Getting holiday ready

Is there anyone who isn't sick right now?

I’ve been out of the loop, down with some sort of illness bigger than a cold but not near death - fortunately. All my planning and “to do lists” were no match for this bought of ill health. It’s funny, since I moved from the farm and my day didn’t revolve around physical work like stacking and moving wood, feeding goats and chickens, shovelling snow, gardening, setting up the barn for events, I’ve been much more focused on purposeful activity. I even got a watch to monitor my heart, count my steps, and check all activity at all times of day.

Taking activity for granted

At the farm, it was just part of the day and I may have taken being active for granted. Here I think about it, I make sure I move every day, a lot. I walk the dogs for what seems like 72 million steps a day, play pickleball, run up and down the stairs with laundry, things, organizing and cleaning. Despite a big list of things I wanted to accomplish anticipating the holidays, for the past 12 days, movement has been difficult. Sleep also has eluded me. As I lay comatose on the couch, I thought about all the beautiful amount of time I have on my hands. Time for writing, baking, cooking, crafting. No go.

When you are down, take the hint and rest

I pulled out my assortment of beads, sure this was an activity for the sick. I could make some holiday gifts. I got them out, put them on the table and just stared them down. There was no chance I felt doing anything with string and wire, concentrating on tiny little beads. Feeling under the weather is not something I do very well. It doesn’t happen to me very often; I’ve forgotten that you just don’t do anything at all. Your body is telling you to stop so it is important to listen, at least that’s what the girls are telling me.

I even had to postpone putting up our tree by a few days. I had it all organized, dinner was made (actually by Shawn!) the girls were rescheduled. Carlyle and I drove out to the country to a property Shawn has and cut down a tree. That was before the sickness came. It sat outside for sometime until we were able to be upright and hang up our lights and ornaments.

The tree is up and lights are hung. It’s my favourite time of year, seeing everyone's lights on, inside and out colourful and the white ones. So beautiful.

I’ve now spent the first 10 days of the month feeling low and lethargic. But I have some lists on the go of what I want to make, there is still lots of time. I appreciate giving things to others that I’ve made. Homemade treats like spiced nuts, cookies, preserves. I’ll see how it goes this year.

Best cookies

I am a big cookie person, it’s the right amount of sweetness when you are craving something to go with a coffee or a late night snack. Every year I make a list of cookies I want to bake and then every year, I revert to the same cookies and usually ignore the list. One cookie staple is the german spice cookies that my great aunt used to make and was passed down to me. These cookies are similar to Swiss holiday cookies, like the Brunsli cookies with the holiday spices - cloves, cinnamon, laced with chocolate. They last well in a tin even as they begin to dry out, I like them better so I can dip them into tea or coffee. They are a great travel cookie, we are heading South to New York this year to visit family and these cookies will handle the ride well.

I’m re-sharing the recipe with you. They are easy, not too sweet, gluten free, and delicious. They are nutty, light, and best of all, chewy. My childhood Christmas memories are of pfefferkuchen made by my great aunt, almond crescents, and store bought lebkuchen. When I had little children at home (versus the grown beautiful daughters I now have who still love baking with me over the holidays), I loved making all of these things and adding these spice cookies to the mix.

Recipe

German Spice Cookies

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

1¹/₂ cups of whole natural almonds

1¹/₂ cups sugar plus additional for coating work surface

6 ounces fine-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¹/₂ teaspoons ground cloves

¹/₄ cup egg whites (from about 2 large eggs)

I like to make these in a food processor to chop the almonds and chocolate together.

In a food processor combine the almonds with 1¹/₂ cups sugar and pulse until you have a find ground mixture - don’t overprocess! You do not want a paste. Add chocolate and and spices and pulse until ground fine.

Add the egg whites and pulse until mixture forms a stiff dough. If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of water if necessary.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.

On a surface such as a piece of parchment paper on your countertop, sprinkle it with sugar and turn the sticky dough onto the parchment. Press out the dough about ¹/₄ inch thick. I use my hands with a bit of sugar on my fingers, to press out the dough as it is sticky.

Using a 2 inch heart shaped cookie cutter cut out cookies and transfer to prepared baking sheets about ½” apart. Press dough scraps together and cut out more cookies in the same manner. Let the cookies stand on the sheet, uncovered, at room temperature to dry out slightly for 3 hours.

Put cookies one sheet at a time, in the oven and immediately reduce temperature to 300 degrees F. Bake cookies, 10-15 minutes (depending on how thick they are) or until they are just firm (do not over bake or cookies will be hard). Cool sheets on racks.

Makes about 40 cookies. Great for freezing.