Here we are in the last month of 2020, and for so many, it’s a relief to be nearing the end of what has been a difficult year. For that, we have a lot to be thankful for, and I am sure you feel the same sentiment.
My header photo is from our living room where we are enjoying our advent pyramid and a plate of Lebkuchen. In my December 2018 newsletter, I wrote about the Advent history and traditions. Lebkuchen tastes like gingerbread and is also a part of Germany’s many Christmas traditions.
This is a good month to bake cookies and I am publishing two recipes, including Linda’s Oatmeal Molasses Cookies and German Hazelnut Macaroons. This is my second opportunity to make Linda’s cookie recipes. The first was Linda’s Ginger Molasses Cookies which remind me of Lebkuchen. The macaroons, being the other recipe for this month, remind me of growing up in Germany. In small villages and the big cities, there are Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmarkt) where vendors sell everything from glühwein (mulled red wine), to cookies, homemade decorations and culinary delights like Bratwurst. These vendors are often in cute, festive little German huts.
My footer photo is about “Back Oblaten,” which are German baking wafers. My translation of the tagline on the picture is “Macaroons are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.” Ironically, on the cover of this box is the featured German Hazelnut Macaroon. When I was a young girl, I was fascinated with one of my German sitters when she taught me how to make cookies her way. It was different than how mom would do it in our German apartment. It is an ingenious idea that you place a flour wafer on the cookie sheet and then a scoop of the dough on top before baking. Surely, this is a great way to avoid the cleanup of a messy cooking sheet.
As of this month, I have been publishing recipes and monthly newsletters for three years. It cannot go without saying, that I extend a warm thank you to Matt and Jeremy for being my IT experts and publishers. Equally, I want to thank Linda and Sue for being my editors. I could not do this blog without all of your help!
Dave and I wish you Happy Holidays from our table to yours!
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