A monthly online magazine chock-full of insightful articles for busy mothers.

by Linda Sikut

November brings us into the beginning of the festive holiday season. In the US, Thanksgiving will be celebrated on November 27th with Christmas and other religious holidays to follow in December. This is traditionally the season of baked goodies, hot, warming soups, steaming plates of vegetables, fluffy mashed potatoes, delicious roasted turkey and ham. This month I thought it would be fun to explore some tips and ideas for serving your favorite holiday dishes.

Spices
If you haven’t updated your spices, this is the month to do that! Spices lose their flavor and essential oils over time. The change is subtle and often not is not noticed, but when you compare new quality spices, you’ll notice the difference.

Turkey
Did you know that if you roast a turkey upside down the white meat will come out moist and delicious? The very best way to cook a turkey is either to use an electric roaster or a deep fryer. Most electric roasters will accommodate an 18-20 lb turkey and will cook it in 2-2 1/2 hours while leaving your regular oven available for other baking. Season your turkey with a good brand of Poultry Seasoning that does not contain salt. Salt tends to toughen meat when used during the cooking process. Rub the Poultry Seasoning on the inside and on the outside then stuff as normal. Add carrots &onions to the roaster to increase flavor while cooking extra vegetables to be served at the table or added to soup later on. Deep fryers are usually for smaller turkeys 12-15 lbs. To make them extra delicious, inject Liquid Onion Spice or Liquid Garlic Spice under the skin into the breast meat. Mmmmmmm good!

Ham
Hams come precooked, but every good cook adds to the flavor with quality spices. First cross-cut through the outer fat on the ham so that flavors will blend into the meat. Put one whole clove in each square for a traditional look. Mix your favorite spices to drizzle over the top. Try maple syrup, cinnamon &ginger, gingerale, mustard &cinnamon or honey, mustard, cinnamon &ginger for traditional flavors.

Mashed Potatoes
To make light, fluffy mashed potatoes – don’t mash them! Instead warm the milk and butter then whip them with an electric mixer. For extra flavor add a Cream Soup Base, roasted garlic or cook the potatoes with onions then whip both together. In a pinch, use Garlic Flakes or Onion Flakes during the whipping process.

Vegetables
Hot, steaming colorful vegetables add nutrition, color and flavor to every meal. Try mixing yellow summer squash, green zucchini, red tomatoes and onions. Use as little water as possible when cooking either in the microwave or on the stove top. Add Chicken Soup Base, Lemon Pepper, Onion &Garlic Pepper or your favorite spice when the vegetables are done. When making winter squashes, keep them low fat and delicious by brushing on Grapeseed Oil and sprinkling with cinnamon before baking. Add almonds &Lemon Pepper to green beans to give them a festive look and to add nutrition. Make corn look festive by cooking it with diced red and green pepper. Drizzle on Garlic &Parsley Grapeseed Oil to add zip.

Soups
During the holidays there are always left-overs. Sometimes the left-overs are not enough to serve for another meal so freeze the small quantities and save them to make soup. To make delicious “left-over” soup by sautéing one chopped onion and 2-3 chopped garlic cloves in a pan sprayed with Cooking Spray. Add ground beef and brown. Toss in all the left overs (you can even add left over salad to this soup), add a large can of pureed tomatoes, fill the pot with water and let it simmer. Add pasta or rice to the soup during the final cooking time if desired. For extra flavor add Beef Soup Base or Onion Soup Base. Turkey soup was always a favorite in my house. To make delicious turkey soup, boil the turkey carcass then strain to remove the bones. Pick out the turkey meat and return to the pot. This is where the fun comes in! Add chopped onions, garlic, corn, left over mashed potatoes, left over stuffing, left over sweet potatoes, left over salad, Poultry Seasoning, carrots, celery, rutabaga (you’d be surprised how good that makes Turkey Soup) – in other words add everything you had with the turkey dinner with the addition of a few staples. Stir in some Chicken Soup Base for extra flavor and let it all simmer. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper to taste.

Baked Goods

Oh, this is the season. Even people who don’t bake during the year make holiday favorites! Here’s a tip. When you make a batch of cookie dough make 2! Bake one and freeze the other. You can freeze the dough in ice cube trays (spray with cooking spray first) and pop them out all ready to bake! Or for drop cookies, drop them on a cookie sheet, freeze, then when frozen put into a freezer storage bag. Here are a few special holiday recipes. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies

1 Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
1 teas. Watkins Vanilla, Original Double-Strength
1/2 teas. Watkins Almond Extract
2 Tbsp. Milk
2-1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teas. Watkins Baking Powder, aluminum free

Combine butter, sugar, egg, Watkins Vanilla and Almond Extract and milk in large bowl; blend well. Stir in flour and baking powder; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm – about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 400*F. On lightly floured surface, roll dough, one third at a time to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately remove to wire rack to cool. Frost and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Makes 5 to 6 dozen

[an error occurred while processing this directive]Cappuccino Biscotti

2 Cups Flour; unbleached, all purpose
1 Cup Sugar
½ teas. Baking Soda
½ teas. Watkins Baking Powder
½ teas. Salt
½ teas. Watkins Cinnamon
½ teas. Watkins Ground Cloves
¼ Cup Strong Brewed Coffee
1/4 teas. Instant Coffee Granules
1 Tbsp. plus 1 teas. Milk
1 Egg Yolk, large
1 teas. Watkins Vanilla, Double Strength
¾ Cup Hazelnuts; toasted, skinned &chopped *
½ Cup Chocolate Chips, semisweet

* To toast and skin hazelnuts, put in one layer in preheated 350F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are colored lightly and skins blistered. Wrap the nuts in a kitchen towel and let them steam for 1 minute. Rub the nuts in the towel to remove as much skin as possible and let them cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the flour, the sugar, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt, the cinnamon and the cloves until the mixture is combined well.

In a small bowl whisk together the instant coffee, the milk, the yolk and the vanilla, adding the mixture to the flour mixture , beating until a dough is formed, and stir in the hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, knead it several times and halve it. Working on a large buttered and floured baking sheet, with floured hands, form each piece of dough into a flatfish log 12 inches long by 2 inches wide and arrange the logs at least 3 inches apart on the sheet. Bake the logs in the middle of a preheated 350F oven for 35 minutes and let them cool on the baking sheet on a rack for about 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300F.

On a cutting board, cut the logs crosswise on the diagonal into ¾ inch slices , arrange the Biscotti, cut sides down, on the baking sheet, and bake them for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, or until they are pale golden. Transfer the Biscotti to racks to cool and store them in airtight containers. Makes: about 32 Biscottis.

Candy Cane Cookies

1 Cup (2 Sticks) Butter, softened
1 Cup Confectioners’ Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 teas. Watkins Peppermint Extract
1/2 teas. Watkins Vanilla, Double Strength
2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teas. Freshly Ground Watkins Sea Salt
1 Cup Finely Crushed Candy Canes
3 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, with an electric beater on medium speed, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the peppermint and Watkins Vanilla and beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour and Salt, mix well. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Coat two baking sheets with Watkins Cooking Spray. In a shallow bowl, combine the crushed candy canes and the granulated sugar, mix well. Shape the chilled dough into 1-inch balls then roll each ball in the candy cane mixture, place on the baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until browned. Immediately remove from the baking sheets and place on wire racks to cool. Yields 4 dozen cookies.

This article may be used as long as this resource box is kept intact. © Linda Sikut 2003

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