I may have mentioned this before, but pigs are a symbol of good luck in Germany … Glücksschweine. The origins are from medieval times, where if you had a boar or pig, you would survive through the winter. Often right around New Year’s little big symbols (fondant, marzipan, chocolate) are given as resents to wish good luck for the coming year. These Prosperity Pig Parmesan Crackers are right along those lines as well. You obviously could also make them just as regular square or round crackers, but this is much more fun.
I didn’t think that I would be a mincemeat person. I mean, I like raisins and dried fruit on the whole — and my recipe has raisins, sultanas, dates, apples and even a bit of dried apricot in addition to the candied lemon and orange — but I didn’t think that I would like it as much as I do. The reasons are two fold: I added candied pecans (crushed to powder in the MagiMix) to add a amazing nutty note to the crust, but 2. most importantly, serving it was gingerbread ice cream. That definitely cut the sweetness and made this the perfect Christmas dessert.
It’s snowing here, whilst I am up in Maine for the weekend, and given that it is November, I am ok with that. It also means that it is coming right up on Thanksgiving. As many longtime followers will know, pretty much every year, I try a new take on Cranberry Sauce. Some years, it been with champagne or port wine, some years, I have added other fruit, which is where we are today: Roasted Cranberry Peach Chutney. A bit of late summer sunshine (the peaches), tilted to fall. A bit of late summer sunshine (the peaches), tilted to fall with those tart, crisp cranberries.
Thought that I would try something a little different today and decided to make cookies using hot honey. What is “hot honey”, you ask? Well, apparently it is becoming all the rage to serve with such things as cheese and on charcuterie boards. It’s chili-infused honey. I’ve seen a number of brands, and the one that I have comes from Italy. It is quite spicy when served with cheese and such, but the cookies just taste more like “cinnamon with a kick”. Still delicious though.





