Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Chocolate Buttons with Peanut Butter Cream filling

Been a few weeks since I made cookies. Probably because I spent the entire month of November making cookies — for 115 hours! — so that I didn’t want to even see any for a while. But we’re back and these are a cute little surprise for January. Buttons! And peanut butter! I like peanut butter, but don’ *love* peanut butter (that is likely the German in me — not a big thing in Germany) but the peanut butter is more like frosting in this case so lighter and fluffier. Sort of like an oreo, only a million times better.
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1. January 2016
Appetizers/Starters, Breads, Lunch, Savory Snacks

Knekkebrød
(Whole Grain Crackers with Sunflower, Flax and Sesame Seeds)

And yet another lucky foodie idea: eating fish on New Year’s Eve/Day. I’ve heard many different reasons why fish is supposed to be lucky — everything from that the scales look like coins (wealth), that they swim in schools (abundance) and that they swim forwards (moving ahead). New Englanders (and people in Scandinavia, Italy, Brazil, etc) are known to eat the (sacred) cod … more on cod some other time. Some people advocate that is it because of cod that the world is what it is today — bit of a stretch in my opinion, but whatever. In Germany, there is the tradition of Silvesterkarpfen (New Years Carp), but also herring (also a Polish tradition) is an option.

Me? Well, I don’t have any carp or herring, but I love smoked salmon, so here we have a quick appetizer of smoked salmon with dill mascapone, on homemade knekkebrod. The Knekkebrod is a cracker like bread (no fat or leavening) with sunflower, sesame and flax seeds. Yummy like this or even just with a schmear of cream cheese.
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1. January 2016
Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Sweet Snacks

Grosse Neujahrsbrezel

Happy New Year! Now that we have crossed that imaginary line to the new year, here is some more “lucky food” to usher in the year. This is a traditional German Neujahrsbrezel (New Year’s Pretzel). It’s sweet, sort of like Challah bread (that is pearl sugar, not salt). Some people hide a cent piece in it, and who ever find it, gets all the luck. I, of course, didn’t do that because I’m not sharing it with anyone so I’ll just claim all the luck as is. Goes great with coffee at breakfast and actually makes great bread for French Toast too. Enjoy!
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31. December 2015
Desserts

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Happy Christmas one and all! Here I am celebrating in the woods of Maine, where, sadly, there is no white Christmas and it’s 52F. Still wonder and nice though. And I made this Cranberry Upside Down Cake for Christmas dessert. It’s not much of a looker, but tastes fantastic — that whole combination of sweet and tart, with a little bit of cinnamon, clove and ginger. Also a touch of whipped cream add to the mix. Anyway, enjoy the day!
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25. December 2015