Christmas sugar cookie shapes wait for decoration.

Starting about October this family dives, head first, into a holiday season packed with cross-cultural destinations.  Diwali, the Indian “festival of lights” often starts us out (link to journal entry), but sometimes it’s an American favorite, Halloween.  Soon we’re preparing for Thanksgiving, featuring a bird-less feast inspired by culinary delights from around the world (link to journal entry).  December brings holiday parties, cookie exchanges and an ample amount of general over-indulgence (isn’t that part of what it means to be a holiday?).  If we’re lucky, we get invited to celebrate Hanukah with Jewish friends, but if not, we’ll often celebrate anyway in our own naive way.

On to Christmas, which brings our version of Santa’s workshop to life with hand-made gifts – this year, lavender perfumed sachets, hand stitched and filled with organic flowers dried from our garden. We end the busy season with New Year’s, rarely a big going-out sort of night for us.  We prefer to invite friends over to savor a huge vat of vegetarian chili together and relish in a laughter-filled night of game playing and movies.

Part of what I love most about holidays is the ubiquitous food component, offering occasion for culinary inspiration, as well as traditional favorites.  In our family we’re less bound, than some, by specific food rituals.  We enjoy experimenting, tweaking and trying new tastes each year – building on and adapting our repertoire of memorable dishes.  The girls do insist on simple mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, but I can’t really argue with the wisdom of that request.

If there is any family tradition that is hard-and-fast, it is the expectation that holidays involve collaboration in our kitchen.  After all, cooking together is the theme of our blog, and at no time is this more in evidence than during holidays.  The kitchen becomes a hub for Christmas cookie baking one Saturday afternoon each December, with our great friend, Christy.  Among the baked treats you’re sure to find classic buttery Spritz, thanks to her cookie press and our ready supply of red, green and white sprinkles.  In recent years we’ve increasingly turned to another delectable morsel – one that coffee and chocolate lovers can’t turn down – Espresso Brownies.  This recipe comes courtesy of another dear friend, Jane, who lives all the way across country in Washington, D.C.  Jane used to make these irresistible bars for us when she lived just down the street.  I coveted the recipe for years, when one November birthday a care package arrived in the mail – all the trimmings for my favorite brownies (minus the butter and egg which don’t fare well via USPS) along with the treasured recipe.

Favorite recipes tumble out of books embellished with food splotches, spills and handwritten notes.

When you flip through a well-used cookbook it’s easy to recognize the most beloved recipes – the book naturally turns to these pages, without hesitation, like an old workhorse heading back to the barn. If you look closely, evidence of steady employment is present – pages puckered by ancient spills and splotches of smeared ingredients, long since dried. Jane’s brownie recipe has all of this plus more – copious handwritten notes from the cook herself, documenting personal alterations, tried-and-true. When I turn to this special recipe each December I always feel my friend’s presence. Her particular splotches, spills and notes bring a flood of memories to mind, guiding as I measure and mix, adding 3 teaspoons of vanilla, instead of two. I drink a cup of tea while I bake in honor of great friendship and friends who love to cook – things to cherish when you’re lucky enough to find them.

Espresso Brownies are ready. Get’em while you can - they won’t last long!

You must try these delightfully dense coffee infused bars (studded with a generous amount of chocolate chips), but be warned, they may be consumed in entirety, warm, right from the pan, before the cook can practically blink an eye. If you plan to take the bars to a cookie exchange or party, be sure to double or even triple the amounts (and bring copies of the recipe). Believe me, I know this from experience.
While you and fellow bakers take a break between batches, I recommend sharing a warm cup of milky Indian spiced tea, redolent with its cardamom, cloves, ginger and a hint of cinnamon.
Recipe – Espresso Brownies
Recipe – Masala Chai (Indian Spiced Tea)