German Cinnamon Christmas Cookies

Here's a traditional German Christmas Cookie. You can choose any 3" Cookie Cutter to create these delicious Cookies.

You can make these Gluten Free if you use a Gluten Free Confectioner's Sugar.

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Any 3" Holiday Cookie Cutter.
Food Processor
Sheet Pan and Parchment Paper
Hand Held Electric Mixer
An Offset Spatula


2 1/4 C Confectioner's Sugar, sifted, + additional for rolling the dough
4 1/2 C Sliced Almonds with the Skin.
1 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp finely grated Lemon Zest.

In a Food Processor:
1/2 C of the Sugar
3 C of the Almonds
Cinnamon
Pulse until finely ground

 with a some pieces of Almond visible.

In a Large Mixing Bowl with a Hand Held Electric Mixer on High:
Egg Whites
Beat to Soft Peak for 1 minutes.

Add:
Remaining 1 3/4 C Sugar.
Beat for 2 minutes to create a Meringue.
Set aside 2/3 C to Frost the Cookies.
Fold in Ground Almond Mixture and Lemon Zest, by Hand.
Gently Fold to create a Stiff Dough.

Flatten the Dough into a Disc.
Place between two pieces of Parchment Paper, Dust the bottom piece with Confectioner's Sugar. (I use a Sieve to equally distribute it) Dust the top of the dough too.

Roll it 1/4" thick, between the Paper.

Here's my method of cutting the shapes:
Remove the top piece of Paper.
Stamp the 3" shapes while the Dough is still on the Paper, 2" apart.

Refrigerate the Sheep Pan for 30 minutes.

Remove the Pan.
Peel off the excess Dough around the Shapes, leaving just the Cookie Shapes on the Paper.
(This way you don't have to try and to transfer the shapes onto a Sheet Pan before Baking) I use this method with all of my Cut Out Cookies.

Excess Dough will be used to make additional Cookies.

Use an Offset Spatula and tops each Cookie with some of the Reserved Meringue and Frost them with a thin layer.
Add Reserved Sliced Almonds on top in a Decorative Design of your choice.

Bake 30 minutes until the edges are Golden Brown and the Meringue is set and crispy.

Turn of the Oven but open the door to allow the Heat to be released and leave the Cookies in the Oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove the Pan after 10 minutes and transfer to a Rack to Cool for 10 minutes.

Transfer the Cookies to the Rack to Cool Completely.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!
Fröhliche Weihnachten

Roasted Turnips

I happen to love Turnips. I serve them in two different ways. I grew up eating them mashed, mixed with mashed Rutabaga. My mother made this dish often. They were served with melted butter and I continue to make them that way.
I also like Roasted Root Vegetables whether alone or a Mixture.
Turnips are a great Roasted Vegetable Baked with Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil and Dried Thyme.

Roasted Turnips

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
A Sheet  Pan brushed with Vegetable Oil.

2 Large Turnips, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces.
2 TBS Olive Oil
2 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Dried Thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Place the Turnips in a Large Mixing Bowl

In a Small Bowl:
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Pour over the Turnips and Mix to combine well.

Transfer to the Sheet Pan.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Stir to mix well.
Return to Bake an additional 10 minutes.

Transfer to a Serving Bowl and serve Hot.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Christmas Chex Mix

I have so many recipes for Chex Mix and Chex Buddies on the Blog. This one is definitely a favorite for the Holidays.
It makes a great Holiday Gift for friends and neighbors.
Create a Tag with the recipe and attach it to the Jar with a Christmas Ribbon.

Here's what you'll need:
A Large Mixing Bowl
A Double Boiler
A Sheet Pan, lined with Parchment Paper.
A large Jar for storage. (I use Mason Jars)

3 C Cheerios
3 C Wheat Chex
3 C Rice Chex
2 C Miniature Pretzel Twists
3 C Holiday M&M's
32 oz. White Chocolate Chips

In the Mixing Bowl:
Cheerios
Rice Chex
Wheat Chex
M&M's
Pretzels
Gently Mix to Combine Well.
Spread evenly onto a Sheet Pan.

In a Double Boiler or according to Package Directions, Melt the Chocolate.
When the Chocolate is melted, gently drizzle the Chocolate over the Mix as you stir it to coat all of the ingredients.
Transfer to Mason Jars.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Christmas Morning French Toast

This is one of our favorite Christmas Morning Recipes.

Christmas Morning French Toast:

1 (8oz) package of Cream Cheese
12 day old Croissants
18 Eggs
1 1/2 C Heavy Cream
1 TBS vanilla
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 stick (8TBS) of Butter, melted + additional for greasing the pan
Pure Maple Syrup
Confectioner'sSugar

Heavily butter a 9"X13" casserole dish.
Slice Croissants in half, horizontally.
Layer them cut side up in the dish.
Drop pieces of Cream Cheese in between the layers.

In a bowl:
Eggs
Melted Butter
Heavy Cream
Vanilla
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Whisk Well
Pour over the Croissants.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Serve topped with warm Maple Syrup and sprinkle with Confectioner's Sugar.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dressing from Food 52

It's traditional to have Dressing for Thanksgiving but Vegetarians either miss out or you make a traditional version and omit the Turkey Drippings. This is a delicious option for a a Vegetarian Dressing.
I've adapted it without compromising the original recipe.
My wife usually makes ours with a Vegetarian Chicken Broth but then the others don't get to enjoy the traditional flavor of Turkey Dressing. I'll make this for the Vegetarians in our family and I'm sure others will like it too.

This is the photo from Food 52.

The following are my photos:

Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Scallions, Apple mixed with Olive Oil.
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste.

Roasting Pan brushed with Olive Oil.
I Roasted it for about 25-30 minutes, sitting half way .

Onion and Celery sautéing in Olive Oil.

Bread added to the Onion and Celery. I recommend
a Large Skillet for this process.

Added the Bread. 

Added Cranberries, Pecans and Broth and Herbs.

Ready for the oven again. Baking for
30 minutes, stirring half way.

Out of the Oven and transferred to a Casserole Dish for serving.

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
A traditional Roasting Pan, brushed with Olive Oil.

1 Pound of Butternut Squash, cut into cubes.
1 Pound of Brussels Sprouts, cut in half.
1 Large Jonagold Apple, cut into 1/2" pieces.
2 Shallots, thin sliced.
4 TBS Olive Oil, divided.
1 C Diced Onion
1 C Diced Celery
1 Day old Baguette, cubed
1 1/2 C Vegetarian Chicken Broth, I use either Frontier Powder of Better than Bouillon No Chicken.
2 tsp Fresh chopped Rosemary
1 tsp Fresh chopped Thyme
1 tsp Fresh chopped Sage
1 C Dried Cranberries
1 C Roughly chopped Pecans
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste.

In a Large Mixing Bowl:
Squash
Brussels Sprouts
Apple
Shallots
2 TBS of the Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Mix to combine well.
Transfer to the Roasting Pan.
Roast just until tender and Golden Brown.
Remove Pan from Oven.

Reduce heat to 350.

In a Large Saucepan on Medium High Heat:
2 TBS of the Oil, until Hot.
Onion
Celery
Sauté until Translucent, about 8 minutes, stirring often.
Add Bread Cubes
Mix to Combine Well.
Cook for a few minutes to Brown the Bread.
Spoon into the Roasted Vegetables

Add:
Broth
Herbs
Cranberries
Pecans
Gently Mix to Combine Well.

Bake at 350 Degrees for 30 minutes.
Stir half was through.

Transfer to a Large Serving Bowl
Serve Hot.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Pull Apart Pie

This is a very clever concept for Pull Apart Pie made in a Springform Pan.

Everybody gets to have their favorite flavor or try them all.
I will definitely be making the Pull Apart Pie, for family gatherings, holidays and block parties.
Garnish each Piece with Whipped Cream.

I like the variety of fillings from Lucky Leaf. The Pumpkin is the same recipe that's on the Libby's Canned Pumpkin.

Starting with the outer circle:
Cherry
Apple
Blueberry
Pumpkin
Strawberry
When it's done, you can pull out your favorite pieces.

Pull Apart Pie

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven based on the recommendation baking temperature for Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust.
A Springform Pan
A Round Cookie Cutter, a size comparable to a Champagne Flute Glass.

My favorite Springform Pan is this one with a Tempered Glass Bottom
from Pampered Chef.  If you use another type of Pie Pan you can line it with a piece of parchment to help prevent sticking.

A variety of  your favorite Canned Fruit Pie Fillings.


Roll out the Dough.
Cut Circles with the Cookie Cutter or Champagne Flutes.

Spoon a dollup of Pie Filling in the center of the Circle.
Pinch the ends of the Dough to hold the Filling.

Begin placing the pockets around the outer edge of the Pan with one flavor.
Continue filling the pan in rounds of a variety of your favorite fillings.

OPTION: Brush the tops with an Egg Wash.

Bake according to the Pie Crust instructions. It's usually at 400 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.

To serve, each person can pull out their favorite Pie Pockets.

Garnish with Whipped Cream:

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Roasted Carrots

We're having a Dickens Christmas this year and these are very traditional. These are simple and tasty.
There's nothing complicated about them.

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
A Rimmed Sheet Pan

3 lbs. Large Carrots (halved and cut into 3" pieces.
1/4 C Olive Oil
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Chopped Fresh Parsley for Garnish

On the Sheet Pan:
Carrots
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Toss to combine well.

Roast in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes, tossing occasionally until tender and browned.
Transfer to a Serving Bowl and sprinkle with Parsley.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!