Here is a slide show of DH and his Cucidati making and one of the sink after cleanup. I am the frosting/sprinkles Queen...so forgive the blurry one-handed picture :) c

Here is a link that might be useful: Cucidati Italian Fig cookies

Here is a link to Martha Stewart's version. It is almost identical but is in "our" measurements and not metric and I won't have to translate mine !

Petra you better show pics !! I didn't remember you were from the Nederlands . Where ? Woonden we in Groningen van 1988-1989. Mijn man was met Rijks Universiteiten.

Here is a link that might be useful: appel taart

Jumping in - I lived in Rotterdam for a year and a half. Loved it! When we were dating my husband and I would fly back and forth between London City airport and Rotterdam. He would go to the market and fill my whole apartment with tulips. They are still my favorite flowers. : )

I was addicted to the Stroop waffles. Yum!!

TR - can you post the recipe for the fig cookies too?

you're trying to get me to bake again... at least I do have an oven now!

Pierogis pan-frying and Polish sausage heating up. It rained all day, so we did not make the tenderloin.

Managed to make an exquisite chateaubriand in DM small apartment oven I am not sure she ever used the oven...
Trail - you are amazing!
DB loved my mascarpone thumbprint cookies with fig jam.

DD made chicken Marsala...here are a few pics.

hoboken..DD was crazy about the Stroop Waffles too !! We have had friends bring them back to us when they visit the Netherlands. Do you remember ollie bollen at New Years ??? I make those too !

desert...I posted it somewhere in the past couple weeks in one of the GW forums :) Let me cogitate and I will post again for you . They are SO yum.

gs I am crazy about pierogis !!

a2...nah...this forum is AMAZING ! c

prep for chicken :

darn...can't see the flames !

heavenly taste !

Served buffalo tenderloin tonight baked in our new oven on convection roast. Amazingly tender. I almost prefer using the oven vs. the grill for this. Using the temperature probe keeps us from overcooking it.

Merry Christmas GWers!

trail runner ! I feel like I am one of Pavlov's dogs-lol! drooling as I can almost smell the applegebak and Italian cookies!!

Hoboken, what a lovely visual and shared memory of your apartmt filled w/tulips!!

My sweet dog helped me make cookies all day yesterday : ) Here's a sample of just a few. Merry Christmas everyone!

trailrunner - I don't think I could out run your cooking! YUM!

Gr8day-your puppy looks like (s)he worked hard slaving over those cookies. Did at least one 'accidentally' fall for her/him to sample?

Dessert made, mashed potatoes made, getting ready to hit the road to Grandma's house.

Merry Christmas everyone.

gr8day...those are such pretty cookies. Has been years and years since we cut out and decorated cookies.

go figure and Autumn..ya'll are sweet !! DD's chcicken dish was wonderful . Had it with roasted potatoes and onions.

desertsteph...here is the fig cookie recipe. You will have dough leftover . I had an epiphany this AM. You can roll it out and fill with something...I am going to make the lemon curd and make a tart. I think it will be a perfect prebaked crust for that. We have no plans for a big dinner today.Will have soup most likely while we watch the weather. c

Cucidati

Filling weighs 20 oz- chop in food processor
1 cup dried figs
1 cup dried dates, pitted
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped or ground in food processor ( we use pecans )
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup orange marmalade

Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk (approximately) must be quite thick
Colored sprinkles

dough: weighs 38 oz

4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces cold unsalted butter or 1/2 pound cold lard, cut into pieces- we use lard that we rendered.
4 large eggs
Put flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse just to mix. Add the butter pieces and pulse 20 times. Add eggs and pulse until dough forms a ball on the blade. Remove from processor and knead briefly on a lightly floured work surface until smooth. Shape dough into a log and wrap in plastic. chill

Divide dough in to 4/ 8 oz pieces. Roll each out to 12" rope. Roll into a 12" x 3 " rectangle. Cut to even sides. Make 1/4 of filling into a snake and lay on the rectangle. Seal the dough around the filling. Roll gently into a 15" long rope. Bake the whole rope..till just barely golden. 350 degrees...approx 20 min...watch carefully. Use parchment on baking sheets.
Makes 5 3/4 dozen. use approx 8 oz dough and 5 oz filling for each roll. When baked and cooled cut into 1" long pieces. Frost by dipping in to the thick frosting and then in to the sprinkles. Let dry and store in fridge. ( will have 6-8 oz dough left over ) can make plain cookies or fill with jam etc.

Do I qualify as Dutch - been to Netherlands and have a Pa Dutch (German) heritage!

Anna- wow- I always wondered how to cook one of those squashes!

Gr8day - how many cookies did puppy snatch!

Gscience- wow- never tried making pierogues(sp but better than iphone spelling...) either

Happy holidays!

Wonderful pics!

AnnaA, what type of gourd is that and how do you serve it? I am intrigued.

I don't make the pierogis myself, but fortunately there is a Polish deli about 10 min away. However, if I was feeling ambitious, they do carry farmer cheese to make them. My Mom and I tried one year, and it definitely takes some skill and is quite labor intensive.

Gr8day, I have a little kitty who is my kitchen "helper."

Posting ham and eggs from this morning. Merry Christmas!

Preparing this beautiful rib roast. Merry Christmas to all!

Cranberry swirl cheesecake is cooling, geese are salted awaiting steaming then roasting. Merry Christmas one and all!

We ended up having our big dinner last night as our company orginally had to leave today on Christmas. Now they're staying but I had already started making things that I didn't want to keep waiting for another 24 hours. Like this chocolate raspberry torte:

The port-cherry glazed ham, scalloped potatoes, and green bean cassarole went unphotographed as I was too busy getting the food on the table to remember to take a picture!

Merry Christmas to all!

The collective talent on this forum is incredible. All the dishes look and sound fabulous, wish I could have a taste of each and every one.

awesome cooks in awesome kitchens!

thx so much for the recipe TR. I only have 3 of those ingredients right now (salt, eggs and vanilla). I'll work on getting the rest. I guess I'll need a cookie sheet too!

I think I'll use apricot preserves for the extra dough. Glad to know something like that will work.

Merry Christmas to all GW'ers! Cooked a rib roast for Christmas Eve dinner. Mashed potatoes, and pear-pecan salad, and steamed snap peas also. Chocolate hazelnut cheesecake for desert.

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake for Christmas dinner at BIL's house

Also made apple tarts for dessert

Wow, everything pictured and described looks and sounds delicious. Another vote for the apple cake recipe, too!
I wish I hadn't been so busy so I could have seen this thread and taken a few pics of my own. It's all been eaten now, though.
Have to say that even though we haven't started on our forever kitchen, I've put the knowledge gained here to use in organizing my current kitchen and my food prep went SO much more smoothly and was not at all frustrating. Such a change from years past, when I was running all over the kitchen grabbing this and that. Very thankful for this forum!

On Christmas Eve, I made a beef tenderloin using The Pioneer Womans cracked pepper recipe and it was to die for delicious and tender. Paired that with smashed then pan fried new potatoes (which were great and will be added to my keeper recipes, too.) and a beautiful fresh salad. We had a very fun and busy Christmas and I hope the fun part :) was true for all of you, too! Merry belated Christmas.

Everything looks so yummy, but I'm still stuffed from 2 days of feasting. Christmas Eve at our house was Italian with portobello mushroom lasagna, penna a la vodka, and a meat lasagna. These little reindeer also made an appearance. Happy Holidays to all.

um....

After I cleaned up the drool off my keyboard, I'm here to share mine:

I worked a double shift & made $389. Although I won't be eating this, it is my Christmas! :)

I did, however, serve gorgeous fresh fish, juicy steaks, incredibly delicious chocolate espresso cake, upside down apple pie that puts all other apple pies to shame, and other delectable delights.

Hope all had a wonderful day!

CEF
How are you going to spend that treat!

I am salivating looking at those gorgeous dishes!

Those desserts..........wow. I think I gained 5 pounds just looking at them. They all look so good!

Christine-woohoo on the Christmas cash!

I'm going to spend the cash on my divorce lawyer, with whom I meet today. Merry Christmas to me having the $$ to pay him! Yeah!!

But I still think I'm sad and pathetic and could use care packages filled with great, gorgeous baked goods (and roast and beer) to lift my sad, lonely spirits. It would be the right thing for all of you to do. I'll send private emails with my address. Don't worry. It won't be hard to pack 'em up. Just the left overs, OK? (And DON"T tell me there aren't any! That would be WRONG!)

As promised the venison stew, with mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts with bacon, mushrooms and red onion. For dessert trifle: pannetone with Licor 43, raspberries and a mascarpone-greek yoghurt topping dusted with grated dark chocolate.

@trailrunner: I lived near Amersfoort, but I know Groningen very well, my best friend attended the Rijksuniversiteit.
@a2gemini: sure, I bet we could even have a (albeit slow) conversation in PA Dutch, German, Dutch and PA Dutch having so much in common.

@hobokenkitchen: did you have to mention the stroopwafels? ;-)
That's the one thing I cannot make myself... Oliebollen, yes, those are easy. Will make them in a couple of days, for New Year's Eve. Living in Spain is great, but around the holidays I miss certain foods.

Wow! All of your photos are beautiful. Such talented folks on this site. For those of you that asked about my dog Abby, she did get some cookie bites and is a constant companion in the kitchen. She is a big dog and lays right in front of wherever I need to be, the stove, the island or sink and I've almost taken a tumble over her a few times. I've tried to get her to move but that lasts a few minutes and then she quietly moves back, lol. We rescued her last year and she is the sweetest thing, we love her.
Here is another photo of some new cookie recipes I made. It was so much fun and hubby got me a my very first Kitchen Aid Stand mixer for Christmas. It's an Artisan. We bought it on e-bay and saved about a $100. It made me nervous to do it that way but I know I won't use it everyday and so I didn't want to put a fortune into it. Thanks for all the nice comments and hope you all have a Happy New Year!

mabel, mnt, anna, petra and gr8 WOW !! look at those desserts !! We finished the last pieces of the appeltaart this AM...yep 2 mornings in a row I had it with whipped fresh cream and coffee !!! YUM !!

The venison looks SO good , petra and the veggies. I had to look up the liquor sounds delicious !

gs...I sure could go for ham and eggs too...my fave supper when I don't want to cook anything else.

anna...what is the crust on the apple tarts ? Looks like puff pastry maybe ? Wish I had those pretty pans.

gr8 your mixer is so pretty too ! Good deal.

"Abby, she did get some cookie bites and is a constant companion in the kitchen"

bless her little furry heart! She knows where to be when it really counts (to the tummy). Glad to hear she got a few bites, otherwise I'd have to ask for her address and mail her some...

great looking cookie - you gonna post the recipe?

desertsteph here is the link to the recipe! I always measure out the cookie dough before rolling into a ball so that they are all the same size. I'm pretty sure I used a heaping tablespoon of dough before rolling. The "Hugs" Hershey Kisses are sometimes hard to find but worth it for the cute look. The blog on this recipe says she used white chocolate chips but only because she couldn't find the Hugs which are what is called for in the recipe. ...This season I found all sorts of Hershey variety of kisses. I made some dark chocolate cookies same size as these and put a red and white mint Hershey Kiss in the middle and they were so cute. Hershey has a nice site for cookie recipes. In the meantime here is the link for the recipe I used for these. Thank you for your sweet comments about our sweet Abby!

Here is a link that might be useful: gingerbread cookies with Hershey Hugs Kisses

Petra, I am intrigued by your brussell sprouts recipe with bacon. How do you prepare that?

Gr8day, love the new KA mixer! Hershey kiss PB cookies are one of my ulimate favorites.

I didn't do much cooking - but made peanut brittle, and I love my induction stove for candy making!

used the raw peanuts I bought while in GA for Thanksgiving.

Thanks gsciencechik, I am itching to try the new mixer it really is pretty and might have to make those Hershey's Kiss PB's. I do not know what possessed me to get a blue one! I just thought it was so pretty and with it being winter, it reminded me of the beach : )) A girl can dream, right?

macybaby, that looks so good I want to crawl into the picture and sneak some! I am going to tackle that someday. My problem is I love to bake and make these kinds of things because it is so creative but I don't want to eat it! I do give it away but I even feel bad doing that because many people are watching what they eat even at the shelters!!! So today I am making a beef stew and will have to learn to love making real food for everyday and leave the treats to the holidays. Now I am off to run the mountain, it's only three miles but it will kill you, straight up but I love running down, it's so much fun and such pretty scenery.
Today I am making a Pioneer Woman stew. I have never put beer in Stew before, hope I didn't ruin it!!
{{!gwi}}

Yum! All the great holiday food looks really good.

@trailrunner: Yes, that's puff pastry. I needed another quick dessert for Christmas dinner, so I hunted around and found a few recipes for it. Next time, I peel the apples. My scratch pie crust skills need a little work, so decided to "cheat" with the puff pastry. I found the pans at Home Goods for $3.50 a while back. The Pioneer Woman's recipe for this tart doesn't use a pan, just lay it out on a cookie sheet.

@gr8day: Congrats on the mixer. I'm sure it'll get lots of use. No problem with the beer in the stew. It's supposed to help tenderize the meat, I hear. I use it in chili too.

Hope everyone has a great New Years!

We were at my mom''s place for Christmas, so celebrated tonight - forgot to take pictures - but here is our menu

Canadian Lobster tails (they were absolutely scrumptious!)
Stilton Couscous (well, was supposed to be Stilton mashed potatoes but forgot about the potatoes)
Pea pods (frozen from a local share crop co-op)
Molasses pie (was supposed to be an enhanced pumpkin pie with molasses and cognac but I quadrupled the molasses - oops)
Domaine Carneros Brut to celebrate my retirement after 33 years!

The molasses pie made a total mess of my new Wolf oven - got most of it off and plan to try the self clean tomorrow - if I get brave enough

DH was actually listening to my Christmas list and I am now a proud owner of a mega ThermoWorks instant thermometer and case! I was ogling the smaller version but my DH thought the larger display would be better and even purchased the silicone cover for it (not even on my radar...) - He is so sweet!
And an added bonus - new salt and pepper grinders that are gravity operated and a Le Creuset Zen Tea Kettle!

Petra - I recognize that backsplash and the stew looks divine - Just don't throw the horse over the fence some hay! (Old joke about the PA Dutch grammar - my grandparents spoke PA Dutch, my parents understood it, and we never learned anything but a few words...)

CEFreeman- So sorry to hear about your predicament. A terrible time to deal with life changes. Would be happy to send you a care package...

Gr8day - Bought mine on CL for $75 - it was used but it does work fine. Will have to check out the recipe - I am having a ginger craving!

nbaskets - are those home brews?

Macy - I made candy by accident on my induction - it was supposed to be a reduction sauce...

Anna - beer in stew and chile rocks!

@gsciencechick: The recipe for the Brussels sprouts is very loosely based on a Delia Smith recipe 'Brussels sprouts in Riesling with bacon' from her book 'Delia Smith's Christmas'. Her recipe uses 700 grs Brussels sprouts, 110 grs smoked bacon rashers with rinds, 1 dessertspoon butter, 2 finely chopped shallots, 1 crushed clove of garlic, 175 ml Riesling, salt and pepper. Sprouts are cleaned and steamed till half cooked (some 4 minutes). She starts by cutting the rinds off the bacon and heating these in a frying pan on a low heat to release the fat. Taking the rinds out, the rest of the bacon is cut up and added, as are the shallots and garlic, soften these (all on a low heat). Sprouts are added to the frying pan. Heat is turned up to medium high and sprouts are tossed around for 2-3 minutes until they begin to take on a little colour. Now turn the heat up high and add the wine. Keep turning the sprouts till they are tender and the wine has reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

My recipe followed the same steps, I just substituted some of the ingredients: 500 grs Brussels sprouts, 100 grs bacon, 1 chopped red onion, 250 grs quartered mushrooms, salt and pepper. No wine, since there was already a fair splash of brandy in the venison stew ;-).

What I like about both recipes is that they spruce up the Brussels sprouts. A lot of people do not like sprouts (as did I) but these recipes usually win them over. I found an interesting article on Brussels sprouts explaining why they can taste foul and how to avoid this. xPetra

Here is a link that might be useful: Brussels sprouts

My annual toffee - this year made better by using an induction burner (I'm practicing on induction).

kailuamom, that toffee looks amazing!!! I love toffee! I may have to tackle that someday.

Everyone here is so creative.

Trailrunner, you are an amazing woman. Love your sense of adventure in cooking and life. : )

Happy New Year to all, will try the recipes posted thanks so much!

gr8day...I sure wish I had been there to run the mountain ! Which one is it ? Is there a trail or do you just bushwhack :) You are sweet...I just get by. How did the beer stew turn out ?

kailuamom...that toffee looks amazing..quite a production line . I need an induction burner. After reading reviews on Amazon I gave up as there were so many conflicting ones. Which kind did you get and where ?

a2: what a MEAL !! Wow...sounds wonderful.

macy my dad loved loved peanut brittle !! He would have all over yours..it looks so good.

anna...I love puff pastry..your tarts look perfect. c

We got a Max Burton for under $100. It is a nice extra burner, not very high wattage but does the trick and is helping me figure out if I should go induction or plumb propane into the kitchen. We have decided on the induction.

I do about 40 lbs of toffee as Christmas gifts to all except our children. Therefore, the production line is necessary. Most helpful items so far, the induction burner and chocolate tempering machine.

Wow- I did the same thing sans toffee - bought a burner to test before going induction. I went induction... I am on my way over for a taste of toffee - darn, don't know where to go LOL!

@Trail, my husband laughs and says these aren't mountains just hills. He's from California and thinks I'm funny calling them mountains. It's the Georgia hills around the Civil War battlefields, different ones on different days.. There are definite trails and lately have just been going straight up the paved road with all the rain and then it is just so vertical running down. I haven't got the stamina to run up but do walk it fast. It's so cold I want to go as fast as I personally can which is more like the St. Petersburg shuffle but I'll take it. It took me almost a year to work up to being able to do it nonstop both ways without resting, gaining some speed. At first I would come home and nearly pass out the rest of the day but now I find it is giving me more energy. I always walked but never this hard and then one day I just thought I would like to start running and so I did a little more each day. I could only go a little way at first and then worked up to it. I ran a lot when I was way younger but was always getting hurt with either ankle, knee, hip. Something. I would go for miles but had to stop with the injuries. I admire people who I see out there older than me running straight up that mountain, that is my goal. I envy that their body is still able to bear it. The old joints just don't hold up that well. My neighbor still runs marathons in her 50's and there are many way older also. I'm so envious of them.

gr8...I run trails and would love to know where the "hills" are that you speak of. I am in AL 1 1/2 hrs from Atlanta. There are great trails near Kennesaw. I get over there all the time as that is where DD lives. I have been running since 1978 , just turned 62. I guess the reason I don't have any joint problems is I have stuck to trails since the mid 90's. Less wear and tear. I think you are amazing to have worked up to the amount that you are doing !! You gave a fantastic testimonial and should encourage others to try it I would think.

kailua do you have a recipe you could share for the toffee ? It looks amazing !! Thanks for the headsup on the burner. I am going to order one today. Our local cooking store doesn't have it. c

I can provide the basic recipe, but not all of the technique which is just preference based.

For every cup of sugar, use 1/2 lb butter (salted) and 1/4 c water. (I do up to 3lbs of butter at a time, but I wouldn't do that without practice.

Cook until the color of peanut butter (this should be around 305 degrees) be really careful not to burn any toffee on The bottom of pan. I prefer to use nonstick with no scratches and I use a sturdy wooden spoon)

Add vanilla (sorry, I don't measure) and roasted almonds (also don't measure)

Mix well and pour on to cool surface, spread to about almond thickness.

I cut it with a pizza cutter when still warm and pliable. Many folks let harden and spread chocolate and nuts, and then break it into pieces.

I use the best ingredients I can find. No chocolate chips. Be careful, it's like lava when you are adding the vanilla and nuts.

I am a little late but their are 12 days of Christmas.

This is DH making one of my favorite meals...

Tangy Spicy Green Beans

Just need to follow up with Petra that I made the brussel sprouts for NYE. Really good; thanks!

Thanks for the recipe for the toffee!!! Looks fabulous. Have you ever seen the Just a Pinch website? It's very good and has lots of good recipes and poster input. They would love it if you posted it there.

Trail, yes Kennesaw Mountain is one of my running places also Dallas Hwy park and around in that area. No secret places, sadly...most everything is developed around us except the wonderful big battlefields. The Silver Comet trails are sometimes fun too. They are doing more rails to trails too. I remembered that you had said you were in Ala. Some day would love to see that street with all the decorations you posted last year. It was beautiful.

All of the recipes looks so great. Dying to try them all.

Oh my, these pictures make me hungry. A2, your menu sounds divine!

We went non traditional all the way. Fresh salmon, roasted tomato soup compliments of our garden. We now not only have to go gluten free, but egg free too. This batch of corn vegetable muffins is one of my experiments that worked.

We also had a GW inspired dish. Someone here recommended Le Veneziane Italian GF pasta, and we used that with a variation of breezygirl's pasta with arugula. It was the hit of the night!

Gourdzilla baked up perfectly, giving me firm cubes which I marinated in orange zest and juice, and used it to top a spinach salad with an orange cranberry dressing.

I love everyone's ideas! Great thread.