… the world’s tastiest gingerbread cookies, though not entirely structurally sound (made them too thick, nice and cakey, but a little too crumbly for the toddler).

Your favorite recipes of 2008 …

10 …Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

9 … Watermelon Gazpacho

8 … Creamy Apple Celery Soup

7 … Rainier Cherry Glazed Pork Chops

6 … Organic Spiced Cranberry Sauce

5 … Zesty Green Beans Almondine

4 … Zucchini Tagliatelle Alfredo

3 … Pork Chops with Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce

2 … Cranberry Baked Brie

and #1 …

Squash Blossoms Rellena de Oyamel
(Thank you, Chef Raffa!)

Want to swap favorite recipes? Look me up on StumbleUpon.

On the sixth day of Christmas…

This one is bittersweet as it is the final batch of cider from Distillery Lane Ciderworks, provided through our milk delivery service from October through December. It’s the only juice we regularly drink, and the toddler is quite infatuated with his “appy cidey.” This version is for the grown-ups only, though of course you can simply omit the rum for your little ones!

Recipe: Gingered Apple Cider

Ingredients:

• 1 quart fresh apple cider
• 1/2 cup ginger simple syrup (or a peeled chunk of fresh ginger)
• 2 clementines, zest and juice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Rum

Instructions: Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and pour into mugs. Add rum if desired, and enjoy!

On the fifth day of Christmas…

… and ready for New Year’s Eve! Recipe over at Cheese & Champagne.

On the fourth day of Christmas…

Spice-crusted ham and maple-mustard sauce from Gourmet; Hoosier corn pudding (below).

Recipe: Hoosier Corn Pudding
This recipe comes from a former coworker’s grandmother from Indiana, hence the name. It is the ultimate fast comfort food side dish, but the Jiffy mix is its dirty little secret. We never buy canned corn (to my husband’s chagrin), so this is an extra special holiday treat.

Ingredients:

• 1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 15-ounce can corn, drained
• 1 15-ounce can creamed corn, with liquid
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• pinch salt

Instructions: Lightly oil a 9×13-inch baking dish. Mix together first 3 ingredients until well combined, then add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into baking dish and bake for 1 hour, until puffy, fully set and golden on top. Enjoy!

On the third day of Christmas…

adapted from Ina Garten’s coconut marshmallows, topped with crushed, organic candy canes.

On the second day of Christmas…

a la Eric Ripert

Happy Boxing Day!

Merry Christmas!

I am officially working only one day of the next twelve, and am looking forward to quality time in the kitchen with the toddler. (Or alone while the toddler is distracted with all his new toys!) Here are the twelve treats, sweet and savory, on my “to do” list. Some are new, some are family traditions. I grew up having clam chowder on Christmas Eve, but the husband doesn’t like clams so we’re going with Shrimp & Crab Bisque this year. (With local Chesapeake blue crab.) Christmas morning, my dad got corned beef hash in his stocking and we’d cook it for breakfast before we could open the rest of our presents. I could never have Christmas without hash and my Italian panettone!

1. Gingerbread Trains
2. Painted Sugar Cookies
3. Mantecaditos
4. Snowball Cookies
5. Strufoli
6. Cheddar Cheese Ball
7. Salted Caramels
8. Shrimp & Crab Bisque
9. Corned Beef Hash & Eggs
10. Christmas Ham & Hoosier Corn Pudding
11. Hot Apple Cider with Rum
12. Marshmallows

Happy baking and eating to all!

Still on the hunt for a few last-minute gifts? Give the gift that gives back with raffle tickets for the Menu for Hope fundraiser, benefiting the World Food Programme.

You can give a chance to win the Foodie Tot’s favorite marshmallows & autographed copy of Ina Garten’s newest book, or check out other great prizes from foodbloggers around the world. Just don’t go up against me for two tickets to a taping of Iron Chef America. Or my favorite Rogue River Blue Cheeses. But whichever gifts you choose, Ms. Adventures in Italy (great blog!) has prepared gift vouchers you can print or email with your gift. All from the comfort of your computer.

Washington, DC, Foodie Gifts

• If you’re braving the chill in DC to finish your shopping, you can give the gift of good food with a gift certificate to one of DC’s local food supporting restaurants: Equinox, Restaurant Eve, Vidalia, Vermilion, Blue Duck Tavern, Founding Farmers, Corduroy, or kid-friendly Clyde’s.
• Pack up a cheese gift bucket (supporting small farms and artisan cheesemakers) at Cowgirl Creamery or Cheesetique (open 11am-5pm on Christmas Eve).
• And for the little foodie, check out the kid-geared cookie cutters and PVC-free vinyl aprons at Hill’s Kitchen (open 10am-7pm on Christmas Eve). I picked up train cookie cutters for my toddler, and a football cookie cutter and butterfly cookie press for some friends.

Green Wrapping

I’ve been wrapping food gifts in reusable kitchen towels since before Poland Spring was making “eco-friendly” plastic bottles. Spare yourself the picked-over selection of paper gift wrap left in the store and head to the kitchen section for a more sustainable gift wrap. (I like MU’s bamboo dish towels, available at Hill’s Kitchen or online.)

Books for Little Foodies

If you don’t have a kitchen boutique near you, check out Erin Cooks‘ and Serious Eats‘ guides to food-centered children’s books for some great suggestions.

Happy shopping - keep warm out there!

PS Alexandrian’s, stop by and see Tom the Cheese Guy on Saturday, December 27, in the Del Ray market lot. Unless the roads ice over, he’ll be bringing his farm-fresh dairy products down from Pennsylvania all winter long. Smith Meadows has also been there with a small selection of winter produce to supplement their meat and fresh pastas.