The Ladies Room

[selusa]

Our first snowfall of the year was a huge snowstorm in the middle of November that lasted about a week, with temps. at -30C (I suck at conversions; all I know is -40 is the same on both scales). Then, save for a few cold days sprinkled in, the entire month of December has been so warm that all the snow's melting off. I keep thinking it's Spring, but then I remember that we've got another 5 months of winter and I get all sad.

 

Although, because it gets so cold there, they have tunnels underground connecting most of the buildings!

 

Heh, we've got those at the U of Calgary for that same reason. They're such a lifesaver, lemme tell you.

[rugrat0ne]

Ugh, the scraper is clearing the roads near me, and the metal keeps scraping against the asphalt. Think fingernails down a chalkboard.

[Cornflakes]

Ugh, the scraper is clearing the roads near me, and the metal keeps scraping against the asphalt. Think fingernails down a chalkboard.

 

Aaaargh.

 

We have a liquid de-icer truck that goes around. I think we probably have extra money to spend in Tennessee on clearing snow because we hardly ever get any!

[Spritzie]

We have a liquid de-icer truck that goes around. I think we probably have extra money to spend in Tennessee on clearing snow because we hardly ever get any!

 

They tried that here, as well as one that puts a solution on the roads before the storm, to stop it from icing over. The first storm they used it on, the solution froze and made the roads even worse. So they quit trying. :laughingsmiley:

[Wembly]

Ugh, the scraper is clearing the roads near me, and the metal keeps scraping against the asphalt. Think fingernails down a chalkboard.

The creepy part is that exactly when I read this, a delivery truck or something started putting down their hydraulic lift making quite a similar noise :guiltysmiley:

[rugrat0ne]

The creepy part is that exactly when I read this, a delivery truck or something started putting down their hydraulic lift making quite a similar noise :guiltysmiley:

 

Lol. Now that's eerie. I think I'd be a little creeped out if that happened.

[marchigiano]

Any of you girls going to holiday parties this weekend? I'm hosting one and SO excited/anxious about it. Been putting it together for weeks. Anyways, question: favourite holiday dishes/desserts? I'm going to bake butter tarts I think. :yes:

[Masaryk]

Butter tarts are so very tasty. I make them every Christmas. I actually do a ton of baking at Christmastime - cheesecake tarts, icebox cookies, magic squares, sugar cookies, shortbread, gingerbread, rum balls, Russian tea balls, genetti...

 

As for holiday party food, apart from standard Christmas turkey dinner, I like to buy a bunch of frozen appetizers, like mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, shrimp, and miscellaneous stuff wrapped in phyllo pastry, along with a baked brie, crackers, crab dip, pickles, olives, etc. I don't know if you have M&M's Meat Shops out west, but that's usually where I go to get the frozen stuff. Sometimes, I'll get it from Loblaws, since the President's Choice appetizers are really good too.

[Wembly]

Dumb question but what are butter tarts? I assume they are tarts with some sort of buttery pastry ish thingy but I can't say I've had/seen them before. Also, I have no idea what icebox cookies or magic square are but they do have really fun names. I enjoy baking but our oven has been broken for like a year so I might be going over my friend's house to bake cookies today :)

 

Oh yes, and appetizers are delicious!

[Masaryk]

Butter tarts are a Canadian dessert. They're so pervasive in Canada, I keep forgetting that they are a Canadian thing.

 

They are made using typical pie crust pastry, but the filling is a mixture of butter, brown sugar, eggs, and cream. Raisins, walnuts, pecans, and maple syrup are typical additions. The filling is very similar to that of pecan pie (minus all the pecans). They are sweet, gooey, and very tasty!

 

 

Icebox cookies are buttery cookies that have candied cherries, and sometime nuts, in them. They are called icebox cookies because the dough has to be refrigerated. You form it into a log, and slice it, just like with store-bought refrigerated cookie dough.

 

 

Magic squares (also called Magic Cookie Bars) is the easiest bit of baking ever invented. It's a graham cracker crust, topped with chocolate chips, chopped pecans, shredded coconut and a can of condensed milk, then baked for 20 minutes.

 

 

I am definitely very willing to share any recipes that anyone wants to try.

[-Ryan]

I thought you said "What are pop tarts?"

And I was gonna slap you. :O

[Viridian]

I thought you said "What are pop tarts?"

And I was gonna slap you. :O

Any non american could have asked you that. Never seen them anywhere but in Canada ;)

 

They are distributed mainly in the United States, but also in Canada. They can also be found in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Pop-Tarts were discontinued in Australia in 2005 and are now found only in import stores

Anyway on topic:

 

I've been to a christmas 'party' of my library work which was really quite a lot of fun, despite being the youngest ;) Christmas is merely a religious celebration here, and there are no fancy recipes linked to it. All those things sound delicious though!

[-Ryan]

My statement just got owned. :D

 

Those magic cookie bars look really good. :O

I'm gonna try to make those later, maybe without the coconut. :sick01:

[rugrat0ne]

I like mince pie for xmas, but can never find one. I don't cook or bake, so I have to depend on friends and family, who either don't like it or don't know how to make it. Oh well.

[Sakurabelle]

mmm... I love christmas cooking! The first thing that pops into my head is sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting. I also like to make candy: peppermint bark, caramels, peanut butter buckeyes, etc. Those butter tarts look pretty good though. Does anyone have a recipe that they recommend for those? I'd love to try it!

[-Ryan]

Speaking of cookies, I just made 4 batches of cookies without setting anything on fire, so I definatley did better than the last time I tried baking. :D

[Masaryk]

Congrats on your baking success, Ryan! Cookies are so much fun to bake. What kind of cookies did you make?

 

@Sakurabelle: Here's the butter tart recipe I use all the time.

 

Butter Tarts

 

½ cup butter

1½ cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp cream

1 tsp vanilla

18 unbaked tart shells

Optional: ⅓ cup raisins, chopped walnuts or pecans

 

In a medium saucepan, melt together butter and sugar over low heat. Remove from heat and let cool. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, cream, and vanilla. Stir in butter mixture. Add raisins or nuts, if desired. Spoon filling into tart shells, filling them ⅔ full. Bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until pastry is golden and filling is firm.

 

Makes 18.

[Cornflakes]

I love cooking - but Thanksgiving wiped me out!

 

We are going to my sister's (as usual) and I'm probably going to just buy something already made by someone else. :D

[Spritzie]

Baking cookies with my sister is dangerous. I'll just say, not much of the original dough, makes it into the oven to become cookies. :laughingsmiley:

[Quark]

I love making cheesecake for Christmas! Ahhh, om om om. Especially mini-cheesecakes which you can just make in cupcake tins with Vanilla Wafers on the bottom. Add some fruit on top and they are uh-mah-zing.

Have fun with the party! I'm excited because my friends from Delaware are coming up (with their kitty). Hurrah! Despite being an atheist, Christmas is seriously my favorite holiday. I get way too excited about giving people gifts. <3

 

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/mini-cheesecakes-i/Detail.aspx

There are the Mini-Cheesecakes. Prepare to have your mind blown in the realm of deliciousness.

[Wembly]

Wow, those pictures make them look awesome! I'd love to try to bake some some time but sadly my oven is still broken :( but I did recently go bake 11 dozen cookies at my friend's house which was fun and awesomely delicious *we seriously need a yum smiley*

[selusa]

These recipes ... are MAKING ME THIRSTY. I mean, hungry.

Ahem.

For me, when I think of Christmas dessert, my mind immediately jumps to tiramisu. My lovely Italian grandma always makes a huge dish of the stuff, and it's usually soaked with like a full bottle of rum. Delish.

My signature holiday dessert is a batch of homemade truffles, usually pecan, gingerbread, or brandy (I swear we're not a family of lousy drunks XP). Sooo good, especially with hot chocolate or cider.

And of course you can never go wrong with spice cookies (cookies with cinammon, clove, allspice, nutmeg. Quasi-gingersnap things, but softer and sweeter).

[Quark]

*gasp* Tiramisu! In high school, my friend and I tried to make it without the alcohol, because obviously we couldn't buy any. And BLECH! Worst baked goods fail ever!

Coconut macaroons are also a staple of Christmas cookies. So sweet, so good, so fun to make. (I really like baking, but I despise cooking. Most people I know agree with this. Huh, wonder why.)

[-Ryan]

@Masaryk

 

Chocolate chip(We got the premade dough kind, but theres wasn't enough chocolate chips so I added more. Alot more. :P

 

And have you ever had the kind where you make peanut butter cookies and then put the hersheys kiss on top when they come out of the oven? We made those too. We put green sugar on them too. xD

[Sakurabelle]

I love making cheesecake for Christmas! Ahhh, om om om. Especially mini-cheesecakes which you can just make in cupcake tins with Vanilla Wafers on the bottom. Add some fruit on top and they are uh-mah-zing.

Have fun with the party! I'm excited because my friends from Delaware are coming up (with their kitty). Hurrah! Despite being an atheist, Christmas is seriously my favorite holiday. I get way too excited about giving people gifts. <3

 

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/mini-cheesecakes-i/Detail.aspx

There are the Mini-Cheesecakes. Prepare to have your mind blown in the realm of deliciousness.

 

I totally just bookmarked that recipe for later use! It'll be perfect to make just a few of those instead of an entire cheesecake. I'm not a big fan, but my husband loves cheesecake so this will be great.

 

@ Masaryk

Thanks for the recipe! I'll be sure to post the results when I make them. I'm thinking it will be the perfect Christmas Eve baking adventure. :D And the ingredients are ones I tend to always have on hand, so yay for another recipe that doesn't require extra shopping!