Christmas is for cookies and brownies and other luscious sweets. In my house this has traditionally meant all different kinds of cookies, but none were ever really a true Christmas tradition. None were seasonal, none were specific to the holidays and I suppose most of all, none were mine.

This year I set out to remedy that and to do something that I absolutely never do. I stepped out of my comfort zone completely and modified a cookie recipe to reflect what my kids love to eat and to enhance the flavors that I like.

I was terrified.  I was uneasy.  I was sure it wouldn’t work, because I’m a cook, not a baker and i was sure to screw this up.

I didn’t. It was wonderful! The cookies were perfect, tasty, sweet, tangy and speckled with tiny glimpses of cranberry and white chocolate.

This is a modified version of my wife’s famous Cowboy Cookie recipe, but with a few twists however, a cowboy cookie has a traditional set of ingredients.  This recipe is no longer a cowboy cookie by definition, so I decided in the spirit of the season to dub these “Reindeer Wranglers”, both because the tiny speckles of cranberry reminded me of Rudolph’s nose and because I figured that Santa’s reindeer crew would probably enjoy these a great deal.

Now our family has its very own Christmas cookie tradition, invented in our own kitchen and made with love. It makes me happier than it should, I think.

What are your Christmas cookie traditions?  Is there anything that jut HAS to be baked every year? We’d love to hear about it.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: christmas, Cookies, Holiday-Recipes, Recipes, sweets

If there is one Christmas dinner that springs to mind before any other in the collective consciousness of the people of several continents, it has to be the dinner shared on Christmas Day by the Cratchit Family in the classic novel “A Christmas Carol” by none other than the great Charles Dickens. This meal embodies the spirit of Christmas more than any other in literary history, as does the tale itself.  This year thanks to the kind folks at foodbuzz, I had the honor and privilege of recreating this meal and sharing it with all of you.

This post really should be entitled “The Cratchits’ Christmas Dinner”, as it is as faithful a reproduction of the meal shared by the Cratchit family as is possible given my local resources and interpretation of the original manuscript.  Unfortunately, Mr. Dickens himself used that title when portions of “A Christmas Carol” was republished as short stories and so I chose not to steal his words for my own use. It could also have been titled “A comedy of errors and disappointments that really didn’t turn out disappointingly at all”, but that would have been rather long and drawn out, don’t you think?

Having said all that and given proper thanks to the folks that gifted me with the opportunity to try my hand at the single most iconic meal in the annals of Christmas itself, I’ll get into the meat of the thing, so to speak.  Please follow along with me as I follow in the tradition of Mr. Dickens and the Cratchits themselves. The story is full of twists and turns, a bit of drama and sorrow, but in the end, It turns out that I really do find the Christmas spirit in my heart (and a bottle or two), so the story does in fact have a happy ending.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Charles Dickens, christmas, Desserts, Dickens, Geese, Goose, Holiday, Holiday-Recipes, pudding, Recipes, Tiny tim

‘Tis the season once again.  with that comes the call for cookies, candies and other sweets to thrill and delight both young and old. (And not-so-old, as well.)  This year I’m trying to focus on the flavors of the season with a highlight on seasonal fruits, berries nuts and whatever else I can find that fits well with winter fare.  These cookies fit the bill for all of these things.

Cranberries are everywhere at this time of year, both in their plump and tart ripe state and in their dried form.  It was the latter that inspired me to make this recipe, which is adapted from one I found at Baking Bites and yet another I found somewhere else, but can’t remember at the moment.

These may not be traditional Christmas cookies for most people, but I think for my family they have just found a permanent place on my “must bake for the Holidays” list, along with my Aunt Thelma’s Tea cookies and my mothers peanut butter cookies.  they are crisp, light, pack a ton of flavor into every bite and were adored by my kids (and the neighbor’s kids).  Anything that gets the whole family rummaging at the cookie jar is a surefire winner for me, especially when the batch makes 48, so there is no need to double the recipe.

C’mon, put a little seasonal love in your holiday baking.  make these cookies.  Do it now!  I’ll continue when you get back…

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Holiday-Recipes, Recipes, sweets

Are you getting tired of turkey yet?  Do you need a new way to spice up that grand bird that graced your holiday table? Are you just sick-to-death of trying to find ways to get the last little bit out of your meal?

Whether you’re trying to reinvent a little more of your leftover bird or are just looking for a new way to incorporate turkey into your diet, this dish is for you.  In fact, you’d be hard pressed to tell it was turkey on the first bite. It has everything you’ve ever wanted in a last-time for this old bid recipe, along with a wealth of ideas for chicken or turkey dishes for anytime of the year.

In a word, it’s fabulous.  I highly recommend it.  You need to try this.  I’ll provide methods for both leftover poultry and for preparing the dish from scratch, just in case you love the idea but, like many homes, have already gone through any leftovers from your Holiday meals until December. (But hey, this would be great on a New Years table, too!)

The household taste-testers (being my son’s Lil’ E and Lil’ D) devoured a full half batch in minutes, with a startling number of “oooh’s and Ahhhh’s considering the amount of food they had packed in their mouths, so I deem this dish “kid tested and approved”. If those two will eat it, any kid will!  For me…  Well, I ate the other half batch while shooting the pics for the post, and I may have made about 6 or 8 one or two deformed tacos on purpose in the process.

You have to try this!

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: christmas, Holiday-Recipes, leftover recipes, Leftover Turkey Recipes, Recipes, Thanksgiving

I know I made a big stink in my cottage pie post about the fact that a pie like this cannot be called a shepherd’s pie unless it is made from minced lamb. Honestly though, I figure if a bunch of shepherd’s could get their hands on a wild turkey or other foul while out in the pasture, they probably would, so I’ll just rationalize it that way. OK?  If I’m horribly wrong on this point, be sure to let me know.

Regardless of whether you call this a shepherd’s pie or a cottage pie or a turkey pie, it’s still phenomenally good!  If you can imagine all the flavors of a holiday table concentrated by 100 times, you would be getting close to the immense flavor of this dish.  It’s so good in-fact, that I may just look forward to making this next year a little more than I look forward to the turkey itself.

If you still have any turkey and gravy left over, you’ve got to dive in and give this a try!

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: christmas, Holiday, Holiday-Recipes, Leftover Turkey Recipes, Recipes, Thanksgiving

Let me start by saying that this is not so much a recipe as it is a Thanksgiving stat of mind.  An embracing of all that was great about Thanksgiving dinner all in one bite.  A final embrace of feasting and gluttony for the day after turkey day.  This is the Pilgrim Sandwich, which could be considered the American version of the English “Bubble and Squeak.”

Whatever you call it, it’s a tradition in my house and I look forward to this the day after thanksgiving almost as much as I look forward to Thanksgiving dinner itself.  How could you not love it?  It’s the perfect brunch for the day after a feast and the perfect way to get through a bit of leftover… Well, a bit of leftover everything.

And did I mention that it’s fantastically good?

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: christmas, Holiday-Recipes, leftover recipes, Leftover Turkey Recipes, Thanksgiving, Turkey

From the archives.  One of our family’s all time favorite leftover turkey recipes. Stay tuned for more though!

I Promise that this will be the last of my leftover turkey recipes. By now we’re both most likely getting tired of turkey. Personally, I’ll be buying another while they’re still on sale, but it will be getting cut down into component parts and frozen for when the urge strikes later in the year.

This is a simple method for taking those last little bits of turkey and turning them into something hearty and filling at the same time. Total cook and prep time are less than 40 minutes, perfect for a quick meal after work,or a good hot lunch on the weekends. The addition of a ton of potatoes takes the focus off of the turkey and puts it on the vegetables which, in this case is exactly where it belongs.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: christmas, comfort foods, Holiday-Recipes, leftover recipes, Leftovers, Soups and Stews, Thanksgiving, Turkey

From the archives – What’s  a Holiday feast without mashed potatoes?  If this basic method can be modified to your liking, but yields strikingly good results all on its own.  Enjoy!

Yesterday I received a request through my wife for my mashed potato recipe. Honestly, I’d never thought to post it, because to me, it’s just one of those things that I make without thinking about it. I’ve been helping my mother make mashed spuds since I was six years old and I suppose I just assumed that everyone else had done the same. I really should know better by now, shouldn’t I?

As my wife kindly pointed out to me, there is a whole generation of people who grew up eating mashed potatoes primarily from a box or a tin. While I’ll admit to having used potato flakes, they simply don’t compare to the fresh alternative. (They do however, work wonderfully as a thickener in soups and stews, and are great at fixing a batch of fresh potatoes if too much liquid has been added, but that’s an entry for another time.)

Homemade mashed potatoes should not be daunting, nor are they complicated. The basic procedure is a simple 3 step process of boil, add flavorings and mash. Many of the more modern upscale recipes call for the use of a food mill or potato ricer. If you have either of these tools, by all means feel free to use them, but they aren’t strictly necessary. All you need is a mashing device. This can be a large fork or slotted spoon, a potato masher or a hand held mixer.

I’ll cover the basics here, then point out some additions and other tips at the end.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: basics, christmas, comfort foods, Holiday-Recipes, mashed, Potatoes, smashed, Thanksgiving

From the archives, just in time for a perfect Thanksgiving…

Cranberry sauce was always a staple on our holiday table when I was a child, but I must admit that I wasn’t fond of it until recently. My mother like most people from her generation, had a magical method for making cranberry sauce look exactly like a tin can. For the most part it tasted like one as well.

Fast forward a decade or two to the present, and I find that my wife is not only fond of cranberry sauce, but that she’s been making her own for years. As a newly married man I reluctantly agreed to try it last year, and was not only very pleasantly surprised, but nearly awed at the experience.

This sauce is fantastic. A perfect match for turkey, or even as a part of a parfait I’ve been thinking up. It could be drizzled over a shortcake, and nearly always gets “snuck” straight from the bowl at some point. If you’re thinking of placing cranberry sauce on your holiday table this year, you can’t go wrong with this one.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: christmas, cranberries, Fruit, Holiday-Recipes, sauces and glazes, Thanksgiving

From the archives.  My go-to giblet gravy.  sure to please a table of twenty or a table of two.  don’t waste those giblets!

Giblet gravy is one of the staples on my holiday table, and has been since my grandmother introduced me to it as a child. At the time this brown gravy was something different, even a bit exotic for a child who was raised on southern gravy. For me this succulent new flavor sensation became one of the things I looked forward to most at the holidays, which was the only time I’d ever had it.

Over the years I tried many times to perfect my grandmother’s recipe for this gravy without success. I suppose I’ll never get hers right, but this version has become my favorite, and is adapted from a recipe I got from a Safeway Select Magazine.

I’ve never looked back. It’s just that good.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: christmas, gravy, Holiday-Recipes, Thanksgiving, Turkey