Merry Christmas from our home to yours
May all your days be merry and bright
I get distracted fairly easily. I’m often fixing dinner while preparing something for the next day so there are a lot of things going on in the kitchen in parallel. A timer is what saves me from having to regularly reset the smoke alarm. When I have friends over and have a number of different things cooking at once I have multiple timers going at once. I place one of my three timers by each of the foods I’m cooking. This works because my stove, oven and vent hood are made of a stainless steel that attracts magnets. Each timer has a magnet on the back so I can slap them on the oven door or right above what’s cooking. The timers’ display is big and the buttons simple. Here is one similar to mine that has gotten good reviews.
I have another use for a timer. When there is a project I need to do but don’t want to – like filing, cleaning out a closet or folding clothes, I set a timer for 30 minutes so I know I only have to do the dreaded task for that amount of time. I can do anything for 30 minutes. It really helps me get projects I don’t enjoy done so I can go play.
When we get to the after-holiday let down, clean-up, and carry on, I’ll be using my timers and feeling virtuous about getting my least favorite items on my to-do list done with the help of my timers.
- Old copper cookie cutters – great for baking and decorating
This year I’ve had time to make Christmas cookies – until now my day job has been too intense in November and December. See Gingerbread Snow Flake Cookies for my recipe. I found these lovely old copper cookie cutters and decided they were perfect for what I wanted to make.
I took a whole afternoon and had a wonderful time making the simple dough and even decorating them, though I don’t do that as well as I’d like to. The intricately-decorated cookies in the magazines make it all a bit daunting. My motivation is the joy of figuring out the flavors and sharing them with friends – dribbles and all – not perfection.
For the past several years a few friends have come over for dinner and helped me decorate my Christmas tree. Each got a cookie cutter this year. The cookies were a hit, with their strong ginger and spice flavor, and the cookie cutters were a perfect thank you.
I promised you Chocolate Bourbon Balls that are irresistible. Here they are.
I’m a Tennessee girl – bourbon seeps into what I cook. I think these Chocolate Bourbon Balls are going to replace the Bourbon Ball recipe my sister-in-law gave me many years ago. I use to make bourbon balls every Christmas and keep some frozen for those times when only a hot bath, a good book (probably not high literature) and bourbon balls would suffice.
The old recipe took two days and used paraffin. This Chocolate Bourbon Balls recipe is easy enough to make throughout the year when the need arises!
Chocolate Bourbon Balls
Makes about 40
Ingredients:
1 c heavy cream
8oz dark chocolate, chopped. Use a high quality chocolate, with around 70% cocoa. You can usually find Lindt in the grocery store or look for Valhrona, Callebaut, or Scharffen Berger
1 -1½ T Bourbon You can use Grand Marnier for an orange/cognac flavor.
Coating the Chocolates:
8oz dark chocolate ,chopped If you like chocolate a bit sweeter, you could use semi sweet dark chocolate.
2T flavorless oil
Utensils:
Medium heavy saucepan, scale, measuring spoons, mixer with a medium bowl, wooden spoon, parchment or wax paper, cookie sheet, two forks, wire rack
Method:
In the saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream to a simmer. Take off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir with the wooden spoon.
Pour the cream mixture into the mixer bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. When cool, add the liquor and beat with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Don’t over-beat it.
Using a piping bag with a small tip (3/8in) or a baggie with a corner cut away, pipe small blobs about 1” across onto a tray lined with wax paper or parchment.
Smooth the top of the chocolate with your finger to make a ball. (I have also dipped my finger in the liquor and smoothed the top off the chocolate.)
Refrigerate till cold.
Coating with Chocolate:
Melt the rest of the chocolate in a heavy pan or a double boiler. Add the oil.
Pick up the cooled chocolate pieces with two forks and dip them in the melted chocolate. Put the dipped chocolates on a wire rack or a fresh sheet of parchment to set.
Store in a cool place. These Chocolate Bourbon Balls will keep for 3 to 4 days.
Ideas: Pour the last of the melted chocolate over the dipped chocolates to add another layer of chocolate. You could also shake cocoa powder over the chocolates as they set.
Holiday baking time has me thinking about my kitchen scale, one of the tools you really need in the kitchen.
Being off a bit with quantities is more consequential in baking than in any other form of cooking. Baking recipes do not tolerate approximate amounts well. Often, a less-than-stellar outcome stems from using volume measurements instead of weight measurements. For example, if you measure flour by filling a cup, then the amount of flour you end up using will vary depending on whether the flour is sifted or hard-packed and on whether you scoop or pour. The solution: do not measure by volume, measure by weight – put away the cup, get out the kitchen scale.
My scale measures ounces, kilograms, grams, and pounds on an easy-to-read screen. One feature I use all the time is the “Tare”, which zeros the display regardless of what is on the scale, enabling you to measure only what you put in the bowl. This scale is big enough to weigh a variety of bowl sizes and since the scale is thin, it is easy to store and to stack. I stack my big measuring cups on top of it. Great when you don’t have a lot of storage room. This kitchen scale, the EatSmart Precision Pro Digital, is also priced at $19.95 right now (12/15/15) on Amazon. It usually costs between $30-$40.