Holiday Food

[Randomnity]

whatever's thread (http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/health-fitness/2926-christmas-cookies.html) made me start thinking about Christmas cooking.

I thought it would be nice to have a place for everyone to share favourite holiday recipes. I know we already have a recipe thread, but it's pretty general.

I for one am going to be baking a whole lot of cookies in the next little while...I've bought ingredients for chocolate chip, oatmeal, gingerbread, shortbread, sugar cookies, or any combination of these, so I'm well-equipped for whatever mood strikes me.

Here's a recipe for some chocolate-chip cookies that I made the other day, which my roommates absolutely loved, although I think they could be improved somehow...maybe by adding nuts, or using less flour. (Ok, chocolate-chip cookies are maybe not all that Christmas-y, but they are delicious).

2.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter at room temp or warmed a bit
1/2 cup shortening (I substituted butter though, since that was what I had)
1.5 cups tightly packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 pkg chocolate chips (350g? 12 oz? ish)
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped nuts (optional-I left them out)

Preheat oven to 375F

1. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, beat butter and shortening until mixed.
3. Add sugar and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until well blended. (I just used a wooden spoon)
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well.
5. Add flour mixture gradually, beat slowly at first, then blend well.
6. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
7. Drop batter in 1 or 2-tablespoon portions about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
8. Bake at 375 until edges of cookies are light brown, about 10 minutes but definitely depends on size of cookies, so watch the first batch.

Makes a whole bunch of cookies if you make them fairly small, maybe 3-4 dozen, but it'd probably be more like 2 dozen if you like them larger.

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I love baking Christmas cookies. I do it every year and give them out as gifts. This year I'm making:

Peanut crisps with chocolate chips
Dark chocolate-sour cherry cookies
Spritz
Chewy sugar cookies
Snickerdoodles
Chocolate-chile pepper cookies

I'll have to drag out my recipe for that last one, it's the most unusual.

[booyalab]

I'll have to drag out my recipe for that last one, it's the most unusual.

It sounds awesome!

[Uberfuhrer]

Why not just buy a bucket of Xmas cookies at the store?

[prplchknz]

Growing up my favorite thing about the holidays was baking and decorating christmas cookies. We have so many cookie cutters in the basement. I don't really have any special recipes they were just sugar cookies, and I don't know what recipe my mom used.

[EffEmDoubleyou]

Why not just buy a bucket of Xmas cookies at the store?

Because baking is a creative outlet for me, and I enjoy giving handmade gifts.

[EffEmDoubleyou]

Please vicariously enjoy my handiwork.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1885/cookies3yn3.jpg

[CzeCze]

^ You made those???

Now you make me hungry.

Or rather, cravy. Because when you suddenly want sweets, I consider that a craving rather than feeling hunger.

Those look GOOD.

[Uberfuhrer]

Because baking is a creative outlet for me, and I enjoy giving handmade gifts.

Pretty much everything is handmade, because it all starts with the press of a button! ;)

Anyway, I'd much rather things be machine made. I'd rather have a hint of metal flavor than the flavor of a hand that I don't know who it belongs to or where it's been...

[EffEmDoubleyou]

Pretty much everything is handmade, because it all starts with the press of a button! ;)

Anyway, I'd much rather things be machine made. I'd rather have a hint of metal flavor than the flavor of a hand that I don't know who it belongs to or where it's been...

Sadly, people are safe with me. My hands haven't been anywhere interesting lately :devil:

[niffer]

TEH MASTERPIECEZ

If I had my way I would capture you from your natural habitat and force you to work as my cookie-baking slave in an underground kitchen in my basement.

I would get to eat a bowl of that stuff every day.

[Uberfuhrer]

Sadly, people are safe with me. My hands haven't been anywhere interesting lately :devil:

In that case, I will admit your cookies look quite good.

[Natrushka]

Please vicariously enjoy my handiwork.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1885/cookies3yn3.jpg

From one baker to another, very impressive, FM.

I've been baking Christmas goodies since mid November. It's fun and when you give a basket of homemade goods the appreciation is amazing.

[EffEmDoubleyou]

From one baker to another, very impressive, FM.

I've been baking Christmas goodies since mid November. It's fun and when you give a basket of homemade goods the appreciation is amazing.

Thanks a lot! Yeah, the appreciation is kind of addicting. As are the kind compliments here :)

[substitute]

I shall have two vegetarians at my Christmas table, so I'm doing this on top of the other stuff...

[Oberon]

sub, what are those nuts on top?

[substitute]

sub, what are those nuts on top?

Cashews I think. Look at the recipe, probably says it there.

[Oberon]

Cashews...

Gesundheit!!!

Okay, that was cheap, I know...

[substitute]

:doh: I should've seen that coming!

[Oberon]

We're having guests over for dinner. We don't have a ton of stuff in the house, but we do have a gallon of milk we need to use up and we ran across a pound of good bacon in the freezer, so my wife is going to make a big pot of potato soup... an excuse for fat, salt, and starch, all flavored with bacon.

As the weather here has just turned off cold, it'll be welcome comfort food.

[prplchknz]

we're have 3 dinners at least 2 my mom is cooking 1 my aunt is doing and 1 at a hotel. so 4. The first one has mahi mahi, green beans, garlic cheese mash potatoes, and pina coladas. The second don't know, the third don't don't know but the fourth that my mom is making is turkey breast, mash potatoes, country ham, corn pudding, and my brother's making vegetable lasagne. just a traditional christmas dinner. so I'm sure their's more on both but the mahi mahi is going to be thursday.

[Oberon]

Venezuelan Beaver Cheese!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/ff/Cheeseshop.jpg

[Jen]

Chocolate Chubbies (warning, these cookies are an aphrodisiac so be careful!)


Makes 3 ½ Dozen
Prep time- 20 minutes
Bake- 12-15 minutes per batch

These chewy, nut-studded cookies are a chocolate lover’s dream!

-6 (1 ounce) semi sweet chocolate squares, chopped
-2 (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate squares, chopped
-1/3 cup of butter
-3 large eggs
-1 cup sugar
-1/4 cup all purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
-2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
-2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Combine first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan; cook, stirring often, over low heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
Beat eggs and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; add chocolate mixture, beating well.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to chocolate mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chocolate morsels, pecans and walnuts.
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto lightly greased cookie sheets.

[lazyhappy]

chocolate covered micheal jackson
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x315/smashbrosboy1222/dance2_a.gif

(preferably for the little boys)

direction:
you 1st grab a micheal jackson cookie cutter (you can get one from the nearest safeway)
you put chocolate on your butt and squish it on in there... yesh!
you are now ready to start baking.
set the oven to 350 degrees and once it's set, just push it on in there and bake for 12 to 17 minutes.

my review:
micheal jacksons taste good, my son loves them

[GinKuusouka]

I have to say, last year I made a nicely-sized Christmas meal for my mom, dad, best friend, and myself. :) It was baked parmesan chicken with mashed garlic potatoes and turnips. I added some fruit to the side (I don't remember what), some eggnog, and cookies- I think. lol But that was the meal. And I bought all of the ingredients to cook myself for the chicken and mashed potatoes and turnips. I'm trying to find different recipes to try this year. (I love going all-out for Christmas.)

[GinKuusouka]

So, Story and myself have come up with a list of what to make for Christmas dinner. :) And it somehow grew a lot bigger than last year's version. Still sticking with the chicken, but we've decided to give it a tropical twist this year. Let's give it up for all the vitamin C. \/\/007!

Our main dish is going to be Rum Chicken (now there's a dish for Jack Sparrow... Johnny Depp FTW!), with sides of Hawaiian salad, Broccoli 'N' Cheese soup, and Hawaiian rolls with a cream cheese vegetable dipping sauce, followed up with a Pineapple 'N' Coconut cheesecake and a Strawberry Cheesecake with the drinks being Virgin Strawberry Daquiri and Mocha Mudslide (also virgin- yes, we killed the spirit... *coughs*).

There should be plenty of leftovers. :yes:

[Uberfuhrer]

Anyone remember those Xmas cookies in the 2006 version of Black Christmas? :devil:

That's the only thing I remember from that movie.