We had a lovely and relaxing day.  How about you???

We’re still trying to clean up all the carnage and get some relaxing in before the New Year and the return to work and school.  Oh and eating cookies.  Lots and lots of cookies.

Do you have any traditions you share each year with your families?

I have mentioned that every year we take the kids on a night-time light- seeing drive around town.  We did that last week.

Tonight, since it’s Christmas Eve, we will watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.  This tradition started many years ago with my parents and we continue it every year.  I think we can all recite the whole dang movie.  And it still makes us laugh out loud.

We also find time every year to watch Elf, A Christmas Story (you’ll shoot your eye out, kid!) The Grinch and The Snowman.  My personal favorite from the time I was young is It’s a Wonderful Life.  But I am very particular about it – it HAS to be the black and white version.

There’s also holiday music playing nearly non – stop this time of year at our house.  I am going out on a limb admitting this, but I am very partial to John Denver’s Rocky Mountain Christmas. We also like Enya’s last two winter albums, and Sarah McLachlan’s Christmas album.  Of course I adore all of the traditional and classical stuff as well, (Nat King Cole!) and Charlie Brown Christmas has been on a constant loop in our truck for weeks now.

One very special cd seems to be rather unknown,however.  Have you heard of Teja Bell?  If I had to pick only one cd to play for Christmas, this would be it.

Tonight I am finishing up my pre-big day baking and whipping up a batch of brioche dough for our annual Pigs In A Blanket smorgasbord.  I make the dough every Christmas Eve, and every Christmas morning, Paul rolls little mini smokies up with it and we eat wonderful little piggies all morning with rum and eggnog.

This year I am also baking Chocolate Cream Pie for dessert.  In fact, I still have plenty to do to get ready for Santa, so I bid you all the loveliest and most peaceful of holidays.  See you on the other side.

Each year I go on a major cookie – baking bender.  True story.  It’s one of our yearly traditions that started when we were first married and hadn’t even begun having children.  Back then it was easier to produce mountains of cookies in a shorter time span, but I still try my best to create a smorgasbord of sugary goodness despite time constraints.

Every year there are specific types of cookies which are a must. These are: Frosted butter cookies, frosted gingerbread cookies, chocolate – dipped macaroons, Rugelach, Linzer cookies, and Florentine cookies.  In addition I try a few new types each year, and sometimes I will throw in some Hamantaschen for good measure.  Those are better suited to Purim than Christmas, however.  This year I am adding in Chocolate-Cherry Mandelbrot and Chocolate-Hazelnut Thumbprints.  I’ll let you know how they all turn out.

In the meantime, for your baking pleasure I am sharing my favorite Rugelach recipe.

Ready?

Ingredients:

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened

2 1/2 sticks of butter, divided

2 1/4 cups flour

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup sugar

1 TBS cinnamon

Raspberry preserves

2 TBS sugar

First, beat the cream cheese with 2 sticks of softened butter.  You’ll have the best luck doing this if you have a stand mixer; a hand mixer works well, too.  If you’re doing this by hand…..please put “Stand mixer” on your Christmas wish – list.

Once these two are well blended, gradually add the flour.  Once it’s all incorporated, pat it into a nice round disk – shape and wrap it in plastic wrap.  It need to chill in the fridge for about 4 hours (overnight is best; I find 4 hours to be a good minimum).

Once your dough is chilled, remove it from the fridge and separate it into fourths (you will roll out one fourth at a time).  Rolling out can be done two different ways. More on that in a moment.

You’ll need to melt the remaining 1/2 stick of butter in a small dish and set aside.  In another bowl, combine walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tsp of the cinnamon.  In yet another small bowl, combine remaining 1 tsp cinnamon and 2 TBS sugar.  Set these aside, along with your raspberry preserves.

Rugelach can be made by cutting the dough into strips or triangles for crescents.  I find I get more cookies if I cut strips, but crescent – shaped rugelach may be a bit more traditional.  If you want to cut strips, roll out your dough into a rough rectangle shape and cut long strips into it.  Each strip should be roughly 5 – 6 inches long and  about 1 and a half to 2 inches wide.

For crescent cookies, roll your dough into a circle and cut it like a pie to make thin triangles for rolling.

Next is where it can get messy.

Brush each strip of dough with melted butter.  Sprinkle with walnut – cinnamon mixture.  At one end of each strip add a small dollop of preserves, then roll the strip up.

Brush the top of each cookie with more melted butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  They should be a light golden- brown.

Once you are done baking your cookies, you can plan a Cookie Exchange Party!

I invited my Book Club gals and families for one this year, and all involved had a lovely time.  We are still enjoying the many different cookies brought by all the guests.  (It’s a great way to get a large variety without baking 25 different kinds of cookies!)

Meanwhile, how about these cookies my mother made??? Hand painted Santas and Snowmen!  I think she needs to sell those mail – order, no?????