We had so much fun with this. The kids had been looking forward to to this for days. Look at all the wonderful colors! Love it.
Been making my own garlic chili sauce for a while now. I use for lots of stuff. Cooking, dipping, marinating. It’s fresh tasting and yummy.We have had Hotpot a couple times at restaurants but this is the first time we have had it at home. You can cook a variety of stuff in the pot.
I bought the Hot & Spicy Hotpot soup mix at TnT market in Calgary. They have an excellent selection there. We had the spicy hotpot on one side and other side we had a mushroom egg drop soup. Made with a variety of mushrooms.
Anyone else put your rice in a bowl to shape for plating? It just makes it look nice.It’s been a long day today! We have been all over town. And I mean all over. Went everywhere searching for fondue fluid/gel. No one had any. We could not believe it! Frustrating to say the least. We thought we had some to find out we did not. We improvised, placed it on the raclette grill lol. It actually worked out kinda nice though as we ended up grilling some vegs/meats on the sides hehehe
Kids loved it. Took us just over 2 hours from start to finish. It was a lot of fun.
It was fantastic and everyone can’t wait to do it again! Wishing everyone best wishes! Happy New Year.
2 1/2CUPS all-purpose flour 1/4CUP cornstarch 1TSP baking powder pinch of salt 3/4CUP butter, softened or margarine 1CUP sugar 1TSP vanilla extract 2 eggs
Bianca and Nate took care of the cookie making this year. Good job guys! Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, cream butter with the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue beating until smooth. With a wooden spoon, combine with the dry ingredients. With your hands, shape the dough into two discs. Cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out cookies, using a cookie cutter of your choice. Bake, one sheet at a time, from 8 to 10 minutes. Let them cool.
I made a royal icing. Mix 1 1/2 cups icing sugar to 1 egg white. Beat. Add your desired food color and mix well.
Tim’s Cookies
Amanda’s Cookies
Bianca’s cookies
Nates cookies
Get some Christmas sprinkles, divide the icing up and get decorating. Family fun is always great!
1/2CUP warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 5TSP active dry yeast pinch white sugar 1CUP warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 1/3CUP white sugar 1 1/2TSP salt 1TSP vanilla extract 3 beaten eggs 1/3CUP vegetable oil 5 cups whole-wheat flour, divided 1 quart vegetable oil for frying 2CUPS white sugar 1/2TSP ground cinnamon, or to taste
Mix warm water, yeast, pinch of sugar in a large bowl, and let stand until the yeast begins to foam, about 5 minutes. Stir in milk, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, and 1/3 cup vegetable oil until the sugar has dissolved. Mix in about half the whole-wheat flour, and stir until the dough is too stiff to add more flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, place into an oiled bowl, and cover. Let rise until the dough has doubled in size.
Punch down the dough, and pinch off a piece of dough about the size of an egg. Roll the dough ball out into an oval shape about 1/4 inch thick. This is a great way to get kids involved. They love it. Place finished dough on a cloth and cover while you finish rolling out the pastries.
Pick your toppings
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large, skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Combine 2 cups of sugar with cinnamon to taste in a shallow dish or pie plate, and set aside. I do a few without the coating of cinnamon/sugar afterwards and make savoury ones with those! Gently lower the pastries, one at a time, into the hot oil, and fry 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Blot excess oil from fried pastries with paper towels; gently press each pastry into the cinnamon sugar while still warm. Shake off excess sugar. Top with your favorite toppings :0)
This cookie cutter is the best thing ever! I bought this set at Lee Valley Canada . Makes the perfect size, perfect for families and or to make villages. Those store bought ones are no good in my opinion, there hard as a rock, with no flavour.Doesn’t this look like so much fun? We make a family event out of it. All four of us decorate one.Im not one to go out and buy all this special stuff for them. I go threw my pantry, and we use our imaginations. They all look fantastic in the end!
Bianca in the front, Tims to the left, I’m in the back and Nates is to the right.What a fun night of family connections and making memories!
