This and That - December

There are a plethora of holiday activites in December. My granddaughter Claire is dressed as an angel. Her angel costume reminded me of the angel costume my grandmother made for me when I was in elemtary school. I was the angel in the school play in second grade. 

I pulled out my wooden mold that I have had since 2009, and made Springerle. Most Springerle bakers agree that waiting 3-4 weeks before eating them is best to allow the flavor and texture to develop.So you can make them weeks before Christmas, set them aside and forget about them, and continue on with your other Christmas preparations.

"The hallmark of Springerle lies in the beauty of their presentation created by special molds used to emboss designs on their surface.  Springerle were traditionally made as gifts, as charms for happiness, to give to friends and loved ones on special occasions such as births, weddings, betrothals, during the Christmas season and on New Year’s. The whole purpose of Springerle are to be able to showcase their beautiful embossed designs and if you bake them right away the designs will not hold their shape or form.

In order for the embossed designs to stay in place during baking you need a dough that is super low-moisture to start and then the cookies need to be left to further dry out and develop a hardened crust on the exterior.  This way the designs remain stable and unaltered during baking."

Starting in November, we try to support our local hockey team in Utica by going to the local games. Last week I went with Xavier, and he really enjoyed it. They played a hockey team from Montreal, so we enjoy their national anthem 'O Canada' and our US National anthem.

Up in the hills lives the Grinch.....The Grinch is tall and green and lonely and mean. His heart is two sizes too small. He doesn't like Christmas at all! But the Grinch was taught to love Christmas. This week, our local bakery is having "Grinch week", and the cookies are adorable. 

I decorated my maternal grandparents' oak secretary with owls this year. My four year old grandson FaceTimes with us, and he wants to see any owls we may have on display in our house which is typically one or two. I surprised Quinn and added some extra owls for his enjoyment, and there was a Santa hat for most everyone. 

I only put up one Christmas tree this year since I am getting lazy. I used to put up three trees but that was when I was entertaining more. I am just as happy with just a sprinkle of Christmas in my house. 

Next year, I will do a memory tree and put 60 years worth of ornaments on the tree. I am going to enlist Joe to help since it's one of my least favorite things to do. Don't tell Santa (or Joe yet).

We visted the turning stone casino to see the gingerbread village and it is fabulous.  I included the write-up in case you would like to know more about it. 

IT TAKES A (GINGERBREAD) VILLAGE

The gingerbread-dominant Turning Stone Resort Casino Holiday Village is back, and it’s better than ever before.

This year’s village, set up near The Commons shopping boutiques, is extra-special because it was made with contributions from more than three dozen employees across nearly 20 different departments.

“The Gingerbread Village is always a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday season,” said Lorena Ortega, Turning Stone Pastry Chef. “It’s great to walk through and admire the detail of each building, but when you stop and remind yourself that every one of the houses is made out of gingerbread, it’s truly remarkable.”

The village compliments other holiday decorations that include a 40-foot indoor Christmas tree, a 50-foot outdoor Christmas tree, and ornaments and other accouterments around the property.

The village is the star of the holiday show. It comprises eight independent structures, most of which are decorated with intricate detail. One house has snow-dusted roof tiles. Another home has a roof covered in blue icing. A barn has a candy cane façade and roof made of shredded wheat. All the homes are connected by train tracks and—of course—a model train. The village sits in front of a backdrop designed to look like a starry sky.

According to Lorena, here is a rundown of what Turning Stone employees used to create the village:

• 6,500 gingerbread pieces
• 2,500 Hershey’s Kisses
• 1,500 pounds of frosting
• 132 pounds of fondant
• 480 white chocolate KitKat bars
• 50 boxes of shredded wheat cereal
• 25 pounds of chocolate rock nuggets

In years past, the Gingerbread Village has been assembled primarily by members of our pastry team. This year, our pastry team needed a few extra elves to help bring the village together. More than 40 employees from 20 different departments all stepped up to help our pastry team, logging more than 200 total hours to make the annual tradition come to life and bring it back for our guests.

“The way our other teams chipped in to bring the village to life—it is a lesson in holiday spirit,” Lorena said.

If you have a SUV and have a spare tire on the back, you can decorate it with green garland to make a wreath. It looks very festive.

Jameson bottle tree at Shamrock Jacks in Rochester, NY. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

xo

Deb