“Fudge, fudge, fudge, fudge, fudge… yum!”

A day later, of course, my daughter’s stomach hurt like anything. How do you decide what treats to make at the holidays? To be honest, I’m not really a huge sweets eater. I’d much rather have something savory. So every year it seems like I try to find an alternative to the standard cookies and fudge. And then… end up still making the cookies and fudge.

This year I infused olive oil with basil and put it in a pretty bottle with slices of bread to go with it. Lovely, but too much work to do en masse. So, after delivering three of these, I was back to baking. To simplify I made pretty little puff pastry palmiers (photo above) to go along with my fudge.

Recipe (courtesy of Sunset Magazine, Dec 2008):

- 1/2 C packed light brown sugar                 - 1 sheet (8.6 oz.) frozen puff pastry
- 2 tsp ground cardamom                                      dough, thawed according to
                                                                                   package instructions

1. Combine sugar and spices (note- you can be creative here... add orange zest, or chopped candied fruit, or crushed candy cane with some chocolate nibs). Unfold dough flat on a work surface and sprinkle evenly with half the sugar mixture.
2. Using a rolling pin, lightly roll (once) the mixture into the puff pastry, being careful not to reshape the dough. (Note: this is more messy than it sounds, but don't worry, it still turns out well.) Flip the dough over and repeat with backside.
3. Beginning with side closest to you, fold in by 1 in increments to the center of the rectangle. Repeat with other end, then fold the two over as if closing a book (say, for example, my new PRINT version of Betting Jessica:>). Wrap airtight and chill at least 1 hr.
4. Preheat oven to 400 F. Using a sharp (not serrated) knife, slice dough into 1/2 in slices. Line baking sheet with parchment and bake until doubled in size and golden, about 8-10 min. Let cool (if you can stand the wait... don't burn your tongue if you can't.)

They are so easy that my daughter could help and I could whip them out the day ahead of time. Plus… as I mention in the recipe, you can add whatever you like to the sugar, so I made a variety. Aside from the cardamom, I also made cinnamon and then added chocolate nibs (the cocoa bean that has been roasted and crushed. Yummy and crunchy.)

The problem came when I tried to make my chocolate banana muffins. I’m still not sure what went wrong, whether it was converting it to a bread size, or mixing up an ingredient, but the end result was a dense loaf that could have been used as a paperweight. I briefly considered this, but after tasting it, realized the flavor was still good. My great idea struck the next day when I noticed a dipped biscotti at Starbucks. After a second bake, and a good dunk in white chocolate, viola! The bread was now an Italian biscuit.

But for real inspiration I would suggest referring to a new friend and amazing cookbook author, Francine Segan. I myself would have made something from her cookbook Dolci but my husband wouldn’t let me open the package, very clearly marked from her, until Christmas morning. That shouldn’t stop you however. Here’s a link to the book. And if you are looking for some motivation, be sure to sign up for my newsletter (link) which will direct you to her recipe for Cenci… a lightly fried, sugared, dough rolled thin using a pasta machine, and has a delicious picture to tempt you.

Hope you enjoy every moment of your holiday baking. And when life gives you paperweights, make biscotti!

What are your favorite holiday recipes? Care to share any simple ones? I’ll be sure to tweet them out with a link to your site or your comment. And, don’t forget that every comment left on one of my blogs this month enters you to win $10 to the non-political charity of your choice. So leave your comment and then check back at the end of the month to see if you have won.

“Mommy, my tummy hurts.” 

Last night I dreamt I our house was flooded with chocolate. I couldn’t get away from it and the piles of dark sticky stuff kept growing. I woke up to find it was basically true. One entire counter in our kitchen is covered in the stuff. It calls to me, demanding to be eaten. And while I might glare at it with malice, it smiles back as if to say, “I know you still love me.”

What am I to do? If it were cheap and plasticky chocolate, like from the drugstore or dollar store, I could ignore it or through it away…I am sure of it. But it is lovely, rich, nostalgic candy from Sees and Godiva and Lindt. Help! I am drowning in chocolate.

I suppose I could give in to its siren song; gorge, make myself sick and then not really want anymore. There is just one problem… tomorrow I have my first training session with Alex Molden and I am already feeling out of shape and bloated. I doubt that gorging on chocolate will make me feel any better about my body or energy.

I want to throw it away. However aside from the quality of the chocolate as mentioned above, my daughter has counted out every piece. She is an auditor in the making, accounting for each piece as if it is gold.

Is there anyone to whom I can give it? Anyone who, by bad luck or some strange circumstance doesn’t feel overwhelmed by their own stash of Easter candy? At least this way I wouldn’t feel bad about getting rid of it (though I will still have to deal with my daughters’ wrath). I know… as a thank you for helping me, maybe I will bring it to Alex. It will be the gift that keeps giving as he will surely be too distracted by the luscious Bordeaux Egg from Sees to comment on my inability to touch my toes over my protruding, and somewhat aching, stomach.