Dec 2014 – Christmas Cookies around the World & Holiday of SharingI

 Light Up Your World !!!!

 A Wonderful Happy Holiday to All of You!  This is such a beautiful season – one filled with lots of caring and sharing.  It is the perfect month to light up the world with your special gifts, thoughts, and blessings. In that global spirit, we are focusing on how we can join our hands together, making this season joyful for everyone around us.  Here are a few thoughts of mine on how each one of us can light up the world.

 

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“Delicious Sorbets for the Holiday Season”

You know what happened last weekend.

It was one of those busy Sundays when the door bell rang. Was it Santa already, I asked myself?  Answering the door – it was someone just as good – Rich Lodde, Snowbear himself.

“Just stopped in to share those ‘Light up the Holidays’ sorbets I promised you in August” he said, flashing one of his Christmas Best smiles.

That was such a delightful surprise for us!  You might remember that Rick was the owner and President of Snowbear Frozen Custard Inc. for 21 years.  Would you even believe that his frozen custard won 8 Gold Metals for various flavor variations from the International Dairy Competitions!  And he’s willing to share all his expertise with us.  Yes, he is a Santa Snowbear, for sure!

pdf for Snowbear’s Sorbet Recipes

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Museum of Science and Industry – Chicago, Illinois

“Christmas Around the World and Holiday of Lights”

 73rd Annual Display of Trees from Around the World.
Decorated by Volunteer Ethnic groups from the Chicagoland Area

Original Display was a single tree in 1942 showing consolidation of ethnic groups supporting our US troops during World War II.  Each night the tree would be redecorated by a different group and a showcase of ethnic music and dances was performed throughout the month of December.  Today we have 49 Trees – 48 representing a different country or ethnic group (i.e. Native Americans)

 pdf of Museum of Science & Industry Program for December

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The Museum of Science & Industry is located at 5700 So. Lake Shore Drive (US 41) in Chicago, Illinois bordering Lake Michigan.  Visiting the museum, even in the winter months. is enjoyable because parking is in an underground garage ($20 Fee) and you can leave your coats inside the car. This leaves no exterior walking (which can be brutal in a Chicago winter) plus you can have access to your car throughout the day. Getting there early is an added treat because most people do not arrive until about 11:00AM and a weekday is recommended to avoid the crush of people on the weekends.

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Christmas Trees and Cookies

from

Around the World

We will be taking a global trip around the world, highlighting various cookies served at holiday tables in different countries and remembering how much we are all the same.

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German Christmas Tree & Cookies

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If you make any recipes, make the German Ginger Cookies. The spicy, sweet smell will fill your house with holiday spirit.  The cookies are lightly crisp with a mild gingerbread flavor.  It was the special dessert cookie served at a reception by Midwest Living  Magazine in 2011.

Watch out for these Peppernuts!  The spicy sweet cookies are very hard little nibblers.  They are great to serve in small bowls on your dessert table.  Plan to dip them in some warm beverages or make them a little softer.

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pdf for Recipe for German Silver Dollar Ginger Cookies

pdf for Recipe for German Pepper Nut Cookies

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Italy Christmas Tree & Cookies

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Your guests see a plate filled with almond paste and pine nut flavored cookies and are amazed how quickly you made two attractive cookie recipes.  Of course, we won’t tell them that this recipe creates two different styles of cookies with only one recipe.  I won’t tell – it’s our secret recipe.

The Biscotti taste takes you right to Italy.  These cookies are not hard but crunchy.  They are perfect to serve with wine, milk, coffee, or tea.  Some people dip the ends of these in melted chocolate or their favorite lemon frosting.  Give them a try!

This recipe was shared by Ron Smoton from New Jersey and is one of my favorites.

pdf for Recipe of  Italian Pine Nut Cookies

pdf for Recipe of Italian Crunchy Biscotti Cookies

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Greece Christmas Tree & Cookies

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These little confectioners’ sugar puffs have a hidden surprise, a whole clove right in the center.  That burst of spicy flavor joins vanilla and almond creating this unique little cookie.  It is your taste trip to the Acropolis in Athens and the charm of the Greek Isles.  Enjoy your cookie adventure!

pdf for Recipe Greek Kourabiedes – Butter Cookies with Cloves

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African Christmas Tree & Cookies

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‘Sesame seeds and brown sugar flavor are the stars in this recipe. It has a rich nutty flavor that provides one of the highest oil contents of any seed. Since it grows wild in Africa, India, or other Far Eastern regions, these are delicious dessert snacks to serve with those cuisines.

pdf for Recipe of African Benne Wafer Cookies

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Ecuador Christmas Tree & South American Cookies

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‘These cookies resemble basic shortbread or pastry with a rich caramel filling, called dulce de leche in South America. This recipe uses cornstarch but some cooks prefer flour as a substitute. When I tasted these in Peru, they were very sweet but these cookies taste more like a caramel pie with a cookie crust. I love the confectioners’ sugar on the top. Each family in Peru has their own style for preparing this recipe. Some are big and others small, but all of them bring beautiful memories

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pdf for Recipe of Alfajores Caramel Filled Cookies

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Colombia Christmas Tree & Tropical Cookies

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‘Wow!  This recipe serves 36 soft banana chocolate chip cookies plus about 12 slices of delicious tropical fruit bread.   What a delight these are!  Be inspired and decorate them island style.

Bananas and pineapples grow in tropical countries like Africa, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Pacific Islands. Bananas are a staple food, delicious in flavor and nutritious.

pdf for Recipe for Tropical Banana Cookies

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Mexico Christmas Tree & Cookies

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The flavors of rich butter and Mexican vanilla just melt in your mouth.  The colorful mini candy/cookie cups are attractive and add that special touch to any holiday cookie tray.  You might also want to use this brown butter frosting for some of your other recipes.  It’s a “keeper.”

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‘pdf for Recipe of Wedding Cake Confections Cookies

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Philippine Christmas Tree & Cookies

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‘Meringues seem to melt in your mouth.  This cookie seems so easy but in its simplicity hides the true treasure of a great cookie.  Crisp tantalizing flavors carry you away like a heavenly cloud.  Enjoy your angelic voyage.

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pdf for Recipe for Pacencia – Filipino Meringue Cookies

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Japan Christmas Tree & Cookies

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‘If you love the flavor of green tea, this cookie will be your first choice.  It’s green vibrant color and design adds an Oriental taste treat for your guests to enjoy.

pdf for Recipe of Japanese Green Tea Cookies

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Swedish Christmas Tree & Cookies

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These cookies are fragile and very tender.  The jelly topping is a favorite in Sweden, where Lingonberry jam is a favorite.  This recipes gives you lots of cookies so you might want to invite your friends over for some soft Glogg.

pdf for Recipe of Swedish Jelly Slice Cookies

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 Lithuania Christmas Tree & Cookies

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These crispy little pieces of dough are really addictive.  Mixing them up is easy but making the little knots takes some practice.  No matter how they look, they will taste fantastic with that cup of coffee or tea.

 I remember my grandmother making these but she called them Kruschiki and made them larger.  Usually, they always knew when I was sneaking one off of the plate.  It’s the powdered sugar that dusted my face as well as my shirt.  One wonders how one crisp piece of dough can bring so much pleasure.

pdf for Recipe for Ausukai or Kruschiki (Little Ears) Cookies

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Czech Republic Christmas Tree & Cookies

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It’s soft texture crumbles into a rich buttery burst of  flavor as you take your first bite of this cookie.  Tiny little chunks of pecans remind you of the massive trees in those European forests.  One cookie will never be enough.  Those melting butter cookies are always so delightful.

pdf for Recipe of Bohemian Horns – Butter Nut Crescent Cookies

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Canada Christmas Tree & Cookies

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‘What’s the best cookie in Canada?  It has to be Nanaimo Bars!  They are rich and creamy little bars covered with a thin layer of chocolate and bursting with custard flavor.  Oh my!  These are perfect little sweet dessert treats for the holidays.

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pdf for Recipe of Double Chocolate Nanaimo Bar Cookies

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United States of America Christmas Tree

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‘Happy Holiday Butter Cookies are one of the easiest recipes to make. I love the small star disk but you can press out all kinds of interesting shapes.  Everyone loves sprinkling on the colored sugar.  In our family, it is a tradition for the Dads to bake with the kids using this recipe every year.  It is one of their favorites.

Recipes for chocolate chip cookies can be found on almost every chocolate chip producer’s product in the United States.  Crisp, crunchy, chewy, or a little soft, these cookies are everyone’s favorite.  There are several stories about how it became the most requested recipe, but the bottom line is that they are popular and so delicious.   Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies are designed to encourage you to try different kinds of chips. Peppermint chips are one of our favorites. This recipe makes a small batch of cookies, but you can double the recipe.

 Note:  I remember my dad always wanted a batch of chocolate chip cookies for his Christmas present.  It was the only cookie I baked as a child and it made me into a cookie baking lover.

pdf for Recipe of Happy Holiday Butter Cookies

pdf for Recipe of Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Fruitcakes from Around the World

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A simple Fruitcake was developed during Roman times and has since spread around the world as you can see from the list of countries below.  Traditionally, almost every country has some type of fruit cake.

‘Countries with Traditional Fruitcakes Around the World;  Australia, Bahamas, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, India, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, and the United States*

* May not be all inclusive listing of countries.

pdf of Additional Information on Specific Fruitcake Countries’

pdf for Recipe of 140 year old Fruitcake Recipe 

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 Annual Observances by Religious, Ethnic & National Groups

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”These observances are some of the non-Christian annual religious, cultural, and ethnic groups that were exhibited at the Museum of Science & Industry during the 2014 December time period.

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