Christmas Food YAY
Dec. 29th, 2008 05:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marenziA picspam of my five days in the kitchen! I really only have pictures from the two days devoted to Christmas dinner, though, so there's a fair bit of storytelling involved for the others.
The first day was spent baking different Christmas cookies, but my camera apparently ate those pictures? The cookies were just too irresistible, I suppose, although I really wish I had them. :/ I made classic chocolate chip cookies, peppermint twist candy candy cookies, & Turiano Italian cookies. The last don't really have a name; it's just the general idea which came from that branch of the family. It's one of those recipes where nothing was ever written down, so we all claim to have the right recipe even though we're making very different types. Mine, however, are totally the right ones! :)
I do have all of the images for the Christmas preparations, however! Days two & three:
To start with, the corner of my highly organized workstation:
As you can see, all the essentials are present. Anyone who tells you that Grand Marnier can't be put in every Christmas dish ever has obviously never been in my kitchen.
CHRISTMAS MORNING
Almond Biscotti
Okay. These were highly unappetizing lumps of solid goo which were stickier than rubber cement. I almost didn't bake them because they were so impossible to work with and I was convinced I screwed the recipe up somehow.
They came out perfect. Oh god, my mouth is watering remembering them. Overflowing with almonds and drenched in almond extract - the entire house smelled fantastic. Now that I've finally found a recipe that's as good as Nonna's, I'll probably end up making these every month.
Cranberry-Orange Muffins
I didn't think these turned out well. My mom loved them, so they weren't a lost cause, but something was just off to me. The original recipe didn't have the orange flavor, so I messed around with that a bit. If I made them again, I'd add more orange juice.
Also, plz note the Easter liners. It was either those or some for the Fourth of July, and I figured that it worked because they're both religious holidays.
Breakfast Pie
We've had this every Christmas morning as far back as I can remember. It is so incredibly bad for you that it's the only time of year that we have it, but it's absolutely worth it. Sausage, egg, five different kinds of cheese - bliss on a plate. Dean would approve.
That would be Kara in the background, begging for attention. :)
CHRISTMAS DINNER
Fresh Rosemary Bread
This has become my standard bread for guests; it's a reliable recipe and it has a good balance between being flavorful and not being overpowering. You'd normally be able to see all the spices, but I used whole wheat flour; this loaf came out especially dense.
Brie En Croute
My cheat recipe! Simplest things ever to make: wrap a cube of brie in crescent roll dough, stick 'em in the oven for ten minutes, and you have gooey, delicious appetizers. You even get to call them by their French name and make them sound elegant.
Alternatively, add a dollop of jam inside the roll with the brie to make it a dessert. Really, if you ever need something to take in fifteen minutes? This is it.
Zucchini & Basil Frittatas
I obviously didn't get a good picture of these when they first came out of the oven. I was really surprised that I liked these, because I'm not fond of either zucchini or eggs, but wow. Definitely a pleasant surprise!
Homemade Ravioli
Nnngh. I could live on these! I made a ground beef filling with extra fresh parsley & parmesan. In the first picture, my mom is crimping the edges of the freshly rolled dough together; in the second, the ravioli have thoroughly dried out and are ready to be boiled.
Pear & Bleu Cheese Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing
So yummy - this is my favorite salad ever. It's pretty self-explanatory and very simple - romaine lettuce, thinly sliced green pears, crumbled bleu cheese, and walnuts. The dressing is slightly sweetened by honey, but still has the kick of the spicy dijon in there.
Roll call: zesty almond green beans, pear & bleu cheese salad, tart cranberry salad, mashed sweet potatoes, homemade ravioli, spicy marinara sauce, roasted turkey, pine nut-oyster stuffing, & gravy. Yummy.
Carrot Cake with Sweet Walnuts
Christmas is also my Icelandic grandmother's birthday, so I always make Amma a cake. She has an... "affinity" for Grand Marnier - she claims it's justified because she never got oranges as a little girl growing up in Iceland.
For all the baking I do, my cake-decorating skills are nonexistent, so I just try to keep it simple. The icing is VERY strongly flavored with Grand Marnier, so I used orange zest curls to top it off.
Like I mentioned in my previous post, days four & five I went up to Pennsylvania to help out with the annual Italian family Christmas dinner. Every year, there's a different theme & it's hosted by two of my cousins, Ron & Dale, who are brothers. This year's theme was African and we were cooking for seventy-odd people.
We made twelve lemon-olive chickens, twelve chickens with a couscous-almond stuffing, crab & okra soup, chicken tomato peanut soup (with six pounds of baby spinach), pureed ginger vegetable soup, lamb sausage, lemony beef boharat, spiced creamed collards, tomato-onion-preserved-lemon salad, spicy plantain chips, green banana fries, morning glory with peanut sauce, harissa, Tunisian & Moroccan olives, garlic puree... seriously, I'm still forgetting about half of the dishes. It is an EPIC meal. And that's not counting dessert - almond snake filo rolls, koesisters, almond pudding, and six traditional pies. Un-be-lievable.
For all the silly drama and more-than-slightly crazy people I'm related to, this one meal totally makes up for it.
The family doesn't usually exchange gifts, because that'd be a huge drain with such a ridiculous number of cousins, but after everyone left on Saturday around two in the morning, Ron & Dale, Kim (Ron's wife), & I just sat down for a few hours to unwind. As a thank-you for coming up to help out, Ron & Kim gave me my own set of Santoku knives. I still don't even know what I ought to write here, because I am so grateful and excited and DUDE, MY OWN KITCHEN KNIVES. They are amazing & I am so excited to use them!
Anyway, awesome Christmas in the kitchen. I got my own Joy of Cooking after abusing Mom's for years, my own knife set, and melamine prep bowls. I am happy. And really really full.
The first day was spent baking different Christmas cookies, but my camera apparently ate those pictures? The cookies were just too irresistible, I suppose, although I really wish I had them. :/ I made classic chocolate chip cookies, peppermint twist candy candy cookies, & Turiano Italian cookies. The last don't really have a name; it's just the general idea which came from that branch of the family. It's one of those recipes where nothing was ever written down, so we all claim to have the right recipe even though we're making very different types. Mine, however, are totally the right ones! :)
I do have all of the images for the Christmas preparations, however! Days two & three:
To start with, the corner of my highly organized workstation:
As you can see, all the essentials are present. Anyone who tells you that Grand Marnier can't be put in every Christmas dish ever has obviously never been in my kitchen.
Almond Biscotti
Okay. These were highly unappetizing lumps of solid goo which were stickier than rubber cement. I almost didn't bake them because they were so impossible to work with and I was convinced I screwed the recipe up somehow.
They came out perfect. Oh god, my mouth is watering remembering them. Overflowing with almonds and drenched in almond extract - the entire house smelled fantastic. Now that I've finally found a recipe that's as good as Nonna's, I'll probably end up making these every month.
Cranberry-Orange Muffins
I didn't think these turned out well. My mom loved them, so they weren't a lost cause, but something was just off to me. The original recipe didn't have the orange flavor, so I messed around with that a bit. If I made them again, I'd add more orange juice.
Also, plz note the Easter liners. It was either those or some for the Fourth of July, and I figured that it worked because they're both religious holidays.
Breakfast Pie
We've had this every Christmas morning as far back as I can remember. It is so incredibly bad for you that it's the only time of year that we have it, but it's absolutely worth it. Sausage, egg, five different kinds of cheese - bliss on a plate. Dean would approve.
That would be Kara in the background, begging for attention. :)
Fresh Rosemary Bread
This has become my standard bread for guests; it's a reliable recipe and it has a good balance between being flavorful and not being overpowering. You'd normally be able to see all the spices, but I used whole wheat flour; this loaf came out especially dense.
Brie En Croute
My cheat recipe! Simplest things ever to make: wrap a cube of brie in crescent roll dough, stick 'em in the oven for ten minutes, and you have gooey, delicious appetizers. You even get to call them by their French name and make them sound elegant.
Alternatively, add a dollop of jam inside the roll with the brie to make it a dessert. Really, if you ever need something to take in fifteen minutes? This is it.
Zucchini & Basil Frittatas
I obviously didn't get a good picture of these when they first came out of the oven. I was really surprised that I liked these, because I'm not fond of either zucchini or eggs, but wow. Definitely a pleasant surprise!
Homemade Ravioli
Nnngh. I could live on these! I made a ground beef filling with extra fresh parsley & parmesan. In the first picture, my mom is crimping the edges of the freshly rolled dough together; in the second, the ravioli have thoroughly dried out and are ready to be boiled.
Pear & Bleu Cheese Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing
So yummy - this is my favorite salad ever. It's pretty self-explanatory and very simple - romaine lettuce, thinly sliced green pears, crumbled bleu cheese, and walnuts. The dressing is slightly sweetened by honey, but still has the kick of the spicy dijon in there.
Roll call: zesty almond green beans, pear & bleu cheese salad, tart cranberry salad, mashed sweet potatoes, homemade ravioli, spicy marinara sauce, roasted turkey, pine nut-oyster stuffing, & gravy. Yummy.
Carrot Cake with Sweet Walnuts
Christmas is also my Icelandic grandmother's birthday, so I always make Amma a cake. She has an... "affinity" for Grand Marnier - she claims it's justified because she never got oranges as a little girl growing up in Iceland.
For all the baking I do, my cake-decorating skills are nonexistent, so I just try to keep it simple. The icing is VERY strongly flavored with Grand Marnier, so I used orange zest curls to top it off.
Like I mentioned in my previous post, days four & five I went up to Pennsylvania to help out with the annual Italian family Christmas dinner. Every year, there's a different theme & it's hosted by two of my cousins, Ron & Dale, who are brothers. This year's theme was African and we were cooking for seventy-odd people.
We made twelve lemon-olive chickens, twelve chickens with a couscous-almond stuffing, crab & okra soup, chicken tomato peanut soup (with six pounds of baby spinach), pureed ginger vegetable soup, lamb sausage, lemony beef boharat, spiced creamed collards, tomato-onion-preserved-lemon salad, spicy plantain chips, green banana fries, morning glory with peanut sauce, harissa, Tunisian & Moroccan olives, garlic puree... seriously, I'm still forgetting about half of the dishes. It is an EPIC meal. And that's not counting dessert - almond snake filo rolls, koesisters, almond pudding, and six traditional pies. Un-be-lievable.
For all the silly drama and more-than-slightly crazy people I'm related to, this one meal totally makes up for it.
The family doesn't usually exchange gifts, because that'd be a huge drain with such a ridiculous number of cousins, but after everyone left on Saturday around two in the morning, Ron & Dale, Kim (Ron's wife), & I just sat down for a few hours to unwind. As a thank-you for coming up to help out, Ron & Kim gave me my own set of Santoku knives. I still don't even know what I ought to write here, because I am so grateful and excited and DUDE, MY OWN KITCHEN KNIVES. They are amazing & I am so excited to use them!
Anyway, awesome Christmas in the kitchen. I got my own Joy of Cooking after abusing Mom's for years, my own knife set, and melamine prep bowls. I am happy. And really really full.
