One of my daughters wanted to start her own tradition of Christmas mornings with cinnamon rolls. I have to tell you making any type of bread without a bread machine is an art and I didn't have enough faith in my daughter's ability to make a good cinnamon roll. Boy!!! was I wrong!!!! First time she made the recipe, she nailed it and I was so proud of her. She even said they tasted very good. That's when I knew I needed to post one more final "Traditions" recipe.
The recipe was called Poertzelki or New Year's cookies. My grandmother would make the dough and then would add either raisins or chopped apples to her mixture. I know I've talked about my grandmother a lot but she had a lot of recipes from the "old country" and never hesitated to talk about our roots in Prussia. I guess that's why traditions are so important for me to hand down from generation to generation some of those "old country" recipes and stories told by my parents and grandparents.
One of my children has a blog and talked about her own grandparents who instilled the idea of traditions and the importance in her life. Both of her grandparents passed away last year and her blog touched my heart because she is starting her own family traditions of telling her children what's important in families. Her newly found recipe of cinnamon rolls and making them for Christmas morning will be something her husband and children will remember and think of traditions in their own family. I'm very proud of this daughter and her wonderful sense of traditions.
I hope you have enjoyed the German (Mennonite) recipes as much as I have. Enjoy and remember if you haven't started any traditions in your family, its never too late to make those memories.
Poertzelk - New Year's Cookies
3-4 cups flour - this should be a medium to slight stiff batter
3 cups raisins
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
6 eggs
2 packages of yeast
Pinch of Nutmeg
2 cups scalded milk
Mix all the ingredients and let rise 2 hours in a warm place. Then drop by spoon into hot oil. (350-375)
I don't know how many "cookies" this makes. If you want to make a modern version, use a cinnamon sugar and roll the "cookies" into this after frying.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Traditions - continued
Its 5 am and I couldn't sleep and thought I'd add a new post to this blog. Only 3 more days until Christmas.
Traditions are important for families and my joy has been in watching our children build their own traditions in their families. The memories of my childhood and growing up during the Christmas holidays hold some of the best times of my life. Hearing my Dad walking around the house on Christmas Eve saying "Have you been a good girl", or "Fee, Fi, Fo, Dum, I hear the sounds of Santa's sleigh" still echo in my mind.
One of the traditions I started as a single parent was to put my daughter to bed and then after would fall alseep I would go to her room door and shake bells to mimick Santa's bells. I would then wake her up and tell her Santa came and if she could hear the bells. My daughter would race out of bed to her Christmas Stocking with joy to see what Santa brought. Now I know this is a bit far-fetched, and eventually she figured it out, but having with Traditions and building your own is what family is alll about.
Christmas for my family is going to be a bit different than previous years. My wonderful husband and I decided to go to our place in Central Oregon for the holiday, sit outside under the covered deck with a cup of coffee and watch it snow. The holiday baking is done and the cookies have almost been destroyed so its time to make more cookies.
Many years ago, my mother introduced me to the final cookie that I make for the holidays. Its a Butter Rum Cookie that has another unique flavor and its best when eaten frozen. I know, I know, sounds pretty funny but some things are just better frozen and this cookie is one of those favorites I leave in the freezer and eat frozen. The tradition started when my mother was looking through some old magazines and found this diagonal shaped cookie. She would bake these and they would be gone in seconds. The glaze on top is made from a butter rum flavoring and powdered sugar giving this cookie just the right sweetness. I thought I'd only make one batch this year, but they disappeared so quickly I'm making another one.
Enjoy your family this holiday season and treasure every moment. If you don't already have a tradition specific to your family, now is the time to build a tradition giving your family wonderful memories throughout the years.
Butter Rum Cookies
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter - room temperature
1 cup sweeted flaked coconut
3 drops yellow food coloring
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add coconut and cream a bit longer. Add the food coloring. Start working the flour into the dough until it is blended. This may take a while and you may have to use your hands to work in the last cup of flour. Once the dough sticks together, line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using your hands shape 3 long logs about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick for one baking sheet. Using your two forefingers, flatten the logs leaving a ridge where the two forefingers meet. This batch will make 5 logs. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown. While hot, spoon a glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon water and 2 drops butter rum flavoring. Spoon this over the logs and allow to cool another 5 minutes. With a sharp knife and while still warm, start cutting the logs into a 1 1/2 inch piece in a diagonal direction. After the logs cool completely, carefully remove the cut cookies onto a cooling rack. Freeze like I do or just eat them without freezing. Either way, they are good no matter whether frozen or room temperatur.
Traditions are important for families and my joy has been in watching our children build their own traditions in their families. The memories of my childhood and growing up during the Christmas holidays hold some of the best times of my life. Hearing my Dad walking around the house on Christmas Eve saying "Have you been a good girl", or "Fee, Fi, Fo, Dum, I hear the sounds of Santa's sleigh" still echo in my mind.
One of the traditions I started as a single parent was to put my daughter to bed and then after would fall alseep I would go to her room door and shake bells to mimick Santa's bells. I would then wake her up and tell her Santa came and if she could hear the bells. My daughter would race out of bed to her Christmas Stocking with joy to see what Santa brought. Now I know this is a bit far-fetched, and eventually she figured it out, but having with Traditions and building your own is what family is alll about.
Christmas for my family is going to be a bit different than previous years. My wonderful husband and I decided to go to our place in Central Oregon for the holiday, sit outside under the covered deck with a cup of coffee and watch it snow. The holiday baking is done and the cookies have almost been destroyed so its time to make more cookies.
Many years ago, my mother introduced me to the final cookie that I make for the holidays. Its a Butter Rum Cookie that has another unique flavor and its best when eaten frozen. I know, I know, sounds pretty funny but some things are just better frozen and this cookie is one of those favorites I leave in the freezer and eat frozen. The tradition started when my mother was looking through some old magazines and found this diagonal shaped cookie. She would bake these and they would be gone in seconds. The glaze on top is made from a butter rum flavoring and powdered sugar giving this cookie just the right sweetness. I thought I'd only make one batch this year, but they disappeared so quickly I'm making another one.
Enjoy your family this holiday season and treasure every moment. If you don't already have a tradition specific to your family, now is the time to build a tradition giving your family wonderful memories throughout the years.
Butter Rum Cookies
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter - room temperature
1 cup sweeted flaked coconut
3 drops yellow food coloring
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add coconut and cream a bit longer. Add the food coloring. Start working the flour into the dough until it is blended. This may take a while and you may have to use your hands to work in the last cup of flour. Once the dough sticks together, line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using your hands shape 3 long logs about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick for one baking sheet. Using your two forefingers, flatten the logs leaving a ridge where the two forefingers meet. This batch will make 5 logs. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown. While hot, spoon a glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon water and 2 drops butter rum flavoring. Spoon this over the logs and allow to cool another 5 minutes. With a sharp knife and while still warm, start cutting the logs into a 1 1/2 inch piece in a diagonal direction. After the logs cool completely, carefully remove the cut cookies onto a cooling rack. Freeze like I do or just eat them without freezing. Either way, they are good no matter whether frozen or room temperatur.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Traditions - continued
Only 11 more days until Christmas.
One of the recipes my Grandmother and mother made during the Christmas holidays was a small cookie made the size of a penny. Can you imagine a cookie that small? My family grew up with this cookie made only during the holidays. My grandmother could tell you the name of the cookie in a minute but none of the grandchildren were able to pronounce it so we nicknamed the cookie, "Pappenate" (pape-a-nate). The real name however is Pfeffernussee.
My mother called this cookie, "Poor man's cookies" because she grew up in a poor home and they had little resources. The cookie uses dark corn syrup, shortening and flour as the main ingrediants so hence the name of "Poor man's cookies."
Depending on the German background, each family had its own twist to this cookie. Some families would put cinnamon and nutmeg in their mix and some would make it bigger than my mother but essentually the baisc recipe was the same. My mother said to get just the texture, you needed to beat the mix with a wooden spoon (sorry, no mixers allowed).
Each Christmas, my mother would make 2-3 batches of this cookie and gave them to each son or daughter's family making sure everyone knew about the tradition of this German cookie. One of our daughters says this cookie is her favorite and my mom would give her a container full of these cookies just for this daughter because she would eat them all anyway. HAHA. This year, I want to make sure this daughter still has her own container to share with her friends.
Last year when my parents' health was failing, members of our family ventured to make the cookie and take little bags to my mom and dad in the care facility. The cookie again used the basic recipe but the taste varied differently among the families. One of my friends asked me the other night how these cookies tasted and I didn't have an answer because they are a unique flavor. You decide. The cookies are best eaten with a cup of coffee or you can let them melt in your mouth.
Here you go for Pfeffernussee:
2 cups dark corn syrup
2 cups white sugar
1 cup shortening (DO NOT USE BUTTER) Lard is even better if you have it
1 1/2 teaspoon sale
2 teaspoon baking powder
7 cups flour
1/4 cup milk
Mix the dark corn syrup, sugar and shortening WITH A WOODEN SPOON (you can use a regular spoon if you like), until the mix looks white and fluffy. This process will take about 10 minutes of hand mixing. (Remember no mixers are allowed with this cookie).
Add the dry ingrediants alternately with the milk and mix together to form a stiff dough. Take a handful of dough and roll into a 1/2 inch log and with a sharp knife, cut into small pieces 1/2 to 3/4 inch long. Drop the pieces onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees until very light golden. The cookies will flatten out and look about the size of a penny when they're done. Cook on a wire rack. When cool, put the cookies into an airtight container and enjoy all Christmas season long. Once the cookies are cool, they are hard and ready for eating.
One of the recipes my Grandmother and mother made during the Christmas holidays was a small cookie made the size of a penny. Can you imagine a cookie that small? My family grew up with this cookie made only during the holidays. My grandmother could tell you the name of the cookie in a minute but none of the grandchildren were able to pronounce it so we nicknamed the cookie, "Pappenate" (pape-a-nate). The real name however is Pfeffernussee.
My mother called this cookie, "Poor man's cookies" because she grew up in a poor home and they had little resources. The cookie uses dark corn syrup, shortening and flour as the main ingrediants so hence the name of "Poor man's cookies."
Depending on the German background, each family had its own twist to this cookie. Some families would put cinnamon and nutmeg in their mix and some would make it bigger than my mother but essentually the baisc recipe was the same. My mother said to get just the texture, you needed to beat the mix with a wooden spoon (sorry, no mixers allowed).
Each Christmas, my mother would make 2-3 batches of this cookie and gave them to each son or daughter's family making sure everyone knew about the tradition of this German cookie. One of our daughters says this cookie is her favorite and my mom would give her a container full of these cookies just for this daughter because she would eat them all anyway. HAHA. This year, I want to make sure this daughter still has her own container to share with her friends.
Last year when my parents' health was failing, members of our family ventured to make the cookie and take little bags to my mom and dad in the care facility. The cookie again used the basic recipe but the taste varied differently among the families. One of my friends asked me the other night how these cookies tasted and I didn't have an answer because they are a unique flavor. You decide. The cookies are best eaten with a cup of coffee or you can let them melt in your mouth.
Here you go for Pfeffernussee:
2 cups dark corn syrup
2 cups white sugar
1 cup shortening (DO NOT USE BUTTER) Lard is even better if you have it
1 1/2 teaspoon sale
2 teaspoon baking powder
7 cups flour
1/4 cup milk
Mix the dark corn syrup, sugar and shortening WITH A WOODEN SPOON (you can use a regular spoon if you like), until the mix looks white and fluffy. This process will take about 10 minutes of hand mixing. (Remember no mixers are allowed with this cookie).
Add the dry ingrediants alternately with the milk and mix together to form a stiff dough. Take a handful of dough and roll into a 1/2 inch log and with a sharp knife, cut into small pieces 1/2 to 3/4 inch long. Drop the pieces onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees until very light golden. The cookies will flatten out and look about the size of a penny when they're done. Cook on a wire rack. When cool, put the cookies into an airtight container and enjoy all Christmas season long. Once the cookies are cool, they are hard and ready for eating.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Traditions - continued
I've talked a lot about growing up in the country on a farm and my Grandmother. She lived only 1/4 of a mile from our house so as a kid, walking to her house was fun plus she was in the kitchen most times cooking or baking. Walking into her house was fun because you never knew what she had been making but her house smelled so good.
My grandmother loved to entertain and to help her out, she would "hire" me for her dinners where I would help to prepare the food, serve the food and then clean up. This gave her the opportunity to be the quintessential hostess.
Helping out in the kitchen was fun and I loved to "show-off" my culinary talents by making danish pastry, yeast bread and also desserts. During the Christmas holidays helping my grandmother was the most fun and besides, I'd be the first to try out her specialities. One of those specialities was Zwiebach. This is a German bread our family would make EVERY (yes every) Saturday. Since Germans typically ate their main meal at noon, I would have this bread just coming out of the oven in time for "dinner". Then for supper, the main menu would be leftover Zwiebach with milk mixed together in a bowl, some type of cold cuts and some type of canned fruit. The key to good Zwiebach is to "kanniep (prounced Kanneep) the small balls into a stacked roll. Learning this technique took me several years to master but I was eventually able to get it right.
Zwiebach
2 cups scalded milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup lard or shortening
Mix the scalded milk together with the sugar and lard. Add
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages dry acting yeast
1/2 cup warm water
In the warm water, add the yeast and let it develop for approximately 5 minutes. Set aside.
In the liquid mixture, add 2 cups of flour and beat the mixture until it is elastic. Add yeast mixture and beat again. Add 2 more cups of flour and continue beating until elastic. Add 2 more cups of flour and beat again. Let rest for 10 minutes with a damp towel over the bowl.
Turn dough out onto a floured board or surface and knead for 10 minutes until elastic adding flour gradually while kneading. You know when you're done when the dough bounces back when you poke it.
Place the dough in a greased bowl covered with the damp towel. Let rise until double. Punch down and let rise again for about 45 minutes. Pinch off a handful of dough with greased hands using your thumb and forefinger, "kanniep" (or cut with your fingers) a medium ball. Using the same technique, "kanniep" a smaller ball and place on top of the medium ball. Using your forefinger, punch the to of the stacked balls to make sure they stay together. Continue this until all the dough has been used up. Let rise until double. Bake at 400 degrees until light golden. This makes two cookie sheets worth of rolls.
You can eat these right out of the oven or later.
I don't make these often but for special occasions, I'll pull out all the stops and create the Zwiebach.
If you want to make this a modernized recipe, cut the recipe in half and use a bread mixer or stand alone mixer to make the dough. Be sure to place the "wet" ingrediants first in the bread mixer and then add the flour, and sugar last.
My grandmother loved to entertain and to help her out, she would "hire" me for her dinners where I would help to prepare the food, serve the food and then clean up. This gave her the opportunity to be the quintessential hostess.
Helping out in the kitchen was fun and I loved to "show-off" my culinary talents by making danish pastry, yeast bread and also desserts. During the Christmas holidays helping my grandmother was the most fun and besides, I'd be the first to try out her specialities. One of those specialities was Zwiebach. This is a German bread our family would make EVERY (yes every) Saturday. Since Germans typically ate their main meal at noon, I would have this bread just coming out of the oven in time for "dinner". Then for supper, the main menu would be leftover Zwiebach with milk mixed together in a bowl, some type of cold cuts and some type of canned fruit. The key to good Zwiebach is to "kanniep (prounced Kanneep) the small balls into a stacked roll. Learning this technique took me several years to master but I was eventually able to get it right.
Zwiebach
2 cups scalded milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup lard or shortening
Mix the scalded milk together with the sugar and lard. Add
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages dry acting yeast
1/2 cup warm water
In the warm water, add the yeast and let it develop for approximately 5 minutes. Set aside.
In the liquid mixture, add 2 cups of flour and beat the mixture until it is elastic. Add yeast mixture and beat again. Add 2 more cups of flour and continue beating until elastic. Add 2 more cups of flour and beat again. Let rest for 10 minutes with a damp towel over the bowl.
Turn dough out onto a floured board or surface and knead for 10 minutes until elastic adding flour gradually while kneading. You know when you're done when the dough bounces back when you poke it.
Place the dough in a greased bowl covered with the damp towel. Let rise until double. Punch down and let rise again for about 45 minutes. Pinch off a handful of dough with greased hands using your thumb and forefinger, "kanniep" (or cut with your fingers) a medium ball. Using the same technique, "kanniep" a smaller ball and place on top of the medium ball. Using your forefinger, punch the to of the stacked balls to make sure they stay together. Continue this until all the dough has been used up. Let rise until double. Bake at 400 degrees until light golden. This makes two cookie sheets worth of rolls.
You can eat these right out of the oven or later.
I don't make these often but for special occasions, I'll pull out all the stops and create the Zwiebach.
If you want to make this a modernized recipe, cut the recipe in half and use a bread mixer or stand alone mixer to make the dough. Be sure to place the "wet" ingrediants first in the bread mixer and then add the flour, and sugar last.
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