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Almost as divisive an issue as Gefilte Fish (OK, maybe not), fruitcake either makes people recoil in horror, or light up with joy at the sight of it… Actually, are there people out there who light up with joy at the sight of fruitcake? Here and now is your chance to let us know; is fruitcake a yeah or a nay? (Answer the poll or leave a comment, or both!)

Fruitcake: Yea or Nay?
( surveys )

Read our thoughts on the matter in our Fruitcake Holiday Tasting Lab.

Happy Holidays!

Continue here: Question of the Week: Fruitcake - Yea or Nay?

You certainly don’t need to twist my arm to go taste a little dessert! When I was invited to a baking demonstration involving almonds and dessert last month, I happily trotted off hoping to get some new yummy recipes to share. Well I got a bag-full, and, learned a thing or two about almonds that may make for good kitchen trivia. Did you know? • Ounce per ounce, almonds are the most nutrient-dense tree nut, packed with protein, vitamins (E) and minerals (magnesium, iron) • The recommended serving size is approximately 23 almonds – a handful • 70 of the world’s commercially sold almonds come from California • Franciscan Padres brought the almond tree to California from Spain • The Romans showered newlyweds with almonds as a fertility charm • Giving away five almonds as a wedding favour (also know as “bomboniere”) is an Italian tradition, symbolizing the five qualities of a happy marriage: health, wealth, happiness, fertility and longevity Aside from the trivia however, there’s a reason why I’m highlighting the almond today – ‘tis the season! Almonds are all over holiday recipes – Mince Pie, Trifle, stuffing, Chanukah Almond Cookies, marzipan, etc. I went to the almond baking demo with new recipes in mind, and new recipes I got – Joanne Yolles, Pastry Chef of Toronto’s Pangea restaurant and a regular contributor to Canadian Living and Chatelaine , made our jaws drop as she whipped up an almond butter cake, almond snap cookies and cranberry semifreddo with toasted almond meringue in less than two hours. Almond Butter Cake, by Joanne Yolles INGREDIENTS • ½ cup all purpose flour • 1 tsp. baking powder • ½ cup ground almonds • 10 oz. almond paste • 6 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature • ¾ cup sugar • 5 large eggs, at room temperature • 2 tbsp. brandy Garnish: icing sugar and melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate DIRECTIONS • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 10-inch cake pan or spring form pan with parchment paper. (For individual cakes, the batter may be baked in 12 individual cake rings lined with parchment paper, or in deep muffin tins that have been buttered and floured.) • Sift together the flour and baking powder. Stir in the ground almonds and set aside. • Place the almond paste and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beginning on low speed, beat until blended. Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until the butter and almond paste are smooth and no lumps remain. Continuing to beat, gradually add the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, then the brandy. Continue beating until the mixture has lightened in colour and is very fluffy. • On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix just until roughly combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and with a rubber spatula, fold the batter until smooth. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. • Bake in the centre of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden and the edges of the cake just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Place on a wire rack to cool before turning out of the pan. • Wrap in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight or for up to 2 days. • Just before serving, sift icing sugar over the cake and pipe or drizzle thin lines of melted chocolate over top. Serve with poached pears, lightly sweetened whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and Honey Almond Clusters – recipe follows. Honey Almond Clusters INGREDIENTS • 1 tbsp. honey • 1 tbsp. corn syrup • 1 tbsp. sugar • 1 cup slivered almonds DIRECTIONS • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. • In a bowl, combine the honey, corn syrup and sugar. Add the almonds and stir to coat well. • Place the nut mixture in an even layer on the parchment lined baking sheet. • Bake in oven for 4-5 minutes until the nuts begin to bubble, then stir every few minutes until the nuts are evenly browned and shiny. Remove from oven and cool completely. Once cool, break into even size clusters. Almond Snap Cookies, by Joanne Yolles INGREDIENTS • 2 oz. unsalted butter • 6 tbsp. dark brown sugar • ¼ cup corn syrup • 6 tbsp. all purpose flour • ½ tsp. almond extract • ¾ cup sliced natural almonds DIRECTIONS • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. • Put the butter in a saucepan and place over medium heat to melt the butter. • Continue heating the butter until it begins to turn brown and has a nutty aroma. • Remove from heat then stir in the brown sugar and corn syrup. Add the flour and almond extract and stir to combine. Fold in the sliced almonds. • Drop the batter by teaspoons onto the baking sheet, spacing them about 2 ½ inches apart – the cookies will spread as they bake. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. • Remove from oven and allow to cool. The cookies may be left in free form shapes, or cut, while still warm, with a cookie cutter. • The batter can be made ahead and refrigerated. Cranberry Semifreddo with Toasted Almond Meringue, by Joanne Yolles This dessert consists of three layers: a cranberry semifreddo, cranberry sorbet and crunchy toasted almond meringue. Cranberry Semifreddo INGREDIENTS • 6 oz. fresh cranberries • ½ cup sugar • ½ cup water • ¼ vanilla bean DIRECTIONS • Line the bottom and sides of a 9 – inch square cake pan with parchment paper and set aside. • Combine the cranberries, sugar and water in a saucepan. • Cut the vanilla bean in half horizontally and scrape the black seeds into the cranberry mixture. Add the bean. • Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and continue simmering until the cranberries are soft, but not falling apart, 5-7 minutes. • Remove from heat and cool completely. Remove the vanilla bean. Yolk Mixture INGREDIENTS • 2 large eggs, separated • 1 tbsp. water • 2 tbsp. plus ¼ cup sugar • ¼ vanilla bean • 1 cup 35 cream, whipped until stiff • fresh raspberries or poached cranberries • lemon balm or mint leaves To serve , crush some of the almond meringue in small pieces and place onto each serving plate. Place a portion of semifreddo on top of meringue. Spoon a quenelle (smooth oval shape) of whipped cream onto each serving and arrange shards of meringue on cream. Dust lightly with icing sugar. Place fresh raspberries or poached cranberries around the semifreddo, garnish with lemon balm or mint leaves and serve.

Continue here:
All About Almonds: Great Holiday Dessert Recipes and Some Almond Trivia

Last week I had an opportunity to meet one of Ontario’s foremost healthy lifestyle movers and shakers — author, wellness coach, caterer and (an enviably toned) mother of four Rose Reisman . If you don’t recognize her watchful smile from the menus of Toronto’s upscale chain The Pickle Barrel – Rose has teamed up with the longstanding restaurant to develop healthy choice items, all under 500 calories (you may recognize her from her countless appearances on Canadian radio and television talk shows). So when I was offered it, I jumped at the opportunity to chat with Rose, at her sprawling mid-century-modern ranch-style home in Toronto, no less. I found her impeccably dressed in a kitchen filled to the ceiling fans with ingredients, testing recipes for a new book due out next year. Elana Safronsky: New book? Rose Reisman: Yes! A little daunting but very exciting. Today we’re doing the fish chapter, starting with halibut with a walnut and cranberry stuffing; it’ll be all about family cooking. Getting families back to the table, to begin fixing the rising obesity problem stemming from the demise of dinner. E.S.: You talk a lot about healthy but gourmet-style meals, what does that mean? R.R.: Simply this: Well balanced, fresh, delicious food! At Rose Reisman Catering for example, we don’t use heavy butter or lots of mayo, but whole grains and whole grain breads, only fresh, roasted meats for sandwiches – no smoked meats, because smoked meats are cured or preserved with nitrates, which is a carcinogen – delicious vegetables, and basically high quality proteins and complex carbohydrates in as tasty and healthy a form as possible. E.S.: What’s a good, healthy alternative to the heavy holiday mains? R.R.: What I like to do is get some boneless, rolled turkey breast and fill it with a great stuffing of grains, wild rice or quinoa for example, and maybe spinach, roll it up and roast it. It’s easy to cook, especially if you get a meat thermometer, and then there’s no waste as with a whole bird. I also make a great meatloaf… E.S.: I find meatloaf to be one of those things that if you buy it, god knows what’s in it, but if you make it, you can be really creative while controlling exactly what goes in there… R.R.: Exactly! I like to fill it with things like roasted pepper and goat cheese, so when you slice it, the layers show in this beautiful pattern. I do one with beautiful roast vegetables on top and one with a baked mash on top for the kids, but my all-time favourite is the Hoisin garlic meatloaf! The Hoisin sauce keeps it moist and it’s just so delicious! [See recipe below!] E.S.: What about easy, healthy sides? R.R.: I love a mash – I don’t use butter, I use olive oil, roasted garlic, caramelized onions. Sweet potato mash is quick and easy – add some cinnamon, a little maple syrup, some olive oil. You can also do a swirl of the two – white and sweet – and it looks magnificent. Sweet potato oven-baked wedges, or Yukon Gold baked wedges are also good, but anything darker in colour, such as the sweet potato, has more vitamins in it – keep that in mind. The sweet potato is a complex carbohydrate full of antioxidants and beta carotene, which will keep you full three times longer than the white potato. [In the middle of our interview, Rose’s youngest son Adam tries to
sneak by us with a pizza box – unfortunately he didn’t go unseen.] Rose Reisman: Let me see that! Didn’t I teach you anything about healthy eating? We made him flip open the lid to discover a less than gigantic, thin-crust pizza with chicken and vegetables. R.R.:
You see? He knows. He can’t come home with greasy wings or cheese and
sausage pizza. He knows to at least order something with healthy
protein and no grease. Good boy! You can go. We continue… E.S.: How badly do we overeat at holiday time? R.R.: We take in about three times more than our regular caloric intake over the holidays. Recommended intake for an active adult woman is maybe 1500 to 1600 calories a day. For a man, 2500. During the holidays that number easily triples. The butter-basted turkey, stuffing cooked in its fat, gravy made of its fat and a cup of nog — that’s an easy 1000 calories right there! E.S.: What do we do? R.R.: Eat regularly throughout the day. VERY important. If you’re cooking, keep a large bowl of sliced veggies by your side, because you will be snacking on the food. If you’re going to a party, please do not starve yourself until then; you’re likely to take in twice as many calories. The smart thing to do in fact is to eat something before you go, that way you won’t dive for the first thing you see, and will make better choices. E.S.: Any suggestion on how to keep it cheap and cheerful for entertaining? R.R.: The best thing to keep a party under budget is buffet-style. You can tailor it to whatever budget you want. Get reusable or compostable dinner ware to avoid renting or buying more dishware and make a spread of a few options – variety always keeps people happy. Most importantly, keep people occupied with fun touches – I’ve already bought some stuff I’d like to show you: These question cards [come in a myriad of holiday and celebration themes, including Chanukkah] are great for getting a conversation going, and you can use them year after year – there are plenty of questions. And these I absolutely LOVE. A great alternative to candy, these are chocolate covered sunflower seeds, in festive colour schemes . You can scatter these on the buffet table and all over flat surfaces for people to pick at. They’re simply great.” [Also available in Chanukkah colour schemes.] E.S.: How do you get through your busy days, especially surrounded by food? R.R.: I start with a salad bowl full of fresh fruit, and maybe some yogurt. And I’m always snacking on vegetables [she points to a case-in-point, resting on the counter by her chopping station.] I wake up at 4:45 am, work out for an hour, and go, go, go until about 11:30 pm. This is why health is so important – it’s number one. The only reason I can do what I do is because, knock wood, I have my health. Rose Reisman’s Hoisin Garlic Meatloaf with Oyster Mushrooms and Bell Peppers Nutritional Info: Per 1 Slice Calories: 240 Protein: 19g Fat: 12g Saturated Fat 3.6g Carbohydrates: 13g Cholesterol: 63mg Sodium: 299mg Fibre: 2.3g INGREDIENTS • 2 tsp vegetable oil • 1/2 cup chopped onion • 1 cup chopped oyster mushrooms • 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers • 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce • 1 Tbsp water • 2 tsp finely chopped garlic • 2 tsp sesame oil • 2 tsp minced fresh ginger • 2 tsp sesame oil • 2 tsp rice vinegar • 1 lb extra-lean ground beef • 1/4 cup dry seasoned breadcrumbs • 1/4 cup chopped green onions • 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley • 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce • 1 tsp minced fresh ginger • 1 large egg • 2 Tbsp water • 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce • 1 tsp sesame oil DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with cooking oil. For the filling, lightly spray a non-stick skillet with cooking oil, add the vegetable oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion for three minutes. Add the mushrooms and bell pepper and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, water, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and rice vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Set aside. For the meat mixture, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, green onion, cilantro, hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic and egg. Mix well. Turn the mixture out onto waxed paper and pat into an approximate 10-inch square. Spread the vegetable filling over meatloaf and roll it up jelly-roll style with the help of the waxed paper. Place in the prepared loaf pan, seam side down. For the glaze, whisk the water, Hoisin sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl. Pour over the meatloaf and bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees F. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before inverting the pan and slicing. GIVEAWAY: Lucky me, I managed to get some copies of Ruth’s last book,
The Complete Light Kitchen , which is certainly a must-have if you’re
looking for easy, healthy alternatives to traditional fare (if she can
do it for a traditionally deli-style restaurant like the Pickle Barrel,
anything is possible). I’m giving away two copies, and for a chance to
receive one simply correctly answer the following question: What is
the name of Rose’s top event chef ? Email your answers to
blogATfoodtvDOTca with Rose Riesman in the subject line. ( Please see contest rules .)

Credit:
Rose Reisman on Holiday Pigouts, Healthy Alternatives, Party Tips, and a Giveaway

Christmas is less than two weeks away which means my favourite time of the year is finally approaching – festive meal planning! I revel in the joy of planning a big holiday dinner as it means I get to spend time pouring over family recipes, reminiscing about holiday meals past and deciding which dishes to over-indulge in this year.
The one dish that I always come back to is my mother’s creamy mashed potatoes. In previous years, I’ve had every intention of trying out a new potato dish, but the nostalgic feeling I get when diving into the casserole dish loaded with butter, sour cream and potatoes keeps me coming back to an old time classic.
So again this year while flipping through the worn pages of my recipe book, the first thing I went for was the coveted creamy mashed potatoes. It wouldn’t be the holidays without them.
What is your favourite holiday dish? (Pictured: Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes from Michael Smith )

Apparently, this idea is all over the cheese and chocolate radar, so I thought I’d investigate for myself. I love my cheese and I love my chocolate, so why not a marriage of the two? Well, I don’t know… I got the chance to attend a somewhat clandestine cheese and chocolate tasting at Toronto’s Cava Restaurant , hosted by Chef/owner Chris McDonald, and I found it…an interesting experience. Why clandestine? Well it felt like it anyway. In attendance were Chef McDonald, Xococava’s (McDonald’s Spanish-themed confectionery shop, adjacent to the restaurant) chocolatier Laura White, a few Cava associates, an LCBO wine aficionado who attended in ‘civilian’ clothes and requested to remain nameless, and myself. Not exactly a party. But we were there to do business, which is to say, pin down some winning combinations between Xococava’s exotic truffles and an artisanal selection of Nancy’s cheeses, in pursuit of a new foodie divertissement. The verdict? Not exactly sure. I found the combo to be a little rich-on-rich, (what with the cheese and truffles an’all) but still definitely enjoyable. The wine expert attended at Chef McDonald’s behest, with the thought that a little wine would help the palate make an interesting flavour connection between the cheese and chocolate. And it did, I’m just not sure I’d need to taste it again. Actually, some of the combos really changed the flavour of the wine, and not visa versa. Torbreck’s “Steading,” a supple and versatile red from the Barossa Valley for example, turned bitter and unpleasantly cutting after a taste of some cheese and chocolate. Between the cheese and the chocolate, the taste experience dipped to one side or the other, as the Mountain Cranberry truffle overpowered the goat cheese, or the Beemster cheese the Preserved Lemon truffle, and so on. Here are some combinations that the group found most notable, myself included: 1. Vento D’Estate cheese (robust Italian cow’s milk cheese, apparently aged beneath a blanket of hay, contributing to its herbacious flavour) and Rosemary and Honey truffle Comments: the cheese pleasantly brought out the rosemary in the truffle 2. Beemster cheese (a salty, strong, caramel-coloured cow’s milk cheese originating in Holland) and Gianduia (originally Italian, sweet milk chocolate with hazelnut paste) truffle Comments: Beemster was found to be such a strong cheese, the only truffle to tame its salt was the nutty sweetness of the milk chocolate Gianduia 3. Idiazabal cheese (firm cheese hailing from Basque country in Spain, made from unpasturized sheep’s milk with a rich, nutty, slightly smokey flavour) and Fennel Pollen truffle Comments: The fennel in the truffle proved a lovely marriage with the smooth nuttiness of the cheese 4. Chèvre (soft goat’s milk cheese originating in Mediterranean France) and Fennel Pollen truffle Comments; the Mountain Cranberry truffle proved to be too strong for the cheese, so the Fennel Pollen won again - it was the perfect match 5. Chèvre Noir (firm goat’s milk cheese made with a cheddar-like process, only in Quebec, Canada) and Black Trumpet Mushroom truffle Comments: the mustiness of the truffle worked nicely with the acidity of the Chèvre Noir General Observations: A very useful exercise with surprising results. White chocolate proved the most difficult to match with any of the cheeses, and despite the quality reds that accompanied the exercise, the best match turned out to be the mildly sweet, fruity and lush Chamarré Jurancon, 2003, (apparently sold out at the LCBO in Ontario, but there are other wines similar to this one that you may want to ask about). What I take away from this is that if you’re wont to explore and provoke the palette, this is great for an evening’s entertainment with like-minded friends. Get some of your favourite cheeses, a nice selection of fine chocolate – flavoured truffles are not necessarily – and a few bottles of what you think are appropriate wines, and get to tasting. If, however, you’re perfectly content loving your cheese and chocolate in their own right, you’re not necessarily missing out. But don’t take my word for it. Related: Chèvre 101

More here: Alert Your Foodie Antennae: Cheese & Chocolate, a Trend

Right about the time that retail stores begin with the holiday muzak, every good Italian home begins the Panettone or Pandoro shuffle. The familiar colourful cardboard or cellophane domes begin to crowd mantles and kitchen counters as family and friends drop by for season’s greetings. Both the Panettone and the Pandoro are traditional Northern Italian Christmas cakes; Hailing from Milan, the Panettone is a dome-like sweet yeast bread with candied orange bits and/or raisins and possibly chocolate – vaguely fruitcake-like, but MUCH better, if I may say. Hailing from Verona, the Pandoro, a more buttery, plain version is always in the shape of an eight-point star, its name translating to “Golden Bread” because of its deep golden colour. Both I find mouth-watering, and despite their fruitcake-like status among my Italian friends, I can’t wait to get some handed down to me when they simply have no room for more. Below is an endearing clan of Italian women candidly preparing to and enjoying a traditional Pandoro. Besides a good cultural glimpse that non-Italians can use to impress their Italian friends, the video offers a little language lesson as well. Enjoy!

Read the rest here:
Video of the Week: Merry Christmas Italian Style - How to Enjoy a Traditional “Pandoro”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This month, instead of the usual Cooking Club Challenge , we wanted to give you the opportunity to choose from a lot of different holiday recipes. Because, let’s face it, baking season is in full swing and you need all the inspiration you can get. For the first 12 days of December we’re featuring a new holiday treat every day. And for our twelfth and final day of Holiday Treats… How can you go wrong with milk, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs and honey? Anna Olson’s Cinnamon Custard will warm your belly on the coldest of holiday nights! Here’s how the Foodtv.ca Cooking Club Challenge works: • Make the chosen monthly recipe. In this case, there are 12 recipes, so you’ll have to keep checking back for the entire 12 days • Feel free to follow it to a “T” or add your own creative flair • Email a picture to blogATfoodtvDOTca (in .jpg format) and a short descriptive paragraph (100-150 words) before December 31, 2008 for your chance to win prizes. If you have a flickr account, you can post to the Foodtv.ca flickr group . • Do check out past Cooking Club Challenge results Cinnamon Custard Yield: 6 INGREDIENTS: 2 1/2 cups milk 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 egg 1/4 cup honey dash of salt DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 F. Place four 6-oz ramekins in a baking dish. Heat milk with cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk together eggs, honey and salt. While whisking, add the milk mixture to the eggs, a little at a time, until the entire mixture is blended. Strain. Pour the custard into the ramekins. Place baking dish on the open door of the oven and pour boiling water into the baking dish, so that it comes halfway up the side of the ramekin. Bake custards for 30-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the centre of the custard comes out clean. To Assemble Serve warm or chilled. See the rest of the 12 Days of Holiday Treats: Day 1: Chocolaty Christmas Log Day 2: Anna Olson’s Caramel Toffee Squares Day 3: Grand Marnier Candied Orange Peel Truffles Day 4: Wheat-Free Chocolate Cherry Pecan Cookies Day 5: Anna Olson’s Country Apple Pie Day 6: Trish Magwood’s Peppermint Crunch Bark Day 7: Anna Olson’s Chocolate Mint Cookies Day 8: Dreena Burton’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies Day 9: Ricardo’s Chocolate Pudding Day 10: Anna Olson’s Gingerbread Cookies Day 11: Michael Smith’s Coconut Tarts with Chocolate and Coconut Cream For more holiday inspiration, check out the Foodtv.ca Holiday Guide .

See the original post:
12 Days of Holiday Treats, Day 12: Anna Olson’s Cinnamon Custard

2 x egg whites
2 cups of shredded coconut For the Chocolate and Coconut Cream:

1/2 cup of coconut milk
8 oz of bittersweet chocolate, chopped DIRECTIONS: For the Coconut Tart Shells:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk egg whites lightly and stir in coconut.
Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and press a large spoonful of coconut mixture into each cup, pushing it evenly into the bottom and up the sides.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in muffin pan. For the Chocolate and Coconut Cream:

Heat coconut milk.
Place chocolate into a bowl and pour hot milk over it. Stir until chocolate melts and mixture becomes satiny-smooth. See the rest of the 12 Days of Holiday Treats:

Day 1: Chocolaty Christmas Log
Day 2: Anna Olson’s Caramel Toffee Squares
Day 3: Grand Marnier Candied Orange Peel Truffles
Day 4: Wheat-Free Chocolate Cherry Pecan Cookies
Day 5: Anna Olson’s Country Apple Pie
Day 6: Trish Magwood’s Peppermint Crunch Bark
Day 7: Anna Olson’s Chocolate Mint Cookies
Day 8: Dreena Burton’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies
Day 9: Ricardo’s Chocolate Pudding
Day 10: Anna Olson’s Gingerbread Cookies Day 12: Anna Olson’s Cinnamon Custard For more holiday inspiration, check out the Foodtv.ca Holiday Guide .

More here: 12 Days of Holiday Treats, Day 11: Michael Smith’s Coconut Tarts with Chocolate and Coconut Cream

EDITOR’S NOTE: This month, instead of the usual Cooking Club Challenge , we wanted to give you the opportunity to choose from a lot of different holiday recipes. Because, let’s face it, baking season is in full swing and you need all the inspiration you can get. For the first 12 days of December we’re featuring a new holiday treat every day. What’s holiday baking without gingerbread? On the 10th day of Holiday Treats, we’ve got a great recipe for Gingerbread Cookies from Anna Olson . Here’s how the Foodtv.ca Cooking Club Challenge works: • Make the chosen monthly recipe. In this case, there are 12 recipes, so you’ll have to keep checking back for the entire 12 days • Feel free to follow it to a “T” or add your own creative flair • Email a picture to blogATfoodtvDOTca (in .jpg format) and a short descriptive paragraph (100-150 words) before December 31, 2008 for your chance to win prizes. If you have a flickr account, you can post to the Foodtv.ca flickr group . • Do check out past Cooking Club Challenge results Gingerbread Cookies Yield: 24 INGREDIENTS: Gingerbread Cookies 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or unsalted butter at room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 1 x large egg 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup grated fresh ginger 3 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp ground cloves Royal Icing for Iced Gingerbread Cookies 3 tbsp meringue powder (available at cake stores and bulk stores) 1/2 cup warm water 4 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp cream of tartar food colouring, as needed DIRECTIONS: Gingerbread Cookies Cream shortening (or butter) and sugar until fluffy and beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in molasses and grated ginger until evenly blended. In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients and add to molasses mixture, stirring just until dough comes together. Shape dough into 2 discs and chill for at least 2 hours before rolling. Preheat oven to 375 °F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disc to just over 1/8-inch thick. Cut out desired shapes and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If using cookies as decoration, put a small hole where a string will go to tie it). Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until edges are firm to touch. Allow to cool completely. Royal Icing for Iced Gingerbread Cookies Stir together all ingredients to blend, then beat with electric beaters on high speed until mixture is stiff, about 7 minutes. Tint portions of icing as desired. To store, keep icing tightly covered, with plastic wrap resting directly on surface of icing. To Decorate Cookies Tools: Small disposable piping bags, Variety of piping tips, including a small 1/8-inch plain tip, Decorator sugars Pipe icing as desired on cookies. Have fun and play! See the rest of the 12 Days of Holiday Treats: Day 1: Chocolaty Christmas Log Day 2: Anna Olson’s Caramel Toffee Squares Day 3: Grand Marnier Candied Orange Peel Truffles Day 4: Wheat-Free Chocolate Cherry Pecan Cookies Day 5: Anna Olson’s Country Apple Pie Day 6: Trish Magwood’s Peppermint Crunch Bark Day 7: Anna Olson’s Chocolate Mint Cookies Day 8: Dreena Burton’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies Day 9: Ricardo’s Chocolate Pudding Day 11: Michael Smith’s Coconut Tarts with Chocolate and Coconut Cream Day 12: Anna Olson’s Cinnamon Custard For more holiday inspiration, check out the Foodtv.ca Holiday Guide .

Continue here: 12 Days of Holiday Treats, Day 10: Anna Olson’s Gingerbread Cookies