How you doin’? We are just five days away from Christmas. Don't forget to set some cookies and milk (or brandy) out for the fat jolly guy. Here's a cookie recipe Santa will enjoy all the way to the North Pole.

​There are grocers and then there are real grocers. George Zallie and his family owned and operated several ShopRite supermarkets in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. His delis and bakeries were right out of the old school playbook. Every year he would invite a chef or a couple of bakers to vacation in the US and help translate Italian recipes for his stores. It was a great way to enrich his co-workers and offer his clientele new and exciting products.
 
Italian Almond Holiday Cookies are very chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. The entire outside of the cookie is dredged in sliced almonds for a fantastic spiky look and an absolutely delicious flavor. This was one of George’s favorite cookies. R.I.P., George.
 
Prep time:  15 to 20 minutes
Bake time:  20 minutes
Yield:  3 dozen cookies
 
Ingredients 
4 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pound almond paste, softened
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups raw sliced almonds (do not toast)
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350⁰F.
2. Grease or spray cookie sheets. You can also use a Silpat if you have one.
3. In a bowl of an electric mixer whip the egg whites with the granulated sugar until you have a firm meringue.
4. In a separate large bowl, use your hands (Italians always create with hands) to mix the almond paste, flour, almond flour, meringue, vanilla and confectioners' sugar until well blended. The mixture will be very sticky.
5. Place the sliced almonds into a small bowl.
6. Scoop out rounded teaspoonfuls of cookie dough and drop them into the almonds. Roll until completely coated.
7. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
8. Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.
9. Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

 
ChefSecret:  If your almond paste has gotten a too little hard, you might find it easier to mix it into the cookie dough if you grate it with a box grater. Also, using your hands will keep you from overmixing this cookie dough. Plus, it’s just more fun! I always use single use gloves for mixing.

 Quip of the Day: “It helps if you imagine the auto correct as a tiny elf in your phone who’s trying so hard to be helpful but is, in fact, quite drunk!”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Baking #ItalianAlmondHolidayCookies #SlicedAlmonds #ZalliesShoprite #AlmondPaste #2021HolidaysRecipeCollection #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                         ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? How do I love Mulled Wine? Let me count the ways. It’s festive. It looks “pretty.” It tastes, well, like Christmas. It makes your house smell amazing. It’s great for parties. It is also known as glühwein, vino caliente, vin brulé, bisschopswijn, vin chaud, candola, vinho quente or literally a hundred other names, depending on where in the world you live or travel. It seems like just about everyone in every part of the world loves a hot wine drink.
 
I tasted my first glögg (warm spiced wine) in Ahaus, Denmark at a Christmas market many years ago. There, the locals love warming up steamy mugs of hot wine each evening in the homes and pubs everywhere. It is served at nearly every holiday gathering, Christmas markets and food festivals. Now, more than ever before, it is, delicious, nostalgic and comforting.

​I am absolutely convinced that homemade mulled wine is just about the easiest recipe ever for winter and holiday entertaining. Truly, it literally takes just about 10 minutes to prep and heat and can be made either on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. It’s easy to scale anywhere from a “date night” for two, up to big holiday parties with dozens in attendance. It’s totally customizable with your favorite spices and liqueurs. And it’s guaranteed to make your home smell festive and will warm everyone up on a chilly holiday season winter night.
So grab a bottle of wine and brandy and let’s get mullin’!

Ingredients:
1 bottle of wine:   No need to buy an expensive bottle—a mid-range bottle of dry red or white wine will do. (If you’re preparing a large bowl, you can use a boxed wine.) The best wines for mulled wine will be fruity and full-bodied, so that it can withstand the heat and not have its flavor completely drowned out by the aromatics; try bottle of Zinfandel, Merlot or Grenache.
2 ounces brandy:  You can also use Cointreau (or another orange liqueur) or tawny port is also a delicious alternative.
2 fresh oranges:  cut one of the oranges in quarters and mull it in the wine. Use the second orange as a garnish. (To minimize bitterness, feel free to peel the orange before simmering it in the wine.)
3 to 4 cinnamon sticks:  Glögg just would be glögg without cinnamon sticks. Now you know what to do with those sticks that have been in your spice cabinet for a couple of years.
Assorted aromatic mulling spices:  My favorites are whole cloves and star anise, plus perhaps a few cardamom pods.
2 to 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar (or brown sugar, maple syrup or honey) more or less to taste.
 
Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large non-reactive pot or kettle. You can also use a slow cooker for larger batches.
2. Bring mixture to a simmer (not a boil) and lower the temperature to warm.
3. Using a fine mesh strainer, remove and discard the orange slices, cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise and cardamom.
4. Give the mulled wine a taste and stir in the desired amount of extra sweetener if needed.
5. Serve in Irish coffee glasses or mugs and garnish with an orange slice.

 
ChefSecret:  To minimize bitterness, peel the orange before warming in the wine.
 
Quip of the Day: “I refuse to add this year to my age… it went unused.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide .
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Cocktail #HappyHour #MerryChristmas #MulledWine #Sangria #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2021 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                         ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? My Warm Apple Crisp is crisp, crunchy, easy to make and deee-licious. It has a nice crunchy cinnamon topping over brown sugar and cinnamon coated apple slices. I like to make it when I feel too lazy to make a “real” somewhat fussy apple pie or I just run out of time. It is best to the serve the crisp 30 minutes or so after taking it out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
 
Apple cobbler recipes date back to colonial days here in the United States. However, Apple Crisp is a relatively new apple dessert first mentioned in a 1924 cookbook. According to Canadian Living, "A ‘crisp’ is a baked fruit dessert topped with a crisp and crunchy layer of ingredients. The topping may include a proportion of sugar, butter, oats, nuts, flour and a spice such as cinnamon, tossed together to gain a somewhat granular look. The dessert is baked just until the topping is crisp and golden."
 
Apple Crumble is synonymous with Apple Crisp in the U.K. and Australia, but in Canada and the U.S., it is a slightly different dish. Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter. According to Canadian Living, "The topping is generally clumpier than a crisp topping, but not as clumpy as a cobbler topping." How do you like them apples?
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  35 minutes
Yield:  1-9 inch square pan / 6-8 servings
 
Ingredients 
4 large tart green apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup instant oats
1 large beaten egg
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375⁰ F.
2. In a 9-inch square baking pan, mix the sliced apples with the brown sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, granulated sugar, remaining cinnamon, salt, pecans and oats.
4. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and melted butter. Stir into flour mixture and spread evenly over the apples.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and crisp.

ChefSecret:  When selecting the right variety of apple for the Crisp use a firm, crisp Granny Smith or Honeycrisp variety. These are the most popular apples to use in apple pies and apple crisps. Golden Delicious is another great choice for a crisp. You can use just one variety or, for added depth of flavor, use an assortment of varieties when baking an apple crisp.

Quip of the Day: “A core belief is that apple quips make me smile.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

​#Baking #Dessert #AppleCrisp #AppleCobbler #AppleCrumble #GrannySmith #Honeycrisp #2021HolidaysRecipeCollection #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup​

                                            ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

​How you doin’? Last year with all the Covid issues and the fact that we moved our offices and test kitchens, I never got a chance to set-up the Christmas tree. That didn’t happen this year; I put up my tree even before Thanksgiving and have been in a much better mood ever since!
 
A tree is a tree is a tree… it’s a basic icon of holiday cheer, but the Christmas bauble is very personal and comes with an obscure history.
 
Today, we call them Christmas trees, but the decorative evergreen long pre-dates the celebration of Christmas. Evidence suggests that the practice of adorning the home with evergreen boughs during the winter solstice dates as far back as the ancient Egyptians (you may have seen a decorated tree when the workers topped-out the pyramids). The comforting presence and aroma of evergreens offered hope during winter’s coldest days and longest nights, serving a similar purpose in the various pagan winter solstice rituals of the Druids, Romans and Vikings.
 
Our current Christmas tree tradition is thought to have originated in 16th century Germany, where small evergreen trees were decorated with the likes of candles, apples, nuts and berries as “paradise trees” in religious entertainment offerings. Over time, devout Christians integrated these decorated trees into their homes during the holiday season. The tradition, which became a Christian ritual, began to spread across Europe.
 
German immigrants brought the Christmas tree to America in the 18th and 19th centuries, where it was promptly rejected by Puritanical religious groups for its historically pagan connotations. While it took a while to catch on, small communities of German-born settlers documented the continuation of this practice as early as the mid-1700s.
 
In the late 1840s, a published depiction of the favorable Queen Victoria celebrating Christmas with her German-born husband, Prince Albert, and their family around a decorated evergreen tree transformed the practice into a fashionable one that wealthy Americans soon rushed to adopt.
 
In short order, local businesses caught on to the ornament’s commercial potential. Personally, I have decorations for 3 large trees—one is my food tree, the second one is my travel tree and the third is a crystal tree. I have collected most of these decorations over the years. Now if you’re just starting out and don’t want to ship money to another country, you can make your own Christmas tree decorations right in your own kitchen with my Cinnamon Gingerbread Tree Ornament recipe. By using coconut oil instead of butter, you should get at least 3 years use before having to remake your baked decorations.
 
Prep time:  45 minutes
Chill time:  minimum 2 hours
Bake time:  12 to 15 minutes
Decoration time:  Allow at least a couple of hours to do it right
Yield:  24 average size decoration cookies

Ingredients
5 cups all-purpose flour
3-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
16 tablespoons coconut oil (see ChefSecret below)
2/3 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup molasses
 
Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
2. Place the coconut oil and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until well mixed.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating smooth after each egg is added. Scrape down the bowl and paddle.
4. Reduce the speed and add in about half of the flour mixture.
5. Add the molasses, then scrape the bowl and beater.
6. Add the remaining flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time, and beat after each addition until it has all been incorporated into the dough.
7. Place half the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press it to about a 1/2-inch thickness.
8. Wrap the dough securely and repeat with the remaining dough.
9. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or for up to 3 days.
10. Preheat the oven to 350⁰ F.
11. Prepare two baking sheets and line with parchment or a Silpat.
12. Cut refrigerated dough in half and re-wrap the second half, place in fridge.
13. On a floured surface, roll the dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick.
14. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut the cookies. As they are cut, place the cut cookies on the prepared pans with about 1 inch between them on all sides. Repeat with remaining dough.
15. Save, press together, and re-roll remaining pieces of dough (they don't need to be chilled before re-rolling).
16. Bake the cookies until they become dull and dry looking and feel slightly firm, about 12 to 15 minutes.
17. When they are removed from the oven, immediately use the rounded end of a skewer to place a hole in the top of cookie for the ribbon or string to thread through!
18. Decorate when cool or store the cooled cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover.

ChefSecret:  Use this recipe for ornamental holiday decorations. For more flavorful gingerbread cookies to eat, replace the coconut oil with unsalted butter.
 
                                Edible Decorative Icing For Gingerbread Cookies
 
This easy royal icing recipe for sugar cookies is easy to make! No need for egg whites, meringue powder—there are just four simple ingredients required to whip-up with a hand or stand mixer.
 
Ingredients
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
water, for thinning, as needed
gel food coloring, if desired
 
Directions

1. Add confectioners’ sugar to a mixing bowl or to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment.
2. Start mixing on low and slowly add the milk, corn syrup and vanilla extract.
3. Continue to whip on medium until smooth.
4. If the royal icing is too thick, thin it out by adding a little water until it reaches the proper consistency.
5. If the icing is too thin, add additional confectioners’ sugar a teaspoonful at a time, until it reaches the proper consistency.
6. If you want to color to your royal icing, use gel food coloring.

 
Quip of the Day: “Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Baking #GingerbreadOrnaments #ChristmasTreeOrnaments #CinnamonGingerbread #RoyalIcing #QueenVictoria #PrinceAlbert #2021HolidaysRecipeCollection #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                         ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? As we move past Thanksgiving it’s time to hunker down for the year-end holidays. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Festivus (for the rest of us) it’s always great to offer a new cocktail. I love to invent cocktails that use the fruit flavors of the season… in this particular case, apples.
 
So, who was Johnny Appleseed? His real name was John Chapman. There are stories of Johnny Appleseed practicing his nurseryman craft in the area of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and of picking seeds from the pomace at Potomac River cider mills in the late 1790s. Another story has Chapman living in Pittsburgh on Grant's Hill in 1794 at the time of the Whiskey Rebellion.
 
Kids’ stories present a more popular image of Johnny Appleseed spreading apple seeds randomly everywhere he went. In fact, this is not the case. Chapman planted nurseries rather than orchards, built fences around them to protect them from livestock, left the nurseries in the care of a neighbor who sold trees on shares and returned every year or two to tend the nursery.
 
John planted his first nursery on the bank of Brokenstraw Creek, south of Warren, Pennsylvania. Next, he seems to have moved to Venango County, along the shore of French Creek, but many of these nurseries were in the Mohican River area of north-central Ohio. This area included the towns of Mansfield, Lisbon, Lucas, Perrysville and Loudonville.

The story and life of Johnny Appleseed almost ended in 1819 in Ohio. One morning he was picking hops in a tree when he fell and caught his neck in the forked neck of the tree. Shortly after he fell one of his helpers, 8 year-old John White, found him struggling in the tree. Unable to get him out of the tree, young John White cut the tree down, saving Chapman's life.
 
Toward the end of his career, Johnny was present when an itinerant missionary was exhorting an open-air congregation in Mansfield, Ohio. The sermon was long and severe on the topic of extravagance, because the pioneers were buying such indulgences as calico and imported tea. "Where now is there a man who, like the primitive Christians, is traveling to heaven barefooted and clad in coarse raiment?" the preacher repeatedly asked until Johnny Appleseed, his endurance worn out, walked up to the preacher, put his bare foot on the stump that had served as a podium, and said, "Here's your primitive Christian!" The flummoxed sermonizer dismissed the congregation. Amen!
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail
​ 
Ingredients 
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce apple brandy (Calvados or Applejack)
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 ounce homemade cinnamon simple syrup (see ChefSecret)
3 ounces sparkling hard cider
Dehydrated apple slice, for garnish
 
Directions

1. Using an ice-filled cocktail shaker combine the vodka, apple brandy, lemon juice, and simple syrup; shake vigorously to mix and chill.
2. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass (this recipe is too much for a martini glass).
3. Top with sparkling hard cider.
4. Garnish with an apple slice.

ChefSecret:  Making the cinnamon simple syrup is well, simple. Using a small saucepan, heat equal parts of granulated sugar and water along with 3 cinnamon sticks until the sugar dissolves. Cool and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Quip of the Day: “John Chapman once said, There will always be challenges along the way. No road to success and happiness will be paved with apple blossoms. Sometimes it will be full of bumps and challenges that you need to deal with. But in the end, all those hard times will help you become your true self and the man you would like to be.”

Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide .

To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. 
​
#Cocktail #HappyHour #HolidayCocktails #JohnnyAppleseed #Appletini #HardCider #Vodka #AppleBrandy #Cinnamon #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021