Christmas Baking

Can you ever have too many Christmas cookies?  Some new favorites I've discovered in recent years include this yummy chocolate-coconut potato candy; orange snowball cookies; mocha truffle cookies; and frosted lemon ricotta cookies.  Yum.  Cookies.  Bring 'em on.

But if you find it a challenge to squeeze in all the holiday baking you'd like to in the weeks before Christmas, see if author and guest blogger Gina Conroy's tips, below, don't help.

Gina, by the way, has a brand new novella coming out in a month.  Called Buried Deception, in the Cherry Blossom Capers collection, you can read all about it here.  Then bake yourself some nice warm cookies and cozy up to a delicious fire.  It's the recipe for a perfect chilly evening, if you ask me.

HOLIDAY COOKIES MADE EASIER
by Gina Conroy

I remember the time I took a plate of Christmas cookies to my daughter's preschool teacher and was surprised by her comment.

"Thank you.  Not many people give homemade Christmas cookies any more.  It seems to be a lost art."

That made me sad to hear that so many people forego this holiday tradition.  As I was growing up, my mom always filled shoeboxes of cookies for neighbors, relatives, and friends.  It was her gift to them.  And they'd come to expect it every year and cherish their favorite cookies.

I have to admit I don't bake nearly as much as she still does.  One of the reasons is that it's too stressful cooking with four kids' schedules and trying to do everything else for Christmas.  But if you still want to bake and give those holiday cookies without the stress, here are some great ideas that have helped me.

YOUR FREEZER IS YOUR FRIEND
Pies, cookies, sweet breads all freeze great.  So don't be afraid to freeze them.  I usually freeze holiday cookies (and cookies throughout the year) for those unexpected guests.  Then I just pull them out and let them defrost.  Instant homemade treat.

ORGANIZE A COOKIE EXCHANGE
This is the BEST way to do the least amount of work and get the most variety of cookies.  Invite your friends over to a cookie exchange party.  Then have everyone bring a couple dozen of one or two varieties of their favorite cookies.  On the day of the party, break out the Christmas eggnog and coffee, scented candles and music, and arrange all the cookies on the dining room table.  You can even have everyone bring their favorite snack to share at the party.

Make sure everyone brings an empty container to take home cookies.  Then after you visit for a while, start revolving around the table, grabbing three or four cookies of each variety.  If you brought three dozen cookies, you take home three dozen.  If you brought two dozen, then you leave with two dozen.

Then take them home and enjoy.  I usually share my goodies with teachers and friends.  They don't have to know you didn't bake them all.

GIVE COOKIES IN A JAR
This has been my standard teacher's gift for the last couple of years.  It's so easy to do, and everyone loves to make their own cookies without all the measuring and the mess.  You can assemble these ahead of time, so start saving those applesauce, mayo, and tomato sauce jars now.

Check to see if you have to cut the recipes in half for smaller jars, and don't forget to attach instructions.  Also, don't be afraid to change up the ingredients and get creative.

(Lynn's note:  Here's a recipe for chocolatey peanut butter cookie mix, and another for homemade brownie mix.)

Christmas cookie baking doesn't have to be stressful, especially if you plan ahead.  So resurrect this lost Christmas tradition and bless someone this holiday season.

Gina Conroy is founder of Writer . . . Interrupted, where she mentors busy writers.  Her first novella, Buried Deception, in the Cherry Blossom Capers collection, releases from Barbour Publishing in January, 2012.  Gina loves to connect with readers on Facebook and Twitter.

Mini Stuffed Peppers

Picture is not so pretty, but these little stuffed peppers are very tasty

A dish here in Bulgaria which we have often with our Bulgarian family, but only when in season, as they are one of the main crops we grow here in the villages. Typically a Bulgarian version will be filled with rice but these are filled with mince. The small peppers when baked like this are lovely & sweet.

Stuffed Peppers

Peppers, cored & de seeded

1 sml Onion  coarsely chopped (or a few more cloves of garlic crushed & chopped)

1 Clove Garlic Chopped

 2 Rashers of Bacon

4 oz chicken livers

8oz Mince meat

1 tbsp Oil

Salt & pepper

Tomato sauce

1 Onion (or 3 cloves Garlic)

1 oz Butter

1 oz Flour

14 oz Canned Tomatoes 

1 tbsp Tomato puree

1 tsp Sugar (or equivalent sweetener)

Pinch mixed herbs

Salt & pepper

Boil fresh peppers in already hot water for 5 mins. Place them in greased baking tray. cook mince, garlic & onion till lightly browned. Season with ground sea/rock salt & ground blk pepper & spoon into the peppers.

Melt the butter & fry onion then place in a food processor with a plastic blade. Add rest of the ingredients & process until smooth. Sieve to remove pips. Bring to the boil in a saucepan & simmer for a few mins all the time stirring. Pour over the peppers cover with a lid or foil & bake in oven 180c (160c fan)  for 40 mins.

Serve with rice



Fruity Pork

We eat more pork here in Bulgaria than we ever did in the UK. One reason is, its reasonably cheap as meat here goes. Also pork has a taste here unlike the stuff in UK which is very bland, in fact tasteless & hard to decipher in a cooked dish. Off course the best pork is the village pig that has just been killed, wow that is amazing!!!!! Anyway the way round the fact we eat lots of it is to find different ways & recipes to make it different.
The following is a very easy, quick & tasty way to serve pork chops & not an apple in sight. I make my own plum jams & preserved plums in syrupy juice so it was very cheap too.
Pork chops
Oil for grilling
1 tbsp Cornflower
1/2 pint Chicken stock
4 tbsp Plum jam
2 tsp Red wine vinegar
Allspice, a couple of good pinches
Plums, fresh or home preserved. If using fresh large then two will suffice
Brush chops with a little oil & grill both sides till cooked. I have an electric grill I use. Aprox 10 - 15 mins
Meanwhile. Blend the stock with the cornflower. Add jam, vinegar & allspice & season to your taste. Heat sauce slowly stirring all the time till it bubbles & thickens. Add the plums to the sauce (if using fresh then slice them before adding). Continue cooking for a couple of minuets. Spoon sauce over the chops.
Serve with creamy mash potato & veg of your choice or fancy it up for guests. The flavour is really nice, not too sweet & makes a great winter dish.

Spicy Fruity Chutney (no onion)

I can't eat onion, well I can, but I suffer big time for it! I love onions but they have decided after 40 odd years of being my friend they would start to attack me. It's difficult, you don't realise how much they play a part in cooking till you have this problem. I now use lots of garlic in everything I cook as, thank goodness, they are still ok. Finding chutney with no onions is impossible, but why???? I promise you will not notice the difference if you pack it full of flavours & I am not just talking about spiciness, as in this one. All my chutneys are without onion but a couple of heads of crushed garlic does the trick just as well, try them, then let me know :-)

I'm looking forward to having this at Christmas.

You can off course exchange the garlic for onion if you so wish.

2 Garlic heads

2-3lb Marrow, de seeded & peel & chop small

2-3lb Pears, pealed seeded & chopped sml

2-3lb Apples, peeled seeded & chopped sml

1-1.5 Pints Vinegar, dark

1lb Sugar

2tsp Allspice

1tsp Pepper

1tsp Cayenne pepper

2tsp Cinnamon

Peel core & chop the fruit & vegetables very small. Crush & chop the garlic. Put everything in a large pan with the vinegar & spices but NOT the sugar.

Bring to the boil & then simmer till everything is soft & press on the sides of the pan with a spoon to make a softer chutney. Add the sugar, salt & pepper now & stir in till it has all dissolved. Continue to simmer but stirring very frequently, as now is when it can stick & burn. Keep a close eye on it now.

The chutney is ready when a channel remains after drawing a wooden spoon through it.

Pour into clean & sterile jars, seal & leave to mature for at least 6-8 weeks but 3 -4 months is better as not only will the vinegar taste die down but all the spices & flavours will meld together more.

Sweet Pickled Beetroot

A nice twist on just plain pickled beetroot.

Still time to make some for Christmas if you can get some nice smallish beets. I much prefer fresh cooked beetroot but as we grow lots they will go off so pickling is the next best thing, cold from the fridge Mmmm.
This recipe is a little different & quite Christmassy.
Quantities of beetroot are rough , enough to fill your jars. I made 3 with the vinegar adjust accordingly but don't over do the spices.
Leave the flavours to develop for min 2 weeks but a couple of months or more will be better :-) Store in a cool dark place if in doubt put in your fridge.

1 kg Beetroots cooked & peeled.
1 ltr vinegar, dark
6 tbls Sugar
1 tsp Allspice
6 peppercorns
Cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
2 or 3 Bay leaves
Cook the beetroot till they are tender this depends on the size of the beetroots. Best way is to keep the root & leaves attached while you cook them. Cool, & then rub between your thumb & fingers to remove the skin. Then cut off root & leaf stems. Can jar whole or in slices.
Meanwhile, Stir sugar into the vinegar, add the spices & heat gently. Leave to infuse for a couple of hours (or more).
Slice or place the beetroots into clean & sterilised jars fill with the spiced vinegar, making sure you share out the peppercorns & cloves & stirring to get the spices shared too. Store for a minimum of 2 weeks, the longer the better.

Traditional Bulgarian Meatball Soupa

Yum this is very nice & pretty filling. I was a bit concerned as to whether it would be enough as a main meal, you can't very well serve it with veg or pasta! So we had bread to mop up the soup & were very full.
I would suggest it would also be a good starter but only two balls per person. Personally I can't wait to have it again & think it will be a regular for us during the winter.
The Bulgarian's use a lot of oil in their cooking but I prefer to cook lower fat meals. All my recipes are a healthier versions & none of the taste is compromised. There is enough natural fat in the pork or beef to give it plenty of taste.
1lb Minced beef or pork (the soup above is made with pork)
6tbsp Rice
1 tsp Paprika
1tsp Chubritsa/savory or oregano
3 pints of water
2 Beef stock cubes
1/2 bunch spring onions sliced or 4 cloves garlic crushed & chopped
1 Bell pepper chopped
2 carrots thinly sliced, julienne style
3 tomatoes chopped1 sml chilli sliced & de seeded
1 egg lightly beaten
Juice of 1 lemon
1tsp Parsley
Mix the meat rice paprika & chubritsa & season. Mix thoroughly & squeeze into smallish balls & roll in flour.
Mix water, stock cubes, salt, pepper, onions, carrots & tomatoes in a large pan, cover & bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minuets. Add meatballs cover & boil again, then simmer for 60 minuets. Add chilli after first 20 mins.

Add parsley for the last 5 minuets.
Beat egg with lemon juice, stir 2 tbsp of soup into the mixture then stir egg mix into the rest of the soup. Stir till soup is thickened slightly. DO NOT BOIL.

Enjoy

Monastery Gyuvech

Gyuvech is traditionally made in a clay pot & was made by the Rila Monastery kitchens, hence the name of this dish. You can use beef or chicken  too, & even fish, though I can assure you I will not be posting a fish one on here, ugh. There are many different Gyuvech dishes in Bulgaria, this is but one. This is one of my favourites, very tasty & easy as putting a salad together. The wine gives it body & therefore lends itself to both an evening meal & a dinner party meal. In fact I would recommend it for serving when guests are coming as you can cook the first half & put it aside till the last hour giving you time to make all the rest & no rushing around :-)

600g Pork or other meat
a little Oil or frylight
1 Onion sliced or diced
2 lg Tomatoes
Salt & Pepper to tast
1/2 pint chicken stock
Large splash of white wine :-) & keep refilling if necessary
300g Mushrooms
150g Red Pepper cut into strips
100g Olives
100g Rice
Parsley optional
Cut meat into cubes & remove all visible fat. Fry in little oil or spray pan with frylight & seal meat. Add onion & cook till onion is soft. Add 1 tomato chopped, stock, wine & season to taste. Simmer for 10 mins & then add sliced mushrooms & pepper.

Cover & continue to cook till tender. Add extra wine & water as necessary.

Pour into clay pot & add rice & olives, cover & bake in oven 200c (180c fan) for 15 mins.

 Then arrange sliced tomato on top. Cover & cook on a low shelf at 160c for between 45 & 60 mins.