Holidays Past

This past holiday season, I made some foods for the first time. I made Gravlax, from a simple recipe in The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten's new book. Salmon, dill, pepper, sugar, fennel and just time to marinate and cure in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days. Sliced thin and served on pumpernickel bread with her recipe for mustard and I surprised myself with how good it was. Friends ate it and I gave the recipe out to friends, so I guess it was a hit.

I also made my grandmother's sweet kugel recipe, with pineapple and raisins and baked it just before the party was to start. The house smelled like sugar plums, or at least sweet kugel. I used my blue enameled pan that was a find at Goodwill for around seven dollars. It is heavy and holds the heat and the bottom did not scorch as it did when my grandmother used to bake it in her old Pyrexware.

I also served my potato pancakes with sour cream and apple sauce, using a 5 pound bag of Idaho potatoes, and two huge onions, 4 eggs and flour, salt and pepper. Fried in canola oil they are a once a year holiday caloric treat.

Desserts were store bought tiny cupcakes, tiny mint brownies and cookies, contributed by my ever busy daughter, bought at Publix. I baked a candied apple cake, recipe adapted from a recipe I saved, pignoli cookies and fruit cake baked by a friend Ann.

It was a party filled holiday season for me, I have made friends here and my roots are starting to develop here. I am home. Finally. again.