Before we dive back into work and school, let's pour one last glass of eggnog and reminisce about our holiday cooking adventures. Did you host your family holiday dinner? How did it go? Did you try any new recipes on your day off?
My biggest triumph was cooking the Christmas braid pictured above. It's adapted from an old Fleishmann's Yeast recipe that my mother baked only on Christmas morning. Since my parents were visiting me this year, instead of the other way around, I thought I'd surprise them with this for breakfast...with a few personal touches, of course!
If you're interested in the recipe, I wrote about it here:
• A Christmas Tradition Demystified from the Chicago Tribune
But I want to hear about your cooking triumphs! What did you make over the holidays? Any good stories to share?
Related: Holiday Dinners: What's Traditional For Your Family?
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We hosted a Christmas eve dinner for my family and it was a lot of fun. The cheese/corn puffs didn't turn out so well but the pork tenderloin made up for it. We also did a New Year's day pancake breakfast that was lively and laid back at the same time. But this holiday season, I am most proud that I learned to make Italian tri-color cookies...they are so divine! Happy New Year, everyone!!
I hosted Christmas morning for the first time with my in-laws. I made the Kitchn's very own ham and cheese egg casserole and from-scratch cinnamon rolls. I also made the obligatory loaves of challah bread for Christmas eve dinner (my in-laws are not Jewish, but they love my challah bread!).
I forwarded Faith's Sweet Potato hash with baked eggs recipe to my mom and she made it for brunch over the Christmas weekend. It turned out fantastic and we all enjoyed it! Anytime that I can convince my family to eat good food and try something different from their traditional monkey bread made with Pilsbury biscuits...it's a win!
I took time off cooking this holiday season and let my mom and aunts do the work! Besides, they make better Filipino food than I do ;-)
Some highlights were a beautiful cranberry jelly tart with almond crumble:
http://www.brittanypowell.com/food-i-make/cranberry-jelly-tart-with-almond-crumble/
And Faith's port stewed prunes:
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-prunes-stewed-in-port-wine-073953
i made some delicious gooey butter cake, red velvet rice krispies, peppermint crack, s'more cookies, and pistachio cherry biscotti ... and I'm sure some "real" food too... ;)
We didn't try anything new and instead stuck with old favorites: creme brulee french toast for breakfast on Christmas morning and steamed crab with drawn butter and garlic bread for Christmas dinner. New Years Eve was fondue, charcuterie and champagne. In between was a grilled rib eye for my husband's birthday with lots of wine and cocktails to boot. While I wasn't happy to go back to work today after a week off, I am glad to get back to a more normal eating schedule.
Our biggest triumph was a Roasted Pork with Brown Sugar Bacon Glaze. It was my first venture into the world of pork roast and it was AMAZING! So tender and flavorful! http://bakeeatrepeat.blogspot.com/2011/12/roasted-pork-loin-with-bacon-brown.html
We added a new cookie to our list of "keepers"--Aunt Sis's Strawberry Tarts from the Gourmet Cookie Book. Strawberry is our everyday jam and it seemed too plain for a special cookie so I played around with the recipe. Rolling them in sugar, flattening with a glass, and filling the depression with Smucker's Triple Berry jam made a lovely little cookie.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Aunt-Siss-Strawberry-Tart-Cookies-10969
I made a bûche de Noël for the first time! It was the most fun, chaotic and DELICIOUS holiday treat I've ever tackled! I have to share a link, because I'm proud of that little log:
http://tar-tryin.tumblr.com/post/14873670212/tartine-baking-project-27-buche-de-noel
I made lasagne from scratch! Slow cooked my bolognese sauce for 4+ hours (Marcella Hazan's recipe), made my own ricotta and mozzerella cheese, and rolled out my own pasta dough for the first time. It was SO worth it! It was just me and my parents for a quiet holiday this year but it was one of the best yet!
though not traditional, i made figgy pudding cookies (a literal version) and they've been a HUGE hit everywhere i brought them!
http://theactorsdiet.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/bring-us-some-figgy-pudding-cookies/
Cheesecake for new years,
Chocolate chip coffee cake for christmas,
and some nice chicken soup to eat after iceskating while I was home with my folks.
Mostly though, I took off from cooking, but made a couple big batches of soups and stew to get us through the long days at home: black beans, corn chowder, shortribs. Yum!
We conquered croissants over the New Year's weekend, using the Cook's Illustrated Recipe in their most recent magazine. Totally delicious!
My mom bought a standing rib roast for Christmas Eve and left my boyfriend and me to cook it while they went to church. I was TERRIFIED. Thankfully, as always, a good cut of meat doesn't need much and it was amazing. My 7-year-old nephew even liked the roasted brussels sprouts I made to go along with it.
A few days later, I made my first beef stock with the ribs and a few more soup bones thrown in. It made the most amazing French Onion Soup of my life and I've still got two quarts left!
New Year's Eve was a grilled pizza bar (grill one side of the dough, let everyone top it with their choice of a ton of toppings and grill the other side until the cheese is melty). A big hit!
I made a beef brisket that was simply amazing...A Tyler Florence recipe that I will use going forward.
I made a delish veggie christmas dinner.
Here's the menu with link to my blog:
http://www.elle-m-elle.com
1) Artichoke Olive Dip
2) Butternut Squash Soup
3) Pomegranate Arugula Salad
4) Mashed potatoes
5) Baked Mac and Cheese
6) Green beans with crispy leeks
7) Quinoa stuffed portabellas
8) Orange cream cake
I made 2 batches of The Kitchn's skillet toffee for the first time. SOOOO easy and delicious!!! Not to mention dangerous. This will become my holiday routine from now on (have to limit myself to only eat that during the holidays...)
I also made a pork roast for the first time following a recipe from the newest issue of Martha Stewart magazine. The pork was tender but the sauce needs a lot of help. Will try it againnext time and see how I can tweak it a little.
Oh yes, I made a batch of The Kitchn's skillet toffee too! It was easy and so good, and made great gifts! I plan to make it again for sure!
Fudge, lots of fudge.
Chewy chocolate coconut macaroons
Chocolate chip meringues.
Spicy bourbon pecans.
For Boxing Day dinner with my extended family I made:
Pickled shrimp
A gorgeous smoked heritage-breed ham (the easiest big roast to make, I swear)
Wild rice
Green beans galore ( a mountain of them)
A divine black eyed pea salad adapted from the Dec 2011 Country Living
A big layer cake stuffed with lemon curd & frosted with cream cheese lemon icing
Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate sour cream icing
My family ate a lot, but they decimated that lemon cake. Not a leftover crumb to be had. I am really missing those leftovers!
I made pimento cheese since I'd been hearing so much about it. It was so-so. Also made a sweet/spicy roasted pepita that was delish and addictive.
Made pumpkin orange rolls, and forgot to split the dough, so the rolls were huge! Still have at least half left, and decided to cut out carbs for New Years. I've always had impeccable timing.
A lot of wonderful kitchen adventure for me over the holidays that I am extremely grateful for. My husband and I hosted a small holiday sit down dinner for his coworkers at our place. I was completely nervous because it was my first time hosting a lovely sit down dinner and about 6 months pregnant into it, but thankfully everyone had a great time! It was an Italian night and I made bruschetta for appetizer. I made Fuji apple walnut salad for our salad dish. And for our entrees, I made creamy bowtie pasta cooked in mushrooms and sundried tomatoes, a simple spaghetti cooked in olive oil, garlic, grape tomatoes, and basil, oven roasted spatchcock chicken, and meatballs cooked in slow cooker. The guest were responsible for desserts. I made coffee and tea to compliment them and I had such a great time!
For our Christmas Eve party at my brother's home, our family gathers for potluck. I made Pastelon which is a Puerto Rican lasagna (recipe given to me by a best friend), Pinakbet (my mom's famous Filipino recipe cooked in pork slices, garlic, onion, tomatoes, eggplant, bittermelon, okra, long beans, and lima beans) and Red Velvet cupcakes topped with cream cheese icing.
I LOVE being in my kitchen and enjoying every minute of it!
My Nana's spritz cookies with nutmeg! Green Christmas trees and pink camels and Scottie dogs (as she used to do). Just ate the last two three days ago . . . I may have to make a non-Christmas batch.
We made delicious fish tacos with homemade roasted green chili sauce, some Guamanian food for a friend who spent the day with us and Spam musubi. New York Times chocolate chip cookies for dessert! It was a hit. So nice to do something different since we weren't able to be with family and shared the day with friends.