Folks, I gotta tell you. I really love this time of year. Writing these past few blogs has made me realize how much I really love the holiday season.
There’s decorating the house, shopping for friends and family online and in stores, hanging my son’s stocking, and the other things that go with the Christmas season. I love all of it. It’s incredibly stressful, but it’s so much fun. Then on Christmas, I can let out a sigh of relief that it’s all done and relax until after New Year’s. Then it’s back to work and the daily grind.
I also really enjoy making treats during this time of year. I love to bake, but I don’t do enough of it, honestly. I make these oatmeal cinnamon chip cookies that are so delicious. They just seem to melt in your mouth, and they go so well with coffee. I also make chocolate chip cookies, which I prefer on the softer side. The feeling of sinking your teeth into a sweet, soft, chocolatey cookie is almost sinful. I can never stop at eating just one or two of either cookie. But the best part about these cookies? I don’t put raisins in either one.
Speaking of chocolate, I’m a sucker for the delicious German chocolates you can find in grocery stores and Cost-Plus World Market. Kinder chocolate is very popular, and it’s very smooth. If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you buy some. Another great German chocolate is Ritter Sport, which can also be found in grocery stores and Cost-Plus World Market.
Circling Back To Cookies
To circle back to cookies, the Danish butter cookies are one of my guilty pleasures. Those blue metal tins are special to me too. My grandma used to have one of those tins in her house, and she kept her spare buttons in there. By the way, I’m convinced most people, especially grandmothers, store their extra buttons or sewing kits in those tins. Sometimes I’d open her tin, hoping to see the slightly butter flavored cookies. Rarely was it the case that the blue tin actually held cookies. If you were to go into my kitchen right now, you’d find a blue tin with cookies on my counter – half gone, but they’re there.
Warm Drinks On A Cold Day
I’ve always been a sucker for warm drinks on a cold day. But aren’t most people? One day, I was scouring through Pinterest to find a good and reliable hot cocoa recipe. I took a screenshot, and it lived in my phone for at least a year before I tried it. I made it one time, and now I’m hooked! I can’t go back to the powder mixes. The recipe I make is so rich, delicious, and filling! Why? It has milk, heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and vanilla. It’s like drinking your dessert.
Sometimes I enjoy something on the lighter and more tart side. Reaching for a hot cup of cider does the trick. When I was kid, we used to live in southern Ohio, where festivals, fairs and other fall activities are popular from summer until late fall. This includes trips to an apple orchard where cider is served, and apples can be bought for pies. The Apple Festival in Ohio is still one of my favorite memories, and drinking cider always takes me back to those chilly fall days from my childhood.
Making A Gingerbread House
Last year, my son suddenly developed an interest in making gingerbread houses. My family never made them when I was growing up. I’m not sure why. As I was writing this blog, I asked my parents if they ever made them when they were kids. Both my parents said that they didn’t. I asked why we never did when I was a kid, and they both said that they didn’t know. Who knows why we never made them, and I’m stumped as to my son’s fascination with them. But if this is something that will make him happy, make him smile and give him great memories, then I’m all for it.
What are some of your favorite food traditions for this time of year? Do you bake constantly, make cocoa from scratch or the packet, or build gingerbread houses? Or does your family have more creative or diverse traditions with food?
The team with Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling has many food traditions this time of year. Many people make ham, turkey or prime rib for Christmas dinner. Desserts are plentiful, where every flavor imaginable is represented at the table. But what we love most is being able to share our delectable foods with each other. And who doesn’t love to share something wonderful with their friends and family?