Ahhhhh ..... !

That's just how I feel ..... ahhhh! The Christmas holiday has passed and our family had a fun few days of exchanging gifts, taking walks, playing games, doing a bit of poking around the backroads of Vermont, cooking together, and sitting by the evening fire chatting or reading quietly. We watched some classic movies, had martinis and laughed over the kitchen countertop, played with Christmas ribbons with the family cat and tried (in vain) to keep the Corgis quiet and calm. It's a wonder the Christmas tree is still standing, considering all the running and barking that Mimi (frisky Corgi) and Penny (equally frisky kitty) have done! Pete (gentleman Corgi) and Opey (resident Queen Cat) just sit and quietly watch their antics.

Sweet Potatoes and Creole Spice

This is the most colorful meal that I've made in a long time ... and it was just perfect for the Solstice. It was dark and dreary here all day Wednesday ... at 4PM, I looked out the window to rain and a heavy fog rolling and roiling around the back yard ... it was all very damp and eerie. Even the dogs were spooked when they ran out after dinner for their evening dash. I was much happier sitting by the warm woodstove knitting on a wintertime project with warm spicy meatloaf and mashed sweet potatoes warming me from the inside.

Winter Solstice ... there WAS no available light!

 

Susan's Speculaas

I have been waiting to make these cookies since my blogging friend, Lizzy sent me a box of Dutch baking and snacking goodies this past Spring! I used the bottle of speculoos spice that she sent today and made the first of a few different types of cookies. They will be part of a cookie platter for our Christmas Eve celebration. With gluwein or coffee or hot tea, these little 'dunkers' will be so delicious!

Just a Little Gift ...

Merry Christmas to all who enter The Spice Garden !

Hint :  Right click the link, open it, and enjoy!

May your winter be filled with beauty  ...

May you find small reminders of Spring's renewal amongst the bluster ...

May you be warm and sheltered ...

May you have enough ...

... and share the extra.

And whatever your faith ...

...may you know love and charity.

Merry Christmas !

Multigrain Mini-Muffins with Orange Honey Neufchatel

Merry Christmas, folks!

Yes Virginia, the holidays can be relatively healthy for snackers. These muffins are one little drop in the bucket of healthy party fare. They are not as sweet as a regular muffin and have a higher fiber content than the usual. I've added grated apple and a handful of dried cranberries too. My nod to sweetness is a Neufchatel cheese whip with a couple tablespoons of orange juice, orange zest, and a couple tablespoons of orange blossom honey. Piped onto the top, these muffins look so sweet and will be gracing our Christmas morning brunch table. This batch, however, will be served to friends at a church function.

Multigrain Muffins with Whipped Orange Honey Neufchatel

Homemade Kahlua ...

This is such an easy and fun gift to give at holiday time! I've made it a few times over the years because it lasts for a good while ... unless you are a lover of coffee and Kahlua with whipped cream or Black and White Russians! We go for only an occasional souped up coffee as a post dinner dessert drink. Black Russians lost their allure for me after one particular night of severe overindulgence. Hence, I use Kahlua in a few dessert and ice cream recipes. A bottle of this stuff lasts a long time in our house, but when you need a special zing ... it does the trick!

50 Woman Game-Changers ... Dessert and Anne-Sophie Pic

“My cuisine, I would say, is simple and sophisticated. I attach supreme importance to getting the flavours just right.”
                                                                                                                
                                                                                                - Anne-Sophie Pic

Sometimes, one must leave the realm and explore the world before returning home to make one’s mark. I think Anne-Sophie Pic might agree with this statement. She left her family’s strong culinary environment to study business and design, worked in various design and merchandising fields, and then returned to her family roots and placed her energies into becoming a world-class chef. She is chef and co-owner with her husband of Maison Pic in Valence, France and a newer venue in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Following in the footsteps of her grandfather and father … both much-lauded chefs, she has busted the glass ceiling of the French Michelin judging system … being the first woman to earn a three-star chef rating by the stodgy – yet esteemed organization.

Her food sensibilities tend toward limited numbers of ingredients, but attention to the details of bringing each ingredient’s flavour to its perfect level in whatever dish she creates.

Got Me a Hambone ... !

Got me a hambone ... gonna make soup and cornbread!

Yessirree! I got me a hambone ... leftovers from this past weekend's Yankee Swap and birthday celebration at the Lindquist family farmstead. Normally, I would make a split pea and ham soup because this cook loves that kind of soup, but alas ... it is the one soup that I can't get my family to eat. Sprout Kate and I are the only takers, so I've given up the fight. Since I have to please Silent Bob's palate, I am making, instead, Bean Soup with Ham and Bacon.

I have fond memories of big bowls of Campbell's Bean with Bacon soup ... processed heaven right from the can with heaps of crackers for breaking into the broth. It was always a favorite for winter afternoons when the Miller kids would crowd into the kitchen after skiing or sledding. Mom used to get these over-sized 'family-size' cans and have a big pan simmering on the stove ... steamy and thick. My homemade version is much better, but the memory of the old style remains a happy one! All we need is some real snow ... someone say a prayer, huh ?