During my Christmas visits I sampled a few dishes that I wanted to duplicate, and I did try some of them out once I got back to Kotz. My friends and co-workers have been thrilled because I've made these to share, not to eat myself (you'll see why)
My sister-in-law is known for her baking skills. Unfortunately, since I don't spend much time back home, I usually only get to hear about good things she makes, but I did get to try some cookies like these. I spent an evening baking cookies with her family, and she made these spritz cookies. You can't go wrong with cookies that call for colors, sprinkles, & lots of butter! The coolest thing was that they're squeezed out of a cookie press -- something new to my tiny repertoire of kitchen gadgets. When I stumbled across one like hers, I took it back with me and made some of my own.
A blizzard kept me from going to buy sprinkles, but no one complained. It didn't take them long to disappear at work!
That was Saturday. The next thing I knew I caught myself saying I'd make tamales and take them to work on Monday (I brought leaves back from TX). You've seen tamale production here before, but this was more than I've ever made. I had brought lots of (perishable) leaves, and I wanted to have enough for all who were interested. Let's just say Sunday was a long night. Fifty-something tamales later...
It was worth the effort. Those who partook learned just a little more about a place that's an inextricable part of me, and everyone sat, chatted and enjoyed the whole lunch hour -- a good thing for our workplace.
That was a Monday. The same night a neighbor invited some folks over for a dinner party. That's where I tried out the apple dumplings a la Grandma! She made them for Christmas dinner. Rich, sweet, and oh so good. I was running behind, so I literally pulled them from the oven and rushed next door, so the photo is of what was left. They may not look like much, but they were a hit!
As I got caught up in the day-to-day again, my culinary endeavors were scaled back to simple and single, but I'm looking forward to another production. On my way home from travel now, I'm already planning to duplicate a meal my aunt made -- sausage & sauerkraut. Yum! I'll make it happen, but I don't want to load up the fridge much just yet. I'll be eating jerky & pilot bread in Kobuk next week. Fortunately Mom & Dad got me some really good jerky, so it'll be a treat compared to the usual gristly stuff from AC.
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