2018 Holiday Cooking and Baking

[heidih]

Oh no - read Margaret's post about Lior Lev Sercarz's Mastering Spice - so I'm thinkin a touch of curry in the pumpkn bread and something different in the cookies. Can't sleep so.... gettin started.

Edited December 6, 2019 by heidih (log)

[CatIsHungry]

I don’t know whether to laugh or like @heidih 😀 - totally understand not being able to sleep and baking in the middle of the night (how many times Mr Cat has woken up to the smell of baked goods!) ... but agree about Maragret’s Post - has me re-thinking some cookie’s planned for the weekend - and I don’t know whether to laugh / cry / be mad 😂 😉 ... 

[heidih]

Well it smells good - it is only 9pm in Caifornia but I know sleep is not gonna happen tonight. Balava next as no brown sugar for ch chip cookies inhouse. -  baklava next... different temp and one oven so have to wait.  No sure if we are talking same Margaret This is who I meant   https://awaytogarden.com/spice-it-up-flavorful-new-cookbooks-with-alexandra-stafford/  Gives me time to finish writing a con law sugar fueled article.

Edited December 6, 2019 by heidih (log)

[CatIsHungry]

😂 😂 😂 I must’ve been reading / trying to think of something else and posting at the same time (or having some sort of medical event LOL) when I posted - forgive, please! I am starting the push for my Christmas baskets and reading / checking recipes / ingredients / etc and am a little frazzled 🤣 

 

I am checking your link, though and it’s making me more frazzled 😂 ... but some good stuff there - I’ve always tried to spice up my cooking / baking (duh - like everyone, right? 😉 - a little smoked or sweet paprika in Peanut Butter Cookies or cc cookies etc - and Maangchi I’ve followed a long time - some recipes I still need a refresher on once in a while ... 

 

Baklava - oh - that’s sounds so good! have not made that in a long time! After the basket rush, I may have to dig out the old recipe and do it again ... This is the time of year, I love to bake the most, I think ... 

[heidih]

I sampled the pumpkinbread. It also had a leftover teaspoon of Swiss Miss cocoa! Really nice. I've housed it in the dead microwave (mice!) and will portion out tomorrow, A little change can be nice. I was thwarted in my other plans cuz no citrus in house and no outdoor lights - so onward tomorrow  I really enjoy the folks who anticipate the goodies. Makes it all worth it. 

[heidih]

OK so pumpkin bread with the curry powder and Swiss Miss came out exceptionally well. Texture and taste hit all the notes. Not too sweet nor dense. Made myself pack it up for freezer or I'd have eaten it all wth pots of tea tonite watching sappy Christmas movies. Image is after one big bag already in freezer. Onward!!!

[chromedome]

I've made up a large quantity of sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies, because I'm going to host the building's kids for a cookie-decorating day soon. I've also done a couple batches of shortbread cookies (I'll do another batch with browned butter as well, and one batch old-school as fingers), and a batch each of German cinnamon stars and what my GF knows as Russian tea cakes (aka pecan meltaways and many other things). I've baked the pieces for five little gingerbread houses and will do another batch soon to make a church, and will assemble a little gingerbread village on a large cake board at some point in the next week or so.

Have made a batch of 8 mini-loaves of date-nut loaf (one of my Mom's holiday staples) and 9 mini-loaves of banana bread with nuts and chocolate (one of my GF's holiday staples) and will do one more of each, as well as a two batches each of cranberry-orange loaf and pound cake-y Sultana loaf (my mom's other two holiday staples). I'm thinking I'll plump the raisins with a bit of rum, just 'cause.

Still to come (aside from what's already been mentioned) are more of the zimmtsternen and Russian tea cakes, a batch or two of linzer cookies and spritz cookies, a few kinds of chocolates and possibly some breads. I've got a stack of small dollar-store baskets on the side table near my desk, and plan to fill those for the neighbours and others peripheral to our circle, and slightly larger ones for family.
 

Most years I start too late and don't get through half of what I'd intended, but this year I'm pretty much on track. This is the upside of work slowing down at this time of year.

[lindag]

2 hours ago, chromedome said:

I've made up a large quantity of sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies, because I'm going to host the building's kids for a cookie-decorating day soon. I've also done a couple batches of shortbread cookies (I'll do another batch with browned butter as well, and one batch old-school as fingers), and a batch each of German cinnamon stars and what my GF knows as Russian tea cakes (aka pecan meltaways and many other things). I've baked the pieces for five little gingerbread houses and will do another batch soon to make a church, and will assemble a little gingerbread village on a large cake board at some point in the next week or so.

Have made a batch of 8 mini-loaves of date-nut loaf (one of my Mom's holiday staples) and 9 mini-loaves of banana bread with nuts and chocolate (one of my GF's holiday staples) and will do one more of each, as well as a two batches each of cranberry-orange loaf and pound cake-y Sultana loaf (my mom's other two holiday staples). I'm thinking I'll plump the raisins with a bit of rum, just 'cause.

Still to come (aside from what's already been mentioned) are more of the zimmtsternen and Russian tea cakes, a batch or two of linzer cookies and spritz cookies, a few kinds of chocolates and possibly some breads. I've got a stack of small dollar-store baskets on the side table near my desk, and plan to fill those for the neighbours and others peripheral to our circle, and slightly larger ones for family.
 

Most years I start too late and don't get through half of what I'd intended, but this year I'm pretty much on track. This is the upside of work slowing down at this time of year.

I'm tired just reading your list.  🙀

 

[heidih]

I have to keep posting to fuel my momentum. Citrus picked for Linzer and baklava. Of course it started raining as I went out...not complaining - we need it.

Edited December 6, 2019 by heidih (log)

[heidih]

Delivery guy got a piece of pumpkin bread and was thrilled with the prospect of a touch of curry (South Asian lad). My Linzer squares turned into more of a brittle when a conversation with elderly neighbr droned on. I thought oven off - but nope. Salvaged 90% of sheet pan.. Tomorrow cookies and then baklava - hopefully kumquats ripe and mud not too gloopy.

[chromedome]

6 hours ago, heidih said:

My Linzer squares turned into more of a brittle when a conversation with elderly neighbr droned on. I thought oven off - but nope. Salvaged 90% of sheet pan..

I had a similar mishap with my most recent pot of steel-cut oats. Thought I'd turned the pot off, but instead somehow had just lowered the induction hob to its lowest setting. Left it to "cool" for an hour, and returned to a smell of overdone oatmeal cookies. About 2/3 of the pot was salvageable, though I deliberately didn't scrape out as much as I could have in order to limit the whiff of scorched-ness. Too damned cheap frugal to throw it out, so that's been my breakfast the past two days and I'll finish it tomorrow.

 

Next batch will be babysat with the vigilance one normally reserves for a 3-year old with ADHD and a bellyful of chocolate-covered espresso beans.