Walking in a Winter Wonderland

"Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? 

In the lane, snow is glistening. 

A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, 

Walking in a winter wonderland."

Just kidding, I'm not still singing Christmas songs. I promise. October through January was full of enough Christmas music to last the year, even more me. For the past 3 years, Nhan and I have hosted our residency program's annual Unofficial Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Cramming 30-40 residents into our house for a potluck, fun holiday drinks, white elephant, christmas karaoke and the whole shebang leaves us swearing off hosting ever again, yet somehow when Christmas rolls around the following year, we never learn our lesson. And what is a party at the Vuongs' without a dessert spread? Last year, we did a Smore's Bar, but this year we decided to do a little less fire, a little more snow--Winter Wonderland to be more specific. 

A Feast for the Holidays

Last month around Christmas weekend, we celebrated my parents' 28th anniversary. My mom had wanted me to make reservations at a nice restaurant for dinner, but the holidays just would not be the same without a home cooked meal. And what better way to spend time with family than by bonding in the kitchen over pots, pans, and pasta. It was a perfect excuse to try out my new Le Creuset dutch oven that the boy got me for Christmas! Recipes included - click on links below for recipes and more pics.  (Too many recipes to fit in one post!)

Macaron Madness: A Berry Merry Christmas

It wasn't all that long ago when I had no idea what a French macaron was. My friend Lisa brought me what looked like a chocolate cookie sandwich, but one bite of that decadent goodness changed my world. Crunchy on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside and filled with a chocolate raspberry ganache, that was one cookie (based on a David Lebovitz recipe) I would never forget. It left me dying for another and another, haunting my thoughts about how such a perfect cookie could come to be. The baker in me decided to take up the challenge to recreate that unforgettably delicious cookie and to create the perfect macaron, a journey that has left me wanting to pull out my hair on more occasions than I would like to admit. There is so much technique and perfection that goes into making these cookies--a few strokes too many and you lose those perfect little "feet," but too few and you will end up with cracked shells; temperatures too high and they will crack, but too low and they will not cook through, leaving you with hollow shells. After years of practice and fiddling with different temperatures, flavorings, and fillings, I am getting closer to my end goal, but still have a few tweaks to make here or there to create "the perfect macaron." It has become somewhat of an addiction: batch after batch, one trial after another, playing with endless flavor combinations. 

It's About to Get Nutty

As soon as Halloween ended this year, LA's KOST 103.5 started early on their glorious 2 month stint of Christmas songs on the radio--something I look forward to every year. Prancing around the hospital with Christmas jingles in my head gives me a major itch for holiday baking. To me, turning on the oven is like a cozy blanket filling the house with warm aromas of baked goods and sprinkling a bit of holiday cheer on everybody. While russian tea cakes are one of the classic Christmas go-to cookies I make, banana nut bread probably ties for first in the baked goods category. My aunt, without fail, will ask me for this recipe in addition to her own loaf every single year at our family Christmas gathering (I have no idea what she does with the recipe). Fluffy yet moist, and loaded with chocolate chips and walnuts galore, this banana bread is definitely a family favorite.  Now the only thing left is to decorate the house!

Russian (or not so Russian) Tea Cakes

The start of my baking hobby began over a decade ago in elementary school. One of my most memorable experiences was baking endless batches of Christmas cookies with my lovely friend Sarah: anywhere from sugar cookies, to peanut butter surprises, to Russian tea cakes, and harlequin dippers, but the crowd favorite was by far the Russian tea cakes. As to how they got their name, it truly beats me, since I don't think they are even from Russia. Also known as Mexican wedding cakes and snowball cookies, these powdered sugar covered melt-in-your-mouth delights are a wonderful accompaniment to a cup of tea and are the perfect holiday cookies to share. But beware, these butter laden babies are not for the faint of heart.