Happy Christmas

Thank you Annie. The cards from you and Ron are always so charming. I hope you two have a lovely happy holiday, too.

I am still baking cookies. Many, many cookies which will be mailed next week. :)

:rose:
 
Thank you darling Annie. My very best wishes to you and Ron for a fine Christmas and an even better New Year!
 
Thank you ! and Merry Christmas to both you and Ron:rose:
We're well on our way to being ready for Christmas here.
My wife's started making cookies, soon there will be lots and lots here.
I've put up tons of lights on the house and we picked out our tree and put it up.
Th cat early in the card reminds me our our cat from my home in Chicago, watching it try to get around in thick snow.
 
My favorite is spritz. Cookie press with green dough and tree shapes (set has quite a few others, but they don't come out very well). Almond flavor.
 
My favorite is spritz. Cookie press with green dough and tree shapes (set has quite a few others, but they don't come out very well). Almond flavor.

So far I've made cutout butter cookies, Mexican wedding cakes (crescents rolled in powdered sugar), thin crispy oatmeal cookies, thick chewy chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread cutouts, and brown sugar cookies. Tomorrow or Sunday I'm making rugelach, a Jewish cookie that has a tender cream cheese dough and fuit and nuts rolled up in it. I'm making mine with dried cherries and cherry preserves and walnuts. They're my mom's favorite so I have to make some to send her. I'm about cookied out at this point, but eagleyez is very happy--and our house smells wonderful.

Wicked Eve asked me if I celebrate Hanukah and I told her not really, that for a Jew I am fairly Christmasy. :D
 
So far I've made cutout butter cookies, Mexican wedding cakes (crescents rolled in powdered sugar), thin crispy oatmeal cookies, thick chewy chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread cutouts, and brown sugar cookies. Tomorrow or Sunday I'm making rugelach, a Jewish cookie that has a tender cream cheese dough and fuit and nuts rolled up in it. I'm making mine with dried cherries and cherry preserves and walnuts. They're my mom's favorite so I have to make some to send her. I'm about cookied out at this point, but eagleyez is very happy--and our house smells wonderful.

Wicked Eve asked me if I celebrate Hanukah and I told her not really, that for a Jew I am fairly Christmasy. :D

I'm on my way!
 
At my house the cookies stay here.;)
It is nice to get something made for you, not just bought.:)
 
I'm on my way!

Ok! You are very cookie-worthy. :rose:

At my house the cookies stay here.;)
It is nice to get something made for you, not just bought.:)

Some stay here, too. In fact I have to do another batch of oatmeal cookies because eagleyez and I ate them all--all three dozen of them lol. They are very good, thin and crispy and buttery. Last night I froze a bunch of them because I don't trust us not to eat them before his youngest son arrives the day after Christmas. And I agree with you that it's fun to make stuff for one's family and friends. I really enjoy baking them and giving tins of them to people. And I get special requests, but mainly from my daughter. :D
 
The rugelach sounds good is it easy to make?

Yes I think it is. It's like any recipe. if you follow the directions it comes out pretty good. Baking is much more precise than cooking, but in a way that makes it easier cause you don't have to improvise.

Here's the recipe I'm using. It calls for apricot preserves, raisins and walnuts, but you can pretty easily change those ingredients. I'm making some tomorrow with dried cherries, cherry preserves and almonds.

Rugelach
Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2-pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 9 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup apricot preserves, pureed in a food processor
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Directions
Add the cheese and butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts.

On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circles into 12 equal wedges-cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Arrange the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet(s) lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and let cool. Arrange on a large platter and serve.

They are really yummy. Let me know what you think if you make them.

(PS Sorry about the non-metric measurements; I didn't convert them for you. :eek:)
 
I may send that to my wife.
She's from Austria but has been here a while,
so can handle either system.
 
A cup is 1/2 a pint (do you still have those ?), 8 ounces volume.
2 pints in a quart, a quart just a little less than a liter (33.8 vs 32 ounces)
Aren't units fun;)
 
A cup is 1/2 a pint (do you still have those ?), 8 ounces volume.
2 pints in a quart, a quart just a little less than a liter (33.8 vs 32 ounces)
Aren't units fun;)
Actually, American Standard Measurements are all slightly out of whack with British Standards.

A cup is close enough to 250 mls to be called equal.

A pound is 454 g.

A mile is about 1600 m.

Oh... btw, a pound, by weight, is about 2 cups volume.
 
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Oh... btw, a pound, by weight, is about 2 cups volume.
True for water and other stuff with similar density.
It is nice that the density of water is one in both systems (gm/cm3, oz/oz)
As EO points out, that pound=two cups volume makes assumptions about density. Sulfuric Acid is close to twice as dense as water; Iodine, almost five times as dense.

Though I suppose anyone cooking with sulfuric acid or iodine is suspect anyway. :cool:

Whatever. Merry Significant Winter Holiday, Poets!
 
A cup is 1/2 a pint (do you still have those ?), 8 ounces volume.
2 pints in a quart, a quart just a little less than a liter (33.8 vs 32 ounces)
Aren't units fun;)

we have pints and mls although it's metric that's taught now some of us are still of the old school!
 
This is the way I made Christmas cake last year....you should try this method!

* 2 cups flour
* 1 stick butter
* 1 cup of water
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup of brown sugar
* Lemon juice
* 4 large eggs

* Nuts
* 2 bottle wine
* 2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the wine to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the wine again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the wine is still OK. Try another cup... Just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner.. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the wine to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the wine. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or some fink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the wine and wipe counter with the cat.
Go to the store and buy cake.
 
This is the way I made Christmas cake last year....you should try this method!

* 2 cups flour
* 1 stick butter
* 1 cup of water
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup of brown sugar
* Lemon juice
* 4 large eggs

* Nuts
* 2 bottle wine
* 2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the wine to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the wine again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the wine is still OK. Try another cup... Just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner.. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the wine to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the wine. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or some fink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the wine and wipe counter with the cat.
Go to the store and buy cake.


And if you're working on a fruitcake you should be sure and exercise similar concerns over the quality of the Brandy.
Of couse, with friutcakes, you can skip the trip to the store, since on one eats them anyway.
 
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