Happy Christmas.

Love,
HG

Robert Downey, Jr.: Who Knew?

(Apparently anyone who saw this episode of Ally McBeal?)

Christmas Dinner at the Ranch.

This year, I'm trying to make it easy on myself, so I'm cooking a roast that you roast for 1 hour then turn off for 3 hours, then turn the oven on again for 45 minutes and you're done. I haven't made it before but 433 reviewers on Food Network can't be wrong, can they?

Paula Deen's Foolproof Standing Rib Roast

Ina Garten's Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Now, technically, I won't be making the roasted sprouts because my oven will be full of lounging Rib Roast. So I will pan-roast them with olive oil and butter (cut the bottoms off of sprouts and cut in half) and minced garlic. Close the lid for 10 minutes or so over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then remove the lid until they are done to your liking (5-ish minutes) and you won't believe they are Brussels Sprouts - they are unbelievably good. Even if you make the recipe above, do yourself a favor and cut the sprouts in half. They cook differently and get all carmelly and scrumptious.

Once again, a can't-miss in the kitchen: Ina's Potato-Fennel Gratin

Likewise, since my oven will be otherwise occupied, I will be making parmesan-mashed potatoes. But I wouldn't steer you wrong. This gratin is outstanding. It will have you looking at fennel with a newfound love and respect. And use Gruyere, don't replace it with some lesser cheese. Your tastebuds will thank you.

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, Country Living

Since I am pretty much the only one who eats dessert (can you even believe that?), I will probably just make something I like. My favorite is pecan pie but this pie from Country Living sounds really good. The recipe only gets one star but it was from one review that seemed to be a joke. I will make homemade crust but I will use some shortening instead of all butter for a flakier crust. Also add a pinch of baking powder - it was my great aunt Tressa's secret for flaky crust. I will also take out the chopped pecans and use only whole pecans. How can I pick them off to eat only the filling otherwise?

If I am feeling generous, I will make Yorkshire pudding. They are very tasty with the roast.

So, what's on the menu for your Christmas or holiday dinner?

Merry Christmas to All.

photo from Underbaraclara

For my virtual Christmas card to you, please click on the video below and listen while looking at the picture above.



Have a beautiful day, you gorgeous creatures.

Love,

HG

Christmas Balls Galore.

I am all about the balls at Christmas. I never realized to what degree. Yesterday I made Snowball Cookies (most well-known as Russian Tea Cakes) and Cocktail Meatballs to freeze and heat in sauce for Christmas day. The sauce sounds unusual combining chili sauce and grape jelly but I promise you it's good. I don't really eat red meat but it's a much-requested favorite.


Today I am going to make old-fashioned cocoa fudge (in squares!). It's not too creamy and has a richness new fudge lacks. It's what my mom made when I was a kid so I'm partial to it. It's on the Hershey's website here. Then I am making many other non-ball-shaped things including spinach and blue cheese phyllo pastries and Scotcharoos (Rice Krispie treats with peanut butter and butterscotch and a layer of chocolate - the kids love this). I am going to be absolutely rotund by the new year.

Balls O' Beauty.

I am in love with these wreaths. They look like mercury glass and can't you just imagine them with big, fat velvet bows at the bottom? From Zofia Designs, they are a little late for this Christmas, but you can get a jump on next year. Only $55.

My Holiday House Tour.

I'm entering my house in the Hooked on Houses Holiday House Tour. Welcome. It's all dolled up for the holidays which suits it (it's actually a jeans and diamonds kind of a place - a little fancy but you're not afraid to kick back and get comfy). Let's grab a cup of eggnog and go.


I made this faux snowlady out of grapevine balls - she's perched on an urn on the front porch:


It's a Liberace meets Pocahontas Christmas on the sunporch with some feathers and a little bit of bling:


There is always a puppy curled up in front of the living room fire.

Okay, first I accidentally added the photo without the stockings and now that they're here the story behind that long, skinny stocking is that I made those stockings for the kids and I was running out of fabric with one left. It was for my 6'4", very slim stepson who gained that nickname from me as a result of being John V. So...

There's usually one curled up in the bookcase as well.


My husband brought home this Nutcracker for me the other night (along with tickets to see the Nutcracker on Christmas Eve in Philly). Isn't he handsome?


Just a touch of Christmas in the dining room (which is attached to the living room so the fireplace is right there) with this dried box wreath hanging on a chartreuse satin ribbon.


The real tree is in the family room. It's not real but unlike the fun tree on the sunporch, this is our actual tree. I wasn't sure if we'd be in town so I put up the fake tree this year and bought extra pine-scented candles.

My daughter bought the angel topper one year for my Christmas present. It's topped the tree ever since. It's also covered in my favorite ornaments - some of which I've had most of my life.



Tiny decks for the cabinets on the sides of the window seat.


Right next door is the kitchen eating area with a light over the table that my husband bought when we were visiting family in Chicago one year and had sent back for my Christmas present (with the help of one of my little elf girlfriends). There will be a beautiful bouquet of white flowers with winter greens on the table in a few days.


More chartreuse satin ribbon in the kitchen.


Outside of those same doors.


It's getting dark so early. Tour's over. So glad you came.


To see some of the other homes in the Holiday House Tour, click here.

Give Me Some Sugar.

This is the best recipe* for cut-out sugar cookies. It's from an old cookbook my aunt gave me many years ago called "Palette to Palate." Before we delve into the recipe, take a look at the Silpat on my much-loved cookie sheet.

Silpat is one of the seven wonders of France. It's a washable, reusable silicone pan liner for baking. Through some kind of scientific miracle, it withstands heat to prevent food from sticking and results in even browning. Many, many parchment trees will be saved due to my discovery of this wonder. So, many thanks to my darling, beloved Aunt Sharon for sending it to me. You are a rock star, baby. Onto the deliciousness:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Granulated or colored sugar
Extra powdered sugar for frosting

Note: Oh, yes, extra powdered sugar for frosting because there is not enough p. sugar already in this.

Combine flour, cream of tartar and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, cream 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and flavorings (vanilla, almond extracts - if you dislike almond extract or can't use it, double vanilla). Stir in the flour mixture. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours.

Divide dough into halves and shape into a large patty (it will seem hard but it softens up quickly). Roll each half about 3/16-inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board (I used another Silpat I have that is for rolling; you can also just use flour-covered waxed paper). Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired, or leave plain and decorate after baking.

Place on parchment (or Silpat) -lined cookie sheet. Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven until edges are lightly brown, only 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven; place on wire rack to cool.

If frosting is desired (I desire), just mix a cup of powdered sugar with a little milk until it is the proper consistency (unlike cake frosting, it will be thinner but not so thin it runs off the cookie). Sprinkle while frosting is wet.

Now, try very hard not to eat so many that you have to make another batch before the band concert which is where they are supposed to go. Enjoy!

*Technically, my mom makes the all-time best sugar cookies but they call for shortening and I just can't eat nearly as many thinking about all that shortening.

Do Not Buy This.

And especially do not buy the larger size. With real cream, rum, brandy and whiskey, it is the best egg nog ever to grace these lips. With some nutmeg on top (heated), it's best. Kind of strong. Not for wimps. (Although I am a well-known wimp and I can handle it.) If you gain 10 lbs. this holiday season, don't say I didn't warn you.

Time to Read This.

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. Available here.

And listen to this.

Christmas pickin' such as you have never heard. You can hear a sample on iTunes (try White Christmas from this CD). Available on Amazon here.

I O.D.'d on Pie.

Pecan pie, specifically. I ate so much on Thanksgiving that I couldn't eat a bite of pie. Well, I made up for it by eating mostly pie for the following 3 days and consumed almost 3/4 of the pie myself. Mmmmmmmmm.

I moved here almost six years ago during the holiday season. I was so excited to bring a little bit of the Midwest to the East Coast so I made cookies and cakes and pies (we are all about the dessert tray) and nobody touched a thing. Well, hardly a thing. Except me and my daughter. I wondered what was wrong with these people. Seriously. This family doesn't really like sweets. My youngest stepdaughter eats sweets (and cheese) almost exclusively but she doesn't really like homemade things, only processed, packaged sweets. It breaks my heart.

Our first Christmas here, my oldest stepdaughter and I made an apple pie. It was gorgeous and sky-high, with a flaky, homemade crust. She said, "What's wrong with it? Why is it so tall?" And nobody touched it. Everybody claimed they were too full from dinner but I think perhaps they didn't trust pie that didn't come from a box.

In subsequent years, I learned to restrain myself. I now make a couple of things my daughter and I like for treats and sometimes I don't even make dessert. It's just not right. I even make cake out of a box sometimes now because I know only two people will touch it and you don't want to eat the entire cake so it's less sad to toss out the remainder of a cake made from a box, right? Right?

My mother would disown me.

So, last year I made Red Velvet Cake for Christmas dessert. Every Red Velvet Cake recipe I found contains something like 2 cups of oil. It was disgusting. All I could think of was how moist it was because if you put a gallon of oil in it, it is going to have no choice but to be moist. And when you add a gallon of Red Dye No. 40, it will be red. And a little carcinogenic to boot.

But for today, I will be detoxing with Miso Soup. Ever since I discovered how easy this is to make with Dashi (dried Bonito Fish Soup Stock granules), it is my go-to lunch and pie detoxification program (and it only takes about 7 minutes to make fresh):

Miso Good For You

Shiro (Mild) Miso Paste

Hon-Dashi Soup Stock Granules

Dried Cut Wakame (Seaweed)

Miso Soup

3 T. Shiro (mild) Miso Paste
3 c. water
1 t. Hon-Dashi Soup Stock granules (you can use flakes and remove flakes after water simmers)
1/2-in. pieces silken (or firm) tofu
Dried wakame (seaweed)

Note: This recipe can be easily divided by 3 for a single serving.

Heat 3 c. of water to boiling. Before it boils, add the soup stock. When it begins to boil, remove from heat and add miso paste. Put back on burner at reduced heat and heat until dissolved - do not boil. Add pieces of tofu and broken pieces of dried seaweed. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to rehydrate seaweed. Top with scallions, if desired.

Chucks and Jones for Christmas.

Converse has a really great idea for a Christmas or holiday gift for kids or teens (or me!). They can design their own pair of sneakers (hi-tops, low-tops, leather, whatever) online and send you the link and you can order them. It takes 2-4 weeks so you'll want to get a head start.

Also another cute idea for Jones soda lovers or anyone, really: A personalized photo on a case of Jones soda bottles.


I can't believe it's not too early to start thinking of these things.