Holidays

A Simple Christmas Tale of Rustic Longings

December 24, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 1 Comment

This is a personal reflection on what Christmas was like growing up and how all I ever wanted was a simple Christmas. In a consumer-driven world, getting back to basics is more important than ever…

snowy evergreen trees — `Photo by Jeremy Gallman`

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

First off, it’s December 24th. Usually, I’m in my kitchen, but today I’m in the country, celebrating Christmas in a rustic family cottage. This is the first time in years that the cottage has been opened for Christmas. It’s cold and we’re all bundled up in sweaters and slippers, huddling around a blazing fire. It’ll get colder when we go outside to go to church together, but it always feels warmer coming in from the cold. There’s good food, fine wine, and family all around. This is what it’s all about.

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Eggnog French Toast with Bourbon Maple Syrup (in a cast-iron skillet)

December 20, 2019 by Sylvia Rose Leave a Comment

This eggnog French toast recipe is drizzled with boozy bourbon maple syrup. When the Christmas holidays roll around, breakfast calls for an extra sparkle and this one will put you in a right jolly mood!

The word for french toast in French is “pain perdu” which, translated, means lost bread.

This classic breakfast used to be a means to use up stale bread.

Waste not, want not and such. It’s one of my frugal kitchen rules, not letting stale bread go to waste.

Nevertheless, a truly exceptional french toast recipe begins with the bread.

Unless you have bread that’s past its prime, I recommend a loaf that’s either homemade or from your local bakery.

My favourite picks are a fruit and nut bread, cinnamon raisin, brioche, or a good loaf of sourdough.

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A French Canadian Tourtière Recipe

December 6, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 4 Comments

This French Canadian tourtière is the taste of the holidays for many Quebecers. A flavourful beef and pork filling wrapped in a flaky pâte brisée pie crust, how can anyone go wrong?

There’s a region in Québec that’s a couple of hundred kilometres north of the famous St. Lawrence River, up the Saguenay River, called Lac St-Jean. I have family who live there and if they hear someone call a meat pie that isn’t from Lac St-Jean a tourtière, they are quick to disparage it.

There are tourtière recipes out there that are branded as Lac St-Jean style, but really, everyone’s recipes are so different that it’s hard for me to understand what makes that a tourtière, and my tourtière a meat pie.

By the way, here’s some food history for you. The name tourtière comes from the cooking dish these pies used to be prepared in, and the dish itself is of French origin.

Oh, and just so you know, this is not a tourtière from Lac St-Jean, nor is it in that style. It’s a French Canadian tourtière. The family can flay me later.

RELATED: Bacon and Sauerkraut Quiche

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Spiked Eggnog from Scratch (serve it hot or cold!)

November 29, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 1 Comment

Holiday eggnog, anyone? Unlike commercial eggnogs, which are full of sugar and unsightly additives, a glass of this won’t leave you feeling too guilty. Learn how to make spiked eggnog from scratch and get a bonus vintage recipe to boot!

HOMEMADE HOLIDAY EGGNOG

The first time I remember having eggnog, I was four or five years old. My mom coated the rims of her dinner glasses with green coloured sugar sprinkles and from that moment on, I was an eggnog fiend.

My mother only bought eggnog for Christmas, never before, never after.

A collector of ruby red Lumimarc glasses, she often served the family eggnog in her treasured collection. It was always beautiful and festive, and I couldn’t get enough of that sweet, creamy, and spicy nog. I still can’t.

If my mom had known just how much sugar and additives were lurking in those cartons of eggnog, she would have made her own from scratch.

SPIKED EGGNOG FROM SCRATCH VIDEO

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The Best Holiday Gingerbread Cookies (a stand mixer recipe)

November 22, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 8 Comments

Seriously the best gingerbread cookies ever. Bring out your stand mixer to make these bakery perfect holiday treats. Soft, spicy, and decorated with royal icing, everyone will be clamouring for them!

pink gingerbread christmas trees with sprinkles

Do you know those cookies you see packaged up in cellophane with gorgeous icing work?

The ones that can keep fresh for a month and still taste amazing?

Maybe yes, maybe no?

Well, this is one of those types of cookies, and we’re talking pure ingredients.

A month before the holidays hit, these bakeries are cranking thousands of cookies to prepare for the holiday season. Large batches of dough are made and are manually cut out. They’re baked, they’re iced, and they’re packaged, ready to sell to customers throughout the month of December.

You’ve struck gold, my friend.

These are the best gingerbread cookies ever, and you’re going to love them.

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The Best Brussels Sprouts Skillet (with bacon and parmesan)

October 17, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 14 Comments

These pan fried and roasted brussels sprouts are cheesy, smoky and crispy. They also look great being pulled from the oven in a cast iron skillet. It’s the kind of side dish you want on your holiday table!

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS: YOU EITHER LOVE THEM OR HATE THEM

Bacon parmesan brussels sprouts are a terrific side for roasted meats due to the strong flavour that people either love or hate. If you would have asked me when I was a kid whether or not I wanted a scoop of brussels sprouts on my plate, I would have shook my head to decline.

The thing is, when brussels sprouts are overcooked, they leave a bitter taste in your mouth and an unpleasant memory if you’re tasting them for the first time.

Brussels sprouts should be green, not gray, and they should be a vegetable everyone reaches for, including children.

Vegetarians aside, who would turn down a dish with bacon and parmesan? The Panko bread crumbs also make them crispy, giving them an intriguing crunch factor.

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