Our New Year's Eve Traditions

We've been following three traditions over the past 30 plus years and I'd like to share them with you.  They're fun to do, and who knows? They may bring you good luck in the new year too. Here' goes:

1.  Get yourself an envelope fill it with some cash you have laying around (I always save a little of my Christmas cash just for this purpose)  Next, write any sort of wish on the outside of the envelope and seal her up.

Then take the envelope outside and tape it securely to a door or window.  (I recommend taping it to a spot you can easily see).  Leave it there all night and then the next day, New Years day, bring it in to your home and open it up.

Why you ask? What this will symbolize is money coming freely into your home in the new year.
Sounds goofy but I'll tell you this, we've been doing it for a long, long time and each year we've made it through none the worse for wear.  Plus, it certainly couldn't hurt so why not give it a try?

2.  We use an old champagne bucket. (This one has seen better days but a lot of New Years Eve's)

Next, add granulated sugar (I've heard it said that sugar is GOOD LUCK) into the bucket.  Tip:  add a small bowl to the bottom of the bucket so you won't need to add as much sugar.

Add taper candles of assorted colors, pushing them into the sugar so they are stable and won't fall over.

When midnight rolls around, light each candle and designate a specific candle color for a specific New Years wish.  Example:  When lighting the red candle wish for continued love in the coming year.  Green: prosperity and so on.   I'll leave the wishes up to you as I'm sure you get the idea...
Have fun with this but never leave the lit candles unattended.  They tend to sit a bit crooked in the sugar and may drip wax on to you table if you're not careful.


3. For the past 30 odd years, we've been celebrating New Year's Eve with our dearest friends Pammie and John.  Over all those years (gosh, how did it get to be so many?), we've not missed one. Not one.  And I'll tell you this, I would not trade any of those years for anything. Not anything.

When we were younger, we used to get all dressed up and do the whole New Year's Eve banquet celebrations. We'd drink, dance and have lavish meals and when midnight rolled around, we'd always feel like another special year passed and another special one was just beginning.  We were young and enjoyed the merriment and laughter we shared.

As we got older and our young kids were the priority, our celebrations changed from the fancy schmancy banquet affairs to evenings in at home with drink, dance, lavish meals and appetizer parties.  Some years we'd decide to have large parties with all our friends and family but most years we just kept the celebrations small. 

Over the years, the sizes of our parties may have varied, but the one thing that has never changed is that Pammie and John were and are always front and center in our celebrations... and I wouldn't have it any other way.  The merriment and laughter we share with our dear friends is the best way to ring in any new year.  Who could ask for more than that and isn't that what traditions are all about?   I'd better get going, they'll be here soon for another round of New Year's Eve celebrations!!!  Woot!

Sending everyone out there, who visits and enjoys my blog, my warmest wishes for a wonderfully blessed, happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!!!

Love your friend,
Renée

FFWD - Spiced Butter-Glazed Carrots

Yes please, pass me the carrots...

I didn't know what to expect from this recipe because I had never used cardamom before.  I purchased the small and pricey jar of spice specifically for this recipe.  My hope was that it would be a good addition that could be tasted, appreciated and like no other spice in my cabinet. 

All I can tell you is it that I've made these carrots a few times since. They're THAT good.  The addition of the cardamom is warm and inviting and pairs perfectly with carrots! The small jar of pricey cardamom will be used on a regular basis in my kitchen.  Thanks Dorie!

On a simple side note, I also added a slight bit of honey and brown sugar to bring a little touch of sweet to the party.  Warm, sweet, spicy and colorful.  The perfect side dish!!!

This recipe can be found on page 335 of Dorie Greenspan's cookbook "Around My French Table" along with so many other delightful and delicious recipes.  You'll love this book!  Oh, and I highly recommend adding cardamom to your spice cabinet if you haven't already.  I think you'll love that too :)

Keep cookin',
Renée

Painting A House Without A Ladder

A friend contacted me to paint his home on a tile.  This is my photo journal, from start to finish, of how I painted his house.  If you know of anyone moving into a new home, this style tile would make a perfect gift.  Keep in mind, it would be their specific home, not this one. *wink*


Hmmmm, this sure doesn't look like a great start. Let's see what happens next....

At least some of the details are coming into focus now, but we still have a long way to go....

Finally...a roof over their heads to keep out the rain and snow!

A few more details and this house is starting to shape up nicely...

The beginnings of a solidly built brick home...Oh, and the roof has been shingled :)

Brick by brick by brick. Laying brick is hard work!

Look closely, see any difference here?  This house is starting to feel like a home.

It's all about the details....

It's amazing how fast some trees and shrubs can sprout up, isn't it?  Let's see, should this be winter or spring?

Spring please. We're already tired of winter here in the Midwest!  Welcome home. I hope you've enjoyed your visit! Please come again :)

If there is a tile design I can paint for you, please don't hesitate to drop me an email at:  info@kudoskitchenbyrenee.com     Prices begin at $50 and you'll have a one of a kind item with special meaning, that you can find nowhere else!!!  Talk about cool!

Also... to see additional samples of my painted tiles, don't forget to visit my portfolio pages found on the right hand side of my blog. And, if you click on the "Kitchen Table" category on the top, you'll see more of my painting blogs for specific tiles. How fun is that???  Thanks for taking the time to look.  I appreciate it more than you'll know! You'll just have to trust me on that ;)

Sincerely yours,
Renée

German Stollen (Daring Bakers Challenge)

I've been a proud member of the Daring Bakers challenge group since October of this year (2010).  The first challenge I participated in (October) was making pumpkin doughnuts, the second (November) was an Italian Crostata and now my third, in the month of December 2010, a traditional German stollen that was chosen as the recipe to challenge AND excite the likes of  (let's just call us) "baking enthusiasts".

Being as though I'm still new to this group, I feel I have a long way to go regarding blog postings and having a complete understanding of how and why each month's challenges (recipe selections) are chosen (and by whom).  However, I am more than willing and excited to participate, even if I make a few mistakes along the way. 

This recipe was involved, but not nearly as intimidating as I expected.  Let's get started...

Stollen is a bread-like fruitcake made with yeast, water and flour, and usually with citrus zest added to the dough.  Over the centuries, the cake changed from being a simple, fairly tasteless "bread" to a sweeter cake with richer ingredients:

1/4 cup lukewarm water (110 degrees)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup milk
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for kneading)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs, lightly beaten
grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
2 teaspoons lemon extract
3/4 cup mixed peel
1 cup firmly packed raisins
3 tablespoons rum*
12 red glacé cherries (roughly chopped)
1 cup flaked almonds
confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions:
Soak the raisins in a small bowl with the rum and set aside.
*note: If you don't want to use alcohol, soak your raising in the lemon extract or fresh lemon juice.

-Pour 1/4 cup warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir t dissolve yeast completely.
-In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup mile and 10 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat until butter is melted.  Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.
-In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests.
-Then stir in the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture.  This should take about 2 minutes.  The dough should be soft, but not sticky.  When the dought comes together, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.
-Add the mixed peel, soaked raisins (drained) and the almonds. Mix on low speed to incorporate fully.  Here is also where you can add the cherries being carefully to be delicate or all your dough will turn red.
-Sprinkle flour on the counter and begin kneading the dough to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed.  The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky.  Knead for approximately 8 minutes.  You can tell when the dough is kneaded enough as a few raisins will start to fall off the dough.
-Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil.  Cover with plastic wrap.
-Chill dough overnight in the fridge. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly.  The raw dough can be kept in the fridge up to one week and then baked on the day you want.

Shaping:
-Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly.
-Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16x24 inches and 1/4 inch thick.

-Starting with the long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder.
-Transfer the cylinder to a parchment lines sheet pan, form into a circle and join the ends together pinching with your fingers to make them stick.
-Using a knife, make cuts along the outside of the circle in 2 inch intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough.

-Mist the cough lightly with cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
-Allow to rise for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 1 1/2 times it's original size.
I brushed mine with some milk and sprinkled it with sanding sugar before baking:

-Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 or 30 additional minutes.  The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color and sound hallow when thumped.
-Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot. (I forgot this step, boo...)
At first I was just going to serve it as is with the sanding sugar and bells for decoration:

...But then I decided it looked to plain and I dusted my stollen with the confectioners sugar.  Lots and lots of confectioners sugar.  Don't you think it makes a big difference?  I do:

-When completely cool, store in a plastic bag or leave it out uncovered overnight to dry out slightly, German style.
-The stollen tastes even better in a couple of days and it toasts superbly. I'll have to find out if that is true as we gave the remainder of our stollen to our German friend John.  He thoroughly enjoyed it and said it was better than his moms (not that I believe him but it was a nice thing to hear).

Storage:
-Stollen freezes beautifully for up to 4 months.
-The baked stollen stores well for 2 weeks covered in plastic wrap on the counter at room temperature.
-The baked stollen stores well for 1 month, covered in the fridge.

This stollen was a nice addition to our German Christmas eve feast and looked very pretty on the table!

Can't wait to see what next months challenge will be!  Stay tuned to find out, won't you?

Abschied für heute (Good bye for now),

Renée

Grandma G's Anise Cookies

The story changes from sibling to sibling in my husband's family. He is number 6 out of 8 kids in his family. However, the one thing I do know for fact, it that these are the cookies that his Grandma G used to make every year for the holidays, and one that holds fond memories for each of her grandchildren (even if the story differs from one to the next).

3 extra large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour 1 teaspoon anise seed

Beat eggs until light. Add sugar and continue beating 10 minutes on high.  Stir in the flour and anise seed.  Spread into 2 greased 8x8 baking pans.  Bake for 12-15 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven.  Let cool 2 minutes and then turn out to cool completely.  Cut into bars and serve.

When these anise cookies are served on Christmas day this year to my husband and his family,  I'm sure the stories will start to flow and the laughter won't be far behind.    Merry Christmas to all!!!

FFWD Sweet And Spicy Cocktail Nuts

I'm nuts for nuts!!! Always have been, probably always will be.  When I saw this recipe was chosen for December I was very excited.  Now I can actually make them AND store them away for all of our holiday gatherings instead of me eating them all myself (something I would otherwise do).

This recipe was fast and easy although a bit costly (at least for the amount I made).  As a frequent shopper of Costco, I purchased all my nuts there and used a combination of cashews, pecans, walnuts and almonds.  Anybody want to play a game of "Where's Waldo" in the below photo?

Instead of the 2 cups of nuts stated in the recipe on page 18 of  "Around My French Table" by Dorie Greenspan, I used more like 6 cups, total nuts. See, I told you I love nuts!!!  Good thing I'm saving these for company :)

Oh, I also added some additional ingredients that the recipe didn't call for (you should know me by now). My additions were:  a sprinkling of brown sugar, some smoked paprika, some smoked ground cumin and some fresh grated nutmeg.  Is that be so wrong???  I think not!

Baked in a relatively low oven for approximately 30 minutes has your home smelling like the best corner nut shop in the city (if there were such a thing).  Allow to cool slightly on the parchment lined baking sheets and then break the nut clusters into pieces.  Waiting too long to cool your nuts on the parchment (like I did) only leads you to peeling the parchment paper off your nuts when fully cool (and let's just say that nobody needs to see that)!!

Can't wait to serve these babies at all our holiday gatherings.  No, let me re-phrase that...Can't wait to EAT these babies at all our holiday gatherings!!! Please,  If you see me hanging around the nut bowl too long, you have my permission to remove me as quickly as possible. I don't have the will power on my own!  I'm all about the nuts!!!

English Muffin Bread

If you're an English muffin lover like me,  you're going to love this recipe I found in the cookbook called "Beard On Bread" written by James Beard.  It's just what you want in an English muffin except that you make it in loaf pan and can cut off as big or little slice as you like.  The nooks and crannies in these loaves are what dreams are made of and it toasts up perfectly for your morning breakfast or a tasty sandwich at lunch.

Please be aware, I doubled the recipe (shown here) because we're having company over the holidays and I wanted a few loaves for mid week breakfasts' and another for our traditional Christmas morning brunch.  It's as easy an foolproof recipe to double as it is to make just a single loaf.  You simply must try this winning recipe.  I promise, you will not be disappointed.

English Muffin Bread

1 package active dry yeast

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

7/8 cup warm milk

1/4 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water

corn meal for dusting the pan and top of loaf (not in the authentic recipe)

Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a large bowl, stir until the yeast and sugar are dissolved, and let the mixture sit until it proofs (approximately 10 minutes).

Add the flour, mixed with salt, and the warm milk in alternate portions while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon.

Holding the bowl tightly, beat the dough very hard until it shows some elasticity and looks almost ready to leave the sides of the bowl.  (Unlike a kneaded dough, however, it will remain loose and sticky.

When it has an almost gummy quality, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in bulk.

 

Stir down down with a wooden spoon and add the dissolved soda, and beat vigorously again for about 1 minute, being careful to distribute the soda thoroughly, or else the bread will be streaked.

Butter your 8x4x2 inch loaf pans (depending on how many loaves your making) and sprinkle the corn meal on the bottom and sides of the pan.

Using a rubber spatula, fill the loaf pan/s with your dough and level the dough as best you can.  Sprinkle the top of your loaf with additional corn meal.

Let rise again in a warm place for about 1 to 1 1/4 hours.  Bake the bread in a preheated 375 degree oven  for approximately 30-35 minutes or until it is golden on the top and shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan.

Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.   Grab your plate, knife, butter and jam of your choosing and enjoy the wonderful taste and texture of the best English muffin bread you've ever had.

Unfortunately I can't show you a beauty shot of the inside of one of these loaves because as I mentioned, they're spoken for, for another time. You'll just have to make these and find out yourself just how wonderful they are.  What I can tell you is that they freeze beautifully well so you may decide to double the recipe as a back up too. Trust me, you'll want more then one on hand :)    Enjoy and pass the butter please!

Fondly yours,

Renée