Christmas 2011 - Sweden

My gingerbread cottage 

This was our gingerbread house last year (this one, I didn't make alone)

Marshmallow snowman & Orange pomander

My first linzer cookies 

Christmas Cheese

Untangling the Christmas tree lights

Our Christmas Tree

We got a smaller one this year (yes, this is small compare to what we had last year :) )

 This was our tree last year

Christmas Eve 2011 - Santa has arrived

And even Bunny got presents 

 Swedish Christmas dinner

 December 25 - Christmas Breakfast :)

More of my homemade Christmas gifts

Winter Orange Pomegranate Iced Tea

  3 cups water

  1 navel orange, sliced into 1/4-inch slices

3 inches stick cinnamon, broken

6 whole cloves

4 orange-flavored or black tea bags (decaffeinated, if you like)

1 cup orange juice

1 cup pomegranate juice

2 - 3 tablespoons sugar

12 orange wedges or chunks

6 lime wedges or chunks

6 6-inch wooden skewers

Ice cubes

1. In a medium saucepan, combine water, orange slices, cinnamon and cloves. Bring just to boiling; remove from heat. Add tea bags. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags; discard. Strain tea mixture through a fine mesh strainer; discard orange slices and spices.

2. In a glass pitcher, combine strained tea mixture, orange juice, pomegranate juice and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

To serve:

3. Place 2 orange wedges and 1 lime wedge onto each skewer. Serve tea in glasses filled with ice cubes. Add fruit skewers to each glass.

Christmas Cookies Mix in a Jar

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup cooking oats
3/4 cup m&ms
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)


Layer the ingredients in like this:
First: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
Second: oats
Third: m&ms
Fourth: chocolate chips
Fifth: brown sugar
Sixth: white sugar
Seventh: chopped pecans (optional)


Instructions:
Add
1 slightly beaten egg1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use the back of a large spoon to work it all together. You may even need to use your hands to get everything incorporated.

                                                      Cranberry - Raspberry Sauce

3 cups fresh cranberries (12 oz)

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

• In 2-quart saucepan, mix cranberries, brown sugar and water. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick and all cranberries have popped. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
• Strain cranberry mixture, pressing berries to extract juice; discard berry skins. Stir jam into warm juice. Cool 30 minutes.

Marinated olives, feta and sun dried tomatoes 

 Brown sugar - vanilla - cinnamon body scrub

Cranberry Cocktail Mixer

For each drink, combine 4 ounces of mixer with 2 ounces of vodka in a cocktail shaker with ice; strain into a chilled martini glass.

Ingredients

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Finely grated zest of 1 lime

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups cranberry juice

Bring zests, sugar, and 1/2 cup water to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat; stir until sugar has dissolved. Let cool. Put juice into a large container; stir in zest mixture. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour or overnight. Strain; pour into an airtight bottle. Mixer can be refrigerated up to 1 week.

Moisturizing Kitchen Hand Scrub

Olive oil moisturizes, lemon freshens and is especially good for removing onion and garlic odors from the skin, the sugar/salt combo exfoliates dry skin and renews the appearance of your hands. 

1 1/2 c sugar

1/3 c kosher salt

zest of 1 extra large lemon (or other citrus)

1 c olive oil

1/4 tsp pure lemon extract, optional

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. If you would like a slightly stronger fragrance, add the extract. Spoon into a pretty jar, tighten the lid. Wipe any spills or drips from the outside of the jar. Alternatively, you can use orange or lime zest for a different fresh citrus smell. For an extra touch, tie a pretty bow around the jar if you plan to gift this scrub. This makes enough for a 1 pint canning jar.

Roasted Cranberry-Clove & Clementine-Brown Sugar Mixer 

 combine the Roasted Cranberry-Clove Mixer with champagne and a few whole cranberries for a festive toast during the holiday season and the Clementine-Brown Sugar Mixer with splash of bourbon..a low ball glass and a cozy night by the fire. 

Roasted Cranberry-Clove Mixer

Makes 1 cup

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 cup water

3/4 cup cranberries

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Sprinkle the cranberries with cloves and roast for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan set over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat.

Combine the clove roasted cranberries with the sugar-water mixture and allow to steep for at least 1 hour.

Strain and pour into canisters.

Clementine-Brown Sugar Mixer 

Makes 1 cup

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup water

1 clementine; peeled and pith removed

Juice of ½ clementine

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan set over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat.

Add the clementine peels and allow to steep for at least 1 hour. Stir in juice and vanilla extract.

Egg Liqueur

• 1/2 liter (2 cups) milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 400 g (2 cups) granulated sugar
• 5 teaspoons of vanilla sugar
• 1 tablespoon of rum
• 375 ml (1 1/2 cup) vodka

Boil milk up milk. Beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla sugar until foamy. Add cooled milk while stirring. Add rum and vodka.

Gingerbread Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into large pieces
• 8 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water, sugar, and honey. Stir in ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves and nutmeg; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve, or double layer cheesecloth.

Gingerbread Latte

• 2 fluid ounces espresso coffee
• 2 tablespoons gingerbread flavored syrup
• 1/2 cup milk, steamed
• 1/8 cup whipped cream
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder

• In a coffee mug, combine espresso coffee with flavored syrup. Pour in steamed milk. Top with whipped cream, and sprinkle with nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla powder.

Christmas Stuff

We went to get a Christmas tree last friday. Here, only private people sell trees, as a lot of them own woods, so they just cut the trees out and sell them on their yard during Christmas time. They're definitely not as pretty and fluffy as the ones they grow to be Christmas trees, but they are cheap. They have the same price for all trees, big and small.

We went to get the tree with our MINI, so I guess it's a good thing we didn't pick a big tree this year :)

  The tree is is waiting outside on the balcony. We'll put it up sometime this week.

 The legendary mint shot from the Finnish Himalayas

Minttu liqueur is the world's first perfectly clear peppermint liqueur produced in Turku (Finland) by Pernod Ricard (previously owned by Vin & Sprit). Its clear colour is due to a special type of sugar.

Minttu has a strong, crisp taste and scent of peppermint. The taste is quite similar to Crème de menthe, but appearance is more like vodka. 

 Cool new flavors of the Swedish glögg 

(Mandarin & Chili, Chocolate & Mocha, Cognac, Lime)

Glögg is the term for mulled wine in the Nordic countries. Non-alcoholic glögg can be bought ready-made or prepared with fruit juices instead of wine. The main classic ingredients are (usually) red wine, sugar, spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and bitter orange, and optionally also stronger spirits such as vodka, akvavit or brandy. In all Scandinavia glögg spice extract and ready-mixed spices can be purchased in grocery stores. Glögg is generally served with raisins, blanched almonds and Ginger biscuits (Ginger Snaps), and is a popular hot drink during the Christmas season.

Our cutest Christmas plant - I just had to have it :)

Northern Lights in Northern Sweden

The Northern Lights are hard to describe, you have to see them with your own eyes to comprehend their magnificence. It's a truly wonderful experience!

Not only to believe but also to experience the magic caused by electron and proton particles in the atmosphere 60-200 kilometers (40-120 miles) above the earth’s surface hitting the magnetic field of mother earth. The Northern Lights often form a “curtain” of light which travels at high speed across the sky, most of the time greenish in color, but sometimes violet or reddish. The colors are caused by 

different gases in the atmosphere.

My Christmas Cookies

So, in the past weeks, I've been baking quite a lot. Yesterday I shipped off a box of these cookies to my parents in Hungary. My mom doesn't bake, she can't (or maybe she can, she just never tried it before :) ), so I think it will be a nice surprise for them.

Swedish Ginger Cookies

200g  flour (1.6 cups)

0,5 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon grounded ground ginger 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 pinches white pepper

100g granulated sugar (1/2 cup) - take out 2 tablespoons of it and save it for later

100g butter (a little less than 1/2 cup)

5 tablespoon honey

1 egg white for brushing

Preheat oven to 190 °C / 375 ºF

Mix up all the ingredients in the same order as it's written down. Shape balls out of the dough and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Flatten the balls with a bottom of a glass and brush them with the egg white. Sprinkle them with the sugar you put aside. Bake them for about 10 minutes.

Scottish Shortbread

1 cup of real butter. No substitutions allowed.

1/2 cup of brown sugar, packed

2+ cups of flour.

Oven = 325 ºF

Cream the butter and sugar together. I generally use the back of a fork, or my fingertips (not palms, or the butter will get too soft). If my butter is too cold and I don’t have time to wait for it to soften, I use a potato masher and a lot of arm muscle.

Add about 2 cups of flour. Mix well.

Sprinkle your table, wax-paper, or silicone baking mat liberally with flour. Turn your dough onto the floured surface and knead.

Knead, adding flour until the dough is smooth and not sticky.

Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness and cut. Rectangles with fork-pierced patterns are classic, but you can also do triangles or other shapes.

Melt some chocolate in the microwave and stir in a tablespoon or so of shortening, so that the chocolate is really smooth. Then, when the cookies are cooled, dip one end in the chocolate and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Lay on a wax paper sheet to harden. Delicious!

Also, it’s fantastic plain.

Cranberry - Orange zest cookie dough gift

Cranberry - Orange zest cookies

2 sticks (8 ounces; 230 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

1. Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until it is smooth. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and silky. Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the salt and mix in grated zest of 2 oranges and 1/2 cup dried cranberries (I finely chopped them) 
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, beating just until it disappears. It is better to underbeat than overbeat at this point; if the flour isn’t fully incorporated, that’s okay just blend in whatever remaining flour needs blending with a rubber spatula. Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and divide it in half. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

2. Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches (2.5 to 3.2 cm) thick. (Get the thickness right, and the length you end up with will be fine.) Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 2 hours. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)

3. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. While the oven is preheating, roll cookie logs in any coatings of your choice. Then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/3 inch (10 mm) thick. (You can make the cookies thicker if you’d like; just bake them longer.) Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) space between them.

5. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.


Do ahead: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature, or in the freezer for a month. Unbaked logs can be frozen for longer.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 
  
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) milk chocolate chips or bits
• Granulated sugar

• 
  
• PREHEAT oven to 375° F. 
• COMBINE flour and baking soda in small bowl. Beat butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Press down slightly with bottom of glass dipped in granulated sugar. BAKE for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set but centers are still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 4 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Devine Toffee Cookies

saltine crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

M&M's or almond/peanut flakes if desired

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers in single layer.

In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely.

Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, or until toffee is bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let sit for a bit then spread melted chocolate and top with M&M's or almond/peanut flakes, if desired. Cool completely and break into pieces.

Homemade Mozartkugeln (Mozart Chocolate Balls)

The Mozartkugel was created by the Salzburg confectioner, Paul Fürst, in 1890 and named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The huge success of that chocolate delicacy found a lot of imitators in Austria and abroad since today.  

There are Mozart souvenir shops in Austria and in Hungary. You can find so many delicious chocolates there! 

Hungary–Austria relations are the neighborly relations between Hungary and Austria, two member states of the European Union. Both countries have a long common history since the ruling dynasty of Austria, the Habsburgs, inherited the Hungarian throne in the 16th century. Both have been part of the now-defunct Austro-Hungarian Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. The two countries established diplomatic relations in1921, after their separation.

Meanwhile both countries entered the European Union, and since the end of 2007 the Schengen Agreement allows to cross the common border without control wherever there is a way to go or drive. Austrian entrepreneurs have set up or bought banks, factories and shops in Hungary, vintners from Burgenland make wine in Hungary, farmers use Hungarian farmland leased or bought.