BonBons

Why does it always seem life has a trick up it's sleeve? My holidays promised to be as snow free and quiet as a holiday globe on a shelf, but then some fool came along and shook it all up, leaving us covered in white.
Due to unhappy circumstances my husband and I drove to my hometown yesterday. We were forced to stop on Donner Pass and buy chains from a burly CalTrans worker who seemed to doubt the ability of the two city-fied kids in the Hyundai Accent. For an extra thirty bucks he could put the chains on for us, and my husband who has lived a snow-less life was prepared to hand the man the extra money. I on the other hand am a very stubborn country girl who isn't about to pay a person to do something any fool can do, so I convinced my other half it was easy enough and that we could manage the chains ourselves. Yes we were wet and cold, and yes my husband gave me that "I can't believe you just made me do that" look, but I was proud of us. We chained up and got back on the road in no time at all, and eventually we dried off.
Things are looking brighter now, and we are back home in our city. So it's about time I got back to posting treats on here!




I first saw these cookies over on CakeSpy, and I was totally in love with the old fashioned look. I've made them a number of times now, and have tried a few flavoring variations. Peppermint has been the hands down winner. This batch came out a little flat, due I think to adding too much cream. The dough really aught to look dry, so don't be tempted to get carried away with the liquid. My other batches have looked more like the pictures on Cakespy, but those were all eaten too fast to photograph! I've have very few of my baked goods become so instantly popular, so I recommend giving these sweet little treats a whirl.

BonBon Cookies
by Mrs. Joseph J. Wallace

1/2 cup room temp butter
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 Tbs vanilla (or 2 tsp peppermint)
food colouring if desired
1 1/2 cup ap flour
1/8 tsp salt

Mix butter, sugar, flavoring, and colouring thoroughly. Blend in flour and salt. If dough is dry, and 1 to 2 Tbs cream (careful, it shouldn't be too moist!). Wrap a tablespoon of the dough around a nut, chocolate chip,coconut, crushed candy cane, cherry, or other filling if desired. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Icing

1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbs heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients. Dip tops of cooled cookies in the frosting. Sprinkle with decorations if desired.

Snow

Since I won't be seeing any real snow this year, I've got a little virtual snow in my internet Queendom. If you want a little faux snow of your own, you can get it here for blogger, and here for word press.
I haven't quite been able to get in the Christmas spirit this year, but hopefully that'll change soon. This is generally my favorite time of year, but this year it feels like Christmas will be just another day. Maybe it's the lack of real snow, maybe that I won't be seeing family, or the fact that when you aren't a student you don't get the thrill of school freedom. I miss all the activity that was associated with the holidays growing up. There was the church play, tromping through the snow to pick out a tree, making decorations, baking for all of our family friends, and shopping for my giant family. So far all I've done is put a wreath on the door and order a few things for my husband online.
What do people without families and communities do to make this time of the year special?

Comfort Food

I've been a lucky devil. My boss has recently been giving me his old baking industry magazines, which are full of stories about new and old bakeries, recipes, trends, and other such things that I find fascinating. It seems the biggest trend around these days is comfort food. Due to the struggling economy, wars, and otherwise unsettling national and world events, we here in the states are looking to our roots. Foods that remind us of both our childhood and the younger days of our nation give us a sense of peace, so cupcakes, donuts and the like have been filling our tummies with hope for happier days. Last night I made some ultimate comfort food for dessert, so I thought it was only right I share.
Apple Pie French toast hit the spot in every way. I don't know when the last time was I had a more satisfying dessert, and I eat an absurd amount of very nice desserts. I started with two fat slices of cinnamon swirl bread from work, soaked it (for a few good minutes, I hate dry french toast) in a mixture of one egg and a few dashes of milk, then fried them until nice and brown. I then topped them with some homemade apple/fig pie filling I canned a few months back and some whipped cream. Pure heaven. In fact, it was so good I made it again for breakfast today! Using the excuse that I needed to do it again to photograph it;)


And now I kind of want some more.

Jello Mold

Disclaimer, Jello is not easy to photograph. Especially in failing light after stuffing yourself with turkey. My photos do not do justice to this most heavenly of dishes.

Growing up, no celebration was complete without jello mold. This tangy, creamy, colourful, and fruit-tastic dessert is as emblematic of festivities in our family as champagne is to many. This can be enjoyed as a dessert, or as a side dish eaten along with the turkey.A rather unassuming dish, many people who've never tasted it initially turn it down. (I mean, with a name like that... We've tried to think of a better name, but the name is too ingrained in the family.) Once we do convince the doubters to give it a shot, they always go back for more! My husband in fact had never tried it until this Thanksgiving, but after one bite he looked at me and declared "This is my new favorite thing!"
The recipe can be easily adapted to suite the occasion or your personal tastes (blue Jello has been employed four Independace day), but I highly encourage you to try it just as it is. You will go back for a second piece, and it will be twice as big as the first!
I decided to make use of some antique molds and fancied up my Jello a little for the holiday. They came out of the molds quite well, but I think I'll stick to making it in a jelly roll pan in the future. Far easier, and you can get a larger portion. Also, I forgot to buy strawberries and didn't realize my error until after my second trip to the store the day before Thanksgiving. No way was I going back! But still it was good.

Our Traditional Jello Mold

1 large package raspberry Jello
1 cup boiling water
2 12 ounce packages frozen raspberries or strawberries, thawed and chopped but not drained
1 pint sour cream
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I omit these as I'm now allergic)
1 large package cherry Jello
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

Dissolve raspberry Jello in boiling water. Add raspberries or strawberries and pour into a 9" by 13" jelly roll pan or equivalently sized dish. (It needs to be a good inch and a half deep.) Allow to set up in the refrigerator until firm. Mix sour cream and nuts and spread over the set layer of Jello. Dissolve cherry Jello and 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Add cranberry sauce and pineapple. Allow to cool slightly, so as not to melt the sour cream. When cooled, but still liquid, gently pour over the sour cream layer. Allow to set.