I’ve definitely been getting into the Christmas spirit the past couple of weeks. Lots of baking and decorating have been going on around here, Christmas music playing in the kitchen…it’s safe to say preparations are in full swing! I’d had these cookies bookmarked to try for a while, and they kept popping up all over the place with rave reviews. For my birthday, I received 2 different sets of AmeriColor food coloring. I knew I wanted to make these cookies to play with my new present.

They’re all they are cracked up to be! Big and thick, cakey, and delicious. They were so much fun to decorate too! I split the batch of frosting in two, and did one half red, and one half green. I thought they were very bright and cheery for the Holidays. These kicked the pants off of the store bought variety of these cookies. Here’s how to make them!

We blow through A LOT of tortillas in this house. Flour, whole wheat, corn – we love them all! I’ve heard stories of how much better fresh tortillas are, versus the ones you buy pre-packaged in the store. Big surprise there, right? Unfortunately, we don’t live anywhere in the vicinity of one of those big, fancy-pants grocery stores that sell tortillas made in house. I have found one brand that I adore, but it’s only available at our local restaurant supply store. However, they are HUGE. Like 14″ tortillas. Great for burritos, for everything else – not so much. Leave it to my homegirl Annie, to provide the inspiration to try my hand making them at home.

They turned out wonderful! The dough was a breeze to bring together in the food processor, and a dream to work with when rolling out. My rolling skills aren’t the best, so I was nervous about rolling something as thin as a tortilla. I had no problem whatsoever. Also, they were quick to make! From start to finish, it was about 40 minutes. Super easy! Next time I’ll probably do a double batch, and freeze half to have on hand. They are heartier, yet fluffier than the ones you buy at the mega mart. Not to mention the fact that they actually taste like something. They’re wonderful. Make these!

I hate to admit it, but I used to dislike cilantro. I thought it tasted like soap. Thankfully, I’ve since come around and now I can’t get enough of the stuff. One of my favorite uses for it, which I find myself making often around here, is pico de gallo. Obviously, it’s a great condiment for any Mexican dish. But, it is also a wonderful accompaniment to serve on top of broiled fish or grilled chicken. Not to mention it’s totally figure friendly.

I’ve found that I get pretty decent results year-round with Roma tomatoes. Of course this summer is at it’s prime with summer tomatoes, but it’s nice to be able to have a fresh tomato salsa in these dreary winter months that is edible! I like a more predominant onion flavor in my salsa, so I use white onions. If you like a milder onion flavor, try using red onion or scallions instead. If you don’t like things spicy, remove the “ribs” and seeds from the jalapeno before chopping. Or, if you want to kick the heat up a notch, try using a serrano or habenero pepper in place of the jalapeno.

This year for Thanksgiving we made a turkey and a ham. Both turned out fabulous, and leftovers were gobbled up. But, after my husband’s family had gone home – I was left with the bottom portion of the ham shank. I remembered a dish that my mom always used to make with leftover ham. It was a recipe that her mom often made. I knew I wanted to try my hand at it with the remnants of the ham.

Her version included thinly sliced potatoes, layered with a thin sprinkling of flour and plenty of butter. Everything melds to a delicious mess, but I wanted to try my own spin on it. I looked up a couple of recipes, and decided on one that used a cream sauce. The original recipe didn’t call for ham, so of course I added that. I also have a surplus of frozen peas, (as I keep forgetting we have plenty, and end up buying yet another bag every other week at the grocery store) so I added some of those as well. I assembled the casserole mid-afternoon, and placed it in the refrigerator to keep until we were ready to bake it in the evening. I had our book club meeting that night, so Jon put it in the oven and baked it himself. Everyone enjoyed it, especially little Will. He devoured huge quantities of it for 3 nights in a row, until it was gone.

I always enjoy recipes that allow me to use my mandoline. But, if you don’t have one, the potatoes can easily be sliced thinly with a knife.  Also, don’t be alarmed if the dish looks a bit liquid-ey when removed from the oven. After you let it cool for about 10 minutes, it thickens right up. This is the definition of comfort food to me, folks. Add this to your menu to add warmth to one of these cold winters nights!