Merry Christmas to all, and to all a sweet night

Photo by Matt Leatherman

After months of anticipation, it's almost here. Christmas: My favorite season and holiday.

This year is particularly special because it marks the first time Matt will meet my parents, brother and some of my dear friends. In two days, we'll fly to Nashville, Tenn., to spend Christmas week with them. After that, we'll go to Denver, Colo., to ring in the New Year with Matt's family, and I'll attempt snowboarding for the first time. I can't wait. 

As I look forward to the joyous moments that lie ahead, I simultaneously think back to what this Christmas season has already delivered: a night spent decorating our tree; going to see a theater performance of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas; meeting up with friends and family at the annual December Nights festival; viewing an awe-inspiring computerized Christmas light display; and drinking The Best Hot Chocolate Ever. 

All credit for the latter goes to my better half, who never ceases to amaze me with his culinary talent and his undying quest to make my dark chocolate wishes -- and all my dreams -- come true. When you try this recipe, you'll understand why it got its name. 

So, dear readers, as I begin to pack my bags to head home, I leave you with a taste of our holiday season and say, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a sweet night."

The Best Hot Chocolate Ever
(Serves 2) 

2 cups 1% organic milk (or 1% Lactaid)
1.5 ounces Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt
1.5 ounces Lindt dark chocolate with chili
Marshmallows (optional) 

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

Heat the milk in a separate pot over a medium heat until its steaming, stirring occasionally. 

Spoon the chocolate evenly into two mugs. Pour the milk over the chocolate in each cup. Whisk vigorously until the chocolate and milk are combined. Top with marshmallows (optional), and enjoy!

Recipe: Everything Under the Tree Cookies

Photo by Matt Leatherman

It's been two years since I kicked Mr. Gingerbread Man to the curb, yet he's still cranky. Do you see him standing on his pine branch with one hand on his hip (look at the upper left corner of the photo)? Is it me or do his eyes look a tad Luciferian? It's creepy. 

Not only is he still buggin' over the breakup, he's also found something new at which to be offended: the lack of ginger in these cookies. I just want to yell, "Get over it, ginger dude. Nobody likes a killjoy at Christmas. Also know that your bowtie makes you look like Orville Redenbacher." 

What Mr. Gingerbread Man needs to understand is that not all Christmas cookies revolve around him. This recipe wouldn't taste right with ginger it. Besides, these are called Everything Under the Tree Cookies. He's inside the tree. And if he wants to stay there, he needs to lose the 'tude, and let butterscotch, white chocolate, dark chocolate with sea salt, raisins, coconut, walnuts and peanut butter have their 15 minutes of fame (or, in this case, 10 minutes). 

Everything Under the Tree Cookies
(Yields approximately 4 dozen) 

1 cup chopped dark chocolate with sea salt (I like Lindt)*
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 cups rolled old-fashioned oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup softened butter
3 large room-temperature eggs
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup room-temperature creamy unsweetened peanut butter
1 1/4 teaspoon Madagascar Bourbon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line one thick-bottom, stainless-steel cookie sheet with parchment paper. (I like to cook one batch at a time.)

In a medium-size bowl, combine the dark chocolate, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, raisins and walnuts. 

In another medium-size bowl, combine the oats, coconut, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder. 

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix together the butter, eggs, sugars, peanut butter and vanilla. 

Working in three batches, add the oat mixture to the butter mixture, and stir to combine. Next, stir in the chocolate mixture. 

Use a cookie scoop to create even 1-inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart in two rows on the cookie sheet. Using your fingers, lightly press down the tops of the cookies. Bake for 10 minutes. 

Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them rest on the cookie sheet for 1 minute. Using a spatula, transfer them to cooling racks, and cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container with a piece of bread (to prevent staleness) for up to five days. 

*Salt: Because the dark chocolate contains salt, you do not need to add salt to this recipe. 

Related posts on The Concentric Circle: 

• Recipes: Cranberry-white chocolate cookies and gingerbread rounds
• Recipe: Grandma cookies 
• Recipe: Goji-coconut cookies
• I almost sold my soul for red and green sprinkles
• Maybe we should give Santa a crudité platter

 

5 ways to spread Christmas cheer with food

Make your sweetie smile with a picnic by the Christmas tree. Photo by NCRThe movie character Elf would say, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loudly for all to hear." I say the best way to spread Christmas cheer is with food.

Food is a universal gift. No matter who someone is or how old they are, it's sure to put a smile on their face.

Here are five ways to get folks eating and feeling a little happier this Christmas season. 

Set up an indoor picnic by the Christmas tree for you and your significant other: Forego reservations at your sweetie's favorite romantic restaurant. You've got all ambiance you need in your living room. Turn off all the lights except for those on the Christmas tree, and you've got yourself the perfect setting for the most romantic of evenings. Cook up your love's favorite dish, pour a few glasses of wine, and set everything up on top of a blanket. Turn on some Christmas music, and tell your honey to meet you in front of the tree.  

Take a bell ringer a hot sandwich and a canteen of hot chocolate: The Salvation Army's bell ringers are back and are likely standing in front of at least one of the grocery stores you frequent. Whether you like donating to the Salvation Army or not, appreciate what these bell ringers do: stand on their feet -- oftentimes out in cold -- for hours and hours, day after day, all in the name of helping others. The Red Kettle Christmas Campaign enables the Army to provide food, toys and clothing to more than 6 million people during the Christmas season. It also helps more than 34 million Americans recovering from personal disasters. It's a noble effort, and it wouldn't be possible without the help of the bell ringers. Show at least one of them some love by bringing them a canteen of hot chocolate or cider, and a hot sandwich on a cold evening. It will warm their belly and their heart.  

Bring your friend or neighbor a bottle of wine and a pasta dish on a weeknight: This is a busy time of the year for everyone. Although many of the season's activities are fun, even a calendar full of enjoyable activities can leave a person feeling tired and in need of a break. Give your friend or neighbor a hallpass from cooking on a weeknight. Find out when they'll be home from work, and plan to arrive shortly thereafter with a bottle of wine and a pasta dish in hand. Pasta dishes, such as lasagna, orechette with pesto or penne primivera, travel well and are easy to reheat. If you're feeling extra cheery and generous, bring enough so there's leftovers. This way, your friend or neighbor won't have to worry about lunch the next day. 

Bring your boss a festive coffee drink on a Monday: Despite their aptitude for managing people and responsibilities, our bosses, like us, get a case of the Mondays every now and again. When this happens, they too need a little a pick-me-up. Make their Monday by bringing them a peppermint mocha or a gingerbread latte. If your boss isn't a coffee drinker, hot caramel apple cider is a great alternative. No matter which drink you choose, be sure to attach a sticky note to the cup that reads, "Happy Monday and Happy Holidays!" 

Leave a gift card to a mall eatery on the windshield of the guy who flipped you off in the mall parking lot: We've all experienced the curmudgeon in the mall parking lot who acts as though he's surprised the mall is busy during the Christmas season. How dare millions of other people want to buy presents just like him? He's angry at the world for existing, and he couldn't care less that you've been signaling for five minutes, waiting for a spot. He pulls in front of you, snags the spot, flicks you off and wishes you a horrible (explicative) Christmas. You're shocked he could be so rude, but you're not going to let him take away your spirit. In fact, you're going to share some of it with him because, clearly, he needs it. After you find a new place to park, go into the mall and buy him a small gift card to a mall eatery. On the card, wish him a blessed and merry Christmas, and a happy and healthy new year. Go back to where he parked, and place the gift card under his windshield wiper or inside his door handle.

Despite it sometimes being tough to be kind to people who have just been rude to us, this guy is crying out for kindness and compassion. Maybe he just lost his job, and he's stressed about being able to afford gifts this year. Maybe he's wronged a friend and is having a hard time asking for forgiveness. Maybe he was just diagnosed with cancer. Or maybe he really is simply a jerk. You don't know. And it doesn't matter. What matters is your commitment to spreading Christmas cheer, even to those who haven't done anything to deserve your kindness. Your act of kindness might be what helps turn this man's day, week or entire Christmas season around. 

All because of a little nutmeg

One taste of nutmeg and the current season is irrelevant. It's Christmas instantly. Photo by NCRToday, I put a sprinkle of nutmeg in my afternoon coffee and, in a split second, it was Christmas.

Gingerbread men lined up like toy soldiers on a nearby cooling rack. Lights twinkled on a pine in the periphery. I was in Nashville with my parents. And Frank Sinatra’s “The Christmas Waltz” massaged my eardrums.  

Frosted window panes/Candles gleaming inside/Painted candy canes on the tree.

It can be 80 degrees outside, yet because of 1/16^th of a teaspoon of nutmeg, my mind tells me it’s snowing outside and Santa Claus is a chimney away.

Isn’t it incredible how tastes and smells can transport us to another place, another season, another time? This concept never ceases to amaze me.

There’s a long list of foods and smells that take me away.

For example, the Tazo Refresh mint tea at Starbucks sends me straight back to autumn. A few falls ago, Refresh became an after-lunch tradition.

If I eat an everything bagel, it’s November 2009, and I’m on Manhattan’s east side, getting ready for a day of strolling through art museums and browsing along Fifth Avenue.

I’ve got spaghetti in front of me and suddenly it’s 1987, and I’ve just arrived in Virginia Beach, Va. It was the first dinner my mom made after we moved there.

Strawberries. They made me think of Sunday brunch with my grandpa in the spring during the mid-1990s. He used to pile his waffles high with strawberry sauce and whipped cream, or what he referred to as "putrification."

Minestrone soup makes me think of that same grandpa and our seven-course holiday meals.

Fried chicken? That reminds me of Halloween in the late 1990s. My friend and I made it our personal mission to scare the side of mashed potatoes and cole slaw right out of the KFC delivery lady’s hands. We succeeded.  

Tonight we’re making avocado tacos, which brings to mind my mom eating quesadillas and guacamole at midnight – any day of the year. If her house was on fire, I’m pretty sure she’d leave the family photo albums and take all the avocados.

What foods take you to another time or place?

Related posts on The Concentric Circle:
Comfort is found in broth and bonds 
What comforts you?

Moment of Silence: Mom makes lasagna

Mom's lasagna recipe, which she makes every Christmas, is top secret. She did, however, allow a photo shoot this year. If you can figure out how to make it by looking at these photos, I won't tell. Photos by NCR