Peppernuts

A Christmas tradition in our home three years in the making is to listen to Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" (by Focus on the Family's radio theater programming) while baking cookies. This year it was just peppernuts. Apparently, there are about as many varieties of peppernuts as there are people who make them. I think at David's family Christmas last year there were no less than four different kinds of peppernuts in attendance. For this year, I made the lighter, crisper ones seen in the back of the photo above, while David made the more assertive dark peppernuts in the front of the photo. They both have wonderful flavor which is only supposed to improve with age. Yes, like a fine wine or cheese, these little cookies can and should be aged. But they're so stinkin' cute and tasty, that it's truly hard to just let them be!

Anyone else baking a holiday cookie must-have?

Fall Fare

Quick, before winter officially begins!

I made this a few weeks (okay, probably two months) ago and it was an absolutely delicious fall meal! Mashed potatoes (and turnips--could've done without those, actually) with spicy sausage and tatsoi. I sauteed onions, then browned the sausage and seasoned it with cayenne pepper, sage, and hickory smoked salt. Just before serving, I added some chopped tatsoi cabbage and cooked it just until it wilted a bit but hadn't lost its color.

Yum, yum!