Holidays are for hogs

It seems that when the holidays come around, we seem to forget our diets, our waistlines, our fear of carbs.

Every year, I go nuts and start making cookies, breads and x-mas dinner. Last year I made dinner for 14 people. It was fantastic. I loved it as did everyone else who was there.

This year, I went a little easier. Armed with my trusty Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines, I created a menu for our family meal.

The menu was as follows:

Roasted parsnip soup
Thyme roasted squash
Celeriac Mash
Chive and parsley oil mashed potatoes
Apple and shallot stuffing
Herb stuffed turkey

And for dessert, an chocolate orange buttercream yule log.



It was the first time I had ever attempted to make one. Word from the wise: Use parchment paper at all times when flipping the cake out of the pan. Read the instructions fully.

The best part of the holidays, are the cookies.



Everyone loves christmas cookies, perhaps even more than the boxes of chocolates and candies. I made three different types of cookies. Anise sesame cookies, molasses crinkles(which I dusted with icing sugar instead of sugar cystals) and my favourite, cardamom butter squares , which I dipped into white chocolate to make even more decadent. I wanted to share with you the recipes for these. Just click on the names of each cookie to get to epicurious.com for the recipes.



The holidays may be over but that doesn't mean you can't bake anymore! Enjoy!