Mayhem in the Kitchen!

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

On my mum’s side of the family, it has recently become a tradition to celebrate Christmas together in early January. Everyone is so busy with their nuclear families on the actual holiday, and as an extended family, our primary reason for getting together is reconnecting with one another, so the date can be a little…

Teddy Bear Baptism Cake

My sister-in-law asked me to create a baptism cake for my nephew, and I was absolutely thrilled at the prospect. After going through a few more feminine ideas, I created a cute cake that could just as easily be a baby shower cake, but made it fit for the occasion with a banner and small…

Stained Glass Cross Cake

I made this cross cake for my brother-in-law’s Catholic RCIA celebration. Most baptismal or first communion cakes are intended for children, and those that are not tend to be feminine, so my goal was to create a somewhat masculine cake with a religious motif. Technique Create a paper template the size of the outline for…

Family Christmas Cookie 12: Cherry Hideaways

I’ve saved the best for last! These are an all-time favorite of mine, and a recipe that my grandma made every year for Christmas. They look like they’re plain bark covered cookies, but inside there’s a surprise – maraschino cherries! This post is day 12 in the series Mayhem’s 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

Family Christmas Cookie 11: Peanut Butter Kisses

I’m closing out Mayhem’s 12 days of Christmas Cookies with two cookies that are my all time favorites. Both are recipes my grandma made every Christmas, and while they’re a bit more modern (1950s) than many of the other recipes I’ve shared, they’re definite crowd pleasers. The first are Peanut Butter Kisses – chewy peanut…

Family Christmas Cookie 10: Snowball Cookies

Of all the cookies my grandma made for Christmas, these are one of the most memorable to me. I think it’s because they’re just so pretty! The bright white frosting combined with the coconut makes for such a delicate, lovely looking cookie, and provides a nice contrast on a cookie tray when placed next to…

Family Christmas Cookie 9: Sugar Cookies

No Christmas cookie plate would be complete without sugar cookies! Much like the gingerbread cookies I shared earlier, this same recipe came from several sources, and I eventually tracked it down to my old 1963 copy of The Cooky Book. This isn’t my favorite recipe for decorating or using precise cutters, but it tastes…

Family Christmas Cookie 8: Gingerbread Boys

One of the really fun parts of compiling this recipe list was comparing and contrasting my family recipes with my husband’s family recipes. In most cases, there’s a wide contrast between the two families – most of my grandma’s cookies were more elaborate and from newer recipes, while my husband’s family cookbook is heavily…

Family Christmas Cookie 7: Angel Pillows

Angel Pillows are a favorite from my mum’s side of the family. I made them with strawberry preserves, but my grandma always made these with apricot or peach. I believe the recipe must have come out of a magazine or advertisement, as the tattered copy I was given mentioned a few brands by name, but…

Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread Dumplings

Ooooooof has it ever been chilly here in Minneapolis. We’ve had below zero temperatures every day for a week, not to mention a good six inches of snow! Mayhem has also been terribly upset (exhibit A, exhibit B) and has been taking every opportunity to let us know that he wasn’t prepared for this. Usually…

Family Christmas Cookie 6: Pfeffernüsse Cookies

This recipe is another of my father-in-law’s additions to the second edition of my mother-in-law’s family cookbook. They always say men marry their mother, but MINE often remarks that he actually married his father. One reason for that is our shared love for anise, and, in turn, these German Pfeffernusse (“peppernut”) cookies. Unlike the other…

Easy Egg Nog Bundt Cake

Last year I was ill for the entire week leading up to the Christmas celebration for my mum’s family, and while I was definitely feeling better by the time the party rolled around, I was simply too behind on everything else (the driveway needed shoveling, the hamper was overflowing, Mayhem had a strange smell about…

Family Christmas Cookie 5: Grandma Ruth’s Apple Fruit Cake

Each year, my husband’s family anxiously awaits the arrival of grandma Ruth’s apple fruit cake, which is another favorite from the family cookbook. I love this fruitcake for three reasons – most importantly, it reminds me of my favorite grandmother-in-law, secondly, it has a lovely sweet flavor without the bitter bite of citrus rind that…

Family Christmas Cookie 4: Spritz Cookies

I think just about every family has a spritz cookie recipe that only comes out around Christmas time. Ours originated from my mum’s church cookbook, and features a light cookie with hints of both vanilla and almond. My grandma used to make these with the wreath shape in her cookie press, tint the dough green,…

Family Christmas Cookie 3: Russian Tea Cakes

Like yesterday’s Snickerdoodles, Russian Tea Cakes were in the first edition of my husband’s family cookbook, and were a staple at my mum’s family Christmas gatherings. My favorite thing about these is that they’re not too sweet, making them a great alternative to biscotti with a nice cup of coffee on Christmas morning. This post…