Just a quick post tonight and a great little recipe for your Christmas Dinner. First, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!! I hope your holidays are full of family, friends, fun and lots of great food! I’m looking forward to our quite Christmas with me, my wife and daughter so we don’t have to deal with travelling. If you do have to travel I wish safe journeys and a quick stress free trip. It looks to be a relatively quite weekend weatherwise, at least here in the USA, so hopefully no one will have any difficult driving or flight delays.

I my last post I promised a Cranberry Chutney to go along with the pork recipe I posted. The cranberries in this chutney are tempered by dried cherries, helping to mellow out their tart, cranberry kick. The recipe is given a very subtle exotic accent by the addition of coriander and green cardamon. If you can’t find green cardamon pods then you can use ground cardamon or even skip it all together although I like the faint Indian flare it gives this chutney. Besides pork, this relish would pair perfectly with duck, goose, turkey, and lamb.

Cranberry and Dried Cherry Chutney
serves 8-10

6 pods green cardamon
1 tsp. whole coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 Tbl. vegetable oil
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup crystallilzed ginger

Lightly crush the cardamon pods and remove the seeds, discarding the outer pod. Coarsely grind the cardamon and coriander together then add the ground cinnamon. Reserve. In a medium sized pot heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, and spice mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes to toast the spices. Add the cranberries, sugar and orange juice. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the cranberries start to break down. Add the dried cherries and cook 5 minutes longer. Add the crystallized ginger, cook 1 minute then remove from heat. Allow to cool and store in the fridge. While it is ready to eat as soon as it is cool, the flavors will more fully develop and meld if allowed to sit overnight, in the fridge.

Tis the season for food bloggers to post crazy. It seems that even those bloggers that normally only post a few times a month churn out tons of posts between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And who can blame them. The season is made for cooking…and eating. There are posts on making cookies, making candies, creating holiday themed cocktails or cooking up snacks and appetizers for holiday parties. And while there are also lots of wonderful posts on creating memorial Christmas meals for the whole family there seems to be a lack of posts concerning those who aren’t spending the holidays with extended family but still would like to cook a nice meal.

That is exactly what we are doing this year. It will just be me, my wife and my daughter. While we have family only a short distance away (1 1/2 hours) we decided it would be nice just to spend a holiday with just “us”, something we’ve only done once before with our daughter. I will miss the hustle and bustle of an extended family Christmas, but it will give us a chance to make some of our own traditions and, as Christmas approaches, I find myself relishing the idea of quite, low key Christmas with just the 3 of us.

But that means no huge, roasted Turkey, Crown Roast of Pork, or Rib of Beef. Instead we are thinking smaller. Pork Tenderloin fits that bill perfectly. They normally weigh in about 1 1/2 – 2 pounds, just the right amount for a meal for 2-4 people. And better yet, they don’t take very long to cook-less than 1 hour, start to finish, including prep time. Accompanied by a dried fruit relish or chutney (look for a recipe with a twist on Cranberry relish later this week), creamy brasied cabbage and roasted root vegetables, you have the makings of a simple, yet elegant Christmas dinner that doesn’t have you spending hours in the kitchen (not a bad thing when you are cooking for a crowd, but it can be tedious when cooking for just a few people). Make the meal special by serving a nice bottle of American Pinot Noir or ratchet up the festive level and serve one of my favorite Champagnes, Billecart Salmon Rose. It will run you about $80-90, but it’s well worth it, and besides, it’s Christmas.

While I’m crusting pork in this recipe, the same procedure works just as well with lamb or chicken breasts. In fact, I think the first time I made this it was to crust Rack of Lamb at one of the first high end restaurants I ever worked at. Yes, this recipe is pretty traditional. It surely won’t win any awards for creativity or trendiness, but there is a reason the classics are classics. It’s because they work. Enjoy!!

Mustard Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin
serves 2-4

1 1/2 – 2 pounds pork tenderloin
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 1/2 Tbl. rosemary, fresh, finely chopped
1 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
3-4 Tbl. Dijon mustard
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbl. vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a skillet over high heat. Meanwhile generously season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pan and when hot add the pork tenderloin. While the pork is cooking combine the bread crumbs, rosemary, garlic, and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook the tenderloin until it is seared on all sides.

Once seared on all sides remove pork from pan and pat dry to remove excess oil. Liberally coat the entire tenderloin with Dijon mustard, brushing it on with a pastry brush.

Then roll in the bread crumb mixture to crust all sides of the pork.

Place on a pan and roast, in the oven to an internal temperature of 140°F. Once the pork reaches 140°F remove from the oven, loosely tent with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 8-10 minutes. This will leave you with pork that is still a little pink inside. Personally I like it this way and am loathe to return to the days when pork was cooked until grey, dry and lifeless, but if you are squeamish about pink pork then cook it to 150-155°F, but remember this is pork tenderloin and not very fatty. Cook it too far and you will have a dry tough piece of meat on your hands.

After resting, cut the pork into slices about 1/4″ thick and serve.

Are you burnt out on gingerbread flavored foods this holiday season? Hopefully not as I have a wonderful “gingerbread” bread recipe to share today. I first made these gingerbread pancakes a few years ago and fell in love with them. For pancakes, they are a little on the dense side but it seems appropriate considering the punch of flavor that these offer. I know you are probably already saying to yourself that you’ve had enough “gingerbread” to last you until next Christmas (and we’re still a week away from the big day!) but I would suggest that you give these a try. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

While these are fantastic served with butter and maple syrup, like in the pictures above and below, an even better bet is to serve them with a lemon sauce (lemon is a traditional accompaniment to gingerbread). To make a simple, yet tasty lemon sauce, in a saucepan combine 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/4 tsp. of salt. To that add 1 cup of cool water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and clear. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel and 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir until well mixed and the butter has fully melted.

Gingerbread Pancakes
makes 12 medium sized pancakes (enough for 2-4 people depending on their appetite)

1 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg, freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon Ground clove
3 large Eggs
1/4 cup Dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup Coffee
6 tablespoons Unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 170°F. Whisk together dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together eggs and brown sugar until smooth. Add buttermilk, water, molasses and coffee, then add the flour mixture. Finally stir in melted butter. Cook on a preheated griddle and keep warm in oven until all are finished.

One of my favorite Christmas cookies, from my childhood, were the Candy Cane Cookies my Mom used to make. They are still one of my favorite cookies and my Mom still makes sure that I get some every Christmas whether I make it home or not. My wife has learned to make the also. Not that I’m not capable of making them, but they are a labor of love and can be a pain to make. Just another reason that my wife rocks!

So what is so difficult about making these Candy Cane Cookies? Well, first you need to make 2 batches of the dough. One you leave plain, while the other you tint red. You then allow the doughs to chill briefly. Once that’s done you then start rolling out 6-8″ long ropes of dough about 1/4″ in diameter. Taking 1 red rope and one white rope you twist the 2 together and form into a candy cane. These then get baked. And if this sounds like a pain, well it’s even more of pain than it sounds, but they make great looking cookies.

While I loved these cookies as a kid (and still do) I always thought it was strange that they looked like candy canes but they didn’t really taste like candy canes (except for the crushed candy canes that were sprinkled onto the hot cookies, as they came out of the oven. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned that the flavoring for these cookies was actually almond extract. Since I’ve been out on my own, I’ve tried replacing the almond extract with peppermint extract to make these cookies more “candy cane” like, but found that I didn’t care for them as much. I’m not sure if that is due to my bias for the cookies of my youth or if the almond extract really does work better. But I have to admit there is something wonderful in the play of flavors between the almond flavored cookie and the crushed candy canes on top.

Getting ready for the recent bake sale I was involved in, I knew that I wanted to do these cookies, but seeing as it was a bake sale and these cookies were going to be transported numerous times I wanted a cookie what wasn’t as fragile as the candy canes that we usually made. Keeping with the candy theme though I decided to roll the 2 colored doughs into a pinwheel, slice them and bake them with lollipop sticks to create cookie lollipops. And I have to admit I almost like them better than the traditional candy canes. I said almost, but not quite. Again though that is just a bias for the cookies of my youth. Either way you decide to make them they will turn out great. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do

Pinwheel Cookie Lollipops
makes approximately 30-34 cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup candy canes, crushed
1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a mixer beat together the butter and the sugar. Add the egg and extracts and mix to combine. Add the flour and salt and mix until a sticky dough forms. Wrap dough in plastic and allow to chill for 45-60 minutes. Meanwhile make another batch of the dough, tinting this one red. Chill this dough also. Once chilled place the white dough on a piece of wax paper and roll out to a rectangle about 15″ inches long and 11″ wide. Adding only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Do the same to the red dough but only rolling it out to 15″x10″. Center the red dough on top of the white dough and gently roll up pinwheel style along the longer edge, rolling as tightly as you can. Transfer roll to a large piece of plastic wrap and wrap the dough tightly, twisting in the ends a bit to tighten the dough and give you a uniform width throughout. Chill the dough overnight.

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Trim one end off of the cookie roll and start cutting slices about 1/4″ thick. Remove the plastic wrap from the individual slices (it’s easier to slice it with the plastic on it).

Use a thin bladed slicing knife and wipe it clean every couple of cuts for ease of cutting. Place slices on parchment on cookie sheets and add lollipop sticks (if using). Bake for 9 minutes. Meanwhile combine the crushed candy canes and granulated sugar. After 9 nine minutes remove cookies from oven and lightly sprinkle with the candy cane/sugar mixture. Return to the oven for 1 minute longer (no longer). Remove from oven and allow to cool, on the pans for about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling.

Tis the season to be baking. Fa La La La La… This past week both my wife and I got off our butts and did some holiday baking and candy making. I really didn’t have much of a choice as I had committed to providing some items for a Holiday Bake Sale benefiting “Cookies for Kid’s Cancer.” Not that I’m complaining. It got me off of my butt and hopefully helped to jump start our holiday baking.

BTW, if you find yourself in the Milwaukee area on Saturday, Dec. 10th (that’s tomorrow as I write this) anytime between 12pm and 4pm, stop by The Best Place at The Historic Pabst Brewery, at 901 W. Juneau Ave. There will be numerous treats from area bloggers, bakers and businesses. Coffee and tea will also be provided along with a Cookie Decorating table, for the kids. Stop by, treat yourself to some yummy snacks and help benefit a very worthy cause. mkefoodies hosted one of these benefits back in May and did quite well. We’re hoping that this one will do even better!!!

One of the items I am providing are these tasty little Pistachio Bonbons. I love these things, but you really have to like pistachios to enjoy these candies. The filling is an intense pistachio “marzipan” that seems to concentrate the pure essence of pistachio making these things little flavor bombs.

This recipe is a little more “advanced” and time consuming than many of my recipes, but then again serious candy making is often a multi step process and can often require attention to detail. The filling itself (the pistachio marzipan) is very simple, but to do the chocolate right can be a little tricky as we will be tempering it. If this is too much for then by all means you can do it the easy way. Once the filling is made just roll it into small balls and dip them into melted chocolate. Shake off any excess as you remove the enrobed marzipan and allow to cool on a tray covered in wax paper. The downside to doing it this way is that you will never get a truly hard, shiny coating like you would using tempered chocolate and it is best to store these in the fridge to keep them from getting soft. Tempering is not difficult, but you do need to pay attention to the details for it to come out right. It is not absolutely necessary though if you are just planning on dipping your candies. But, if you want to mold them then you must temper your chocolate or you will have difficulties in removing the candies from the molds. Give it a try, the worse that can happen is that your candies will develop white streaks as it dries. It doesn’t affect the taste at all and if you’re too embarrassed to give them away then you have a tasty treat, for yourself, for the next few days!!!

I guess I should mention what tempering is, in case there are some people out there unfamiliar with the term. You know when you buy a Hershey’s bar, how it is nice and shiny and has that satisfying snap when you break it, well that is tempered chocolate. Untempered chocolate usually has a dull look to it and always seems somewhat soft when you bite into it. Untempered chocolate can also develop a white “bloom” to it. While the chocolate is still fine to eat it may not look nearly as appetizing. Just so you know, once you melt “bloomed” chocolate that whiteness goes away. This is because chocolate contains a number of different fats that melt and solidify at different temperatures. Tempering gets those fats in line, so to speak, getting them all to to their thing at the same time. That’s a simplified explanation but pretty much sums it up.

Pistachio Bonbons
makes about 50-60 candies

2 cups Pistachios, shelled
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
Water
Green Food Coloring (optional)
1 pound Dark Chocolate, cut into small pieces is not using chips or disks

In a medium sized pot bring to a boil 5 cups of water. Add the pistachios and boil for 8 minutes. Drain and lay out on a towel to dry. This step does 2 things it helps to remove some of the salt on the pistachios since in most parts of this country it is hard to find pistachios that are not salted and roasted, and it serves to loosen the skins. Once the pistachios are mostly dry gather up the edges of the towel and give the pistachios a good hard rub. This will loosen the skins even further. Remove the skins from the nuts. Don’t worry, they don’t need to be perfect. You just want to remove the majority of the skins. Place nuts in a food processor and process until finely ground, scraping down the sides of the processor occasionally. Add the powdered sugar and continue to process for a total time of approximately 8-10 minutes. The mixture should look dry at first glance but if you squeeze a bit together it should compact into a nice dense ball. If not add just a bit of water. It shouldn’t take more than a few drops to 1 tsp. max. At this point the mixture will probably be more brown than green. If you like the natural color then the “marzipan” is done, but people often assume that pistachio accented foods should be green so go ahead and add some green food coloring until you get the color you like. I added about 10-12 drops to the recipe myself. Roll into balls about the size of a garbanzo bean (about 2/3′s the size of a marble) and set aside.

Now to melt and temper our chocolate. Place a medium sized pan, filled with no more than 1-2″ of water, over medium heat and bring to a simmer (not a full boil). Wipe out the inside of a metal bowl ensuring that there is no moisture in it whatsoever. Place 2/3′s of the chocolate in the bowl and place the bowl over the simmering water. Stir continually to make sure the chocolate, along the sides doesn’t burn and try not to allow the chocolate to get hotter than 115°F. Once fully melted you need to cool the chocolate down to the low 80′s (between 81°-84°). Do this by adding the remaining chocolate to the melted stuff. As you stir the remaining chocolate will should melt completely. Once you reach this lower temperature you need to bring the chocolate back up to a temperature where it is easy to work with again. Bring it up to 90°F but do not let it get past 91°-92°F or it will go out of temper and you will need to bring back down to the lower 80′s again and back up. Once you have achieved temper, take a clean brush (I use paint brushes that I use only for pastry and/or candy work) and paint a thick layer of chocolate on the inside of your candy molds. Place in the fridge and all to cool for 10 minutes. While this is happening you will want to keep your tempered chocolate warm, at the right temperature. You can do this by placing the bowl on a heating pad set to the lowest temperature and stirring the chocolate often. Just watch that temperature. Keep it between 90°-91°F. Once chilled remove the molds from the fridge. Add the pistachio marzipan, gently pressing it into the molds. There should be a gap of about 1/8″ between the top of the filling and the top of the mold. Cover with a layer of chocolate, making sure it fills all the empty spaces in the mold and scrape it flush with the top of the mold ensuring a level bottom. Return to the fridge for another 10-12 minutes to set. If you have tempered the chocolate correctly at this time you should see some air space between the molds and the chocolate as properly tempered chocolate should shrink slightly, pulling away from the molds. A couple of light taps on the molds, as they are upside down should release the candies. They are ready to serve immediately or to box up as gifts. If molded properly and there are no air holes then the candy should easily last a few weeks, stored at room temperature.

The Christmas season is in full swing, and at our house one of the things that means is the drinking of copious amounts of hot, spiced cider. For as long as I can remember the holidays, both Christmas and Thanksgiving…and many of the days inbetween, were accompanied by the the sweet, heady smells of a pot of spiced cider warming away on the stove top. To this day, it just doesn’t seem like the Christmas season without having brewed up a gallon or two of one of my favorite drinks.

While we’re on the subject of cider, I want to rant just a little (and I think I’ve voiced this rant before so I’ll make it short). It drives me nuts, walking through the grocery store and seeing bottles of clear, amber liquid that companies are passing off as cider. Sorry, but it looks and tastes like ordinary apple juice and has about as much in common with real cider as does Grape juice. Cider should be brown and cloudy with a body and mouth feel that apple juice can only wish it could attain to. I even have a problem with “pastuerized” cider, but I understand that some people are concerned about food borne illnesses. But please, if you have never tasted fresh, unpastuerized cider before, check it out. You’re in for a treat. The real stuff, when made properly has a complexity that is totally lost in the pastuerization process.

It’s the holidays so enough ranting and more holiday cheer! You’ll notice, in the picture, that there is a distinctive red hue to that mug of cider. Don’t adjust your computer monitors, it’s supposed to be that way. I often like to add “Red Hots” candies (you know, those little, red, firery, cinnamon candies). They add a nice festive hue to the cider and help bump up the cinnamon in the drink. If you don’t want to use the candies, and sometimes I don’t, just up the number of cinnamon sticks you add to the cider to compensate for the lack of cinnamon flavoring.

Once made, you can ladel it into mugs and serve as is, for the children and teetotallers in your group or you can do as most of the members of my family do and spice with a shot of bourbon or dark rum. A few of those and I guarentee that you’ll get a party started!

This recipe uses a gallon of cider as I find that it can go pretty quickly, but you can easily adjust to make the amount you need. Also I just toss in all the spices. If you’d rather not fish around trying not to ladel up allspice berries and cloves you can tie them up in a coffee filter and just remove the whole thing after about 30-60 minutes.

Hot Spiced Cider
makes just over 1 gallon

1 gallon Cider
4 each Cinnamon sticks
1 Tbl. Whole Cloves
2 Tbl. Whole Allspice Berries
1 (12oz.) can Orange Juice Concentrate
3-4 oz. Red Hots candies (the little red cinnamon candies)

Place all ingredients in a nonreactive pot and simmer, without boiling for, at least, 30 minutes. Ladel into mugs and serve. Feel free to add a shot of bourbon or rum for a more adult beverage, or experiment with any of the various flavored alcohols out there. If you come across a really great combination let me know. If so desired, garnish the mugs with an orange wheel and a cinnamon stick for stirring.

I can’t believe that it is already December 16th! Only 9 days left until Christmas. It just doesn’t seem possible. I feel like I am missing a whole week or something. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older, or that I’ve been so busy with work and family, but it just seems like this past year has flown by way too quickly. It’s hard to imagine that 2010 is almost at close, and with it the first decade of the millennium.

The past 10 years has seen a lot of changes: I got married, bought a house, had a kid, gave up my cheffing career for a more stable lifestyle (which also means I’ve grown up and matured, at least somewhat), and started a blog. Of course, there has been lots more over the last 10 years, but those are a few of the highlights. I’m excited to see what the next 10 years bring!

With the holidays approaching so quickly, I’ve hardly had a chance to get into the holiday mode. Yes, we did get the tree up. I have gotten most of my Christmas shopping done, and have even made a batch of gingerbread men, but I still don’t quite feel Christmassy enough. Hopefully a couple of these cocktails will cure that.

I created this “dessert” martini a few years ago when I was the dining room manager for a small Mediterrean bistro. Of course there are numerous “candy cane cocktail” recipes floating all around the internet, but I’m partial to this one. It’s rich so you’ll probably only want 1 or 2, which is a good thing as this drink packs a decent punch. Enjoy!!!

Candy Cane Martini
makes 1 drink

1 1/4 ounces Peppermint schnapps
1 1/4 ounces Creme de Cacao
3/4 ounce Stoli Vanilla Vodka
splash Cherry juice
1 ounce Cream
Red Sugar (optional)
1 each Mini Candy Cane

If using the red sugar, Moisten and rim a chilled martini glass with the sugar. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the three liquors. Add the cream and cherry juice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into the prepared martini glass and garnish with a mini candy cane.

As I stated a few days ago, I had wanted to post this recipe just before Christmas, but weather forced us to change our travel plans and leave early. Leaving early didn’t really make much of a difference anyway, as, instead of missing the crappy weather, we drove right into it! Snow, sleet, freezing rain, we had it all, and the mixture was coming down so hard the highway was covered in about 3 inches of nasty, slippery slush. We watched 2 cars slide off of the road right in front of us and saw numerous others in the ditch. Luckily we only had about 60 miles of that stuff, then it turned completely over to rain a few miles south of the Illinois/Wisconsin border and we were able to continue our travels relatively stress-free, which is more than I can say for the thousands stranded by the storms over the holidays. I hope that each and every one of you made it to your destination safely and had an enjoyable holiday.

As for the recipe, for someone who doesn’t care for eggnog too much I sure seem to have a number of recipes that use it as a flavoring agent. Go figure! I first served this for Christmas a few years ago and it was a big hit. Since then I have made a few times for groups both big and small, with positive reactions every time.

While I consider this a “Christmas” meal, it is a great breakfast anytime during the holidays as it is simple to prepare and seems rather upscale-you don’t have to tell anyone how simple it is! This would also make a great breakfast for New Year’s Day, after a night of imbibing a little too much. Nothing in the recipe is a real assault on the tastebuds-a good thing when nursing a hangover, and in fact the little alcohol left in the dish after flambeing the rum helps with a little “hair of the dog.” You could serve this any time of year actually, if you made your own eggnog, but keep it simple on yourself and serve this during the holidays when store bought eggnog is readily available.

Eggnog French Toast with Bananas Foster Sauce

12 slices French or Italian Bread, cut on a bias, 1″ thick
3 cups Eggnog, store bought is fine
1 cup milk
3 each eggs, beaten

4 each bananas, peeled and sliced 1/2″ thick
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup dark rum
3 Tbsp. butter

Combine the milk, eggnog, and eggs and mix together. Soak both sides of the bread slices in mixture and saute on a griddle set over medium heat and brushed with a little butter. Cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes per side. Don’t let the french toast brown too quickly or the middle will be soggy when the outside is done. Meanwhile combine the butter, and brown sugar in a saute pan and heat over medium high until the brown sugar melts. Add the rum and carefully flame it. Do this by allowing the rum to heat up then igniting it with a long handled lighter. Be careful as it can ignite rather quickly and in bright light the alcohol flame can be almost invisible. Lean back as you light it so as to not, accidentally, light your hair on fire!!! Once the flames die down add the sliced bananas and spices. Cook just until the bananas are warmed through. Add the butter, remove from heat and swirl until the butter has melted into the sauce. Serve each person 3 slices of the french toast topped with the banana sauce. Garnish with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, and maybe a strawberry or two if you want some color.

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! I had planned on getting in one more post before today, with a great Christmas breakfast, but due to weather we travelled a day early and I wasn’t able to get it in. No problem though as the recipe makes for a great morning after breakfast after a night of drinking on New Year’s Eve, so you can expect my recipe for Eggnog French Toast with Bananas Foster Sauce in the next few days-a perfect way to re-motivate after having done a little too much celebrating.

I hope that if you were travelling, your travels got you to where you wanted to be, safe and sound, and without too much hassle and delay.

May your holidays be filled with love, laughter, and of course great food and drink!!

Happy Holidays!!

One of the best things about this time of year are the Gingerbread houses.  I love building them and love to see what other people have come up with.  It’s always interesting to see what others do and I am often able to learn a trick or two from each piece I look at.  I’ve kind of been out the gingerbread building game for the last couple of years, but this last little adventure, with my daughter, reminded me of how much I like building and decorating them.  I can’t wait until she gets older and we can take on some serious projects together.  But, for now I’m happy building a few simple houses and letting her “decorate” them as she sees fit (meaning trying to fit candy on every available surface there is!). 

No list on gingerbread houses would be complete with a link to The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa.  They hold the premier gingerbread house contest in the country with entries coming in from coast to coast.  I hope to someday make it there either as a contestant or just to browse, enjoy the efforts of others and soak up the holiday spirit.  For now though, just check out the pictures from the best of this year’s show here.

Craft Elf has a great, indepth site for the novice gingerbread house maker. They’ve got a lot of great information and very detailed explanations and pictures for building your house.

It’s not often I hawk a product or a book here, on my blog, but with this month’s theme being gingerbread, I felt I had to give a nod to this book which can be found on Amazon. I own this book and have for a number of years. It is full of great ideas and the recipes all work well. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in getting into the making of gingerbread houses.

And because I can’t get enough of over-the-top gingerbread houses, here’s another site filled with large, ornate houses.