This is the first year that we will be spending Christmas in New York instead of Georgia.  My husband and I are having a lot of mixed feelings about our decision to stay here, but at the same time we are very excited to wake up in our home and watch David John run to the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.  After spending the last two Christmases in hotels and enduring painfully difficult travel days in crowded airports , we decided that it was time to put our son first and focus our holiday energy on creating lasting memories for him.  

With that said, we now have big shoes to fill...big meals to make, beautiful tables to set, delicious cookies to decorate...if we even come close to the Christmas memories that our parents shared with us, we will feel like we succeeded.  

Below, a look at a few of the things on my to-do list as the big day approaches...and a couple of things I've learned along the way.

Baking 

Most of my family recipes call for self-rising flour and after twelve years of searching for self-rising flour in Manhattan, I found out why I can't find it:

Self-Rising Flour is actually a Southern Thing.  Who knew?

(Maybe you did...but I had no idea)  

This is what I learned: 

Self-rising flour is traditionally milled from softer, lower protein wheat, which is what grows in the South, and it produces softer, more tender baked goods than all-purpose or higher-protein flours. To replicate soft, Southern-style self-rising flour some experts recommend using pastry flour blends which typically have lower protein contents.  However, I used regular all purpose flour and it worked out just fine.  (You might need a little extra liquid to compensate for the higher protein level, but I didn't see much of a difference.) 

I can finally make my family's recipes...now I just have to figure out which one to make.

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Cookies for santa

Decorating Christmas sugar cookies on Christmas Eve is a long standing tradition in my family. I like to use a little less sugar than traditional recipes (which usually have at least a cup), a little extra salt and almond extract (because I love almond flavor!) Once the frosting and sprinkles are added, the cookies are still incredibly sweet and the omission of sugar is barely noticed.  I also added a little cream cheese to the batter which keeps the cookies nice and soft.  I think Santa is going to love the addition.   Well...until he starts working out again in January.  

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Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup Unsalted butter, softened

3 oz. package of cream cheese

1/4-1/2 tsp Salt (depending on your preference)

1/2 tsp Almond extract (I like to use a touch more)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg yolk (Reserve the Egg white for later)

2 cups all purpose flour

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Blend together sugar, butter, cream cheese, salt, almond extract, vanilla, and egg yolk with mixer.  Add flour and mix until fully incorporated.

Refrigerate dough two hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. 

Roll out the dough to your desired thickness, one third at a time, on a lightly floured surface.    (I like something between a 1/4" and 1/2" thick)

Using a cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out cookies as close together as possible.

Place the cookies one inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until cookies are a light golden brown on the bottom.  Cool completely.

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Time to decorate...the uglier the better in our house!  As long as it's fun...it doesn't really matter, right??? 

Or brush with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles before baking.

{You can make an easy frosting using confectioner's sugar, water and almond extract...play with the proportions to get your desired consistency and then add a few drops of food coloring. }

Wine Pairing

My husband is the household sommelier and always chooses excellent wines for our dinners.  He really knows what he is doing...I, on the other hand, only know if it tastes good.  

 Even for the most seasoned wine aficionado, matching wines with holiday meals can be sort of tricky, so I did some homework and put together a little cheat sheet to help simplify the process of picking the wines for Christmas Dinner....

There were millions of suggestions out there, but these were the most commonly listed pairings.  Do you have any holiday wine preferences?  Please share! 

holiday snacks

I think candied nuts are the perfect snack for hungry guests and a really nice homemade gift when put inside a pretty container.  They are so delicious, it is hard to believe they are so easy to make.  Perfect on their own or paired with a nice wedge brie and wine as a light appetizer before a meal, here are two of my absolute favorites...  

CANDIED BALSAMIC ROSEMARY WALNUTS

2 teaspoons butter

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 cups walnut halves or pieces

flaky sea salt

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Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Rub foil with a paper towel to cover surface well. Spray lightly again. Set aside. Place a piece of parchment paper on a heatproof work surface.

Add butter to a large non-stick pan and melt over medium heat. Add sugar, balsamic vinegar and salt. Continue to cook, stirring continuously until sugar is dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. Add walnuts and rosemary, stir gently with a heat-proof spatula to coat walnuts with sugar mixture.

Pour walnut mixture onto prepared pan and place in oven. Bake for about 15 minutes,, removing from oven and gently stirring every five minutes until nuts are deep golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately turn onto prepared parchment paper. Working quickly, separate nuts with two forks. Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt while the glaze is still soft. Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

{via The Cafe Sucre Farine}

Sugar and Spice Pecans

1 10-ounce package pecan halves

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sugar*

1/2 teaspoon salt*

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Preheat oven to 300°F. Place pecans in medium bowl. Melt butter in heavy small saucepan. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder, cumin, cayenne  and black pepper and stir until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Pour over pecans. Add sugar and salt and stir to coat. Transfer coated pecans to a baking pan. Bake until nuts are toasted, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in airtight container.

*Depending on your taste preferences, you may want to adjust the salt and sugar up or down.  Play with the spice ratios to find the perfect combo for you!

Setting the table

This is the first year that I will be setting my own table and I want to make it extra special.  I realized that it has been forever since I had set a formal table and was in desperate need of a refresher.  Fortunately, I found these really beautiful table setting maps from the Ballard Designs Blog.  

Click on each table setting to enlarge

 {You can see the full post here}.

So much to do but even more to enjoy... 

Have a happy one!

xo...

ki