Christmas at the Garrene's

I am reposting my usual Holiday dishes but this year I will not be cooking, in fact, there hasn't been much cooking going on around here for several weeks. We have finally decided to remodel our kitchen. This has been a huge undertaking and we are now in the home stretch. Cabinets are being installed as I write. Hopefully I will have some great photos to post soon. Happy Holidays!!

This has to be my favorite time of the year, hands down. I usually am in charge of dinner on Christmas Eve so I try to keep it simple making much of meal ahead of time. I also try to make Italian food like ravioli's or oso bucco. Christmas day is less hectic with chruch out of the way, we spend a relaxing morning around the tree opening gifts. My parents will stop by for sweet rolls and coffee before heading off to my brother's house. Then everyone will meet back here for dinner. Prime rib is always on the menu with potatoes gratin.
This weekend Bjorn and I are finishing up the decor(inside and out, shopping for gifts and I'm making cookies. The kids come home this in a few days and I want to have as much done as possible. My first grade class is studying Winter Holidays around the world this month. We always conclude the unit by decorating gingerbread cookies. Chris and Noel will usually come to my classroom the last day of school to help my students complete their houses. It's messy but a lot of fun.
Several years ago, I started putting up 2 trees. We have a large one in the living room and a small one in the family room. I wanted to do something special with all the decorations the kids would make each year they were in elementary school. Thus the idea of a small tree was born. I think I enjoy decorating this tree most of all because every year I can take a stroll down memory lane with the kids.

It also turned out to be a nice way to enjoy a tree no matter which room we happened to be in. You can't beat the smell of a fresh pine tree.

Gingerbread Cookies

My class will be decorating Gingerbread Cookies on Friday as the big finish to our holidays around the world unit. Gingerbread is not my favorite holiday cookie to make because I found that no matter what recipe I used the cookies all turned out the same-dry! As I was researching a recipe this week I found that most everyone was experiencing the same problem. I decided I would just have to do some trial and error of my own to see if I could rectify the problem. I am happy to report that I nailed it on my first try. The trick is not to roll dough to thin and I added an extra egg to the dough. I also raised the amount of shortening to 1 cup and swapped half of that for butter to give it better flavor.

Yields about 5 doz. cookies

4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground pepper(optional)
1 1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 softened butter
3/4 sugar
2 extra large eggs

Combine the flour, baking soda and ground spiced in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening and sugar together until fluffy. Add the molasses and the eggs one at a time. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture and mix until just blended. Place the dough in the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap well and flatten into a disc. Place in the frig for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 325. Roll the dough to just under 1/4 inch. Cut into desired shapes. Bake on a lined baking sheet for 12-14 minutes. Cool completely and decorate as desired.

Simple Glaze

2 1/4 powdered sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 1/2-2 tbsp plus 1 tsp milk
Food coloring

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Divide into bowls or squeeze bottles and color as desired. Spread or squeeze onto cookies. Let harden before storing.

Sugar Cookies

This is the best sugar cookie recipe I have yet to stumble across. It rolls out easily and holds its shape during baking. I usually use one small cookie cutter to get 5 to 6 dozen and I sprinkle them with colored sugar before baking. You can also add food coloring to the dough during mixing for colored cookies. I do not recommend this recipe if you plan on frosting them. The amount of sugar in the cookie combined with a sweet frosting will put your loved ones into a sugar coma. Do use real butter and vanilla extract. Shortning and artificial flavorings detract from the overall flavor.

With a mixer cream together
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup softened butter
add
1 teaspoon real vanilla
2 eggs
Stir in
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Spoon out onto plastic wrap. Cover and pat into a disk
Refrigerate 2 hours
Preheat oven to 375
Divide the dough into 4ths and roll out on a lightly floured board
Roll each piece 1/4 inch thick
Cut with cookie cutters, rerolling and cutting the scraps into new cookies
Keep the board and rolling pin dusted with flour
Lay on greased cookie sheets or line the sheets with a Silpat pad
With a spray bottle, lightly mist the top of each cookie with colored sugar or other decorations. The water helps your decorations to stick to the cookie.
Bake for 7-8 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets half way through for even browning.
Let cookies cool a few minutes before removing from the pan.
Makes 5 dozen 2 inch cookies

Stelline de Oro Cookies

The translation for this cookie is little golden stars. This is a nod to my Italian Heritage. I never got to know my Italian Nona very well so I never had the opportunity to learn authentic Italian cooking or traditions from her. But here's where I take my hat off to my mom because she went out of her way to learn how to make authentic Italian food from her dear friend Phyllis Gacilonne. Phyllis taught my mom how to make ravioli's, biscotti, pizelles, pizza, cannoli's, meatballs and marinara from scratch, just to name a few. My mom made biscotti for Christmas long before it was being sold at fancy coffee shops and grocery stores. Without my mom and Phyllis, I would never have learned to make some of the dishes that I consider to be a part of my heritage.

Cook's Notes- If you don't want to use yellow food coloring, you can use saffron threads instead. You need to steep them in a teaspoon or 2 of warm water before adding to the dough or glaze. Cut back on some of the orange juice in both the dough and the glaze if you opt for this method, otherwise both may be too wet.

Makes 8 dozen

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 sticks of softened butter
zest and juice of 1 large orange
6 drops of yellow food coloring
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Glaze
4 teaspoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup powdered sugar
4 drops yellow food coloring

gold sanding sugar

In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, set aside.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, orange zest, vanilla, orange juice and food coloring. Mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix with the mixer at low speed. Spoon the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap well and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Cut off a small piece of dough and roll the dough out onto a lightly floured board to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a small star cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Bake at 375 for 6-7 minutes. They should be firm to the touch but still pale. Remove to a rack and cool. Frost with glaze and sprinkle with gold sanding sugar if desired.

Gingersnaps

I love the taste of gingerbread but have no desire to frost the little buggers. Too much time and effort to watch people gobble them up by the fistful. So I compromise and make these. I happen to think these taste better than those little brown cookie people.

Makes about 90 cookies

Cook's Notes- I use the smallest of cookie scoops to make these. The scoop makes a round ball and saves me some time as I don't have to hand roll them. I pour the sugar into a pie plate and scoop 15 cookies into the sugar at a time. Roll them in the sugar

and then load one cookie sheet before doing the next sheet full.

3 sticks softened butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups flour
raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpats. In a medium bowl mix together the flour and baking soda, set aside. In a large bowl with a mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and the molasses. Mix well. Add the spices and mix again, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer running on low,add the flour and baking soda mixture. Mix until just combined. Drop by rounded tablespoon into a plate of raw sugar. Coat all sides with the sugar. Place the balls of dough onto the cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Peanut Blossoms

My cousin Scott could eat an entire plate of these in one sitting. My mom would often make a batch just for him during the holidays.

Preheat oven 375
In a mixer cream
1 cup butter softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon real vanilla
Stir in
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar
Place on greased or lined cookie sheets about 2 inches apart
Bake for 10 minutes rotating sheets half way for even baking
Meanwhile remove wrappers from Hershey Kisses about 60
Immediately upon removal from the oven, press a kiss in the center of each cookie
Carefully remove to a rack to cool
Let cookies cool completely and allow kisses to harden before storing in containers
Makes about 60 cookies

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

Hands down these are my family's favorite cookies. I originally made these for my son to take with him back to college but they have since graced my holiday cookie platter and assorted pot-lucks. There are a few steps but each is simple to do and they do come together quickly.

Makes about 30 bars


Shortbread
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar

Caramel
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate
8 oz chocolate, finely chopped (I used bittersweet)
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
Fleur de sel for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

To make the shortbread layer: Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press into an even layer over the bottom (it'll be a fairly thin layer). Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely.

To make the caramel layer: Combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk in a medium saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter is melted. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and turns a light caramel color. This may take 10 minutes or more, so be patient. Pour the caramel mixture over the cooled shortbread and spread in an even layer. Allow to cool completely, then chill briefly (I stuck mine in the fridge overnight, but you just want to chill enough that it won't melt when you add the warm chocolate in the next step).

To make the chocolate layer: Add the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter to a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Pour the chocolate over the chilled caramel and spread into an even layer with an offset spatula. Let cool for a few minutes, then sprinkle the top with the fleur de sel (if using). Let the chocolate set completely before slicing and serving.

Fudge

There is nothing like a good piece of fudge and fortunately, this recipe will make quite a few pieces. A candy maker I am not so when I found this recipe I was thrilled. You don't need a candy thermometer and measuring is a no-brainer.

Makes about 5 pounds

4 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter(2 sticks)
1 bag milk chocolate pieces
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate pieces
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 bag mini marshmellows
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Bring the sugar, cream, and butter to a boil in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the marshmallows, chocolate, and vanilla. Fold in the nuts. Pour fudge into a rimmed baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Allow to set up. Cut into small squares. Store in an air tight container. This recipe freezes well, otherwise store in the fridg.

Thanksgiving Planning

I've been off work this entire week and that has given me some time to plan out my dishes. I try to cook as little as possible on the big day. Even though our family room and kitchen are all in one, I still hate being chained to a stove while everyone else is visiting or watching the game. So I make as much as I possibly can ahead of time. I usually plan on beginning my cooking with the desserts the weekend before Thanksgiving. But,if you still haven't gotten a move on, not to worry. You have plenty of time.
Here's what my game plan looks like:
Sunday- shop for the meal to beat the crowds
place frozen turkey in the frig to begin to defrost(if using a fresh bird skip this step)
make pie dough for pies, leave in frig for later

Monday- make the pies and other desserts, place in frig
bake the sweet potatoes for the souffle and store in frig

Tuesday- make the stuffing and cranberry conserve
make sweet potato puree for souffle
prep the souffle, stopping just before adding the egg whites

Wednesday- prep the brussel sprouts and blanche them(for brussel sprouts and
bacon)Oct. '11
pick the turkey up from meat market
place turkey in the brine in the a.m.
make the mashed potatoes
make the rolls
buy the flowers and set the tables
make the artichoke dip

Thursday- 9:00- watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
10:00- prep the cocktail weenies and the cranberry/brie bites
remove the turkey from brine and prep it for the oven
put the turkey in the oven and prep basting liquid
will baste turkey every 30 minutes
12:00-put the brie bites,cocktail weenies and artichoke dip in the oven
prep the crackers and plates
make cocktails or open the wine
1:00- put out goodies and welcome family and friends
3:00- put the mashed potatoes and stuffing in the oven
finish the souffle and put in the oven
make the brussel sprouts and place in oven to stay warm
prep my serving station(island in the kitchen)
3:30- remove turkey from the oven, tent with foil and let rest
strain the liquids in bottom of the pan
make the gravy
rolls and butter on the table
4:00- carve the turkey and place on platter
remove the dishes from the oven and set out with serving spoons
get drinks on the table
put out gravy and cranberries
Call everyone to the table!
put the coffee on before sitting downt