The "Next Year" List

If you're anything like me, you're sitting here detoxing from the past couple of weeks of Christmas and already evaluating what you can/should/would/want to do differently or heck, better next year. (by the way, if you're into resolutions, I came across these healthy ideas the other day and thought they'd be a good start)


And although I am probably the most anal person around (make that definitely), sitting here contemplating already making a list of those things takes even me to a whole new level (we won't mention how bothered I am that I've put an undoubtedly Christmas picture on this so not Christmas-type post). But, at the same time, I figured there got to be at least one other person somewhere on the face of this planet (not that they are one of the 9 people who read these here ramblings) who's somewhat like me and therefore, might actually get something out of what I've got to say today... on this, the 2nd day of the brand new year (and yes folks, that's quite a few days past Christmas, yet here I go).

So what's this all about? In a word (make that two): the cookie exchange. Sure she's been around for ages... I've even been going to one that's held annually for the past 7 or so years, so this is nothing new, even for me. But I don't feel like she gets fair play around these parts and she certainly deserves better... after all, what could be better than getting to throw a fun party (I've even seen it done with boys invited!) but with minimal work for the hostess (unless you're Amber and you assemble cute recipe booklets for everyone handed out with custom Christmas CDs) while still getting to make sure your guests get something out of coming (uh... cookies, duh!). Couldn't be better in my opinion... and for that, having one of these is going on the "next year" list.

She's a Beaut!

It's not like me to go through my (proverbial) stocking (proverbial because my parents have deemed us too old for some traditions such as stockings), but this being somewhere I sometimes (er... often) post about things going on in the kitchen - I thought it only right that I also talk about the one of the best (looking) ways to go about cleaning up the aforementioned "things".

And while I didn't realize this until about a few days ago, using one of these Brushing Beauties has to be the way - although these ladies are so cute that they've left me wondering if any of them have ever actually made it out of the packaging. But that aside... isn't this the most adorable thing you've ever laid eyes on?

Wouldn't she, "the Baker" model, have been perfect in my stocking? Not that I'm ungrateful to my brother (make that his wife) for gifting her to me (au contraire)... but if I have anything to do with it next year, stockings, filled with these cuties (or perhaps one of these other food-related gadgets) will be hung by the chimney with care.

Pink, polka dots and little bow-adorned pockets... be still my heart. (although if pink, polka dots, and/or bows aren't your thing, there's bound to be one that's just right for you, too!)

My Turnaround

Did someone say Christmas cheer? The big day is here, or all but... and I'm back, thanks in no small part to visions such as this...

Though no thanks to this... although I do admit it looks pretty - and at the beginning, it was. Two+ feet later, however, and I was singing a slightly different tune.

But a Christmas tune to be sure... even if my own personal rendition of a favorite song has long since been prohibited 'round these parts.

And with that, I wish you and yours the Merriest of Christmases. Over the past year, I've really learned to love this writing and photographing (food, or otherwise) thing so I may just hang around for a while. Thanks for sticking it out with me... whether you come here often or just drop by every once in a blue moon.

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a year's subscription to Cooking Light. Only 3 more days left to enter!**

My Antidote

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My hands are freezing, there's a good 2-3 inches of packed ice covering every road between here and any destination imaginable... and I have more than 40 un-written Christmas cards staring me in the face - suffice it to say, I haven't hit the jolly part of the holidays. And yes, I'm well-aware that I have ah-hem, not so long to "get in the mood".

Fear not, though, I'm certain this will be just a short-lived pre-Christmas exuberance funk. I'm not one to miss the excitement of a holiday, most of all Christmas. And lest I give you the wrong impression, I'm not looking for sympathy... after all, hopefully you are far, far away from your computer, not here desperately searching for Christmas' version of being kicked in the rear... or was it being kicked into (high) gear. Either way...

While I'm here, though, I might as well finish what I've started... though to be fair, I'm not even sure where it came from (or maybe I just don't want to admit it). If you know me (at all), you're probably sitting there laughing. And how I'm dying to join you - for we all know one thing, if I'm not laughing then it's bad.

Here I am... wondering how I let this happen again. But I planned ahead this holiday so I could avoid this exact situation - I was supposed to be done and relaxing by now. Instead, I've created even more stress being frustrated with myself that I'm not enjoying the holiday yet.

With that, I've decided my pity party is over. Sure there are a few last presents to be wrapped, a trip to pack for, of course those pesky Christmas cards that I won't give up on, and cookies to be (hopefully prettily) packaged for our hosts. Watch out, folks, Kara's going to take it in stride (or at least make a valiant attempt).

With that, may I introduce you to some treats (although some version of them are an annual tradition around here) that are sure not to cause you any pre or post (or smack dab right in the middle of it) holiday grief... on the off-chance that there are more than one of me out there, prone to a last-minute meltdown (or three). And just because I have an inspired, fierce determination that from here on out, it's all-Christmas cheer, all the time.

Double-Mint Bark

7 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
15 oz Hershey's Candy Cane Mint kisses
Andes mint pieces

Turn a jelly roll pan bottom side up and cover securely with foil. Stir the bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler over low heat (the water should be barely simmering) until just melted and smooth. Pour chocolate on foil; using icing spatula (I used an off-set spatula), spread chocolate to uniform thickness (approximately a 10 x 8 rectangle). Chill until set, at least 15 minutes.

Stir Hershey's kisses in a double boiler over low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour melted kisses over the bittersweet chocolate layer in long lines and spread evenly (quickly) using an offset spatula. Immediately sprinkle hand fulls of Andes mint candy pieces over the mint layer and press lightly to adhere.

Chill until firm. Lift foil with bark onto a work surface; cut the bark crosswise into 2-inch wide strips. Cut each strip into smaller sections (to your liking). Store in an airtight container; can be frozen for a few weeks. Let stand a few minutes at room temperature before serving.

Some Christmas Spirit

It's more than about time... I'll be the first to say that my behavior around here recently is downright unacceptable. We've had our Christmas tree up for over two weeks, I've been listening to Christmas carols for well over four (yes, I'm an early adopter - and proud of it!), and this is my first mention of a Christmas cookie?! Truly disappointing, really.

Try as I might (to find someone or thing to unjustly blame), it should be noted that I must take full responsibility for this catastrophe. I've even had the recipe sitting on our counter for weeks now (thanks to my dear friend had thoughtfully forwarded it to me in plenty of time for the season), crying for me to rally the troops... er, ingredients (that also all awaited my call from our trusty cupboards). But as happens for many of us (guilty as charged), the month of December, Christmas cookie baking (and subsequent posting, especially when there are more interesting things to write about like oh, a fully legal trip to the White House), and (ugh, don't even get me started) Christmas card writing, sneaked up on me... and might I add, there was a moment when it risked clear passing me by.

Lucky for us (and not so lucky for our waistbands), there were cookie exchanges to attend (and Christmas cookie events to enter)... so when I could find no more excuses (good or bad, at that), these Hot Chocolate Cookies were finally called upon.

Since then, any that remained have been quickly gobbled up, accompanied by a few comments wishing I hadn't made such a fun and delicious recipe only to be given away to others (some people around here don't quite have the Christmas spirit thing down just yet).

So with the holidays (or more like... the holiday rush) all but imminent at this point (thank you, Captain Obvious), I figured you, like me and the rest of us, might not have many more quiet moments to sit by the fireside with a toasty cup of hot cocoa... and if that's the case, these should tide you over quite nicely.

Hot Chocolate Cookies
yield: 4 dozen

Cookie ingredients
3/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c flour
1 c instant milk chocolate hot cocoa mix
1 tsp baking soda
24 large marshmallows, cut in half crosswise

Glaze ingredients
1 3/4 c powdered sugar
6 TBSP butter
1/4 c milk
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 3/4 c butter and sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, 1/4 c milk, and vanilla. Continue beating until well-mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour, cocoa mix and baking soda. Beat until well-mixed.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until just set. Remove from oven; top each cookie with marshmallow half, cut-side down. Continue baking for 1 to 2 minutes until marshmallow just begins to puff. Immediately remove cookies to cooling racks. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, place powdered sugar into medium bowl; set aside. Combine all remaining glaze ingredients in 1 qt saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes. Pour mixture over powdered sugar in bowl. Beat until creamy and fully combined.

Immediately spoon glaze over cooled cookies decoratively. Store between sheets of waxed paper in a loosely covered container.

*And of course it wouldn't be the Christmas season without a submission to Susan's Eat Christmas Cookies event. YUM!

It's official! You can no longer say that I've never done anything for you. As a treat for having made it all the way through this overly wordy post, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: come Monday, you're going to want to make your way right back here... because for the first time ever, it might just be worth your while.

On the List

Not that it's the first time, but trust me when I say that the pictures that follow are a lot more interesting (though the quality is debatable) than anything I could say to describe them so for now, my words will be few (but don't expect that to last... I have, contrary to what's shown up around here, been in the kitchen with some Christmas cookies, after all).

So while I have every confidence that you could have pieced this together on your own at this point, I'll go ahead and spell it out for you... we recently took a great little tour of the beautifully (but modestly) decorated White House (yes, the White House).

The super tight security at the entrance was expected but an unforeseen delay and rumored snafu with the list (thanks, Salahis!) almost had the Secret Service turning us away. Just mere moments later (fully cleared and confirmed on multiple lists), we were en route to viewing a number of beautiful rooms, sharing the apparent same hallway that the infamous crashers used.

Everything about the White House was festive - from the multiple trees and decorations to the (appropriately) white chocolate-covered gingerbread White House. Of course, just outside of the walls of the hallowed building stood the National Christmas tree (a new version of the same one we'd seen last year), and a decked out street leading to the Capitol.

The mix of patriotism and Christmas cheer was just what the doctor ordered during busy holiday season. My favorite part of the tour was seeing all of the different Christmas cards that our Presidents have sent out over the years... now if I could only get on that list.

Peerless

This weekend was a turning point for us... sure the days have been a lot shorter for the past few weeks, but Saturday morning, when the anticipated rain turned to surprising big, fluffy flakes of snow... and then they stuck - I was sure winter, and with it, Christmas, was here (at least according to this meteorologist).

And while I happily welcome this wonderful season with open arms, there are a few things that often find their exit as soon as the temperature dips. Thankfully, I'm not one of those people who sees their first icicle and thinks their nights of eating a big bowl of ice cream are over... quite the contrary.

As a matter of fact, this cold-fearing Georgia girl gladly embraces a bowl of homemade ice cream... 365 days a year. So after a friend's seemingly innocuous comment describing how delicious the pairing of apple crisp and cinnamon ice cream was, a search commenced to find yet another use for our beloved ice cream maker.

And while she's seen some other delicious recipes pass through her paddle, this may very well be the last. I say that even without having paired this cool and creamy dessert with its crunchy partner since by the time we got around to making this ice cream, apple crisp season was, shall we say, behind us.

It turns out that this Cinnamon Ice Cream didn't need much (read: anything) in the way of accompaniment to find its way into our bellies, and trust me - it shouldn't need anything to get into yours either. No disrespect to the peppermint and rocky road ice creams of our past... but dare I say that in the past they may just stay.

Sorry, No Reindeer Here

I know I'm risking using your very last bit of patience droning on and on about my family's Christmas (not to mention my adorable niece and nephew... can you imagine how bad it'd be if they were actually my kids?) so I'll make this short. I fully recognize that I need to move on... and I will, very soon. This is really more a free promo for our great nation's Capitol and just one more of the many reasons to visit (hint hint!).

Last night as our family's last ode to Christmas 2008, we took everyone into the city to visit the National Christmas Tree in it's 85th year.

It was especially enticing because of the rumored trains wrapped around the base of the tree - and we all agreed that it met and even exceeded our expectations. We also had a very special opportunity... Charlie discovered what he deemed as a very large "rocket" in the distance on the Mall.

Of course I couldn't help snapping a picture of Georgia's ornament as we walked past it on the Christmas Pathway of Peace.

It was neat to see all the states and territories different ornaments in the smaller trees surrounding the main event.

Sadly, however, there were no live reindeer on site as my mom swears there used to be when she visited the tree growing up in Maryland. If you know the whereabouts of said reindeer, please let us know...

Can't Resist

The benefit of having a 3+ year old on Christmas morning is that you really don't have to expend any energy opening presents... he does it all for you! And while you might think that takes all the fun out of it, in reality, watching him "help" everyone in sheer delight is more fun than opening the presents themselves and really embodied the true spirit of Christmas for my family.

Later on in the day, once all the excitement had died down, we found Charlie and Caroline still in their adorable matching PJs, provided by their Nana, sitting together (kind of!) and of course the paparazzi took the opportunity for a photo shoot.

Even though she's starting to teethe, our sweet Caroline was just that, sweet. She is such an agreeable baby in every way - and while I'm not one to dabble in soothsaying, I'll go ahead and say that she adores her brother.

After our delicious beef tenderloin Christmas dinner, we had some fun with what might become a family tradition... only time will tell. Courtesy of my co-worker, a Saratoga native, our family all took turns breaking a Peppermint Pig and tasting a piece of homemade peppermint candy in the hopes of prosperity for the coming year. Thanks to Darcy for a fun treat and toy!

And of course, it wouldn't be our family's Christmas night without way too many desserts. This year in addition to my mom and my Christmas cookies, Robyn contributed a harvester birthday cake for Jesus - the specs of which were requested by none-other-than farmer Charlie himself. Jacob and Robyn made each little tomato, bunch of lettuce and corn!! The only issue?? Whether or not the John Deere harvester on the cake would make it past Christmas morning (there was a little boy eager to get his hands on it).

In the end, my (very un)scientific poll ranked this Christmas as one of the tops I can remember. Call me a sap but I just can't get enough time with my family - especially now with the little ones.

Really, who can resist this cutie pie?

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!!

A Sweet Morning

Being in town this Christmas means lots of opportunities for hosting - and I think I'm finally ready to admit that I will find just about any reason to host a dinner, or any other kind of, party. So when we went through our Christmas week plans with everyone in my family, we thought starting a tradition of a Christmas Eve brunch would be fun - and no surprise, I jumped at the chance to have it at our house.

And of course, this meant pulling out all the stops... while I brainstormed for at least a month about the perfect menu, it only took a few seconds to decide that we'd use my new jewel-tone red chargers as a backdrop to our beautiful china to create a festive table. Suffice it to say, I'm not one of those people who's china won't get used.

I also came across these cute ornaments that I thought could double as place cards so each of us had one waiting at our appointed seat.

The menu did not come about quite so easily - but I think the final product was really delicious and hit the spot. We had a little beverage buffet of coffee, orange juice and holiday punch (a family favorite) - all ready when my brother's family arrived. Shortly after, we dug into a selection of cheddar cheese baked grits, a sausage and vegetable egg casserole, fresh sections of oranges dotted with sliced almonds, and homemade cinnamon rolls topped with cream cheese frosting. To round it all off, we had a mini dessert buffet of some Christmas candy and a tiered silver tray with brandy walnut balls and apricot crumbles.

I'm so thankful that mom and I work together in the kitchen so well because I definitely couldn't have pulled it off without her. Mom helped prep most of the entrees (and cut all the oranges!) the night before while I was delving into another attempt at yeast "bread" (Mom is an amazing cook but we both stay pretty far away from anything to do with yeast, aside from homemade pizza crust) with the homemade cinnamon rolls, which turned out to be so much fun to make and absolutely delicious!

After preparing the dough and letting it rise for just over 2 hours, it was perfectly soft and workable. I rolled it out and spread butter, cinnamon and brown sugar for the filling, all over the center of the dough. Then I rolled the dough into a long log and cut it into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices and place them into two greased baking dishes.

I prepared the rolls last night, then I covered them tightly and placed the dishes in the fridge overnight. I took them out early this morning and let them rise for about 45 minutes and then baked them according to the directions. In the meantime, I prepared the cream cheese frosting so it was ready when the delicious-smelling rolls were finished; I frosted the rolls quickly after pulling them out of the oven and before they were devoured.

They were a hit and even though there were quite a few steps, it was worth it and each step was actually really simple. The cinnamon rolls could have been sweet enough to serve as our dessert but also provided the perfect complement to our savory casseroles for brunch.

Since the left-over cinnamon rolls doubled as our dessert earlier this evening and are sure to show up again on our Christmas plates, I'm sending them to JZ of JZ's Tasty Treats, host of Santa's Challenge.

We loved spending our Christmas Eve morning together and this brunch menu was just the icing on the cake!

Merry Christmas to my dear family!

Tea Time!

I'm not a tea-drinker... I'm just not. As many times as I've tried, thinking it'd be healthier to replace at least one of my cups of coffee with tea, I just can't do it. That is... unless this tea happens to be the tea they serve at the Mayflower, here in Washington, DC. It turns out I'm a bit of a tea snob, I suppose!

Sadly, some fluke bad weather kept my mom in Atlanta earlier this year when my dear friends threw me a bridal shower at the Mayflower but thanks to a set of crazy circumstances (thanks, Allison!), this afternoon, I was able to treat my mom to that delicious high-tea that she had missed!

We had such a great girls' afternoon out down in the city - the Mayflower is absolutely gorgeous and even prettier all decked out for Christmas. We both thoroughly enjoyed our Royal Tea - starting with glasses of Mumm champagne, and then we both chose to have Wild Blackberries Tea along with our assortment of sweet and savory tea sandwiches.
It was a really special and memorable start to our family Christmas celebration. I'm so excited to have my parents here until Christmas Eve and then to continue the festivities with my nephew and niece up in Maryland!

Always More Room

JUST in case you possibly need one more thing to serve and/or eat these holidays, I would highly recommend my favorite's (go figure) Sour Cream Coffee Cake.

Please don't go running in the other direction if you don't like coffee or don't want to bake something with coffee in it - even if you do fall into one of those categories, this recipe's still for you. AND while we're at it, I found out that the name coffee cake can refer to either a sponge cake made with coffee or a cake served with coffee or dessert, not necessarily containing coffee. This one definitely falls into the latter definition - though I wouldn't wait to eat it just with coffee or as dessert.

So no matter why you'll make this, just do it - it's been a perfect breakfast to have around this Christmas week; and while we do still have a few slices left-over waiting in the fridge, I can guarantee they won't last long.

A Merry Christmas... at home

*Yes, Christmas is somewhat on the brain these days... visit again in January if you're not "into" it.

Despite the fact that the status of my Christmas card list really hasn't changed since Thanksgiving, I've been having a blast this Christmas... baking, decorating, buying and wrapping presents to put underneath our tree... THIS is Christmas to me. I think I'm starting to like this not-traveling thing!

A couple of my newest ventures have included pulling out some of the beautiful things I'd been given in years past that I can finally use... not the least of which are these gorgeous "frosted fruit" napkin rings and monogrammed napkins. My only regret *sorry, Mom! is that I only have 4 of these napkin rings so for our family Christmas Eve brunch, I'll use some silver napkin rings instead.

As you may have noticed, I'm not very good about experimenting with all-new recipes - I usually get my ideas either from a home-made cookbook of a family friend's favorites or my mom. So when I was trying to think of some fruit-filled sweets for our brunch, I branched out, recalling a quick recipe for Raspberry Crumbles from The Pampered Chef, of all places. Chris being a bigger fan of apricot (and also, since I already had the preserves in the fridge), I adapted the delicious recipe that I remember these being into Apricot Crumble Bars - and you'll see, I added a special twist into the fruit filling.
Apricot Crumble Bars
makes approx 32 bars

3/4 c butter, softened
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c oats, uncooked (quick-cooking or old-fashioned)
12 oz. apricot preserves
1 1/2 TBSP orange liqueur

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, beating well. Press half of crumb mixture into a greased 13x9 pan.

Mix apricot preserves with orange liquor and spread preserve mixture over the crumb crust. Sprinkle remaining half of crumb mixture over preserves. Bake for 20 minutes.

*And still to go... a last cookie or two and other preparations for houseguests... chocolate-covered pretzels, Susan's chili, and a delicious sour cream coffee cake!

Nanino? Nanaimo?

What's in a name anyway!?!

I asked myself that same question as I hunted down this recipe, a true family favorite... (read: even though my mom usually made well over 15 varieties of cookies and 6-7 desserts each year, my brother and I still favored these bars over all the others). In the end, I was so thankful that my mom had the recipe she's always made because not only are there many many versions out there, there are even two spellings of this delicious treat! My head was spinning by the end of what I thought would be an innocuous little search.

I did, however, come across some fun anecdotes about the actual name of these bars - if you're short on time, the punchline is that no one has conclusively determined when or why these were dubbed Nanino/Nanaimo Squares... but I found the iterations that folks have gone through to not make a decision the most interesting.

It seems most likely that this recipe dates back to the 1950s and has been called all sorts of names throughout the years - my favorites being Miracle Bars and Georgia Street Slices.

Nanino Squares

First layer
1/2 c butter
1/4 c sugar
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, beaten
2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c chopped nuts
1 c flaked coconut

Combine butter, sugar, chocolate, and vanilla in double boiler. Cook over boiling water until well blended. Add beaten egg and cook 5 minutes. Add crumbs, nuts, and coconut. Press with hand into buttered 8x8 inch pan. Chill at least 25 minutes.

Second layer
1/2 c butter, softened
2 TBSP instant vanilla pudding mix powder
3 TBSP milk
2 c powdered sugar

Cream butter until fluffy. Beat in pudding mix and milk. Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until smooth. Spread over first layer. Chill 15 minutes.

Third layer
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2 TBSP butter

Melt over low heat. Spread over second layer. Chill for about 15 minutes and then score the top layer. Cut into squares and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

*Can be made ahead of time and frozen!

And of course it wouldn't be another Christmas without Susan of Food Blogga's Eat Christmas Cookies event. So I'm adding these Nanino... er, Nanaimo Squares to her Christmas cookie platter!

So while it may be too late to make many of them this year, bookmark and check out the round-up for ideas for next year!