I hope everyone has been enjoying this Holiday season with friends and loved ones. As we approach the New Year. I could focus on this past years food favorites or what to look forward to in 2012. Before I start making New Year’s resolutions or think about healthy ways to eat, I would like to enjoy New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day ( and few days worth of Bowl games beyond ).

New Year’s Day is a big day for dining out, if you haven’t made reservations at this point you should get on the phone before any remaining openings are gone. In fact according to the National Restaurant Association, 20% of Americans say they are going to a restaurant or bar for New Years Eve. In addition 22% say they are going to be ordering takeout or delivery on that day.

Of course that means many of you will be enjoying the holiday from the comforts of home. I find a fun way to enjoy it is with an appetizer party for 1 or ?? After all Champagne goes perfectly with a large number of flavorful small bites. It doesn’t have to be complicated as any grocery store frozen aisle is full of a wide variety of ready to go apps. You can always make your own variety of treats. Having a party? Have all your guests bring a couple appetizers, a potluck style appetizer party is always enjoyable!

A super elegant app that is a take on fruit and cheese is to simply buy some seedless grapes, goat cheese and nuts. Even easier if you buy all ready chopped nuts. Take a small amount of goat cheese in your hand and a grape and roll it around until the goat cheese totally coats it then roll in your chopped nuts. A perfect pairing with Champagne!

Cheese and Charcuterie (prosciutto, sausages, etc) are always easy and tasty. Mini Quiches are a fairly easy option. And don’t forget to add some mini desserts. Chocolate is an amazingly good pairing with Champagne as the acidity and bubbles cut its richness.

Smoked Salmon Avocado Crostini

12 slices french bread brushed with olive oil and lightly toasted

2 avocados

1 tbsp capers

2 tsp lemon juice

1 clove of garlic chopped

6 oz smoked salmon

1/2 a small red onion diced fine

Mash together your avocado, garlic, lemon juice, and capers until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

Spread avocado mixture on your crostini and top with slices of smoked salmon and your diced red onion.

Caprese Bites

Makes 24

12 Cherry tomatoes (cut in half)

Fresh Mozzarella cheese

12 Large basil leaves (cut lengthwise)

12 Salami, deli slice (cut in half)

Olive oil

Salt

Toothpicks

To assemble, place half of a tomato and a piece of mozzarella together. Wrap with a half of basil leaf and then half of a piece of salami. Secure with a toothpick. Lay on a platter and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

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I thought I would reflect on the Delicious Holiday treats that appear on trays in our homes and offices. We allow our self such indulgences during the Holidays even if they give us pause to reflect on our New Years resolutions. Christmas cookies are every bit a part of the Holidays as the mysteries of Santa Claus!

 Christmas cookies date back to Medieval European biscuits. Spurred on by the spice trade and the availability of exotic spices from the East. The importation of exotic spices was certainly influenced by the Crusades and Crusaders that brought them back from the East.These biscuits had become popular all over Europe by the 16th Century.

Pepparkakor- a thin gingersnap like cookie was popular in Sweden

Gingerbread-of course a Christmas staple is made in a number of variations and names through out Europe.

Krumkake-are a wafer thin cookie that is rolled into a cone and popular in Norway.

Spritz Cookies- Originate from German Spritzgebaeck, but became popular all over Europe by the 1500′s. They come in many shapes and styles and our easy to decorate.

Our modern sugar cookie dates back to the Mid 1700′s. Often as the Amish sugar cookie or Nazareth sugar cookie. It was created by Moravians who came and settled the Nazareth area of Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century.

The popularity of sugar cookies really increased between 1871 and 1906 due to the availability of cheap imported cookie cutter. Cookie cutters and a wide range of different decorations and icings certainly make sugar cookies the Holiday favorite.

Modern Christmas cookies certainly include a number of traditional, regional, or ethnic recipes. Often they showcase a persons favorite recipes for sweet treats.

I often make Melted Moments, Russian Tea Cookies, Kolachy (Czech pastry), Spritz cookies and Buckeye’s (technically candy)

Buckyes have certainly become a Christmas favorite, at least in this region of the US. Technically a candy they can be found on most cookie trays. While the combination of peanut butter and chocolate has been around awhile. It’s presentation as a Buckeye is certainly indigenous to Ohio. The Buckeye’s date of origin remains unclear. The term “Buckeye” can be dated in print by the Dictionary of American English to 1970. Certainly it has been around for some time before that.

Spritz cookies are a traditional Christmas cookie that I made with my Grandfather using my Great Grandmothers Swedish recipe. Often associated with Sweden they are however of German origin. Although they had become popular all over Europe by th 1500′s

Spritzgebaeck a German Christmas biscuit. The name comes from the German verb spritzen meaning to squirt as they are made using a cookie press.

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 TBSP milk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 cups flour

Mix together all ingredients and place in a cookie press. Squeeze out onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until edges are a light golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before removing.

This is not my video but it is a good cookie demonstration although our recipes are different.

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