Favorite desserts and Holiday desserts
year. Among other things, this will be my first Christmas without my Mom around and the closer it gets the harder it is to function at all. Suddenly it is getting hard to even breathe. I was wondering what I could do to get out of this horrible rutt and I thought of cooking for the holidays. Maybe if I felt inspired about that I could get through. I'm grasping at straws here guys. I have some standards, like entrees, sides and that sort of thing. I always do cookies, like lots of us do. I do a couple pies and maybe some candy to give, but I don't really have a holiday special dessert. What are your favorite desserts? Plain old ice cream? Pie, cake, something fancy? Anything you have every year and look forward to? Looking for some inspiration here!! Shellie |
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I'm sorry you're feeling sad about xmas this year 
As for xmas cooking, I used to do a ton of baking for xmas every year. I'd start November 1st and freeze things. Cookies, squares, bars etc. Some of my favorite are various shortbread cookies (worked really well so they're smooth and melt in your mouth), rocky road squares, lemon coconut squares, etc. My stepmother makes an interesting square that includes ritz crackers and skor chocolate bars... LOL Sounds gross, but they are amazing! I will have to see if I can find the recipe somewhere.... At my previous job we did a bake exchange, which was fun, but this year I guess if I want baked goods I'll have to do them myself so I plan to do a few old favorites, and then try a few new recipes too. Most of the goodies get eaten here, but it's always nice to be able to take a tray of mixed squares etc when I go visit anyone. I also buy some holiday tins from the dollar store, and then put some baked stuff in them, put a ribbon and a card on them, and have a few "gifts" ready for unexpected visitors. |
| my favorite winter dessert was apple dumplings...
core granny smith apples, leave skin on ready made pie crust (or if you like to bake make your own dough).. 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon per apple put apple on a piece of the pie dough, enough to cover whole apple...pour sugar mixture down the center, add a couple of tablespoons of real butter.. put all apples in a pyrex dish and bake for an hour...the sugar makes a great glaze to serve with ice cream too! |
| We usually have tiramisu, which is SO yummy and easy to make, yet looks so fancy.
When I was younger, for the first few years after my grandma died, my mom did different things for Christmas instead of the usual 'traditional' holiday meal. One year was a Mexican theme, and she made the most beautifully decorated table with deep purples and blues with Mexican tapestries and we had taquitos and enchiladas (from a fancy taqueria). That was the most memorable, but I know there were other nontraditional meals. I never put it together until now that maybe that was why my mom decided to do that...not having her mom around anymore... So, if you don't feel like making the whole shebang, don't feel like you have to... |
| Sorry to hear that you're feeling blue Shellie. I think the first holiday without a loved one is always hard. I can't imagine what it would be like to have Thanksgiving without my mom - that's our biggest cooking blowout.
We have two famous family desserts, Cheesecake and Cream Puffs. The Cream Puffs are really easy and look so elegant! People are shocked when they find out they're homemade. Here's the recipe: 1 stick sweet (unsalted) margarine 1 cup water 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup flour 4 eggs Preheat oven to 425. Boil water, margarine and salt. Add flour all at once and mix hard until dough forms a ball. Shut off heat. Add egss one at a time. Mix after each egg until thick and glossy. Drop batter by the spoonful onto cookie sheet. Batter will not expand so make them as big as you want the final product to be. (I like to make mini pop-em-in-your-mouth ones, my sister-in-law makes larger multiple-bite ones.) Bake for 15 minutes at 425. Lower oven te 375 and bake 30 more minutes. Let shells cool. 1 package French Vanilla instant pudding 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup milk Whip together until creamy. Cut shells and fill with cream. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. The shells can also be used with ice cream to make profiteroles. Enjoy!! |
Shellie wrote: I am seriously considering not having Christmas here this
year. Among other things, this will be my first Christmas without my Mom around and the closer it gets the harder it is to function at all. Suddenly it is getting hard to even breathe. Anything you have every year and look forward to? Looking for some inspiration here!! Shellie I can't imagine how hard it must be for you. If there's any way though I would hope you won't skip Christmas I'm worried it might even be more sad. I always look forward to fudge and peanut brittle. I don't make them myself but there's great recipe's in my family I could maybe get for you if that is of interest to you. I hope you are able to get through the holidays as well as could be expected. |
| In stead of recreating Christmas exactly like it was with your mother, keep some things, but add something new. That way people won't be bummed out at missing Mom, but yet she will be remembered in those things carried forth. Don't try to over compensate, if anything key it back a bit this year so it isn't as overwhelming.
The worst Thanksgiving I ever had was the one 2 weeks after my father died. At least we went out to eat instead of someone cooking at home. It was a terrible meal but we just didn't care. Christmas that year was dark and somber........but the next year and each one following got brighter again. So this funk will pass, but you and your family will have to work at creating more family traditions. |
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