mewwy chwistmas.

Un-gingerbread house and cookies - decided ground ginger at the grocery store was too expensive so left it out and upped the cinnamon and all-spice. Turned out pretty well, like a lightly spiced sugar cookie :)

Also pretty proud of my first successful batch of royal icing - 2 egg whites + about 3 cups confectioner’s sugar + dash of lemon juice, beaten for a long time, until soft peaks formed. Was too lazy to try to pipe outlines and fill the cookies with icing like you’re supposed to so I just used the back of a spoon to spread it around. Good 80-20 strategy >.<

Other delicious holiday yummies to share with friends & family:

Meatballs!! Tried to follow a recipe for Swedish Meatballs from the Food Network magazine but ended up mostly winging it with what we had on hand. Mixed 1/2 lb. ground beef with 1 lb. ground pork, added 1 cup breadcrumbs, one egg (lightly beaten), 1 tsp mustard, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce, couple teaspoons each chili powder, oregano, basil and a few dashes of salt & pepper, and 1/2 an onion, small diced and sauteed (chop more finely than I did to make it easier to shape the mixture into balls!). Shaped into 1 inch balls and placed on a baking sheet. Baked in oven at 400F for about 30 minutes. Served with gravy, mmmmMMMMMmmmmm!

Hot spiced wine! Cooked 1/2 c. sugar, 2 tbsp ground cinnamon (sticks preferred, but we had none .__. ) & 1 tbsp ground allspice with a few tablespoons of water for a few minutes until boiling slowly. Add a bottle of red wine (the cheaper the better :P) and sliced citrus fruit and heat on low for 30 minutes to let flavors meld. Be careful not to overheat or reach a boil after adding wine!

Alsooooo spinach artichoke dip on the table with tortilla chips, garlic mashed potatoes,  semi-successful eggnog flan, and almond chocolate chip cookies. Plus cheddar biscuits in the oven now (in my tummy soon ^.^)

Happy Holidays all - hope you are surrounded by friends & family, delicious smells and eats!