Holiday Blend

I've been taken hostage by cookies and little baggies with string. Going homemade for the holidays, I've been sidetracked from my keyboard by baking sheets and treat boxes and gooey, sweet pounds of...well, now, since some certain family members may be grazing these pages I won't say what exactly, but I'll just say chocolate may or may not be involved.

My furious baking has also taken me away from recipes not involving excessive amounts of butter or cups packed with sugar. I'm starting to forget about vegetables. I promise we'll start the new year with a confettied parade of green leaves and baby tomatoes, but for now, let's just be sugar drunk for a little longer.

In addition to little white lights and the smell of pine, I've always been particularly fond of the holiday season as it is a widely celebrated excuse to eat sweets. Because the more the merrier is a true sentiment, and because the more friends, the more cookies you can bake, since we last chatted some of the best people in the Greenpoint area gathered in the name of great goodies; I baked, Russ sprinkled nutmeg on seriously frothy eggnog, and our friends snacked, pinning cloves into ribbon-tied oranges for a deliciously scented, affordable option in the way of ornaments.


Vanilla-sugar coated, soft molasses drops were the bat-sign of cookies shining bright on a starry Brooklyn night; everyone answered the call leaving crumbs of glittery sugar. One of my favorites, I promise you the smell of these baking is so warm and fantastic it actually feels good down to your toes.


Almost as good, that is, as it does to snack with your favorite sweeties. While there are certainly times that call of solitary ice cream consumption, and while there will always midnight snacks where you eat just one more of those brownies than you would have if someone were watching...the holidays remind me that I love food for the way it unites us, unwinds us, and gives us shiny moments to feel needed and be nourished.


I'm sure you are all packing wool socks and flannel pj's in preparation for your own holiday plans. I myself am heading to Michigan with Russ to seriously celebrate my love for snow (and family), so it may be a little while till we meet here again. But before we go, I'd like to give you one last snack; a childhood favorite of Russ's, try filling dried dates with peanut butter, finishing them off with a roll in white sugar:


If I could wrap them in a box for you I would. A sweet snack from me to you as I'm so truly glad you've all found your way to my little corner shop of a blog. And because I'm looking out for you, after the holidays, vegetables, I promise.

From the glow of eight candles to stars perched on tree tops, I wish you all warm sugary holidays. Safe travels! Eat up!

Peanut Butter-Stuffed Sugar Dates

Dried dates
Peanut butter
Granuated sugar

1. Cut a slit into the middle of a dried date.
2. Using knife, spread a bit of peanut butter into the date.
3. Roll in sugar.
4. Repeat until full.

Yield
your heart's desire