Christmas Cookies That Are Almost Too Pretty To Eat
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2018 All Rights Reserved
As family members return home, the time has come to gather to share precious time together.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2018 All Rights Reserved
Fruitcake Pound Cake Is A Delicious And Easy Holiday Favorite
If you’re looking for some useful tips on making and baking the best cookies you and your family has ever tasted then these basics will get you on the right path for cookie success.
Butter
It’s true that nothing is better for the flavor, richness, texture, and color of cookies than butter. If you have a dairy allergy then margarine can be substituted for butter if it contains enough fat. For best results, choose a stick margarine with at least 80 percent vegetable oil or one that contains at least 100 calories per tablespoon. Substituting shortening for butter will give cookies a softer, more cakelike texture and a different flavor.
Sheet Success
If your cookie sheets are thin, warped, or dark from years of baked-on grease, it’s time to go shopping. Purchase shiny, heavy-gauge cookie sheets that have low or no sides. Use jelly-roll pans (15x10x1 inch baking pans) only for bar cookies since their 1-inch sides prevent other cookie types from browning properly. Let hot cookie sheets cool between batches. Using a nonstick baking mat prevents cookies from sticking to cookie sheets by lining the sheets with this reusable mat. Parchment paper works well, too.
To The Freezer
Are you concerned you’ll have no time for last-minute holiday cooking baking? Get a head start by freezing baked and cooled cookies. Most cookies can be frozen for month, ready to be pulled out at a moment’s notice. Use airtight plastic bags and containers specifically labeled for freezer storage. Separate layers of cookies with sheets of waxed paper. Tightly seal filled bags and containers and freeze for up to three months. For best results, don’t frost or glaze cookies before freezing. Instead, freeze unfrosted cookies, thaw, then frost before serving. Most cookie dough (except bar batters and meringue or macaroon mixtures) can be frozen in an airtight freezer container for up to six months. Thaw dough in its container in the refrigerator. Shape and bake as directed.
Shipping
Sending cookies, not crumbs, to loved ones through the mail is possible – with a little care. For best results, send crisp or firm varieties (including most slice & bake) and avoid frosted moist, thin, or filled types. Wrap baked and cooled cookies individually, in back to back pairs, or in stacks in plastic wrap. Line a sturdy box with bubble wrap and pack cookies in layers of packing, peanuts or tissue paper so they won’t have room to shift. Write “perishable” on the box and ship early in the week so your package won’t be delayed over the weekend.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2018 All Rights Reserved
Tiny New York Kitchen Wishes You & Your Family A Very Merry Christmas
Standing Beef Rib Roast
How Much To Buy: A 54 to 5 Pound Roast Serves 8 to 10
Keep meat at room temperature for an hour or so. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub roast with lots of olive oil, cracked peppercorns, minced garlic, kosher salt, and 2 tablespoons of an herb or spice rub, if desired. Place roast meat-side down in a roasting pan and cook 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 425 degrees. Continue roasting for about 3 minutes per pound. Turn oven back up to 450 degrees and roast another 15 minutes, or until meat thermometer reaches 125 degrees for rare, 140 degrees for medium-rare or 160 degrees for well-done. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes. Skin fat from juices, and pour some dry red wine into the pan with the drippings. Over a low heat, stir wine, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pan. Serve over roast as a sauce.
Roasted Beef Tenderloin
How Much To Buy: A 4 to 5 Pound Tenderloin Serves 8
Position oven rack in center. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a roasting pan. Mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 teaspoons each of rosemary and thyme, and kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Rub over entire surface of meat. Place meat into roasting pan and cook until thermometer inserted into thickest part of the roast reads 125 degrees for rare, 140 degrees for medium-rare or 160 degrees for well-done. This should take 35 to 55 minutes. You may baste with pan juices halfway through cooking, if desired. Remove from oven. Let rest 15 minutes and serve.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved
Although religiously themed prints made by wood carvers date back to the Middle Ages, the Christmas card is a relatively recent tradition. The widespread exchange of homemade Christmas cards began in Britain in 1840, with the introduction of the first postal service, the Penny Post. The man who played a key role in setting up the Penny Post, Sir Henry Cole, commissioned London artist John Calcott Horsley to produce the first commercially printed Christmas card in 1843. One thousand copies of the card, which depicted a family party and scenes of the poor being clothed and fed, with the inscription “A merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you,” were placed on sale. The tradition took off over the next few years as printing methods improved and, by 1860, large numbers were being produced and mailed in Europe. In 1875, lithographer Louis Prang became the first printer to produce Christmas cards in the United States. Today approximately 2.2 billion Christmas cards are mailed each year.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved
The origins of the Yule log can be traced back to the Norsemen of northern Europe. Jol or Jule (pronounced “Yule”) was a festival celebrated on the Winter Solstice in honor of Joinir, also known as Odin, the god of ecstasy and death. Feasting and drinking would take place around bonfires, and fires would be lit in hearths.
This tradition spread to other parts of Europe, where tree worship was already part of pagan rituals. Households would venture into the woods on Christmas Eve and cut a log from an oak tree, which was then transported home, with much singing and merrymaking along the way. The log would be put on the fire, which would be kept burning for twelve days. This was believed to bring health and productivity to the family and their crops for the coming year and protect them from witchcraft and demons. When the fire was finally extinguished, a small piece of wood would be kept and used to light the next year’s log. Often the ashes would be scattered over the fields to ensure fertility.
Later on, the yule log was used as a decorative centerpiece for the Christmas table, and as stoves replaced giant household hearths, the pastry or chocolate logs we are familiar with today came into being.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved
The practice of hanging up stockings can be traced back to pre-Christian times. Germanic folklore tells of the god Odin’s annual Yuletime hunting party. Children would leave out their shoes filled with straw or sugar for Odin’s flying horse, and Odin would reward them by leaving small gifts in exchange. Later on, the practice was linked with Saint Nicholas. The story goes that a nobleman with three daughters had fallen on hard times and was unable to give his daughters dowries so that they could be married. Saint Nicholas wanted to help, but also remain anonymous, so he threw gold coins down the chimney. They landed in the girls’ stockings that had been hung by the fire to dry.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved
It is indeed, the season of regenerated feeling – the season for kindling, not merely the fire of hospitality in the hall, but the genial flame of charity in the heart. – Washington Irving
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved
