Riding through my friend’s neighborhood after a night mountain bike outing the other week, I passed a house that boasted a remarkably diverse array of holiday lights. Illuminated across the front lawn was flamingo, inflatable Snoopy Santa, reindeer collection and nativity scene. Seriously? I thought to myself. Is this legal to have the sacred and profane commingling on Kentucky blue grass?

At first I was put off. I mean, pick one or the other, would ya? Out of respect for Jesus, get rid of the lawn Santa! But the more I’ve been reading about winter solstice, the more I realize these two symbolize the same thing in different ways: the return of light to our darkened days.

For centuries, the rituals and traditions of pre-Christian cultures were intimately tied to celestial, seasonal passages marked by the summer and winter solstice and the spring and fall equinox. Astronomically, we have winter because of that remarkable 23.5 degree tilt in the Earth’s axis. Winter begins when the earth is furtherest away from the sun and days become long again.

In the northern hemisphere, winter solstice is among the most celebrated of all seasonal passages. The hardest of times, winter in days of yore meant meager living, possible food rations, starvation, and deep, bitter cold. Surviving those fierce days called for sacrifice and celebration. With solstice came the promise of renewal.

I am heartened by this promise and am grateful for the many, many ways ours and other cultures celebrate this season of light. The most well-known religious and secular observations in North America, from Chanukah to Kwanzaa to Christmas to Solstice, involve illumination. Candles marking days, counting down, guiding the path, restoring faith and burning bright – the flame of hope draws us near and we count our blessings and reward our spirits by sharing in the joy of another season of life.

So how did you celebrate the return of light? This year, winter solstice occured on December 22. I’m contemplated making my own candles. Ever done this? Then, I thought I’d head to the kitchen to make something I’ve never contemplated until this year: a chocolate Yule Log or Buche de Noel like this one or perhaps this one, which has twice as much vanilla, so already I’m hooked. Learn more about the history of this holiday ember here.

As we look to the New Year, I’d love a recommendation on your favorite holiday or winter cocktail. By the way, have you seen the recipe for Rodelle’s Vanilla Ginger Snap? I can see me now curled up next to a fire place with glass in hand. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a special way to help others less fortunate in the world make it through this season of light, check out Chez Pim’s sixth annual Menu For Hope and start giving. The fundraiser ends December 31.

May your season be bright!

Carol

Thanks to Zombizi, ItzaFineDay and Bgreenlee for their enlightening photo contributions.

The holiday season offers us the chance to reveal secret desires in the hopes of actually getting them granted.  In the food blog world, these hoped for gifts are being revealed on sites like smittenkitchen and finecooking.com.  While my list is being compiled by someone who is still a kitchen novice, I have my own wants for this holiday season.  But first, I’d like to acknowledge some of my favorite necessities before I reveal what things I wish were in my kitchen as well!

Top Five Kitchen Must Haves:

1.        A pure vanilla. Seriously, are you surprised?  Yes, vanilla is my favorite ingredient but that’s only because it is so delicious!  And a pure vanilla extract is the only way to go! If I really feel like indulging, I’ll substitute real vanilla beans for the extract.  There’s something luxuriant about splitting open that bean pod and scooping the fine grains into the lucky dough or batter!

2.       A quality knife block. Although there are proponents of knife magnets out there in the blogosphere (like my good friend Carol!), I’m still a fan of my knife block.  I just have this scary mental image of stumbling, tripping or leaning backwards onto the knife magnet; the knife block seems the safer option for clumsy people like me!

3.       A set of good mixing bowls and baking utensils. Okay, this one is more than a single item, but they all work as a team!  I love my clear mixing bowls because I like being able to see the ingredients and colors blending together and I can easily check to make sure there is no renegade flour hiding at the bottom of the bowl!  My wooden spoon and whisk sets of varying sizes are always there when I need them.  Having familiar utensils is like having a good friend in the kitchen: they never complain and are unbelievably helpful because you know exactly what they are capable of doing!

4.       An excellent set of pots and pans. I use the Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel set and I love them.  They’re relatively new (only about 6 months young) and they’re still slowly becoming seasoned (as is their owner!) but I have the feeling they will be around for many years. They look professional, they’re an easy clean and they’re a huge step up from the pots and pans I lugged around during my years of school.

5.       A fire extinguisher. Self-explanatory.

And now for the Top Five Kitchen Wants:

1.       A pastry cutter. I can’t believe I don’t have one of these yet!  They’re so useful and they make creating pie crusts feel a little more sophisticated!

2.       A Joy the Baker apron. This is a pretty specific wish, but these aprons are just so cute!  Although I’m not much of a girly-girl, there is something fun and pretty about these aprons that just call to me.  You know how Clarke Kent really only turns into Superman when he’s wearing his cape?  I imagine that having one of these aprons would magically transform me into a kitchen super-hero, rushing to save the masses (well, maybe just my husband and two dogs) from inferior food experiences.

3.       A mortar and pestle. I would love to be able to more effectively grind herbs and spices and a mortar and pestle set would enable me to do just that!  Plus, there are some really cool ones available!  My favorite might be the gray and white marble one.

4.       A rotary cheese grater.  If your hand has ever slipped while trying to grate parmesan over spaghetti, you know how painful a regular grater can be!  How nice it would be to simply crank a handle and have perfect little shavings of cheese sprinkle down like snow on Christmas!  Plus, they can help grate chocolate and other products too!

5.       A double boiler. I have gotten away with not owning one of these for a little while, but I have the distinct feeling that some of my cooking experiences would be so much more pleasant if I gave in and bought one (remember the red velvet cake ball experience?)!

So, these are some of the things I can’t live bake/cook without and a few items I find highly desirable!  What are some kitchen accessories or items that you are secretly lusting after this holiday season? Go on, put it out there! You never know who might be reading!

Thanks to Lori&Todd for the picture of the fire extinguisher!

Laura

I love Christmas music.  It’s one of my favorite aspects of this season (along with family time, food, smells and shopping)!  I’m always a little annoyed when they start playing Christmas music in October, but now that it is a more appropriate timing, I can be heard singing it loudly whenever I (think I) am alone.  How can you not love something that is telling you that “it’s the most wonderful time of the year!”?

When we were little and I was told we could sing only one more song together before bedtime, I would always choose the 12 Days of Christmas because it was the longest song.  Now, I still love the song for its imagery and repetition, not to mention the interesting history and symbolism; however, I think it may be time for an update!  In my version, each day would bring a delightful new treat.  Because, really, who wants ten lords a leapin’ in a tiny apartment?  Plus, the original would be an expensive Christmas list!  My list would be unforgettable (although maybe not as well rhymed as the original), colorful, sweet and guaranteed to find something for everyone!

So here it is: The 12 Days of Christmas food list, Laura Crum style!

On the 12^th day of Christmas, my true love gave fed to me:

12 Drummers Drumming Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies,

11 Pipers Piping Peppermint Bark Pieces,

10 Lords A-leaping Cherry Coconut Bars,

9 Ladies Dancing Lady Fingers,

8 Maids A-Milking oz of Eggnog,

7 Swans A-Swimming Scoops of Sorbet,

6 Geese A-Laying Bites of Mousse,

5 Golden Rings Cups of Fruit Salad,

4 Calling Birds Peppermint Pattis,

3 French Hens Vanilla Bean Martinis,

2 Turtle Doves Turtle Candies

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree Vanilla Roasted Pear for Dessert!

Overall, I like my list.  There are some of the more traditional flavors of the holidays in the eggnog and peppermint patties, one of my old favorites with the chocolate mousse, and a couple of recipes I can’t wait try like the cherry bars and vanilla roasted pear!  Of course, there is an adult slant to my list, with the Eggnog and the Vanilla Bean Martini!  Some of these desserts are good for those with a gluten intolerance (like the eggnog, peppermint bark, turtle candy, mousse or fruit salad) and even a few that can be easily modified for any diabetics (like the sorbet or the vanilla roasted pear)!  After all, everyone should be able to enjoy the holidays, even with a dietary restriction or two!

What would be on your Christmas food countdown?

Thanks to IrishTypepad for the picture of the Christmas music!  All other pictures from Rodelle Vanilla!

Happy Countdown!

Laura

One of the great mysteries of the kitchen is my knife drawer (it may be the great mystery of any kitchen, actually!). I grew up with a famously awful knife drawer that looks exactly today as it did 30 years ago. Nothing but wooden handled paring, slicing and carving knives that have never seen a knife sharpener and probably never will. However, I think it’s safe to say that unlike my mom, I ponder the health of my knives. For instance, I’ve recently noticed that my knives are just dull. I accept this fact because I figure it has to do with the quality of my knives, not how I treat them (right?). However, this I know: a sharp knife makes prep work go more smoothly, and more safely. A dull knife can be threatening to fingers!

Still, the mystery remains. How do you keep a knife sharp? How often should you sharpen it? What am I supposed to be doing with the knife sharpening rod that came with my entry-level Henkels knife set? Moreover, what am I doing with an entry-level knife set when I love cooking as much as I do? (If you have an answer to any of these questions, I would love to hear from you!)

To unearth these mysteries, I took a field trip to my favorite local kitchen shop – The Cupboard – and consulted Polly Erickson, their in-house knife specialist. Although Polly begged me not to say she was an expert, I will say that she was immensely helpful and served as an excellent resource in helping me learn the basics on the care and maintenance of knives. Here’s what she shared with me….

First off, don’t keep your knives in a drawer (whoops!). You want to keep each blade free from other objects that could chip or ding its integrity. If you have a knife set, it probably came with this standard butcher block keeper. I tossed mine aside b/c I like my counters free of clutter, but now I think I’ll invest in a magnetic strip (like you see in some professional kitchens). This also means keeping your knives OUT of the dishwasher. I know. I know. It pains you think about hand-washing, doesn’t it? Aside from dulling the blade, but according to Polly, dishwashers are hardest on the handle. So, grab your sponge and soap and start scrubbing (gently).

Now that you know where and how to store and care for your knives, here are the basics for keeping your knives super sharp:

Maintenance

You know the knife steel that came with your high carbon stainless steel knife set? It looks like one of these.

Your steel is not for sharpening. It maintains the edge on your knife. Some knife aficionados swear by steeling before and after each use. Do what works for you but develop a good steeling technique. Polly offered this tutorial. Be sure to use a steel that has the same if not greater hardness than your knife, otherwise your knife won’t keep an edge. Also, your steel should be at least 1-inch longer than your longest knife.

The angle you use to steel your knife should be the angle of the knife blade. FYI — European knives are usually 20 degrees, Japanese knives 15 degrees. The hips of some steels (where the handle meets the steel rod) are actually set to help you find this angle. Three to four passes on each side of the blade should do the trick. In addition to the steel rod, I also learned about ceramic and diamond steels. In addition to requiring fewer passes of the knife, the diamond steels I saw had a wider, almost oval shape which offers  greater surface area that some people find more easy to use.

Sharpening

Do this (ideally) every six months. You can get yourself into a quality at-home sharpener for less than $100. Be sure you use the sharpener correctly, and don’t sharpen too frequently or you might take metal off the blade. To eliminate worries of at-home sharpening, you can outsource the job for a minimal fee (for example, The Cupboard charges 25 cents per inch). A commercial grinding stone will give a sharper edge than what you can probably create at home. Ceramic knives are the exception. You typically need to return these to the manufacturer for sharpening.

By the way, a sharp knife is critical for scraping out vanilla bean seeds. Rodelle has a great video that demonstrates this simple task.

Want to know more? Polly recommends Chad Ward’s An Edge in the Kitchen for learning the ins and outs of buying, keeping and using kitchen knives. It’s a great resource! Given that knives are the one kitchen tool I use every single day, and I like my fingers, I think it’s time for a crash course in proper knife etiquette (and I should ask Santa for an 8″ chef’s knife that is worth more than $15). I hope these tidbits inspire you to do the same (if you aren’t already a seasoned pro!).

Thanks to Polly and The Cupboard for their time and participation in this week’s blog!

Keep it sharp,

Carol

Thanks to Joebeone for the magnetic strip photo.

Ten years ago, I flew to Brussels in mid-December to attend the wedding of a dear friend. It was my first winter visit to Belgium and it was freeze-your-nostrils-shut cold. But it was Belgium and the spirit of the holidays infused the streets of the famed Flemish capital, so I donned my favorite chapeau, buried my nose in my scarf, and took to the holiday market for gluhwein and roasted chestnuts.

The wedding was a nonstop party for three days. Eating was a central theme and I fondly remember feasting on an epic supply of perfectly prepared mussels (cliché I know, but worth it), making traditional Belgium wedding soup (I smelled of chicken for days), and imbibing an endless supply of Rodenbach beer. A decade later, when I think of the holidays, I think of Belgium, deep winter, and food.

Since it’s that time of year, and for once I’m feeling like all I want to do is go to holiday parties, and since I can’t go to Belgium, I thought we could stroll down imagination lane (again) in search of a different kind of fantasy menu. This one I’m dubbing “Holiday Appetizers for the Irreverent Glutton” because I’m drawn this season to tapas-like tasty nibbles that keep your feet nailed to the floor in front of the appetizer table. There’s no central theme to my menu other than keeping to my standards of rewarding taste, fresh ingredients (local and seasonal when possible), and fun. But you know that by now!

In preparation, I’ve been reading many a blog in search of this year’s trends in holiday appetizers. But the blogosphere seems to be atwitter with holiday cookie exchange recipes instead. Not much help for a girl who wants to take a hard look at gluttony (although sugar is one way to go and I love cookies with all my heart). Nevertheless, I persevered, and what you see below are the fruits of my labor! Just so you know, I’m an equal opportunity fantasy hostess, so I’ve included a few items that my gluten-free friends can devour, as well as a treat or two that even a vegan would love. Grab a little party plate – it’s time to eat!

Holiday Appetizers for the Irreverent Glutton
Parmesan Polenta Bites with Roasted Red Pepper Rouille (leave out the bread crumbs and you have a gluten-free tasty)

Dates stuffed with Blue Cheese (or shake things up and mix  vanilla bean seeds with the blue cheese)

Cannoli (heads up – the time involved in preparing this little delight requires that you have a house elf who can attend to the rest of your life)

Mejillones Rellenadas (thank you Spain for creating tapas!)

Double Chocolate and Chili Cookies or these Mexican Chocolate Crackle Cookies or maybe both — this is about gluttony after all!

Tapenade and homemade crackers

Homemade Fruity Gumdrops

Cream Cheese Cranberry Tartlets (created by our very own Rodelle chef – yum!)

Later in the month, I’ll be attending what is sure to be a “remarkably bad holiday outfit” themed party at the home of last month’s Rogue Rice hostess. I think I’ll take tapenade and crackers because the preparation time is nearly nil and it’s always a crowd pleaser (do you have a few go-to appetizers that are always big hits and easy to make? Do tell!). No doubt, in short order, my inbox will be overwhelmed with amazing appetizer suggestions for the holidays, but why don’t you get a jump start on the pros and let me know what you’ll be putting out on the party table this holiday season? Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Eat well, often, and inspired ~

Carol

Thanks to Davesandford, Flowery L*u*z*a*, jekinthebox, and Joaaso for their fun holiday pics.

As most of you readers have probably gathered, I love the traditional flavors that permeate the holiday season: vanilla, chocolate, apple, cinnamon, pumpkin…. Yum!  The form that these flavors are presented to the eater, though, is up for negotiation!  I love recipes that twist standard (read: boring) recipes into something new and exciting.  Just last week, I experimented with two different recipes of this type.  One of these recipes was a delicious success; the other was an epic failure.  Epic failures are more fun informative, so let’s start with that one first!

While perusing food blogs, I ran into a recipe for red velvet cake balls; actually, I ran into the recipe twice.  I figured that finding the same recipe twice in a matter of minutes was a sign from the kitchen deities that I should make these amazing looking little treats.  Since I was going to be traveling to my parents’ place to meet the whole family for Thanksgiving, I had a great excuse to give these a try!  So now I had a recipe and a purpose and it was time to implement!

The first part of it went as planned.  Once I had mixed the crumbled red velvet cake and the cream cheese frosting together, it was time to ball them and dip them in the chocolate.  This part did not go as planned, unfortunately. The next step was to melt the chocolate and I decided that doing this in the microwave was the easy way to go.  A pitted Tupperware and several burnt chocolate bars later, I learned the valuable lesson that the chocolate may actually be melted, but it will still retain its shape until you stir it.  Oops. Strike One.

A quick run to the grocery store to grab some more chocolate and I was back in business!  Now that I was able to melt the chocolate without burning a hole in the container, the next step was to drop small round balls (created by using my handy mini ice cream scoop!) into the chocolate, roll them around and then lay them onto waxed paper.  I ran into another problem here.  Candy chocolate is great, until any moisture gets in it.  Once moisture DOES get in, the consistency of the melted chocolate changes and becomes crumbly and nearly impossible to work with.  Remember, we just mixed an entire can of cream cheese frosting into the cake balls…moisture is guaranteed at this point.  Strike Two.

After recruiting my reluctant always-willing husband, we came up with a new plan: he would spoon some melted chocolate onto the wax paper, I would drop a rounded scoopful of the cake mixture onto it, then he would drizzle more chocolate on top, until the dollop was completely covered.  Genius, yes?  Well, except for the fact that doing it this way uses up the melted chocolate much quicker and we had to run again to the store.  Strike Three.

After we bought every single one of the semi-sweet baking chocolate bars and packages off the shelf, we went to work.  We spooned, scooped and smothered those little chocolate balls for the next hour and a half, dirtying nearly every dish in the kitchen, even this little fish-shaped appetizer bowl.

In the end though, they were done.  They were not the artful little Valentine’s-worthy showplace pieces that were so beautifully shown on the website.  In fact, they were more like amorphous blobs.  However, they tasted phenomenal!! Seriously, you have to try them — just get someone else to make them, maybe??

Given that they were not the most attractive looking, I was a little hesitant to bring those as my Thanksgiving contribution.  I settled for sending the red velvet cake balls into work with my husband, where I received way more praise than deserved.  While the compliments were nice, I still needed to create something to bring to Thanksgiving with me.  That’s when I discovered this recipe on another blog.

Apple cake.  Even the name is mouthwatering!  The recipe, written by someone known only as “Great Aunt Ethel,” was simple and direct (far from the maddening battle with red velvet cake balls), with no melting chocolate required! Excellent!

I thought to myself, “How could anything created by Great Aunt Ethel not be perfect?” and decided to give it a shot.  I followed the open recipe, using Granny Smith apples and also adding cinnamon, just a hint of nutmeg and the tiniest suggestion of cloves.  It was as easy as it sounded and the end product was beautiful, with all the flavors of apple pie but the texture of the moistest cake you’ve ever had. Even though the cake got slightly smushed in transport, my family loved it and gobbled it down quickly.  The praise for this one goes to 17 and baking and, of course, Great Aunt Ethel, but this recipe is definitely going into my files to use whenever an old classic needs a facelift. I’ll also ask the Rodelle Kitchen to give it a try…maybe they can think of one more simple step or ingredient to add that will make this already superb and homey recipe simply stellar!  Or, maybe you know what (if anything!) it is missing!  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Have you had any disasters or unbelievable successes re-imagining classic dishes?

Happy Baking!

Laura

Patience Crackstone and her husband Nathan toiled four days and nights to prepare their Thanksgiving offering, an earthy, roasted arrangement of carrots, squash and leeks that marinated hours in a ginger bath of water and stock before browning in a heavy skillet to bring out the sugars. They sat at the table in their Sunday best, exhausted, yet hopeful. There was much to celebrate.

The Crackstones joined in the First Thanksgiving to share the balance of their harvest and make friends with outsiders. Patience was smart enough to bring along a bottle of Tuaca, to smooth over the exhaustion and bring merriment to others. She blended it with cider and ginger ale, added whole cranberries and kumquats for colorful effect, and heated the brew over a bunsen burner. She enjoyed the hard cider with heavy whipping cream.

As did I, a small, dried blueberry who arrived late with appetizers in tow. It was my first, First Thanksgiving and I wanted to do it right. A blueberry with divergent tastes and a penchant for the nontraditional – hence the blueberry wig and not the pilgrim get-up – I knew my offering would have to satisfy palettes and tummies in a down home comfy way, yet also surprise and delight same palettes and tummies. I found this stuffed mushroom inspiration from one of my favorite blogs and tried out my fantasy sweet potato appetizer recommendation from last week. The Fantasy lives!!

Welcome to the joy of Rogue Rice, a supper club by way of quirky irreverence. My friends Katie and Lera spawned the idea last year – theme-based dinners that feature random concepts (for instance, All Things Pirate), yummy and reasonable food (you can’t spend more than $20 to prepare your offering), and of course, costumes. First Thanksgiving was a must and our team of foodies took to it with great gusto.

Sitting around the table, our collection of Crackstones, Native American goddesses (Skwantina Crackstone – she married Solomon Crackstone), Wishbones and Blueberries shared a meal of fantastic flavor.

Here’s what was on the Rogue Rice First Thanksgiving Menu (a little different to Patience’s all those years ago!):

Roasted Pork Loin
Scalloped Potatoes with Leeks and Nutmeg
Fall Salad with Persimmons, Toasted Hazelnuts, and Tangerine Vinaigrette
Ginger Infused Roasted Carrots, Squash and Leeks
Roasted Asparagus
Buttermilk biscuits
Pumpkin Cheesecake

I think we impressed ourselves. I know I was impressed, especially since our gluten-free Pilgrim Patience fared fantastically well – without us even trying. The only things she said ‘no’ to were the biscuits and the crust from the pumpkin cheesecake. Well done!

Over the evening, our Pilgrim talk – you know, how to survive another winter and where to source down for blankets and slippers – evolved into planning the next Rogue Rice event, which I’m thrilled to say will occur at my humble abode in late January (yes, I’ll have my furniture at last!). I’m keeping that theme under wraps for now. Unless, of course, you guess it, or better yet, share some ideas for future events. The more outlandish the better!!

Looking forward to hearing and sharing your Thanksgiving tales!

Carol