try to manage it all with a smile on my face and remember that everything I do is for His honor.

NOTE from Danae: I am very excited to announce that this will Rheya's last "Guest post" as she will be an official Domestic Servitude blogger.

Holiday Candy

Here are two candy recipes that I tried this year and they came out so well I wanted to share with everyone. They are simple and easy and very yummy!

From All You Magazine, December 12, 2010 Issue 12

Peppermint Bark Trees

1 Cup lightly crushed starlight peppermints or candy canes
1 14 oz bag white chocolate candy melts, melted
1 12 oz bag dark cocoa candy melts (I substituted light cocoa and they were just as good),melted

Sprinkle about 1 Tsp crushed peppermint candies into the bottom of an 18 mini-tree shaped silicone mold or ice cube trays.

Spoon white candy melts into a ziplock bag; seal bag. Snip a small corner off bag. Pipe enough candy to cover mints by about ½ inch. Tap pan on countertop to smooth melted white candy. Refrigerate until candy is just set, about 5 minutes.

Spoon dark cocoa candy melts into another ziplock bag; seal bag. Pipe a thin layer of dark cocoa candy melts on top of the white candy melts. Tap tray on countertop to smooth. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Makes 18 trees

Ok, here’s what I learned.

1) I can’t pipe things in a ziplock bag. I found it much easier to spoon the candy into the molds
2) Hold off on melting the dark cocoa until after you have finished the white and have it cooling.
3) For melting the candy, put in microwavable bowl ( I used glass) put on ½ power for 2 minutes, stir and then microwave ½ power for 30 second intervals , stirring after each interval.
4) My silicone tray only has 12 spaces. So, after the first batch, I made a second half batch, and had to remelt the candy.

From Taste of Home Magazine “Come Home for Chrismas” December and January 2011

Delectable Maple Nut Chocolates

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
½ cup butter, cubed
7 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 cups chopped walnuts
2 tsp maple flavoring
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups (24 oz or 2 bags) semisweet chocolate chips
2 oz bittersweet (or unsweetened) chocolate, chopped
2 tsp shortening

In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter. Cook and stir over low heat until butter is melted.

Place powdered sugar in a large bowl; add milk mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in walnuts, maple flavor, and vanilla. Roll into ¾ inch balls; place on wax paper lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

In microwave, melt the chips, bittersweet chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip balls into chocolate, allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper, let stand until set. Store in airtight container.

Makes 13 dozen

Notes:

1) I did not get 13 dozen, I got a little over 9.
2) You will need 2-3 times the space for the chocolate covered balls that you did for the rolled centers.
3) There is not a non-messy way to dip these that I found. I tried toothpicks, a fork, a spoon… make sure you have your apron on, you will likely be covered in chocolate.
4) I found I needed 3 bags of chips, 3 oz of bittersweet chocolate and 3 tsp of shortening for the chocolate candy shell.

My name is Rheya. If you would have asked me 20 years ago if I saw myself cooking, cleaning, sewing and serving the needs of another over my own, I would have told you to get your crystal ball checked. I was not a girl whose idea of bliss was being domestically oriented. I shunned Home Ec! A lot can change can’t it? I’ve found my happiness though in just that, domestic service. I currently live in an area south of Atlanta. I work outside the home, so balancing the two is always a challenge. But I try to manage it all with a smile on my face and remember that everything I do is for His honor.

Maple Fudge

While making chocolate fudge last year during the holidays, I was taking out the vanilla extract from the cupboard and next to it was the maple extract. I had bought it because Master enjoys all things maple flavored. I had tried some maple cookies but they didn't turn out quite right here with the altitude we live in. So it had sat there waiting for me to try it out on something else. But since I was making chocolate fudge I thought why not maple fudge? I looked on the internet and really didn't find any that worked for me. Most recipes used pure maple syrup which I am sure would be great but I had maple extract sitting in my cupboard unused at that time (now I have a few recipes I use it in).

So I looked at my chocolate fudge recipe that I adore and found a recipe on Eagle Brand for a fudge recipe that I might be able to play with and make into a maple fudge recipe. So I rolled up my sleeves and just went for it...it took 2 batches to perfect it. And now it is Master's favorite! I make it for him several times a year just as a special treat for him.



MAPLE FUDGE

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups butterscotch chips
2 sticks butter
2 tsp maple extract

Place all ingredients except the extract into a 2-quart microwave safe mixing bowl and microwave on high for a total of 10 minutes but stirring every 2 minutes. Let cool slightly (usually about 5 to 8 minutes). Beat with a mixer for 3 minutes. Add maple extract and mix for another 2 minutes. Spread mixture into a buttered or parchment paper lined 8 x 8-inch (or 9 x 9) square pan. Chill to set and cut into squares.

NOTES:
These are my notes throughout creating this recipe.

Do beat that full 5 minutes (the 3 plus the 2 after the extract). It really does need the full 5 minutes to get it to the right consistency. When I didn't do this it wouldn't cut nice and smooth like fudge - but broke and crumbled.

This mixture bubbles up quite a bit so a 2 quart mixing bowl is needed or it will boil over/bubble over. Also the bowl and the mixture are VERY HOT so when you stir every 2 minutes be very careful.

The look of it when stirring every 2 minutes:
First stir after 2 minutes in the microwave it will look very greasy because the butter is melting. And very few chips are melted.

After the 4 and 6 minutes it almost look separated - the chips are melting and the butter is fully melted but they don't look like they are going to come together.

After 8 minutes it is coming together the chips are fully melted but the edges looked greasy.

And at the 10 minute mark it almost looks sticky like caramel. But beating it will create a smooth fudge consistency.

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Peppermint Drop Cookies

Cookies
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate melted and cooled slightly

Frosting
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
dash of salt
Few drops of red food coloring
crushed peppermint


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare Cookies: In large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients and beating well after each addition. Blend in chocolate. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until firm. Remove Cookies to wire rack and cool completely.

Prepare frosting: In medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients except candy. With electric mixer at low speed, beat until of spreading consistency. Top cooled cookies with frosting and sprinkle with candy.

Servings: 4 to 6 dozen depending on size of cookie you make

Chocolate Peppermint Drop Cookies

These are a cookie that I sometimes make at Christmas. But making a few changes would make them good for St. Patrick's Day. Change the food coloring to green and maybe sprinkle with green sugar. Or another candy that you can think of that would be good for St. Patrick's Day.



Cookies
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate melted and cooled slightly

Frosting
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
dash of salt
Few drops of red food coloring
crushed peppermint


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare Cookies: In large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients and beating well after each addition. Blend in chocolate. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until firm. Remove Cookies to wire rack and cool completely.

Prepare frosting: In medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients except candy. With electric mixer at low speed, beat until of spreading consistency. Top cooled cookies with frosting and sprinkle with candy.

Servings: 4 to 6 dozen depending on size of cookie you make

Gingerbread Muffins

We are going to be out of town for Christmas this year or otherwise I would be making these muffins on Christmas morning. Last year I made them on the 24th because I wasn't sure how they would turn out but they were a hit! They smelled so good baking and tasted even better!



Gingerbread Muffins
Makes 8 Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all-spice
1/4 tsp ginger
3 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla


Preheat oven to 350. Line with paper baking cups or spray with cooking oil eight muffin cups. In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, all-spice, ginger and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, stir together oil and brown sugar. When blended add molasses, milk, egg and vanilla. Mix until blended. Add flour mixture and mix until blended. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when pressed lightly in the center. If desired sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm or cool.

Friday Favorites

Alton Brown's Hot Cocoa Mix
I don't know about anyone else, but a monthlong streak of rainy, chilly weather has me craving some warm drinks by the fire. Alton's recipe is super rich and super comforting- and the cayenne pepper is just the right touch!

This also makes great last minute gifts for other cocoa lovers. If you gift it, be sure to add...

Smitten Kitchen's Homemade Marshmallows
I'm not even a marshmallow person but this recipe may convert me! Although part of me just wants to make a batch, not let it set, and just make Rice Krispie Treats.

Make your own mulling spices
Because I don't always want to spend $10-15 on mulling spices from the local foodie store. Whether you mull wine, or cider... the house smells A-Mazing when you have something mulling on the stove. This recipe is simple, the site offers gifting ideas (including printable premade tags with instructions!) and best of all: it has a Mulling Spice Calculation Worksheet in case you need to make a smaller amount.

Almond Biscotti
Another recipe I've been craving since my hot beverage intake is on the rise. It also looks like it would make an excellent gift for a friend of mine, presented with a bag of dark rich coffee beans or exotic tea.

Epicurious Guide to Entertaining (featuring Clinton Kelly)
Granted... I'm a little biased here. One of my fantasies entails a week of shopping, lunches and fabulous parties with Tim Gunn and Clinton Kelly. So that alone would make this link worthwhile (for me). But I know not everyone crushes on fabulous stylish 'lifestyle gurus'... but the videos themselves are pretty good. In the "cocktail party/home bar" video, he talks about different ways to offer beverages for small or large parties, including using recipe cards for guests to make their own drinks, or serving a signature cocktail so it's easy to have made ahead in batches, and how to calculate how much to plan (ice, booze) per guest. Pretty fun, fast paced videos to watch, and some handy little hors d'oeuvres recipes.

Cookies-n-Cream Bark

I have made a lot of candy (to many to name) and popcorn (butterscotch, chocolate peanut and zesty parmesan)the last 2 days.

The easiest candy recipe I have made is Cookies-n-Cream Bark. It looks pretty in jar as a gift too. Which is what is happening to most of the bark I made - even though I believe someone in this house would like it to stay here...so of course some of it will for him.

1 pkg. (6 squares) White Chocolate, melted (not almond bark or white chips - white chocolate - I use Baker's White Chocolate)
10 Oreo Cookies, crumbled, divided 5 for the semi-sweet chocolate and 5 for the white chocolate (generic brand of sandwich cookies that are like Oreos work fine too)
1 pkg. (8 squares) Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted (I use Baker's)

Stir 1/2 the crumbled cookies into the melted white chocolate and the other half into the melted semi-sweet chocolate.

Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet, alternating colors of chocolates. Spread and swirl with knife.

Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces and it is ready to munch on!

NOTES:
I melt the chocolate in the microwave. I start at about 40 seconds and then stir and do another 30 to 40 seconds and stir again. And then usually it only takes one more time and it is melted.