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The holidays always make me think of traditions—the ones that have gone on for years in my family and the ones that I am trying to create for my own little family. And despite the short, dark days of winter, there is something comforting about those holiday traditions that make this time of year most special.

Now that December is here, it seems like the right time to start with a little Christmas baking. Holiday baking has always been a big part of our holiday celebrations through the years. We each have our favorite sweets that appear on the holiday treat tray year after year. But with busy schedules, a massive amount of baking just seems a little too daunting. So over the past few years, I’ve come up with a different approach—weekend baking. I have plenty of time to get something baked and we get to enjoy and share treats all month long. We might not have all of our treats on the tray together, but I think it works out OK in the end. And with a little helper in the kitchen, this special baking time has just gotten a whole lot more exciting. Every weekend, he asks whether we are going to do any baking. I like to comply!

Since baking with a toddler can be a little challenging, er, exciting, I’ve been thinking about what recipes might be best for him to help with. He likes to be hands-on, helping to measure and pour. I thought about gingerbread cookies with shapes to cut out and decorate. I knew that glitter and sprinkles would be right up his alley. But it seems like there are so many steps in that process, baking and then decorating later. It would be too much for his attention span to bear. So when I found this recipe, it seemed to combine the best of all activities in a short amount of time! Decorating before baking? Yes, please!

These cookies remind me a little of biscotti in that they are twice-baked for extra crunch. It also means that fiddling around with the dough to make them perfect is just not needed—great for helpers. Some variety will make for a nice display in the end. They are a perfect addition to any tray of treats and are sure to be a hit with everything from coffee to cocktails.

A few notes before you get started: This recipes calls for cayenne pepper. It makes the cookies spicy in a very good way. My little guy is OK with the amount in the recipe, but adjust to your tastes.  The sugars and sparkles used on these cookies really set a festive tone. Play around to find favorite combinations. Ours was the vanilla sugar—while not the most festive colors, the flavors were lovely.

Spicy Gingerbread Straws

From Nancy Baggett’s recipe in Better Homes and Gardens, December 2012

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1/4 coffee, cooled, or 1/4 water with 1 teaspoon instant coffee

Course sugar or turbinado sugar
Sprinkles or edible glitter

Preheat oven to 350º and position rack in the middle of the oven.

In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cloves, allspice and cayenne pepper, if using. Mash the brown sugar so there are no lumps are left.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, molasses and coffee and whisk to combine. Pour the butter mixture into the flour and stir well to combine. Knead briefly to mix in all of the flour and make a smooth dough. If the dough is too dry to roll out, add a few drops of water as you kneed. If it is too moist, sprinkle in a little more flour. Divide the dough in half and form roughly into a log.

Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll into a rectangle, about 6 by 12 inches. Trim the dough if needed, but don’t worry about making a perfect rectangle. Remove the top layer of parchment paper and sprinkle with your choice of sugar and glitter. I used about 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of sprinkles. Place the parchment paper back on top of the dough and press the sugar gently into the dough. Remove the top layer of parchment.

Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to cut the dough into thin strips, about 1/4-inch by 6 inches wide. Slide the sliced rectangle of dough, still on the parchment paper, onto a baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and bake for about 14 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned and the cookies are just barely firm when pressed. Using the parchment paper, slide the dough onto a cutting board and retrace the cuts between the cookies and separate them a little on the pan. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough.

Once both sheets are baked and trimmed, reduce oven heat to 200º and place both trays back in the over for 10 to 12 more minutes. Remove from oven and place cookies on a wire rack to cook completely. Store in an airtight contained to help them stay crisp.

It’s been a little grey lately. It’s just the way fall happens around here—sometimes we’ll go for days without seeing the sun. But when it appears, it simply glorious. In the transition to fall, I’ve been turning to my stock pots a little more frequently. Nothing fends off the chill of a cold day like a bowl of soup. So that’s what I’ve been making.

I stumbled on this recipe a few years back. I think it was winter and I was in the middle of a bean soup binge and looking for something new. Often, when it comes to soups, I don’t use a recipe. I start out with an idea, chopping and sautéing my way along until I get something I am happy with. But that can get old, so I was looking for new ideas when I came upon this gem…a take on an Iranian soup by one of my favorites, Yotam Ottolenghi.

When I think of bean soup, I think hearty and filling. But not so much comforting and bright, all in one mouthful, which is exactly what this soup is. The combination of legumes lends a decidedly creamy texture to the soup without any blending or mashing. And the handfuls of fresh herbs and spinach bring a lovely fresh aspect to the soup.

Over the course of a few winters, I’ve tried many variations on this recipe. All kinds of beans and different herb combinations depending on what’s on hand. It has gone gluten-free with the addition of rice noodles in place of regular pasta and been doubled to stock a freezer with future lunches. It’s even a favorite with my little guy, who loves the chickpeas and noodles. And despite those variations, we seem to like this version best of all.

And a few notes before we get started…if you don’t think you have time to soak and cook the beans in advance, canned beans will work in a pinch. This soup keeps nicely and makes for easy meals over a few days. If you decide to do this, you may want to forgo the onion garnish and just keep all of the onions in the soup. But whatever you do, please remember the limes. A few squeezes of the juice bring the flavors together beautifully.

Persian noodle soup

Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe

3/4 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in plenty of water for at least 12 hours
3/4 cup dried lima beans, soaked in plenty of water for at least 12 hours
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons turmeric
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2 quarts vegetable stock
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped dill
1 bunch chopped scallions, about 1 cup
1 170g bag baby spinach
100g linguine noodles
3/4 cup sour cream, plus more to garnish
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Limes, for serving

Drain the beans from their soaking liquid and cook, separately, until almost tender. Depending on soaking time and the beans, this could take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour, so check frequently. Drain and rinse.

Heat oil in a large stock pot at medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook until they begin to turn golden brown, at least 20 minutes. Continue cooking, adding the turmeric, along with a dash of salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then remove about a third of the onions from the pot for garnish.

Add in the split peas, pre-cooked beans and the stock and bring to a steady simmer for about 30 minutes, until the peas are tender. If the soup is getting thicker, add a little more water.

Break noodles in half and add to pot, stirring well to avoid clumping. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the herbs, scallions and spinach. Continue cooking until the noodles are al dente, about 5 more minutes, depending on noodles.

Stir in sour cream and white wine vinegar and taste. Season generously with salt and pepper.

When serving, add the onion garnish, if using, as well as a dollop of sour cream. Serve with lime wedges.

Growing up mushrooms were a pretty big deal. Every fall the whole family would pile into the car and head up into the woods to gather up buckets full of their earthy goodness. I have to admit that for me the joy of mushroom season came from running around in the woods searching for hidden treasure. Forging through fallen damp leaves was significantly more pleasurable than sitting down to a plate of mushrooms. The imminent  fear of death by poisoning didn’t help much either. This is not to say that I dislike mushrooms, on the contrary, I am a mushroom fearing person but as a young person cultivated mushrooms were where it was at. Unfortunately this story isn’t about the wild mushrooms of my childhood, but instead the humble Cremini.

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On the big night I some how I managed to coax Scott into coming along with me and we headed out to the store only to join about 150 other like-minded people who also wanted to meet Deb too. Unfortunately for me most of those 150 people had shown up early or at least earlier than me! After spending two hours waiting in line I had my signed book in hand and was rushing home to begin examining the pages and planning the next meal I was going to make. And then I found it: Mushroom bourguignon. I’m not going to share the recipe with you or give you my adapted version; I’m just going to suggest that you march right down to your neighbourhood bookstore and pickup a copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook for yourself. So far I have made 3 or 4 recipes out of the book and nothing has disappointed. What I love most about this cookbook is that the recipes are totally approachable and you can tell that all the food was cooked in the Smitten Kitchen. No elaborate setup, just delicious food, charming words and lovely images. So glad I got to meet you Deb and thank you for the lovely cookbook!