My Madison Bistro

By now, you may have caught on that I like the combination of peppermint and chocolate (any kind). This recipe is no exception.

The thing is, when it comes to truffles, white chocolate is a little trickier to deal with, because it’s so soft to begin with. I went through a few failed batches of truffles before I settled upon the magical combination that worked for me.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, for me, is how much my mom enjoys these little confections. Hmm. Perhaps that’s really where I get my love for white chocolate and peppermint? I did once have her try the white peppermint mocha from Starbucks…my mom, the coffee purist…really, really liked it. Then again, how can anyone not?

Continue reading “Peppermint White Chocolate Truffles”

Tags: peppermint, white chocolate

Happy Winter Solstice!!!

For years now, my mom has made these dainty little lemon cookies every Christmas. We call them girl cookies, because in my family, we’re the only ones who eat them!

They’re a nice addition to a holiday cookie platter. Bite-sized and refreshing, they are the perfect little treat with a cup of hot tea.

Continue reading “Lemon Tea Cookies”

Tags: comfort food, cookies, lemon

If there was only one holiday sweet to show up at our family Christmas, it would be my mom’s cut-out sugar cookies. But luckily, we’ve never had to resort to that.

I generally make candy at Christmas, though after trying the chocolate peppermint cookies this weekend, my mom announced that these are now a Christmas-must in my family. Fine with me, I love them!!!

But to change things up a little from my peppermint/chocolate holiday theme, I wanted to do some decorated cut-outs as well. Because I’d already posted my mom’s recipe earlier in the year, I decided to do something a little different and returned to a recipe that I love but hadn’t made since college. That was the only time I made them, simply because I couldn’t control stop myself from eating them!

These days, I do better around sweets, so I figured if there was a time to make them again, this was it.

Continue reading “Sour Cream Cut-Out Cookies with a Special Picture”

Tags: cookies, frosting

When I was a kid, I never understood when adults would say they’d rather give presents than receive presents.

Huh?

What a foreign concept to a child! Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, they all seemed to be occasions specifically designed for us to get PRESENTS. The rush of excitement when you’d wake in the morning, waiting to see what Santa brought, or what scavenger hunt Mom had come up with for our Easter presents that year… it was all part of the excitement.

Well, at some point I grew up. I get just as excited for holidays, but now, I verge on giddy when it comes to giving presents. For Christmas, I start thinking as early as May or June. I don’t do much for birthdays; often, a card will have to do, as it’s difficult to get together for everyone’s birthday.

That said, this year when B’s birthday rolled around, I asked if he wanted the strawberry cheesecake I made him (pretty much) every year. He said no.

But I was determined to do something.

Continue reading “Bacon Jam”

Tags: bacon, comfort food, everyday food