From the category archives:

Recipes for Christmas

Lefse

by Laura 2 March 2012
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It’s thirteen degrees here this morning.  The young pines are bending under the weight of heavy, wet snow, threatening to break, and the tall shrubs are splayed out like snow-covered wreaths strewn along the pathway I’ve shoveled to the house.  Annie, our little terrier, thinks the snow is a platform across the patio out back; [...]

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Feather Pillow Pancakes with Warm Lingonberries

by Laura 21 January 2012
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My Honey Girl flew back to college tonight. Everywhere now, throughout the house, there are reminders of her, and of our last week together: a scarf hanging to dry after a walk in the snow, boots tossed in the hallway, the last blueberry pancake from our breakfast this morning wrapped in foil in the refrigerator, [...]

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Top Shelf Egg Nog

by Laura 21 December 2011
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This egg nog combines excellent orange liqueur, brandy, and dark rum with egg-enriched heavy cream and whole milk. Share This: Recommend on FacebookShare on PinterestShare with StumblersTweet about itEmail a friend

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Five-minute Cranberry Schmutz

by Laura 14 December 2011
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Alongside a Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey or smeared on sandwiches, this five-minute, four-ingredient cranberry schmutz is a little tart, a little sweet, and exactly perfect.  I’m putting a little on a pumpkin muffin for breakfast, too.  If there were ever a reason to stop sliding that factory cranberry sludge out of a can, this is [...]

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Seriously Simple Apple Tart with Hot Buttered Rum Raisin Sauce

by Laura 12 December 2011
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Oh my, this is good.  Our Honey Girl’s dear friend from college, Vickie, wrote to me to ask if I could suggest a recipe or two to use up apples that she had picked this fall at an orchard.  After a little dance of joy around the kitchen, and with a dorm kitchen and limited [...]

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Whole Wheat Gingerbread Pancakes

by Laura 2 March 2011
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When I begin to long for winter to melt into spring, for the crocuses to pop their heads up and to feel the sun on my face again, the best remedy is to make something that I would only cook in the wintertime. It’s a nice reminder of the excitement I feel when the season [...]

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Swedish Rice Pudding with Spiced Sour Cherry Compote

by Laura 1 January 2011
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In the Scandinavian countries, it’s traditional to place a single whole almond in the rice pudding served at Christmastime.  Whoever finds it receives good luck for the year and a marzipan pig, a yuletide symbol of this good fortune.  We usually make this rice pudding for Christmas, but seeing as we’ll be eating it on [...]

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Winter Supper: Swedish Meatballs, Rot Kraut, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Fennel and Green Apple Salad with Juniper Berries, & Swedish Rice Pudding with Spiced Sour Cherry Compote

by Laura 30 December 2010
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After two months spent preparing for Christmas, when it’s over the mood in our house is usually a little tired.  A long, gray winter lies ahead of us and the magic of Christmas is past.  It’s nice, then, to continue the festivities for a few days by making a meal or two like this one.  [...]

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Santa Bread

by Laura 24 December 2010
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It’s Christmas Eve morning and, as usual, I’m so excited I can’t sleep.  I usually get up before 5:00 every year, and when my Honey Girl and my Sweet Boy were little ones they were up with me, too, waiting for my Dear Husband.  We would gallop around the house before we started shaping the [...]

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Roast Pheasant with Pan Gravy

by Laura 22 December 2010
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I am test-driving a pheasant tonight for Christmas Eve dinner at my darling sister Molly’s house.  In fact, her husband got twelve pheasants on a recent hunting trip, and, if all goes well, we’ll be feasting on them together Friday night.  I haven’t had a pheasant dinner like we’re planning since my dear grandfather passed [...]

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Coconut Macaroons

by Laura 14 December 2010
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If you like coconut and you’ve never made macaroons, you must make some.  One bowl, one spoon, three ingredients—and 30 minutes from start to finish, including baking time, dishes, and wiping down the kitchen.   They are crispy at the edges where the coconut is toasty, and tender chewy on the inside.   Many macaroon recipes call [...]

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