Christmas Gifts From The Kitchen
Submitted by The Thin Red Line
Christmas Gifts From The Kitchen by Georgeanne Brennen was a book that Alan brought home. But I had to read it, not only for the recipes, and not only for the luscious illustrations, but for the memories it brought back. When I lived in rural Louisiana, my then lover was the 7th of 9 children (6 girls, 3 boys). And between Thanksgiving and Christmas the girls and I would get together and bake for 3 or 4 days. We’d end up with a pool table stacked three or four layers deep in baggies full of all sorts of cookies and other holiday treats.
This is also a good old fashioned way to handle the current economic crunch. Bake something for those you love. Family and friends always love homemade treats, especially around the holidays.
And not only does Ms. Brennen include some wonderful recipes. She also includes some wonderful ways to wrap them festively or decorate the containers they’re given in. It’s easy, even for those of us who can cook, or bake but not decorate.
There are some wonderful recipes here that can be made with the help of your children. That are easy to bake , and your kids will love decorating.Such as Lemon Cookies with Wintery Decorations, and Vanilla Stars with Chocolate Filling, that since they need to be cut out in two different sizes of Stars will be fun for kids to help with. plus filling them with chocolate.
Several of these recipes I’ve made in the past, like the Chocolate Shortbread, or the Toasted Pecan Butter Cookies. And they’re well worth the time, and would be a hit among family, friends or co workers.
Ms Brennen not only has cookie recipes, but she has included recipes for Cakes, Bar cookies, Breads,Candies, Savory treats, and some preserved fruit. She pretty much covers the gamut of treats that anyone would want to give as gifts.
The recipes themselves, run from easy to intermediate. If you know a bit more about baking than using a mix or unrolling a container of cookie dough, then you should do just fine with them.
I think my favorite recipe is the Espresso Triple Chocolate Brownies. But the Key Lime Bars are good too. The candies include kind of a Rocky Road type Fudge. The Savory treats include old favorites like Cheese Straws, but also Sugar and Spice Pecans, and a very tasy Cheddar-Herb Shortbread cookie, that’s more like some of the biscuits I had in the UK.
Christmas Gifts From The Kitchen by Georgeanne Brennen is highly recommended. Not only for the luscious recipes, but for a way to cut down the cost of Christmas presents.
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