[2] You can cut shapes with cookie cutters (here’s how from Martha Stewart).

[3] Marshmallows with red food color (photo courtesy Plush Puffs).

Let everyone else go crazy at the mall, crazy with wrapping paper, crazy with Christmas dinner prep.

We have a chillaxing day with nothing to do but make these marshmallows (someone else is cooking this year).

Unlike supermarket marshmallows, homemade marshmallows are tender, melt in your mouth and have great flavor.

You can flavor them with different extracts, tint them with food colors and cut them into any shape (photo #2).

Don’t like peppermint? Use any of the extracts you have: almond, anise, banana, cinnamon, coconut, hazelnut, lemon, maple, pumpkin…McCormick makes more than 20 flavors.

We’ll be packaging the marshmallows in cellophane bags with holiday ribbon, as party favors for Christmas dinner.

And we’ll be making an extra pan for us: for snacking, dropping into hot chocolate, and to dip into chocolate fondue.

Prep time is 40 minutes. Thanks to McCormick for the recipe.

BONUS: The history of marshmallows, originally made from the sap of a marsh plant.

And here’s a recipe for Peppermint Crunch Marshmallows, with pieces of candy cane inside.
 
 
RECIPE: PEPPERMINT MARSHMALLOWS

Ingredients For 24 Marshmallows

 
Preparation

1. SPRAY a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; then coat with some of the confectioner’s sugar. Set aside.

2. MICROWAVE* 1/2 cup of the water, the granulated sugar and corn syrup in a 4-cup glass measuring cup or a medium microwavable bowl, on HIGH for 7 minutes†. Then stir to dissolve the sugar and microwave on HIGH 5 minutes longer (the mixture will have a slight yellow tint). Carefully remove hot bowl from microwave. Meanwhile…

4. SPREAD the marshmallow mixture in the pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Immediately drop the food color over top and swirl with toothpick.

TIP: We used both red and green food colors. We swirled the green (photo #1), and then dropped red dots in the “white space” for a modern art effect.

5. SIFT 2 tablespoons of the confectioner’s sugar over top and let stand at room temperature overnight; or refrigerate at least 3 hours.

6. PLACE the remaining confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl. Cut the marshmallows into 1-1/2-inch squares (or into shapes with cookie cutters). Add the marshmallows in batches to the bowl of sugar and toss to coat well. Shake off the excess.

STORE the marshmallows in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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*Stove Top Directions: Cook the syrup mixture in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, until the mixture just begins to color and reaches 240°F on a candy thermometer. Continue as directed.

†Microwave ovens vary; adjust cooking times as needed. Cooking times are based on a 1200 watt microwave oven.

December 23rd is National Pfeffernüsse Day, celebrating a traditional German Christmas cookie: rounded, spicy, and coated in powdered sugar.

Pronounced FEH-fehr-NEE-suh, the word means “pepper nuts.” The “nuts” refer to the nut-like hardness of the cookie; there are no nuts in the recipe.

Rather, these cookies are laden with gingerbread spices (anise, cloves, nutmeg), and pepper, plus citron*, candied lemon peel, and/or candied orange peel. The black pepper adds to the spiciness without adding heat. The result is sweet pepperiness.

 
The recipe below doesn’t use the candied citrus peel, but here’s one that does. Another variation: Pfeffernusse topped with royal icing and cubes of candied citrus peel.
 
 
PFEFFERNÜSSE VS. LEBKUCHEN: THE DIFFERENCE 

Pfeffernüsse are similar to Lebkuchen, but the latter are flat spice cookies topped with a thin white icing or chocolate glaze, while as previously mentioned, Pfeffernüsse are almost always small, rounded cookies with a powdered sugar glaze.

Instead of powdered sugar, Lebkuchen can be iced or dipped in chocolate. In photo #4, the baker did both! Lebkuchen can be shaped like regular cookies or cut into bars.

Pfeffernüsse and lebkuchen are both similarly flavored with honey and lots of warm baking spices

Some people think Lebkuchen are gingerbread, but they’re different†.

To soften the hard cookie, Lebkuchen (and Pfeffernüsse without powdered sugar) are often dunked in sweet wine, similar to the Italian practice of dunking biscotti in vin santo.
 
 
RECIPE: PFEFFERNÜSSE SPICE COOKIES

This recipe is from Pillsbury. Grinding whole spices provides a more exciting flavor than using pre-ground spices. Here’s more about it.

You’ll love the aroma that wafts through the house as the cookies bake.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE in a large bowl the butter and brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the molasses and water. Lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level off. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, anise seed, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and pepper; blend well. Stir in the nuts. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 2 hours for easier handling.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls; place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. BAKE for 9 to 12 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Immediately remove from the cookie sheets and roll in powdered sugar.
 
 
PFEFFERNÜSSE HISTORY

The exact origin of Pfeffernüsse is uncertain: The cookies have long been a holiday treat in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and The Netherlands.

[2] If you don’t want a lot of powdered sugar, sift it over the cookies instead of rolling them in the sugar. Here’s the recipe from McCormick.

[3] Instead of powdered sugar, use royal icing. This version tops it with candied citrus peel. Here’s the recipe from Chatelaine.

[4] Why choose: Use both royal icing and chocolate! Here’s the recipe from Alnatura.

A Dutch belief links pepernoten (Pfeffernüsse) to the feast of Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas), celebrated on December or 5th or 6th in The Netherlands and December 6th in Germany and Belgium. On this holiday, children receive gifts from St. Nicholas, who is partially the inspiration for the Santa Claus tradition.

In Germany, Pfeffernüsse has become a traditional Christmas cookie [source].

In the 19th century, bakers incorporated potash or potassium carbonate (the primary component of potash), into the dough, along with ammonium carbonate. These acted as leavening agents to achieve the right consistency.

The recipes became more sophisticated over time. The conventional ingredients—flour, sugar, brown sugar, cloves, and cinnamon—have been expanded over the years to include some of the following: anise, black pepper, candied fruit, cardamom, honey, molasses, nutmeg, nuts, rum, and powdered sugar for dusting [source].

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*Citron is a large, fragrant citrus fruit with a very thick rind. There is little fruit inside, and its main contribution is the candied peel. It is one of the four original citrus fruits—along with mandarin, papeda, and pomelo—from which all other citrus types developed through natural hybrid speciation or artificial hybridization. Here’s a photo.

†Both Lebkuchen and gingerbread are spice cookies, but Lebkuchen has more layers of flavor and is softer/chewier.
Lebkuchen spices include aniseed, cardamom, cloves, coriander, ginger, nutmeg, and black pepper or paprika. Candied citrus peel—lemon and orange—are added. These spices are also used in Pfeffernüsse.

Vis-a-vis gingerbread, lebkuchen cookies use almond and hazelnut flours instead of wheat flour, and brown sugar instead of molasses. A classic lebkuchen cookie is gluten-free. Here’s a recipe and more about lebkuchen spices, Lebkuchengewürz in German.

The name of the cookie is uncertain. Kuchen is the German word for cake, but the “leb” portion might be any (or none) of the following: the Germanic words Laib (loaf), Lebbe (very sweet), or an old term for crystallized honey, Leb-Honig, that cannot be used for much beside baking. There’s also Leibspeise, which means “a favorite food.”
 
 

[1] For single portions or a fun family approach, pack salads into mason jars—not big ones, since the fork has to reach the bottom! (photo California Avocados).

[3] Spinach and bacon layered salad layered with peas, red bell pepper and cheddar, with ranch dressing (photo courtesy Kraft).

[3] Classic layered salad with blue cheese dressing. A year-round favorite, in the winter, exchange the chopped tomatoes for pimento or red bell pepper.

[4] Add protein for a luncheon salad; here, ham and hard-boiled eggs (photo courtesy McCormick).

[5] Cruciferous layered salad: broccoli and cauliflower florets with leafy crucifers—arugula, kale, mustard greens, etc.—and ranch dressing (photo courtesy Hidden Valley).

[6] Beans and grains combine in this tasty salad. The recipe is below (photo courtesy Whole Foods Market).

We’re two days into winter, it’s gray outside and the produce department of our supermarket isn’t providing much inspiration.

A solution: layered salad. Layering the ingredients in a glass bowl provides an more eye-appealing presentation for crunchy, good-for-you ingredients.

For red color, skip the out-of-season tomatoes and choose from beets, mild red peppers (Anaheim, Italian sweet chili peppers), peppadews, pimento, radishes, radicchio, red bell pepper, red cabbage, red grapefruit, red onions, red potatoes or sundried tomatoes…and perhaps a garnish of pomegranate arils.

A yellow or orange layer is also welcome: canned corn, carrots, orange or yellow bell peppers, sweet potatoes, winter squash, yellow beets…and cheddar cheese.

And toss in the other ingredients groups below. You’ll have an eye-appealing, nutritious treat instead of the same old salad.
 
 
1. PICK YOUR BASE

 
2. ADD A CHEESE

 
3. ADD A GRAIN OR LEGUME

 
4. ADD A FRUIT

 
5. SALAD IDEAS

Think beyond your regular salad ingredient combinations. Add to your base greens of choice (or eliminate the base greens as desired):

 
6. FOR A MAIN COURSE SALAD, ADD:

 
7. PICK A DRESSING

Your favorite dressing is the right dressing. Our favorites include:

 
 
RECIPE: BARLEY & BEAN SALAD WITH HERB PESTO

You can skip the salad greens and serve a grain and bean salad, with a pesto dressing to stand in for the greens (photo #6).

We adapted this recipe from Whole Foods Market.

Ingredients

For the Salad

 
For The Herb Pesto Dressing

1. MAKE the herb pesto: Blend all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor with 1 tablespoon water. Cover and refrigerate.

2. MAKE the salad: Bring 2 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the barley, lower the heat and simmer, covered, until barley is tender and most of the water has evaporated, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool.

3. LAYER the barley, beans, tomatoes, avocado and corn in a large (2-quart) bowl, preferably glass. Top with the pesto. Toss at the table and serve.
  

We haven’t begun holiday shopping yet. But we’re not worried. Our list isn’t huge; and since no one we know needs any material possession we can afford, we long ago settled on disposable gifts—i.e., food.

This year we have three favorites (and might we add, we’re gifting all three to ourself, as well).
 
 
1. HONEY BAKED HAM

We received a gift of a Honey Baked Ham from the producer, and now proclaim it our favorite ham (photo #1).

There is no saltiness; salt in our opinion plagues many hams on the market. Instead, there’s a very light dusting of brown sugar, a perfect complement to the rich, juicy ham.

Hams are available in five sizes, from 6 pounds (serves 8-10) to 10 pounds (serves 18-22).

The hams are spiral cut on the bone. Not only is serving a cinch, but the bone is a bone-us (bad pun) waiting to be used in cooking beans, collards and kale, hearty soups, even Asian congee.

Lean cuts of premium pork are slowly roasting over hardwood chips for more than 20 hours. They are finished with the sweet-and-crunchy signature HoneyBaked Ham glaze.

We’re now a devoted customer, and promise that any ham-lover you gift one to will be most appreciative.

The hams are available at select retailers, but we find it convenient to buy online.

You can send a ham or a gift card. Head to HoneyBaked.com..
 
 
2. MOET & CHANDON HOLIDAY BOTTLE

A gift of Moët & Chandon champagne is always welcome. But as a holiday special, the vintner has created a limited edition bottle cloaked in gold (SRP $39.99).

The Moët Impérial Golden Sparkle Bottle contains the ever-popular Impérial Brut champagne, dressed up for the holidays.

Tip: Buy as much as you can. You’ll want your own supply for New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day.

The bottles are available at stores nationwide, along with a selection of gift boxed bottles and

See the entire selection at US.Moet.com.
 
 
3. JOSEPH DROUHIN CHOREY-LES-BEAUNE

You can never go wrong gifting a good bottle of Burgundy, but how to you choose among the many bottles on the shelf?

The venerable house of Joseph Drouhin has been bottling fine burgundies for 130 years. There are some 90 appellations—no wonder it’s so hard for the less-than-expert to buy burgundy.

We suggest starting with a bottle of from the appellation Chorey-Les-Beaune, a commune in the Côte-d’Or department in eastern France, northeast of the city of Beaune.

This luscious, supple red wine is moderately tannic and full of character. The nose is dominated by small red fruits (raspberry, Morello cherry) and black fruits (blackberry).

Its well-rounded structure leaves an aftertaste of fruit on the palate. When you buy it, it’s ready to drink.

[2] Moët et Chandon champagne dresses up for the holidays.

[3] A burgundy that won’t break the bank: Chorey-Les-Beaune from Joseph Drouhin (photo courtesy 1jour1vin.com.

Find it at retailers nationwide. Depending on the store and the vintage, it’s about $25 a bottle.

Discover more at M.Drouhin.com.
  

[2] To retain the best properties, the olives are pressed and bottled in just four hours.

[3] Just a drizzle adds silky, peppery flavor to anything on your table.

A business titan from Vancouver and an olive grower from Italy share a passion for creating great organic extra virgin olive oil

In 2010 they secure an estate in the rolling hills of Umbria, a region known for exceptional soil for olive groves: Olive oil production that dates back to Etruscan* times.

Overlooking the medieval village of Orvieto, they set out to nurture the groves.

Canadian Frank Giustra, who loves to cook and uses a lot of olive oil, fell in love with the land, and its promise, and purchased the surrounding orchards in 2010. He named it after his Italian mother, Domenica Fiore.

An Orvietano preservationist, Cesare Bianchini, joined the team to contribute his expertise in producing great Umbrian olive oils. He oversees all farming and olive oil production.

In fact, Domenica Fiore controls all aspects of the process: cultivation, milling, storage, packaging and sales. This allows you to know when the olives in your bottle were harvested, milled and bottled, along with the values of their chemical constituency.

The company prides itself in bringing you the freshest olive oil possible, bottling the oils within four hours of harvesting. Using state-of-the-art nitrogen sealed 18/10 stainless steel bottles—a rarity even among the finest oils—enables the preservation of extremely high antioxidants levels and polyphenol counts.
 
 
THE OILS

Domenica Fiore produces five different blends:

 
Each of the oils has its own personality, but they are definitely siblings, bursting with flavor, brightness and complexity.

How to choose? Start with whatever pops out at you; then try another, and another.

There are two sizes, 250 ml and 500 ml; prices range from $21.95 to $39.95.

Unlike the other four which are bottled within hours, the Riserva is allowed to rest for four months, where it acquires even more layers of complexity and is ideal for situations where the nuances of the oil will shine.

In addition to the conventional ideas, here’s an opportunity to display its breed: Domenica Fiore oils as a topping for vanilla ice cream is an exquisite experience.
 
 
SLOW FOOD

Organically grown, Domenica Fiore is the essence of Slow Food: delicious food created with care, grown and harvested with methods that have a positive impact on the land and ecosystems.

Every step of production is slow and deliberate. It’s not about speed or quantity: It’s all about quality and what helps the olives show their best.

Are there are other superlatives to say about an olive oil? We don’t think so.
 
 
AWARDS

The oils consistently win awards at international competitions.

In a category where there are so many entrants with “artisan” credentials, that says a lot.
 
 
OLIVE OIL GIFTS

What could be a better gift: delicious, healthful, environmentally sustainable, beautifully packaged: Domenica Fiore is something everyone can use and appreciate.

The line is certified organic and certified kosher.

There’s a store locator on the website, or select your oils online at DomenicaFiore.com.
 
 
OLIVE OIL LEARNING

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*The Etruscans were a wealthy and powerful people of ancient Italy. They inhabited the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany, western Umbria and northern Lazio, and were roughly contemporaneous with the founding of Rome, to the south. At the conclusion of the Roman–Etruscan Wars, in the 4th century B.C.E., the Etruscans were assimilated into the Roman Republic [source].

†Stainless steel is the best material for preserving olive oil’s nutritional and flavor characteristics.