A Holiday Tradition - Nissua

Mmmm, been promising my Gram's nissua recipe. It's really pretty easy. You might recall I shared a recipe for home made rolls a little while ago. When you are adding the sugar (I add a bit extra sugar . . . maybe an extra quarter to half cup), add a couple teaspoons of cardamom.

Now smell the mix. You should be able to smell the cardamom. If you can't add another teaspoon. Part of the reason for this is that cardamom tends to lose its 'oomph' as it ages, so if it has been hanging around your spice cabinet for awhile, it may take a bit more to get the flavor to really come through in the dough, and you want the cardamom flavor to be noticeable.

Mix the remaining ingredients in as directed in the home made rolls recipe. Allow the dough to rise, and then punch it down. Split the dough into two to three parts (you want about a 4-5 inch ball of dough to work with). Roll the dough out. Spread the filling of your choice down the center of the dough.

There are several different prepared fillings that you can use. My favorite is apricot, but I'm also partial to poppyseed. Mom love almost filling. Whatever your preference. Fold the the side of the dough over the filling and lay, seam side down, on a baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise some (I'm impatient, this rising usually doesn't last long)..

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place in the oven and allow to bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and baked through.

While it is cooking, make a simple butter frosting to put over the top. Cream butter and powdered sugar together, add a teaspoon of vanilla, and then milk to get the texture you like . . . I prefer it to be almost like a frosting, nice and thick, but if you like something more like a glaze, you can thin the frosting with more milk. Here's an easy buttercream frosting recipe that you can play with.

If you can wait, allow the bread to cool some before frosting. I usually can't, and the frosting ends up melting on top of the bread . . . not a bad thing, but it can get kind of messy!

What's your favorite holiday recipe?

Holiday Spirit

Like many people, I love this time of year! Whatever their religious beliefs, nearly everyone seems . . . nicer during the holidays. Even the occasional Scrooge can't get me down for long ;)

The kids picked out our Christmas trees the weekend after Thanksgiving and we decorated. I just love our live trees - the smell when you come in from the nippy outdoors truly harkens the season. The colorful lights and decorations, the heavenly smell of pine and spices, the comforting song of carols, and the warm, soft snuggle of an excited child - this is my total sensory immersion in the holiday season. What could be better?

And then there is the food . . . my mouth water just thinking about our huge family breakfast on Christmas morning. Carmelized bacon, stuffed french toast, fluffy scrambled eggs, Gram's nissua - it's comfort food at its best. I thought I'd share a couple of the recipes with you as we approach the holidays. Maybe you'll find something that will help you build those wonderful family traditions that make this time of year so special.

First, carmelized bacon. Now this is a recipe you'll definitely want to use for the holidays, only. It's very simple. First, preheat the oven to 350F. Then get out just two ingredients:

Bacon, thawed (best if it is thin sliced)

Brown sugar

Put a cup or so of brown sugar into a shallow dish. One at a time, coat the strips of bacon in the brown sugar, and lay on a cookie sheet in a single layer (if you have a broiler pan, you can use it to get the bacon up out of the grease, but it isn't necessary). Place in the oven and bake until the sugar is bubbly and the bacon is done, 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it, because the sugar will burn if you are not careful.

Prepare a cooling rack with paper towels underneath. When you take the bacon out of the oven, immediately remove it from the pan and place on the cooling rack, and allow it to cool and drain for a few minutes. The carmelized bacon is best once it's cooled some, so the sugar has a chance to set on the outside. Enjoy!!

Do you have a favorite family holiday tradition or recipe you'd like to share? Please, do!