Well. Mostly cooking and sleeping. Light is a pain this time of year you know, and by the time I rush home from work and try to madly snap a few photos before it's too dark, usually they come out a little strange. Or poorly lit. Or both.
Nevermind, you say, where's the food? Well. There are some things I wrote over at BC Eggs that I want to show you...
Banana rum French toast and chocolate pavlovas to be exact, which are fantastic for Christmas when you need a little food inspiration. You probably already have everything in your house and they are both so easy you'll wonder why you didn't think of them before. I used to think that meringues and things were so hard to make, but once I started teaching myself how to really make them, they aren't hard at all. You can it!
If you are still baking cookies, there are also some super fudgy and rich brownie batter cookies, or spiced molasses ginger cookies that are so easy you don't even need to dig out the mixer. I have written about how to host a really great brunch, a bit about the history of eggnog, and last minute gifts for the chef or egg lover in your life.
It's been busy over there. In the meantime, I also made this wonderful cranberry orange compote that is not only delicious (we are going to slather it over a wheel of brie and bake it tomorrow night). I gave some to co-workers as well. You can put it on pancakes, turkey, and more! This is a really great hostess gift to bring and it's super easy-just put everything in a pot and simmer.
Ingredients:
5-6 mandarin oranges
2 small lemons
2 cups cranberries
4 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
In a large pot, combine the sugar, cranberries cinnamon, raisins, allspice, and pecans. Zest the oranges and lemons right over top. Peel the fruit and slice it up into chunks, then place in a food processor to pulse until slightly chunky. Watch out for the seeds in the lemons, you may want to fish those out.
Tips the pulsed fruit into the pot with everything else and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down and let the mixture bubble away for about 15-20 minutes, while the cranberries cook down a bit and pop, and the mixture thickens slightly. Don't worry, it will thicken more as it cools.
Divide the mixture between six 250 ml mason jars and screw on a clean lid. You aren't going to can these to seal them, but the jars make it easier to store or give away. Cool the jars and store in the fridge for a month, or in the freezer for about 6 months.
Adapted from Dinner With Julie
Do you like cranberries? You may also like:
Sugared Cranberries
Cranberry Crumble Bars
