A Christmas to Remember

Man, do I have a great family! =] This Christmas, I asked for (begged, pleaded, bribed...) lots of kitchen equipment. Basically stuff that I didn't register for when I got married, because I thought I'd never used it. And now, having realized how often I cook and how helpful some of these things are, I don't want to have to buy them myself! haha!

So what was on this year's wish list? So happy you asked. Here ya go!

1. Dutch oven (at least 7 qt.)
2. French rolling pin
3. *Large* mixing bowls

I had heard of Dutch ovens previously, but never figured I would make enough soups in enough quantities to justify owning one. Little did I know that those suckers are darned useful for making just about anything. So I got a 7 qt. creamy white Martha Stewart Dutch oven from my parents (Love it! Thanks!!) and a Lodge Ware 3 qt. Dutch oven from the hubby (who listened to and remembered me ranting and raving about how much I wanted/needed/demanded a Dutch oven -- he's the best!).

I also already have a rolling pin. It's a traditional, granite pin by Kitchen Aid and, like nearly everything I registered for, it was dishwasher safe. But the spring that enabled the pin to turn properly apparently was not dishwasher safe and rusted terribly. Leading to a situation where, the second or third time I used the thing, I took it out of the dishwasher after cleaning it and rust-colored water ran out of the handle area onto my foot. I know what you're thinking: "Ewwwww!" And you know what? You're right! That's exactly what I yelled at the very top of my lungs. So in addition to the Martha Dutch oven, my parents also got me a French rolling pin. It will be ideal for rolling out the crusts for my favorite apple tarts.

Now, let me say that I have mixing bowls. But I didn't have really huge, honkin' mixing bowls that I could mix up say, a double batch of homemade meatballs in. Well, now I do (thank you to my mother-in-law, Linda). This set comes with 4 nesting, stainless steel bowls and airtight lids for each. The bowls are dishwasher safe, and have already been put to good use mixing up a batch of the aforementioned meatballs.

Finally, let me say that I am blessed to be able to cook for family and friends and do so often. This past year has been an amazing one, with a visit from my best friend this past summer and several family lunches and dinners with both my and my husband's family.

I'm a lucky girl. And I'm lucky to share it with you. Happy Christmas! Happy 2010. May this new year be even better than the previous.

*Details in a future post about our New Year's Eve party and all the yummies we served. =]

Christmas Cookie Ornaments

I have given in...

It's only November 11th, and in the past week I have caught myself humming Christmas carols, planning holiday cooking, scheming ways to sneakily purchase Christmas gifts, and generally getting into the Christmas spirit nearly a month too early.

Each time I realize I'm doing one of these things I guiltily force myself to stop. I caution myself to enjoy each day (it's been ludicrously warm around here lately, so it hasn't been difficult to do that...but still...), stop and smell the roses, whatever I can to distract myself from Christmasy thoughts.

Well, I officially give up. I've thrown in the towel, I'm waving the white flag -- basically, pick your favorite metaphor for surrendering -- I"m doing it!

I found a recipe at allrecipes.com for a white cookie dough ornament. In the past, I've made gingerbread-looking ornaments with cinnamon, but hadn't found a good recipe for a white flour/bread dough-type ornament....until now.

Yesterday I made a double-batch of the ornament dough and stuck it in the fridge before running errands and going back to work for a couple hours. The dough was simple, came together easily, and has only three (inexpensive) ingredients. Today I had lots of fun cutting out all sorts of shapes using cookie cutters, and even worked on a couple free-form ornaments.

Best of all (or the worst, depending on your perspective), the house smells like baking sugar cookies. It's wonderful for the house to smell so good, but the downside is that the dough isn't meant to be eaten. Let me say again: THIS IS AN INEDIBLE RECIPE!!!

Here's the recipe. I'll be posting pictures of cookies as they are finished.

Christmas Ornament Cookie Dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cup of warm water

Combine flour and salt in a bowl and mix well. Slowly add water, mixing as you go. When all the water has been incorporated, stir well (no need to worry about developing those glutens!). When you've mixed the dough as well as possible in the bowl, dump onto a well-floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and supple. You can either use the dough immediately or refrigerate it until ready to use.

When you are ready to make cookies, you can either pull, squish, and squeeze pleasing shapes from the dough or roll it to about 1/4 inch thick and cut using cookie cutters. Either way works well.

Place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for about an hour.

*Mine got a little brown after an hour, so for the second batch I cut the cooking time to around 45 minutes. Bottom line: use your best judgment.

For decorating cookie dough ornaments, I have found that using fabric paint (also known as "puffy paint," those of us alive in the '80s probably remember this as the last word in fashionable t-shirts) accurately simulates the look of royal icing on cookies. After that, I raid the local craft store for buttons, beads, etc. -- anything that resembles candies, dragees, and other decorations.