Christmas Cookies Part Deux

Cookie baking has never been more fun than it was this weekend. Our 10 year old nephew Gino came down from North Jersey to spend the night with us and learn how to bake some of the traditional family cookies. There is absolutely no better way to get into the holiday spirit than to spend it baking with an enthusiastic kid!

From the onset, Gino approached this seriously. He definitely wanted to learn how to make them. But he also approached it in fun. Cookie baking is never supposed to be a chore. If you can't have fun doing it, you probably shouldn't be doing it.

We had quite a list of cookies we wanted to get made, and started in as soon as he arrived. The first thing we made was the dough for Aunt Emma's Apricot Cookie. It really should refrigerate overnight, so we wanted it in the 'fridge fast.

Next up was Nonna's sugar-free batch of biscotti. We guided him along, but this was Gino's baby from start to finish. He did all the measuring, mixing, forming, baking, slicing, second baking... The whole shebang. they came out great. Nonna said they were the best ever - and when it comes to her cookies, she never lies!

Next were Uncle Rudy's Biscotti. These are the traditional anise cookies. We take the same basic recipe and make several variations. This year it was Orange and Apricot Macadamia. Both dipped in chocolate.

Then we started on the thumbprints. We made the Vanilla Almond dough and a variation of hazelnut and chocolate. (Changed the nut to hazelnuts and added cocoa powder). We filled them with Aunt Emma's apricot filling, and some with blueberry and some with cherry. These are melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies, and the chocolate version this year is really rich and fudgy. We took a bit of the dough and made logs - which were then dipped in chocolate. One of the great things about the nut cookies is their versatility. One dough can make several different cookies - all unique.

Leah and Ross, Nonna and Elizabeth came over with Pizza and we took about a 30 minute break from the baking to get something other than sugar into our systems. The upside (and the downside) of cookie baking is eating cookies non-stop all day long!

Pizza cleared up, visitors gone, it was back to cookies. It was time to roll out and fill Aunt Emma's. Gino and I took turns rolling the dough paper thin, and then it was cutting, filling, folding, crimping and froming. It's quite an ordeal for such a small cookie, but tradition is tradition - and they are worth every minute spent making them!

By 8:30pm we had the last of the cookies in the bins and were ready to put our feet up. We had been at it for hours and the cookie bins are looking great. We aren't making as many as we have in the past, but this year what we lack in quantity, we've definitely made up for in quality.

Thanks, Gino!


Christmas Cookies

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Well, actually, it's beginning to look a lot like I've been in the kitchen making a mess, but the two concepts do go hand-in-hand with one another.

It's the holiday season, and that means breaking out the Kitchenaid and going to town making a bazillion cookies. Every year we swear we're going to make less - and every year we seem to make more. It's a holiday tradition in excess, for sure.

This year, though, we have Gino, Victor's 10 year old nephew coming down to help and to learn a few of the traditional family cookies! This shall be fun! Gino has definitely shown an interest as well as an aptitude for learning. (His dad's a really good cook, too!)

The most important cookie to learn is Aunt Emma's Apricot Cookie. This particular cookie elicits arguments all Christmas season from various cousins - and one particular uncle. "It's made like this" It's rolled like this" It's... It's... It's..." It's delicious no matter HOW you put them together - and everyone seems to think THEY have the "right" way. Sadly, Aunt Emma hasn't been around for about 15 years to let everyone know that WE do them the right way!

We'll also be making several different biscotti's and pizzele's... And my mom's spice cookies, Aunt Dolores' Rum Balls... and... and...

I've already made a half dozen different doughs... Vanilla Almond, Chocolate Almond, A Peppermint Pinwheel I've never made before, as well as a Spiced Apricot and Walnut that I sort of made up... All sitting in the refrigerator awaiting that magic moment when the double ovens get fired up and the score of sheetpans get covered in parchment, the butcherblock island cleared off of all but rolling pin and flour and the Christmas music blares from the speakers all over the house.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, indeed!


Happy 104th Birthday, Little Grandma!

Mary Ferrante (nee Taormina) was born this day one hundred and four years ago. A hundred and four...

Little Grandma is still active, still cooks, still cleans house. She's still sharp as a tack and still speaks her mind. She's great. And a great cook!

Here is one of her recipes we make all the time:

 

Little Grandma's Eggplant Appetizer

  • 1 Med. eggplant
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped green olives (black optional)
  • 1 1/2 cups thin spaghetti sauce
  • 3 TBS. Vinegar
  • 1 1/2 TBS. Sugar (less ok)
  • Chunks of Locatelli - to taste

Cut eggplant the size of French Fries. Place in colander salting each layer. Cover and weigh down to press out water.

Sauce:

Boil celery about 10 minutes. Add olives and boil 5 min. more. Set aside.

In sauce pan add 1 cup Spaghetti Sauce - thin with water from celery. Make 1 1/2 cups all together.

Add vinegar, Sugar and boil 4 min. Add cheese.

Dry eggplant on paper towel. Fry in very hot deep olive oil. To keep oil hot put a few eggplant in then after that put 1 piece in as you take each browned piece out. When all are fried, put in sauce. When sauce comes to a boil remove from heat. When cool, garnish with basil and mint.

(We made this at Easter and the first thing out of her mouth was "I usually add a little mint to this." We hadn't added it that time...)

Happy Birthday, Little Grandma. We're having eggplant tonight in your honor!