Monday, December 22, 2014

Holiday Vittles



These last couple weeks have been filled with late nights, bustling bodies, holiday secrets, happy surprises and lots and lots of baking.

I am by no means a natural in the kitchen, but I am adventurous and nothing quite says Christmas like all the goodies that go along with it. 

The scents of cinnamon wafting thru the home, flour dusted all over chubby hands and a mound of dishes that will take hours to complete. Surprisingly it all goes hand in hand in making this the most coziest of times.

This year will be our first to ever spend Christmas day just the six of us. It's exciting, but also quite daunting. I've spent many an hour searching, debating and agonizing over our Christmas menu. 

Finally, Kaleb and I decided on "hand food" for Christmas dinner. One of our wilds favorite things about the beach is that they get to eat "hand food" as they call it, every night. Shrimp, Mussels, Clams- food that requires no silverware, has some work involved and ends in smears of goodness allover faces and fingers that must be licked clean. 




Bearing that in mind- we have settled on Maple-Pepper Salmon Bites, a recipe Kaleb and I use to cook every week as newlyweds, but had completely forgotten about. As a side I'm thinking steamed artichokes with a selection of dipping sauces. I've never made them and the kiddos have never tried them, but it sounds like fun and something they might, possibly, if I'm lucky, enjoy- risky business, but I'll let you know how that one turns out! We also want to try these sweet potato pumpkin rolls. I realize they are pumpkins but they are so cute, with little notes tucked inside, they should pair perfectly with our theme. 

Now, onto the goodies. As I previously stated- there has been lots and lots of baking- here's some of our favorites and a few we will be attempting in the upcoming days!




- We made four batches of the Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls, two batches of plain, and two of the orange rolls. I actually like the orange rolls so much better- not near as sweet, although I can still only eat just one. We froze them in batches and have given some away as gifts, but will definitely save some for our own Christmas morning.

- I hope to be cooking up this almond biscotti later in the week. I've tried to make biscotti before with little to no success, but hopefully this recipe will do the job!

- Kaleb really wants us to try a Buche de Noel for our Christmas dessert. There's an interesting history that goes along with it, and we thought it may be fun- although I'm quite worried we're  overshooting our skills on this one!

- I'm most excited about these gingerbread cookies from My New Roots- I love cooking with natural, simple ingredients and I hope these will be a hit. They are in the oven right now, so I can't say for sure how they will turn out- but my goodness, the batter is good!! 

- Of course, nothing says winter quite like hot cocoa, and as it's finally descended, I've been whipping up lots. I've tried many a recipe and my favorite and thankfully the simplest is to melt ghiradelli chocolate and caramel squares in milk. It's so yummy- not too sweet, not too chocolatey- just right.

I will so be needing a kitchen break after this week, but for now- I'm going to turn my christmas music up a little louder,   pull on those dish washing gloves and dance myself into a floury frenzy!


25 comments :

  1. Aw sounds like an awesome plan. Have fun baking!! ;)

    Jessica
    the.pyreflies.org

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  2. Sound like it's going to be a wonderful Christmas! I can't wait to hear about it!
    Melanie @ meandmr.com

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  3. Sounds like a great menu! I used to make a yule log with my Dad every Christmas but have not attempted one for at least 20 years.......I wish you luck! I remember it was slightly tricky - the folding - but you get to cover up any serious 'mistakes' with the icing so any trickiness-induced flaws are coverable!!! [I could almost hear your Christmas bustle and music all the way here and it's cheered my day no end - thank you!]

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    1. Worked on it today, and oh yes, it was tricky! Hopefully the frosting and pine cones will cover it up some!

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  4. So fun. :) Baking with family is such a treat. On Sunday night I baked a cranberry vanilla buckle. I had never made one before, but it was easy and delicious. It has been such a while since I have cooked something just for fun. No obligations attached... it was so lovely. In 2012 I decided to try 100 new recipes. It was awesome, and so difficult at times. Since then I have not wanted to cook much, and often we haven't... which is not great. So it was such a relief to enjoy it on my own again. :) There is something soothing about baking too. I love it. Last night we dipped pretzels in bark and covered them in sprinkles to set out at work this morning. Tonight I think we will bake two pumpkin pies and possibly peanut butter balls. :) Happy baking.. or dishwashing I guess. :) XO -Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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    1. Whew, girl- you are on it, always! It's very impressive and it sounds great!

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  5. This looks like so much fun, it's always great to go into the kitchen and bake with kids and family and even though it might get messy it's always fun and the kids love seeing what they have created in the end!!
    Bless you and your beautiful family, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a New Year with many more beautiful things to come to you! :)

    Layla xxx

    www.sprinklesofstyle.co.uk

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  6. you are one busy mama! it sounds like it is going to be the perfect christmas. i love that you take risks in the kitchen ... i have yet to prepare a decent artichoke ... but then again maybe i have and just don't care for them. ha ha! it's hard to say. love all of the cookies and especially the cinnamon rolls! yum. youre such a great mom. happy christmas!

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    1. Lol- I've never tried and may not like them either, I'm guessing this one is going to be a fail on all fronts:)

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  7. My goodness, you are working hard in the kitchen. Your hand food menu looks so good. The maple-pepper salmon bites are sound wonderful for anytime of the year. And all the baking you've done...Wow. Let us know about the gingerbread from My New Roots. I adore that blog too.
    Texas Jak
    http://www.novermyhead.com

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  8. Oooh, the menu for Christmas sounds awesome! And "hand foods" like these will make for some good memories, I'm sure. I really want to give the maple-pepper salmon bites a shot- they sound delicious!

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

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  9. Wait I LOVE the Pioneer Woman! And you must know I thought of your when I first saw her show! Also I'm into the hand food idea, genius.

    xo

    Michaela

    http://michaelajeanblog.com

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  10. Chels, Your JOLLY is one of my favorite things I've seen this season. If a copy of that were to land in my mail box- I'd probably be tickled pink.... just saying. Merry Merry Christmas!

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  11. ....groan.. i keep forgetting to sign my posts...

    Love you,
    T. Brown

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  12. "The scents of cinnamon wafting thru the home, flour dusted all over chubby hands and a mound of dishes that will take hours to complete." -- Isn't it funny what becomes heartwarming during the holidays? Some things like flour dusted hands and mounds of dishes could be a nuisance during another time of year, but there's so much magic in this season, it's hard not to find beauty everywhere!

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  13. Those rolls sound tasty. I don't think I've had an orange roll before but I imagine the citrus would be refreshing. I still haven't made hot cocoa. Thanks for the reminder.
    :] // ▲ itsCarmen.com ▲

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  14. wow you are taking this to the next level! I do love artichokes and the salmon bites sound amazing. I love Tiramisu for desert on Christmas, so rich but not too heavy :)

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    1. Tiramisu, sounds amazing! I didn't even think of that, but it would be a perfect Christmas dessert!

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  15. Yum! All of that sounds absolutely delicious, especially the orange rolls and ghiradelli hot chocolate! I wish I had done more baking this season.

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  16. Precious time, baking your Christmas delight with your family. And you always have beautiful shots. I always adore seeing them. Have a Merry Christmas, dear
    xoxo
    Liza
    www.lizacorner.blogspot.com

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  18. The salmon bites sound amazing!! Merry Christmas babe!! xx

    lovejoanna.com

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  19. What a great idea when you have little kids to try to keep interested in Christmas dinner! It certainly sounds like some wonderful family time they will treasure forever!

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  20. I want to come to YOUR house for Christmas, haha! This all sounds absolutely delicious!

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  21. so much baking! hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

    Cecilia from ceciliaintherain.wordpress.com

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