Merry Christmas and the best for 2012!.....and the last Christmas Cookies!!

A glass of homemade Eggnog

Today, I come to celebrate!!....with a nice glass of Eggnog!!......Celebrate what we have lost, what we have,  and what we will have!!....there is nothing like a good food and friends to celebrate, thanks, and enjoy life!!

Christmas has always been a great time for me, and since I am living in Canada with a "White Christmas" it has been better......This is a special time for me .....now more than ever!!

To each of you.....THANK YOU!!.....for reading, enjoying, and tasting, this little kitchen......

These days are to remember what we are, what we have achieved, and how we can be better to ourselves and others.....let's hope for a better and bright future for everybody......!!.....

Have a Merry Christmas and the best for 2012!!

I will close for few days because I have friends visiting us......

For me, the best cookies I have made this Christmas (I have done it 4 times!!) are Cuccidati....I just love them. The first three times, I did it with orange syrup; however, I have a friend that can't eat oranges; therefore, I have made them again with lemon syrup....delicious!!....ENJOY!!

Cuccidati

Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Milk (if needed)

Filling
1/2 cup dried figs
1/2  cup dates pitted 1/2   cup walnuts

1/2  cup of sliced almonds1/4  cup honey1/4  cup orange or lemon syrup 

Icing at your desire
Icing sugar
Water
Colored sprinkles

Orange (or lemon) syrup

Mix the juice of 2 oranges, the zest of 1 orange, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Simmer at low heat until you have the consistency of a syrup.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. With a mixer, mix butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla essence. Beat until it is creamy. Add the dry ingredients slowly. Add milk if needed. You need to have a dough that is soft, and not sticky.

Knead the dough by hand for 3 minutes. Divide it in two, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it refrigerate for 1 hour.

Prepare the filling. In a food processor, mix nuts, figs, dates, and walnuts. Chop them until they are fine and homogeneous. Put this mix in a bowl, incorporate the honey and orange syrup. Mix it well. The mixture has to be thick.

With a roll pin, make a rectangle of  1/2 cm of thickness. Make a roll with half of the filling, and put it in the middle.  Fold the edges to the middle and seal it (with water). Turn upside down (with the edges down), cut it in pieces, and place it on a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Place them in a preheated oven at 375F for 15 minutes. They need to be light golden.

When they are cool, place icing on top, and decorate with sprinkles......

ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY........ENJOY!!!!

Also, I wanted to try Melomakarona....a Greek cookie for Christmas. I adapted the recipe fro the following link   http://www.ultimate-guide-to-greek-food.com/melomakarona.html 

They were really good without syrup; therefore, I did not make the syrup.

Melomakarona

2 cups of olive oil
1/2 cup orange juice
¼ cup of cognac

1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
orange peel ( I used 2 oranges)
600 grams of flour,
Walnuts

Cloves

SYRUP (I did not make it, but this is the original recipe)
3/4 cups honey
3/4 cups sugar
1 to 1 ½ cups of water
Orange peel

Cinnamon stick

In a mixing bowl add 1 cup of olive oil, and 1 cup of oil that has been warmed. Add the orange juice, cognac, and baking soda. With an electric mixer, beat it for 15 minutes. Add the sugar, and orange peel. Add the flour and baking powder. Mix it with your hands. You can add more flour if needed. In my case, I needed extra flour. The dough has to be firm.

Take a piece of dough (size of a pinpon ball), and make a ball. With your thumb, press the ball and incorporate a piece of walnut. Shape it again in an oval form.

Slightly, flatten the cookies and make a draw with a fork. Bake it in a preheated oven at 375F for 20-30 minutes. Cook them until they are golden brown.

Let it cool, and prepare the syrup. When the cookies are cold, place them in a syrup (I did not did this part). ENJOY!!!

Galletas de Navidad....Esperando que llegue Santa

No ha sido culpa de la canción "No andaba muerta .... andaba de parranda "..... No sé lo que está pasando, pero parece que los días no tienen más de 18 horas .... . el tiempo es escaso !!..... ¿Dónde están las horas que se han ido?....Como decía mi querida Mafalda……..”Paren el Mundo….Me quiero Bajar!!!”

He estado cocinando mucho, pero sin tiempo para publicar, por lo tanto, mi disco duro está casi a punto de estallar ..... lleno de fotos..... verán  pasteles de Navidad, en Semana Santa .... jajajaja!

He pedido a algunos amigos sus recetas tradicionales de galletas de Navidad, y empecé la temporada cocinando galletas nuevas. Por supuesto, como siempre he horneado mis galletas de almendra, biscottis, y galletas thumbprint. Sin embargo, yo quería probar algo nuevo ......

No soy bueno en decorar galletas, por lo tanto, pedi galletas de Navidad sin decoración.

Chrabeli (de una amiga Suiza)

2 cucharadas de anís
1 cucharadita de jugo de limón
250 g de azúcar en polvo
2 huevos grandes
1 ralladura de limón
300 g de harina
½ cucharadita de polvo para hornear

Tostar el anís en una sartén.Dejar enfriar. Mezcle el azúcar, los huevos, la ralladura de limón y jugo de limón con una batidora hasta que esté cremoso. Incorporar el anís, la harina y el polvo de hornear. Mezcle bien y refrigere por una hora.

Hacer cilindros de 1,5 cm de diámetro, y cortarlas en 6 cms de largo. Haga dos cortes, y darles forma en medias lunas. Colocarlos en una bandeja de horno sobre papel de cocinar.

Póngalos en el horno precalentado a 150 º C durante 20 minutos, hasta que estén cocidos pero de color blanco.

 

Viennesoire relleno de Almendras (de un amiga de Austria)

1 ¼ taza de harina
60 gramos de mantequilla
85 gramos queso crema (tipo Philadelphia)
½ cucharadita de polvo para hornear
¼ taza de azúcar
1 cucharadita de escencia de vainilla
Leche si es necesario

Relleno
1 clara de huevo
1 taza de almendras (molido)
1 / 2 taza de azúcar

Azúcar glas para espolvorear

Mezcle la harina, la sal y el polvo de hornear. Ponga a un lado. Con una batidora,batir la mantequilla, el queso crema, azúcar, yema de huevo y la vainilla hasta que esté cremosa. Incorporar los ingredientes secos, hasta obtener una masa que es suave y no pegajosa. Si es necesario, a continuación, agregar la leche (para mi no fue necesario). Refrigerar durante una hora.
Relleno: Batir la clara de huevo hasta que esté espumosa. Añadir las almendras y el azúcar.

Divida la masa en tres partes, y hacer un círculo (alrededor de 12-15 cms de diámetro).

Esparcir el relleno, pero dejar la orilla limpia. Dividir en 8 piezas. 

Enrollar de la orilla hacia el centro

Poner en papel de cocinar (con la punta hacia abajo) y cocinar a  350F por 15 minutos, hasta qyue esten suavemente doradas....espolvorear con azucar glass

 

 

 

 Media Luna  de Almendras  (de un amigo Canadiense)

 
1 taza de harina
1 taza de almendras molidas
1 huevo
½ taza de azúcar
1 cucharadita de esencia de almendra
1 cucharadita de polvo para hornear
Una pizca de sal
100 gramos de mantequilla

Mezcle la harina, las almendras, sal, y el polvo de hornear. Batir el azúcar, la mantequilla, el huevo y la esencia de almendra hasta que esté cremosa. Incorporar los ingredientes secos. Refrigerar por 1 hora.

Forma la masa en un cilindro. Cortar trozos de 3 cm, y la forma en la Media Luna Roja. Hornear en un horno precalentado a 350 ° F durante 12 minutos (hasta que se doren). Decorar con glace y azúcar de colores.

 

 

Yo no sirvo para pintar galletas de Navidad, pero mi hija invita a sus amigas y las decoran. Aca tiene una muestra......

Christmas Cookies.....Waiting for Santa to come.....

I have not been like the song "No andaba muerta ....andaba de parranda".....I don't know what is going on, but it seems that the days have no more than 18 hours.....time is scarce!!.....Where are the hours that are gone!!

I've been cooking a lot, but without time to post; therefore, my hard disk is almost going to explode.....full of picture.....you will see Christmas Cakes in  Easter....hahahahaha!

I have asked some friends for their traditional Christmas cookies recipes, and I started the season cooking new cookies. Of course, as usual I have baked my almond cookies, biscotti, and thumbprint cookies. Nevertheless, I wanted to try something new......


I'm not good in decorating cookies; therefore, I asked for Christmas Cookies without decoration.

Chrabeli (from a Swiss friend)

2 tablespoons Aniseed

1 teaspoon of Lemon juice

250 g Powdered sugar

2 large eggs

1 lemon zest

300 g flour

½ teaspoon of baking powder

Roast the anis in a pan. Mix sugar, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice with a mixer until is creamy. Incorporate the anise, flour and baking powder. Mix well, and refrigerate for one hour.

For cylinders of 1.5 cm in diameter, and cut them in 6 cms long. Make two cuts, and shape them into crescents. Make two cuts, and place them in an oven tray over parchment paper.

Put them in a preheated oven at 150C for 20 minutes, until they are cooked but white.

 

Almond Filled Viennesoire (from an Austrian friend)

1 ¼ cup of flour

60 grams of butter

85 gramos queso crema (tipo Philadelphia)

½ teaspoon of baking powder

¼ cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla esence

Milk if needed

Filling

1 egg white

1 cup of sliced almonds (grinded)

1/2 cup of sugar

Icing sugar for dusting

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. With a mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until is creamy. Incorporate the dry ingredients, until you have a dough that is soft, and not sticky. If needed, then add milk (I dis not needed). Freeze for one hour.

Filling: Beat the egg white until is foamy. Add the almonds, and sugar.

Divide the dough in three parts, and roll it in a circle (about 12-15 cms diameter). 

Spread the filling, leaving the edge clean. Divide it in 8 pieces. 

Roll it from the edge to the center. 

Place it on a parchement paper (with the point side down), and bake it at 350F for 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Dust them with icing sugar.

 

 

 

 Almond Crescents (from a Canadian friend)

1 cup of flour

1 cup of grinded almonds

1 egg

½ cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of almond essence

1 teaspoon of baking powder

One pinch of salt

100 grams of butter

Mix flour, almonds, slat, and baking powder. Beat sugar, butter, egg, and almond essence until is creamy. Incorporate the dry ingredients. Refrigerate it for 1 hour.

Shape the dough in a cylinder. Cut pieces of 3 cms, and shape them in crescent. Bake them in a preheated oven at 350F for 12 minutes (until golden brown). Decorate them with icing and sugar colour.

 

 

I don't paint Christmas cookies, but my daughter invites friends to decorate them. Here you have a sample.....

De Desayuno a Postre.....Ricotta con Higos y Ricotta con Lavanda.....

Aquí estoy de nuevo ..... después de una tormenta de invierno dura (estábamos con-35C !!!.... en Noviembre!), Y una tormenta de viento que no he visto antes ..... aquí estoy de nuevo!

No sé qué pasó, pero Noviembre fue muy ocupado ..... más que nunca .....

En el supermercado, estaba revisando un libro con ricotta al horno y miel  para el desayuno. Tan pronto como llegué a casa, lo hice con higos caramelizados, miel y pistacho ..... estaba delicioso, pero demasiado seco para nosotros....

 

 

 

Ricotta al Horno

1 taza de ricotta
1 1 / 2 cucharada de azúcar (mas si lo desea)
mantequilla
higos
pistacho
miel

Mezclar la ricotta con el azúcar. Engrasar los moldes con mantequilla, y distribuir la mezcla de queso ricotta. Colóquelos en un horno precalentado a 350F hasta que estén doradas (20 minutos).

Cortar los higos, colóquelos en papel de cocinar. Espolvorear con azúcar, y colocarlos en el horno al mismo tiempo que la ricotta. Lo deje en el horno hasta que estén cocidos, y el azúcar este burbujeante.

Cuando la ricotta esta tibia, colóquela sobre un plato, decorar con higos, pistachos, y servir con miel .... DISFRUTE!

Como estaba seco, pero me gusto la idea, lo hice otra vez ..... con lavanda, crema y huevo .... Fue un fantástico postre ..... DISFRUTE!

 

 

Ricotta al horno con lavanda

1 taza de ricotta
1 1 / 2 cucharada de azúcar
1 cucharadita de flores de lavanda
mantequilla
azúcar
1 huevo
3 cucharadas de crema (yo usé 35%)
jarabe de lavanda
pistacho

Mezclar la ricotta con el huevo y la crema. En un molinillo (yo uso molinillo de café eléctrico exclusivamente para los dulces y frutos secos), moler el azúcar y flores de lavanda hasta que estén finas. Mezclarla con la ricota. Engrasar con mantequilla los moldes, espolvorear un poco de azúcar, y distribuir la mezcla de ricotta. Colóquelos en un horno precalentado a 350F hasta que estén doradas (20-30 minutos).

Cuando la ricotta este fría, colóquela sobre un plato, decorar con pistacho, y se sirve con jarabe de lavanda .... DISFRUTE!

From Breakfast to Dessert.....Ricotta with Figs and Ricotta with Lavender.....

 

Here I am again.....after one tough winter storm (we were with -35C!!!....in November!!), and a wind storm like I have not seen before.....here I am again!

I don't know what happened, but November was very busy.....more than ever.....

In the supermarket, I was reviewing a book with a baked ricotta and honey for breakfast. As soon as I arrived home, I made it with caramelized figs, honey and pistachio.....it was delicious, but too dry for us.

 

 

 

Baked Ricotta 

1 cup of ricotta
1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
Butter
Figs
Pistachio
Honey

Mix the ricotta with the sugar. Grease with butter ramekins, and distribute the ricotta. Place them in a preheated oven 350F until golden brown (20 minutes).

Slice the figs, place them in parchment paper. Sprinkle with sugar, and place them in the oven at the same time than the ricotta. Leave it in the oven until they are cooked, and sugar is bubbling.

Plating. When the ricotta is warm, place it over a plate, decorate it with figs, pistachio, and serve it with honey....ENJOY!

However, I like the idea. For that reason, I made it again.....with lavender, cream, and egg....It was a fantastic dessert.....ENJOY!!

 

 

Baked Ricotta with Lavender

1 cup of ricotta
1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of lavender flowers
Butter
Sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons of cream (I used 35%)
Lavender syrup
Pistachio


Mix the ricotta with the eggs and cream. In a grinder (I use electric coffee grinder exclusively for sweets and nuts), grind the sugar and lavender flowers until they are fine. Mix it with the ricotta. Grease with butter the ramekins, sprinkle some sugar, and distribute the ricotta mix. Place them in a preheated oven 350F until golden brown (20-30 minutes).

Plating. When the ricotta is cold, place it over a plate, decorate it with  pistachio, and serve it with lavender syrup....ENJOY!