This week I’ve really had a great time getting into the seasonal spirit with the family and the kids joining me with the festive cookie baking and the Christmas tree decorating. Since I’ve been away from the family for so many years, traversing the world, it’s been a real treat for me this year to join in the fun . . . and . . . at times I have to admit, I’ve felt a bit like a kid myself!
First and foremost the family’s favorite gingerbread cookies were on the program. I had made the dough in advance and even baked a bunch to have ready to decorate which, this year, turned out to be a lot easier and less messy thanks to my niece who had brought us various tubes of shop-bought colored icing and lots of candy for decorating.
As you will see from the photos, we ended up not only cutting out and baking cookies but we also made a simple gingerbread house with a flat roof to give it a bit of modern spin. Actually our first idea was to make a barn but then we saw the liquorish/marzipan sweets that my niece had also brought us, so we decided to break away from tradition and do a flat roof house with an opening for a window to enable us see the stars . . . with a little imagination!
Apart from the gingerbread cookies & house we also made my kids friendly mega chocolate chip cookies and then I finished off making granny’s butter cookies while baking the traditional gingerbread cake; both perfect accompaniments with the traditional Glögg (mulled red wine) that we served to the grownups while decorating the Xmas tree! The kids got warm apple juice spiced up with cinnamon . . . that "big kids" like me absolutely adore!
On this sweet note, I would like to thank you all for the many e-mails and positive comments I've received from many of you this past year.
I would also like to wish all my friends and family as well as the many subscribers, followers and viewers of my website a
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