Anna Sultana’s Cannoli Cookies, Christmas Ricotta Cookies, Italian Ricotta Cookies, Lemon Ricotta Cookies, Iced Lemon Ricotta Cookies, Orange Ricotta Cookies, Christmas Cookies / Muriel’s Family Christmas Dinner by Margaret Ullrich

Happy New Year!

Traditionally this is a time for family and friends to gather.
And some folks think it’s just dandy to drop in, uninvited and unexpected.
Well.. you were well brought up and you know what’s expected of you as a host.
You have to smile and they have to be fed.


Cookies are always handy to have on hand for these surprise guests.
Cookies are just a bit of food. Just enough, in keeping with the situation.
Like what should they have expected when they didn’t give you any warning?
A complete dinner, from soup to nuts?


Cookies are also fine after a dinner with invited family and friends.
A slice of cake, especially fruitcake, can seem a bit overwhelming after a big meal, but there’s always room for a cookie, or two.


Ricotta cookies fresh from the oven can also be used as shortcake.
In the summer, Ma didn’t ice the cookies, but topped them with sweetened mashed berries and a bit of whipped cream.
For the aunts and uncles she’d add a dash of booze to the fruit and serve them from a different tray.
Yeah, we grabbed a few.

Hints:
For a smooth texture, make sure your ricotta is well-drained in a cheesecloth lined strainer, for at least an hour, and at room temperature before using.


About the Cannoli Cookies…
Save a few chocolate chips and pistachios to press into the tops before baking.


About the Christmas Ricotta Cookies…
These cookies are light, incredibly moist, and stay soft for days.
Use vanilla instead of almond extract for a traditional flavour.
You can add lemon or orange zest to the dough or glaze for extra flavour.
To keep the cookies from spreading, chill the dough for an hour before baking.

Store cookies in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
Freeze frosted cookies in layers with parchment between layers up to 3 months.
Let them thaw at room temp before serving.

You can make the dough, chill it overnight, and bake the next day.
Or scoop the dough into balls and freeze them.
Bake straight from frozen with a minute or two added to the baking time.


About the Christmas Cookies…
You can use 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, or 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.

               Cannoli Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
2 1/2 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 Cup sugar
Cream for 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add, one at a time
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Add
1 Cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 Tablespoon orange zest
Mix just until combined.
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
With a spatula gently fold in
3/4 Cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 Cup shelled pistachios, chopped
Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Centres should look just underdone.
Cool 5 minutes on sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.

For the chocolate drizzle
Place in a small microwaveable bowl
1/2 Cup dark chocolate chips
Melt and stir until smooth.
Drizzle cookies with melted chocolate.

Dust with
confectioner’s sugar
Top with
chopped pistachios (optional)

About 30 cookies


                                                              Christmas Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
4 Cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter, softened
2 Cups sugar
Cream until light and fluffy.
Add, one at a time
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Add
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla (or almond extract)
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients.
Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until edges are golden.
Cool on wire racks.

For the frosting
Place in a medium mixer bowl
1/4 Cup butter, softened
3 to 4 Cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 Tablespoon 2% milk
Mix until spreadable.
Frost cooled cookies.
Decorate with Christmas sprinkles immediately and let the frosting set before storing.


                                                              Italian Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
2 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
Cream until light and fluffy.
Beat in
1 large egg, at room temperature
Add
8 ounces ricotta cheese
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Beat until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting
Place in a small bowl
2 Cups confectioner’s sugar
3 Tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix until smooth. Add more milk if needed.
Dip the cooled cookies in the frosting.
Decorate with Christmas sprinkles immediately and let the frosting set before storing.

About 24 cookies

               Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
2 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
Cream until light and fluffy.
Add
1 large egg, at room temperature
3/4 Cup ricotta cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Beat until smooth and creamy.
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Cover the bowl and chill dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Scoop and roll dough into golf ball-sized rounds, then roll each in
1/2 Cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart and bake 12 to 15 minutes, until tops begin to crack.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust with confectioner’s sugar (optional)

About 42 cookies


                                                              Iced Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
4 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
2 Cups sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
Cream until light and fluffy.
Add, one at a time
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Stir in
16 ounces full-fat ricotta cheese
1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla
Beat until smooth and creamy.
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients just until combined.
Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Gently smooth the tops with your fingers.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just lightly golden at the edges.
Remove from oven and let cool completely on the sheets.

For the lemon glaze
Place in a small bowl
2 Cups confectioner’s sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons)
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tablespoons lemon juice or water
Mix until smooth. Add more liquid if needed.
Dip the tops of each cooled cookie and let the glaze set.

About 20 cookies

                 Orange Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
1 3/4 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
                                                               Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup + 3 Tablespoons ricotta cheese, at room temperature
1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
Beat until smooth and creamy.
Add
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon orange zest
Mix until combined.
Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour.

Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly golden.
Let cool on the sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Glaze or frost, then decorate with Christmas sprinkles immediately.
Let topping set before storing.

For the orange glaze
Place in a small bowl
1 Cup confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons heavy cream or whole milk
1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons orange juice
Mix until smooth. Add more liquid if needed.

For the cream cheese frosting
Place in a small bowl
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/4 Cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Mix until smooth.

About 22 cookies

             Christmas Cookies




Preheat oven to 350° F 

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.



Place in a medium bowl

3 Cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together.          

 

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup sugar
Beat until smooth and creamy.
Add
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond or anise extract
Mix until combined.
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
Cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour.

Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.   
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly golden.
Let cool on the sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.                                                               
                                                                        
For the glaze
Place in a small bowl
2 Cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 Cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon almond or anise extract
Mix until smooth.
Dip the tops of cooled cookies.
Decorate with Christmas sprinkles immediately and let the glaze set before storing.

About 24 cookies

                    ~~~

This was a holiday piece I wrote a few years ago for the CKUW radio show ‘2000 & Counting’ when we decided to chat about family holiday dinners. 
Being politically correct - and politically sensitive - was just starting around the turn of the century.
It was and is still a part of menu planning.

The family that eats a holiday dinner together… can still be in for a whole lot of trouble.

My friend Muriel still hasn't recovered from last Christmas.

The poor dear had tried to please everybody. Solomon couldn't have pulled that off. Muriel was willing to go with the flow, but she was caught in a tsunami. Her husband Tom is a simple man with simple tastes. He just wanted a roasted bird with stuffing and cranberry sauce.

He should never have had children.


Their eldest daughter, Donna, keeps up with trends. Muriel had asked Donna to bring the appetizers. Muriel expected their traditional celery sticks with cream cheese, crackers and cheese cubes. Donna waltzed in with an oriental party pack and assorted seafood and chicken wing platters. Something for everyone. Uh, huh.
Tom backed off when he saw the egg rolls. "I don't like Chinese."
Donna said, "I got you BBQ chicken wings."
Ignoring her, Tom said, "They don't serve bread." He went to the kitchen for bread.


Then Betty arrived. Betty lives in a commune and supports the rights of everything and everybody… except those of the hostess. Betty always carried tofu because she never ate dairy products or anything with eyes or eggs. Muriel had prepared a nice salad for Betty. Not good enough.
"Were the pickers paid a decent wage?"
"The lettuce had a union label."
"I only eat organically grown food. Did they use manure."
"We had to scrub the carrots with bleach to get the E coli off."
"Oh... okay."
Tom heard E coli and reached for another slice of bread.


Finally their son Bill arrived with his wife Carol and their children, Krystal and Jason. Bill and Carol had every allergy in the book. Bill also had high cholesterol and Carol had her waistline. They avoided the platters of appetizers and drank the water that they had brought.


Krystal, a tender-hearted child, burst into tears when she saw the chicken wings.
"Oh, those poor birdies. Do you know how they treat chickens, Grandma?"

Muriel figured the birds were better off than she was. They never had to make a holiday dinner for the family. But this was her granddaughter.
"Krystal, dear, these birdies lived in a happy place where they laughed and played and sang songs for a long, long time. Then one day they just went to sleep and, just like butterflies, they turned into chicken wings."
"Oh... okay."
Who says the next generation knows it all?
Tom heard Muriel's tale of the laughing, singing chickens, figured she'd finally lost it, and ate more bread.

Ignored by his elders, Jason gobbled a fistful of seafood appetizers and started wheezing. Muriel packed away the appetizers before her children could start a food fight and led them to the main event.


The table looked like a sailboat regatta that had been designed by Martha Stewart. Every dish had a tiny flag listing all of the ingredients. Muriel did not want to have to call the paramedics again. Krystal cried when she saw the turkey.

When Betty reached for the potatoes, Bill said, "But they have eyes". Betty meant to kick her brother, but got her sister-in-law, Carol, who screamed and kicked back. Muriel yelled at her kids. The holiday dinner was just like always. Damn.


After everyone had eaten what they could, Muriel brought out a carafe of hot cranberry apple cider. This was her gift to herself. Seeing all the different coffees at the supermarket had made her go all whoozie. Whatever happened to plain old coffee, black or with cream? Muriel’s children didn't say a word while visions of cappuccinos, espressos and lattes danced in their heads.


Betty was in charge of the dessert. She had created something that was just what the doctor ordered. No eggs, no cream, no butter, and no taste.
Tom just saw a pumpkin pie and it looked fine. He helped himself to a slice, smiled and thought that Betty was returning to the food of her mother.

But, something tasted... off. Maybe a new spice?
"Betty, what's in this pie," he asked.
"Tofu."
"Geez." Tom reached for the bread.


Jason had wheezed throughout the whole meal.
All in all, it had been just another family holiday get together.


God help Muriel. The holidays are back.

Anna Sultana’s Ricotta Pie, Tart Ricotta Pie, Cannoli Pie with Sugar Cone Crust, Cannoli Cake, Cannoli Cookies / Would Santa Ever Find Me? by Margaret Ullrich

It's December 21st, the first day of winter.
This past week we’ve had two snowstorms, and, with the winds, we had white outs.
The weather was so bad that the buses couldn’t run and they had to shut down the schools.
In Manitoba the ‘first day of winter’ bit just gets an eye roll.
Like, it’s December, put on your toque and get your shovel.

No matter the weather, the holiday season is here.
All together now: Tradition... Tradition...
I know that most of the time everyone just does what they have - or want - to do.
But  the holiday season has rules - I mean, traditions - that must be followed.
Yippee kay yoh kay yay!


My Christmas traditions are Maltese and Italian.
Whether we were visiting Sicilian relative or eating at home we always had Ricotta Pie and fresh - practically made-to-order - Cannoli for Christmas.

Ricotta Pie is very simple to make and can be served for a light brunch any time of the year.

If you’re not Italian, cannoli is a tube-shaped dessert made of fried pastry dough filled with a sweet cheese, usually ricotta, filling.
Traditional Italian bakers fill the tube just before serving to keep the tube crisp.
Leftovers have to be refrigerated.
But after a day the shell gets soft and the cannoli just isn’t as good.
That’s why my mother and aunts started using the filling in pies and cakes and cookies.

If you're not interested in frying pastry dough while everyone is having fun around the tree, these recipes are fine cannoli substitutes.

Merry Christmas!!


Hints:

For a smooth texture, drain ricotta for at least an hour in a cheesecloth lined strainer, and have it at room temperature before using.

The ricotta and cannoli pies and the cannoli cake should be refrigerated.
The cookies will be fine at room temperature.

Traditional Pie Crust:
Place in large bowl
4 Cups flour
1 1/2 Cups cold unsalted butter, cubed
Cut in butter.
Make a well in the centre and add
1 egg, beaten
1/2 Cup ice water
3 Tablespoons sour cream
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Stir together and form into 3 balls.
Roll out 1 ball slightly larger than a 9 inch pie plate.
Gently fit it in, crimp the edges, and trim excess.
Repeat with remaining 2 balls.


About the Cannoli Pie with Sugar Cone Crust…
To make it ahead replace the confectioner’s sugar with one can sweetened condensed milk and freeze overnight.
Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.


                                                     Ricotta Pie                                                              

Have prepared in 9 inch pie plate
1 pie crust

Place in a large bowl
2 Cups whole milk ricotta
Whisk until smooth.
Add
3/4 Cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix until creamy and fully combined.

Preheat oven to 350° F

Pour the filling into the pie crust and smooth the top.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the centre is set and the top is golden.
Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Just before slicing, dust with
Confectioner’s sugar

                                                     Tart Ricotta Pie

Have prepared in 9 inch pie plate
1 pie crust

Place in a large bowl
1 Cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Whisk together until smooth, about 1 minute.
Add
2 Cups whole milk ricotta
1/4 Cup sour cream
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Mix until well combined.
Stir in
1/4 Cup flour
Pinch of salt
Mix until no lumps remain.

Preheat oven to 350° F

Pour the filling into the pie crust and smooth the top.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until set and only slightly jiggly in the centre.
Cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 (preferably 4) hours.
Before serving, dust top with
1 Tablespoon cinnamon


                                                     Cannoli Pie with Sugar Cone Crust

Preheat oven to 350° F 

Sugar Cone Pie Crust:
Crush 12 sugar cones to get 1 1/2 Cups of 1/4 inch bits and finer crumbs.
Add
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
Combine until blended.
Press crumbs into a 9 inch pie plate.
Bake for 5 minutes. Let cool completely.

Place in a large mixer bowl
2 1/2 Cups heavy cream
Whip to stiff peaks.
For the filling: measure out 2 cups and set aside.
For the topping: place the remainder in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Place in the same large mixer bowl (you don’t need to wash it)
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Beat for 3 minutes.
Add
1 Cup Confectioner’s sugar
Beat until smooth.
Add
1 Cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Beat 3 minutes.
Gently fold in the 2 Cups of whipped cream.
Pour into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

Whisk into the refrigerated whipped cream
3 Tablespoons Confectioner’s sugar
Pipe whipped cream around the edge of the pie.
Sprinkle with
1/3 Cup mini chocolate chips
1/3 Cup chopped pistachios
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

                       Cannoli Cake

Preheat oven to 350° F
Grease and flour three 8 inch round cake pans.

Place in a medium bowl
2 1/2 Cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Whisk together.


Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 Cups sugar
Cream together until light and fluffy.
Beat in, one at a time
4 large eggs
Add
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Making 3 dry and 2 liquid additions, add
the flour mixture
1 Cup milk
Mix gently, just until combined.
Fold in
1/2 Cup mini chocolate chips
Divide batter evenly among prepared pans.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool completely.

For the cake’s topping:
Place in a large mixer bowl
2 1/2 Cups heavy cream
Whip to stiff peaks.
Place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

For decorating: (optional)
Place in a small mixer bowl
1/2 Cup heavy cream
Whip to stiff peaks.
Whisk in
1/2 Tablespoon Confectioner’s sugar
Cover and refrigerate.

Cannoli Filling:
Place in the same large mixer bowl (you don’t need to wash it)
1 1/2 Cups ricotta cheese
1 Cup mascarpone cheese
1 Cup Confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Beat until smooth.
Layer the cake with half of cannoli filling between the layers.
Cover the top and sides with cake's topping whipped cream 

Pipe the cream for decorating around the edge of the cake. (optional)
Sprinkle over the top
1 Cup mini chocolate chips
                                                             

                       Cannoli Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
1 3/4 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Whisk together and set aside.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
Cream until light and fluffy.
Add
1 Cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix until smooth.
Gradually stir in the flour mixture.
Fold in
1 Tablespoon orange zest
3/4 Cup mini chocolate chips
Place tablespoon-sized balls of dough on the baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges are just turning golden.

Place in small microwaveable bowl
1 Cup chocolate chips (your choice of sweetness)
Microwave until just melted.

After cookies have cooled completely, dust with
Confectioner’s sugar
Drizzle with
Melted chocolate
Store them in a tin that’s been lined with wax paper.

                                                                  ~~~

 

In 2004 I wrote this story for our CKUW radio show '2000 & Counting - Older & Wiser'. 

For a while it was our annual tradition.

I got a few e mails asking if I could post the original story. 


Here it is.

If you'd like to try some of the recipes, I've posted many of them. Just copy the name and paste it in the 'looking for a recipe' box.

 

Change follows us from the cradle to the grave. When I was five years old I was hit with a megadose of change. I moved to another town, got a baby sister, got to go to kindergarten and got Santa Claus. 
 


Five years earlier my parents and I had emigrated from Malta to New York and settled in Corona. We didn't have much choice. Five of Pop's brothers and sisters lived in Corona. So, we had to live in Corona, too. 
 


Corona was a little slice of Italy on Long Island. The store clerks were bilingual: English and Italian. The grocery stores in Corona were stocked with Italian necessities. Almost everything in all the other stores had been imported from Italy. 
Corona was where we learned how to be Americans. 
 


Nonni's children, Betty and Angelo, had married two of Pop's siblings, Joe and Helen. So, Nonni was a double Grandma in my family. Since all my grandparents were in Malta, Nonni treated me as a grandchild, too. 
 


Every Christmas Eve we gathered at Uncle Joe and Aunt Betty's home. A whole corner of their living room was filled with Nonni's manger scene. It was not just a shed with Mary, Joseph, three kings and one shepherd standing around Baby Jesus. Nonni had a complete village with houses, trees, hills, paths, ponds and animals. There were people walking around just minding their own business. Some of the figures were really old and we couldn't play with them.

But each year Nonni added something new: a woman carrying a basket of eggs, a farmer carrying a head of cabbage, a man carrying a bundle of wood. Nonni’s manger scene was better than any store window on 5th Avenue in Manhattan.

Dinner was a feast. Fish was traditional: eel for the parents, bluefish for the children. There was also soup, pasta and vegetables, followed by ricotta pie, anise biscotti, pizzelle and cuccidati cookies, strufoli, creamy roasted chestnuts and torrone candy. My favourite was the huge golden mound of strufoli: tiny doughnut balls covered with honey and multi-coloured sprinkles. 

After dinner we played games and our parents talked until it was time to walk to the Midnight Mass at St. Leo's. After Mass we returned to Uncle Joe's for some panettone, a holiday bread made with butter, raisins, almonds and citron. 



Then Nonni would tell us to look at the manger scene for the surprise. The blessed Bambino, Baby Jesus, had suddenly appeared!



Christmas Eve was a wonderful night. But the big day for us children was January sixth. The night before we had hung our stockings and waited for La Befana to bring us toys. 



La Befana was a little old lady who had been sweeping her house when the Wise Men knocked on her door. They were looking for Baby Jesus and asked La Befana for directions. Then they invited La Befana to join them. 

The old woman refused, saying she had work to do. 
 


When it was dark, a great light and angels appeared in the sky. La Befana realized that the Wise Men weren't kidding about somebody special being born that night. Broom in hand, La Befana tried to catch up with the Wise Men. She never found them or Baby Jesus. 

Every year she searches for Baby Jesus and leaves presents for good little boys and girls. 




La Befana took care of me for four years. Then we moved to College Point so we could live closer to Lily Tulip where Pop worked. Then it was time for my sister to be born. While Ma was in the hospital I stayed with Aunt Betty, Uncle Joe and their two daughters. It was nice living in Corona again. The next day, Nonni took me to the local 5 and 10 and gave me a quarter. 
 


"Buy for sister."

I didn't know what a baby sister would want. I liked westerns, so I grabbed a toy gun. 

"No. Buy a rattle." 

A rattle? That sounded boring, but I bought a pink plastic rattle. 
 


In those days children were not allowed to visit anyone in the hospital. When Aunt Betty visited Ma, she gave the rattle to my new sister. I waited outside the hospital and waved to the window of Ma's room. When Aunt Betty returned she had a gift from my new sister for me. Three pieces of chocolate. 


Well, wasn't that nice of her. Not as nice as a toy gun, but maybe that was all she could get from where she'd been. 
 




After Rose was born we didn't go to Corona as often. It was easier to walk to the local church instead of driving to St. Leo's. I missed seeing my family. 



That September I started kindergarten in St. Fidelis School. Some of the good sisters had wanted to travel and meet exotic heathens in far away places. Well, they almost got their wish. I was the first Maltese child they'd ever seen. College Point had been settled by Irish and German families. It was time for me to learn about America through their eyes. 
 


As Christmas approached, the windows of the German bakeries were filled with the most beautiful cookies I'd ever seen. They were in all kinds of shapes: stars, angels, animals and wreaths. They were decorated with coconut, jam, icing and tiny silver balls. 

Some of my classmates brought in samples of their mothers' baking. I brought some biscotti. My friends were polite and tasted the dry, double-baked bread. Then we ate the lebkuchen, pfeffernuesse, zimtsterne, and jam filled spitzbuben. The stollen reminded me of panettone. 
 


I thought a German Christmas was delicious. I planned to eat German and Italian holiday food every Christmas for the rest of my life. 
 


We helped Sister decorate the Christmas tree with sugar cookies which had been twisted into figure eights. Then Sister told us to gather around her. She was going to read us a story. Sister showed us the picture of Santa Claus and his eight reindeer. My friends were delighted. 



I was confused. 
 


I had never heard any of this before. Santa was supposed to slide down a chimney and land in a fireplace. 

We didn't have a fireplace. We had a huge, oil-burning furnace in the basement. Ma hung our stockings, along with all the other wet laundry, on a clothesline near the furnace. It made awful noises and had fire in it. If Santa landed in the furnace he'd fry like a strufoli. That would end Christmas forever. I didn't think Santa would take such a risk for a total stranger. The lovely cookies felt like lead in my stomach.



Sister talked about Santa checking his list of good little girls and boys. 

Santa had a list? I knew we were on the Registered Aliens list. Every January the TV reminded Ma to fill out green cards so we wouldn't go to jail or Malta. How could I get on Santa's list? Could Santa get my name from the Alien list? Did I need to fill out another card? 
 


The afternoon went from bad to worse. Sister told us we could put our letters to Santa in the special mailbox in the classroom. A letter? What language did Santa speak? He'd never heard from me. I wasn't on his list. What could I say? 
 


"Hi, you don't know me, but I'd like some toys." I'd never written a letter to La Befana. She just gave me toys. Would Santa shoot La Befana if she came to College Point? Oh, boy… I was in big trouble. 
 


In kindergarten we learned about God the Father, about how we should pray to Him and tell Him what we needed. I didn't need another Father. I figured if my Pop was always busy working, this guy who took care of everything in the whole wide world would really never have time for me. 



I needed a Grandma.
 


The next time we went to Corona I told Nonni about Santa Claus and that he was in charge of Christmas in College Point. Nonni listened patiently as I explained the rules. 

She repeated the main points: "Santa Claus. A letter."

I nodded. 

"I fix. I write letter to Befana. She give to Santa. No hard feelings. Christmas come." 
 


I had my doubts. Nonni had never been to College Point. Maybe nobody ever had to change from La Befana to Santa Claus. Maybe Christmas was lost forever, like some of the packages we never got from Malta.
 


On Christmas Eve we all gathered at Uncle Joe and Aunt Betty's home in Corona. We had the Christmas Eve dinner. Then we went to St. Leo's for the Midnight Mass. Everything was familiar. Latin and Italian. Why couldn't we have stayed there? 



When we were leaving the church I saw a pale cloud in the sky. It looked long and thin, with a sort of lump on one end. For a moment I thought it looked like Santa and his sleigh with eight tiny reindeer. I kept looking at that cloud. It followed us from the church to Uncle Joe's house, where we had panettone.  

When we left, the cloud was still there. I watched from the car. The cloud followed us from Corona to College Point. 
 


I never noticed clouds before. Did clouds always follow people from one town to another? Was it really a cloud? Sister had told us that Santa had millions of helpers, tiny people called elves. Could it have been an elf picking up the letter from La Befana?
 


Christmas morning, Pop was eating breakfast while Ma was cleaning Rose. Ma sent me to the basement to get some dry diapers that were hanging by the furnace. Being a big sister wasn't much fun. I pulled down two diapers. Then I noticed some lumps by the furnace. I thought some clothes had fallen off the line. I walked toward the furnace. 


 
But the lumps weren't clothes.  


They were boxes. 

They were wrapped. 

They were presents! 

They were for me!!



Santa had found me.

Merry Christmas! Christmas Cookie Cake & Cannoli Cake (Cake Mix) / Anna Sultana's Pound Cake & Cannoli Pound Cake / A Big Kid’s Christmas by Margaret Ullrich

                             Happy Holidays, everyone.
                               Wishing you and yours
                a Christmas filled with all you hold dear!
                             Thank you for visiting ~
                                       Margaret

Well, the big day has come!
We’ve made it!
Hope you are having a lovely day, filled with everything you wished for.

You’ve earned it… all that baking, ready for everyone to eat.
Soon it’ll all be gone.
No problem. There’s always something new for you to bake.


Hints:

About the Pound Cake…
You can line a greased loaf pan with parchment paper leaving about a 2 inch overhang on the sides so that you can remove it easily.

Instead of the orange or lemon extract you can use 2 Tablespoons of vanilla or any citrus juice in the cake.

You can use 1 Tablespoon each of your favourite three from the following: orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit zest, finely grated, instead of 3 Tablespoons of one type of zest.
Or you can use half and half, or two to one. Your choice. It’s your cake.

While you’ve got the grater out it wouldn’t hurt to grate a bit extra. You can wrap zest in plastic wrap or aluminum, then place in a container and freeze up to a month.

About the Cannoli Pound Cake…
Instead of the chocolate topping you can top the cake with a Simple Syrup:
Place in a small pot
3 Tablespoons water
Heat until hot.
Add
1/4 Cup sugar
Stir to dissolve.
Stir in
1  Tablespoon lime juice *
1  Tablespoon lime zest, finely grated *
Allow simple syrup to cool to room temperature.
Brush over the completely cooled cake.
Let the syrup soak into the cake at least 15 minutes before serving.

* Instead of lime juice and zest, you can use orange, lemon or grapefruit.

If you’re in a rush, or prefer a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, that works, too.
It’s your cake.

                        Christmas Cookie Cake

Grease well a 9 inch springform pan
Heat oven to 325º F

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 box French vanilla cake mix
15 ounces ricotta cheese
3/4 Cup heavy cream
1/2 Cup olive oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoons almond extract
Beat until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool completely.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake.
Place the cake on a serving platter.

Place in a small bowl
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 Cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat together, then drizzle over cake.
Sprinkle with multi-coloured sprinkles.
Allow frosting to set 1 hour before slicing and serving.

                        Cannoli Cake

Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans

Prepare and bake according to package directions
1 box French vanilla cake mix
A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For filling
Place in a large mixer bowl
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 Cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted 
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat until blended.
Stir in
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped or miniature chips

For frosting
Place in a clean large mixer bowl
16 ounces Mascarpone cheese
3/4 Cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 Cup whole milk
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat on medium speed until creamy. Do not over mix.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate.
Spread with 3/4 of filling.
Top with second cake layer.
Spread remaining filling over top of cake to within 1 inch of edges.
Spread frosting on sides and top, covering the area within 1 inch of edges.
Press into sides of cake
1 Cup sliced almonds
Sprinkle over the seam where the frosting and filling meet on the top
4 Tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Refrigerate until serving.


                        Pound Cake

Heavily grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan

Sift together into a medium bowl
1 3/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Set aside.

Combine in a small bowl
1/4 Cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract
3 Tablespoons zest, finely grated
Set aside.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter
1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add, one at a time, beating well after each addition
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350º F

Add half of the dry ingredients into the large mixer bowl.
Blend on low speed until just combined.
Add the sour cream mixture and mix until well blended.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend just enough to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Place into the preheated oven and bake for 70 to 75 minutes.
A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Remove from oven and allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake.
Remove the cake from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
When cooled, place the cake on a serving platter.

                        Cannoli Pound Cake

Chop finely
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Cut horizontally into 4 slices
1 prepared pound cake

Place in in medium mixer bowl
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding 

1 Cup cold milk 

1/2 teaspoon orange extract or orange juice
Beat 2 minutes.
Stir in
1/2 Cup ricotta cheese
1/4 Cup chopped chocolate
Fold in
1 1/2 Cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

Place bottom cake slice on serving plate.
Spread 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the layer.
Place a layer of cake on top and spread the pudding mixture over it two more times.
Top with remaining cake slice.

Place in a small pot
the remaining chocolate

1 Tablespoon butter
Place the pot over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until butter and chocolate are melted and mixture is blended.
Spread on top of cake and allow to drip down sides.
Refrigerate until serving.                              


                                                            ~~~
In 2004 I wrote a story about when I was 5-years-old and worried if Santa Claus would find me after we moved. I read it on our CKUW radio show '2000 & Counting - Older & Wiser'. For a few years it was an annual tradition for ‘2000 & Counting’ and for ‘Better Than Chocolate’.
After I had first read the story we chatted about when we were children and had realized that our parents were Santa’s main helpers. Here is what I remember of that discussion. Merry Christmas!

So, Santa did find me and my nine-month-old sister.

My fifth Christmas was a time of change for our family. I was becoming American. Thank you, Nonni.

Christmases marked the milestones in my family’s changes. The next Christmas, in addition to a sister, I had a 15-day-old brother. Well, it was the 1950s.

That was a huge Christmas for our family. Santa was in a very generous mood that year. Pop was in his glory. He finally had a son, an heir. Pop's dynasty could begin. He was one up on England’s Prince Philip. We had his family's name. Visions of grandsons were dancing in Pop's head. And there'd be hundreds of descendants to come. He'd be another Abraham. In the 1950s all things were possible.

Another thing that was possible was my learning how to read and write. The next year I was able to write my own letter to Santa. I wanted a bicycle. I asked my parents if they thought Santa would give me a bike. Pop said that I'd been a good girl, helping Ma with the two babies. Ma agreed, saying that I was becoming really good at changing diapers and giving bottles. Yes, they thought Santa would grant me my wish.
 
My siblings were also growing and going after what they wanted. While George had barely been aware of his first Christmas, that year he was a toddler and was fascinated by the Christmas tree. He kept trying to grab the ornaments. Every chance he got, he'd climb onto the sofa and reach out to the branches.

We weren't worried. He just sat on the couch and reached.  

Then George figured out that he'd get closer to the tree if he got on the armrest and then reached for a shiny ball or two. I think he'd have done it, if he hadn't lost his balance and landed on the three kings' camel. That camel wasn't exactly built to carry a toddler. No problem. There were more camels in the 5 & 10.


The big day came.  
I got my bike.
It was blue.
I called it Blue Bird.

I was so glad that I had learned how to write and read. I read anything and everything I could, including the labels on Blue Bird. The seat had been made in one country. The tires in another. The frame in yet a third.  

Suddenly, I had an awful thought.  
The parts of my Blue Bird had been made in different countries.  
Not one label said made in the North Pole.
Nothing had been made in the North Pole.
Nothing had been made by Santa's elves.   

My parents looked at each other, shrugged, and finally admitted that, yes, my bike hadn't been made by Santa's elves. They had bought it. Didn't I like it? Was blue still my favourite colour?
I admitted it was perfect. But what about Santa? Didn’t he like me any more?

They smiled, hugged me and said I was a big girl. I was too big to still believe in Santa. But, since I was a big girl, it was now my job to help the babies believe in Santa for as long as possible.

I was seven… the oldest… not a baby anymore.

In a way I was proud when they called me a big girl.
But I was also scared.
I wasn’t ready to be a big girl.
I felt like I was George reaching for the shiny balls.
I was afraid I would lose my balance and fall on the camel.

Anna Sultana's Ricotta Cheesecake and Cannoli Cheesecake (Baked and No-Bake) / Muriel’s Family Christmas by Margaret Ullrich

Thanks to a huge Colorado Low we folks in Winnipeg have been having our first major snow storm of the season.
And we’re not finished shovelling.
We’re supposed to get more snow during the next two days.
When it comes to Winnipeggers getting exercise in winter, who needs to join a gym?


It’s been a while since I posted a recipe for the no-fail edible tranquilizer, a cheesecake.
In honour of the holiday season, and all its stresses, I’m posting three recipes!

The Ricotta Cheesecake is nice and light and the recipe is pretty simple.
Don’t be confused about the Cannoli cheesecakes.
Many of you know that Cannoli is an Italian pastry made of fried pastry dough tubes, ranging in size from 3 to 8 inches, and filled with ricotta and chocolate bits.
You won’t be expected to deep fry or stuff anything for the Cannoli Cheesecakes.
They are just ricotta cheesecakes with a bit of chocolate.

Ah… cheesecake and chocolate!
Don’t you feel calmer just thinking about that?


Hints:

About the Ricotta Cheesecake and No-Bake Cannoli Cheesecake…
If you have a package of graham cracker crumbs, you could use their recipe for the crust.

Don’t have mini chocolate chips? Don’t make an extra trip to the store.
Just use what you have. You could even chop finely a chocolate bar, or two.

About the Cannoli Cheesecake…
If you don’t have a box of cannoli shells you can use any cookies you like or have already.


                        Ricotta Cheesecake

Generously grease a springform pan with butter.

Melt
1/2 Cup butter

Place in medium bowl and crush
18 graham crackers
Stir in the melted butter.
Firmly press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and along the sides of the springform pan, then set aside.

Sift together into a small bowl
1/3 Cup flour
1 Cup sugar

Place in a medium bowl
4 Cups ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoons orange extract
Stir together, then slowly fold in the flour mixture until well blended and smooth.

Preheat oven to 325º F

Add, one at a time
6 large eggs
Continuing to blend after each addition.
Stir in
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour cheese mixture into the graham crust and gently smooth top with a spatula.       
Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until cake is firm throughout the centre.  
Remove pan from oven and let sit on counter 2 hours.
Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
Run a knife around to loosen the cake before removing the outer part of pan.
Generously dust the cheesecake with sifted confectioners’ sugar.
Store leftovers in refrigerator.


                        Cannoli Cheesecake

Line a 9 inch springform pan with parchment.

Crush
7 ounce package cannoli shells
Stir in
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons sugar
Press crumbs firmly onto bottom of pan.
Bake 10 minutes, then let cool.

Place in a large mixer bowl
4 Cups ricotta cheese
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1/4 Cup flour
Beat on medium speed until well blended.
Add
1/2 Cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Mix well.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Add, 1 at a time
5 large eggs
After each addition mix just until blended.
Pour cheese mixture over the crust.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle over top
1/3 Cup mini chocolate chips
Press chips in lightly.
Continue to bake 10 more minutes, until centre is almost set.
Remove from oven and let sit on counter 2 hours.
Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
Run a knife around to loosen the cake before removing the outer part of pan.

Before serving sprinkle with
1/4 Cup confectioners’ sugar
Top with whipped cream, if desired.
Store leftovers in refrigerator.


                        No-Bake Cannoli Cheesecake

Generously grease a springform pan with butter.

Melt
1/2 Cup butter

Place in medium bowl and crush
18 graham crackers
Stir in the melted butter.
Firmly press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and along the sides of the springform pan, then set aside.

Place in a large mixer bowl
16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
Beat cream cheese until fluffy.
Add
1 1/2 Cups heavy cream
Beat until fluffy, then add
1 Cup ricotta
2/3 Cup confectioners’ sugar
Beat until fluffy.
Stir in
2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Fold in
1 Cup mini chocolate chips
Pour cheese mixture into graham crust and gently smooth top with spatula.
Top with
1/2 Cup mini chocolate chips
1 Cup crushed cannoli shells, for garnish (optional)
Freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.
Let soften 15 minutes before serving, then slice.
Run a knife around to loosen the cake before removing the outer part of pan.
Store leftovers in the freezer or refrigerator.

                                                       ~~~
This was a holiday piece I wrote a few years ago for the CKUW radio show ‘2000 & Counting’ when we decided to chat about family holiday dinners. 
Being politically correct - and politically sensitive - was just starting around the turn of the century.
It was and is still a part of menu planning.

The family that eats a holiday dinner together… can still be in for a whole lot of trouble.


My friend Muriel still hasn't recovered from last Christmas.

The poor dear had tried to please everybody. Solomon couldn't have pulled that off. Muriel was willing to go with the flow, but she was caught in a tsunami. Her husband Tom is a simple man with simple tastes. He just wanted a roasted bird with stuffing and cranberry sauce.

He should never have had children.

Their eldest daughter, Donna, keeps up with trends. Muriel had asked Donna to bring the appetizers. Muriel expected their traditional celery sticks with cream cheese, crackers and cheese cubes. Donna waltzed in with an oriental party pack and assorted seafood and chicken wing platters. Something for everyone. Uh, huh.
Tom backed off when he saw the egg rolls. "I don't like Chinese."
Donna said, "I got you BBQ chicken wings."
Ignoring her, Tom said, "They don't serve bread." He went to the kitchen for bread.


Then Betty arrived. Betty lives in a commune and supports the rights of everything and everybody… except those of the hostess. Betty always carried tofu because she never ate dairy products or anything with eyes or eggs. Muriel had prepared a nice salad for Betty. Not good enough.
"Were the pickers paid a decent wage?"
"The lettuce had a union label."
"I only eat organically grown food. Did they use manure."
"We had to scrub the carrots with bleach to get the E coli off."
"Oh... okay."
Tom heard E coli and reached for another slice of bread.


Finally their son Bill arrived with his wife Carol and their children, Krystal and Jason. Bill and Carol had every allergy in the book. Bill also had high cholesterol and Carol had her waistline. They avoided the platters of appetizers and drank the water that they had brought.

Krystal, a tender-hearted child, burst into tears when she saw the chicken wings.
"Oh, those poor birdies. Do you know how they treat chickens, Grandma?"

Muriel figured the birds were better off than she was. They never had to make a holiday dinner for the family. But this was her granddaughter.
"Krystal, dear, these birdies lived in a happy place where they laughed and played and sang songs for a long, long time. Then one day they just went to sleep and, just like butterflies, they turned into chicken wings."
"Oh... okay."
Who says the next generation knows it all?
Tom heard Muriel's tale of the laughing, singing chickens, figured she'd finally lost it, and ate more bread.

Ignored by his elders, Jason gobbled a fistful of seafood appetizers and started wheezing. Muriel packed away the appetizers before her children could start a food fight and led them to the main event.


The table looked like a sailboat regatta that had been designed by Martha Stewart. Every dish had a tiny flag listing all of the ingredients. Muriel did not want to have to call the paramedics again. Krystal cried when she saw the turkey.

When Betty reached for the potatoes, Bill said, "But they have eyes". Betty meant to kick her brother, but got her sister-in-law, Carol, who screamed and kicked back. Muriel yelled at her kids. The holiday dinner was just like always. Damn.

After everyone had eaten what they could, Muriel brought out a carafe of hot cranberry apple cider. This was her gift to herself. Seeing all the different coffees at the supermarket had made her go all whoozie. Whatever happened to plain old coffee, black or with cream? Muriel’s children didn't say a word while visions of cappuccinos, espressos and lattes danced in their heads.

Betty was in charge of the dessert. She had created something that was just what the doctor ordered. No eggs, no cream, no butter, and no taste.
Tom just saw a pumpkin pie and it looked fine. He helped himself to a slice, smiled and thought that Betty was returning to the food of her mother.

But, something tasted... off. Maybe a new spice?
"Betty, what's in this pie," he asked.
"Tofu."
"Geez." Tom reached for the bread.

Jason had wheezed throughout the whole meal.
All in all, it had been just another family holiday get together.


God help Muriel. The holidays are back.

Anna Sultana’s Ricotta Cookies and Christmas Cake / 1930s Dollar Fruitcake (Winnipeg Free Press) / Tossing Christmas Cookies by Margaret Ullrich

 

It's that time of year.
All together now: Tradition... Tradition...
I know that most of the time everyone just does what they have - or want - to do.
But now it’s the holiday season, and there are rules - I mean, traditions - that must be followed.
Yippee kay yoh kay yay!


Back in December, 2009 I posted the recipe for the Winnipeg Free Press’s 1930s Dollar Fruitcake in my blog Winnipeg is Better Than Chocolate.
It’s been a popular post every December and it just occurred to me that, if you haven’t been reading my Winnipeg blog, you haven’t seen the recipe.
So, I’m reposting it here.

Ma wouldn’t have made that fruitcake, but she did make Ricotta Cookies.
Why not? It was an easy, and sneaky, way to get more cheese into us.

Ricotta Cookies, when fresh from the oven, can be used as shortcake.
In the summer, instead of putting icing on the cookies, Ma sometimes topped the cookies with mashed sugared berries and added a dollop of whipped cream.
For the grown-ups she’d add a dash of booze to the fruit.

If you don’t want to make a fruitcake but want a cake for your holiday dinner you could make this Christmas Cake.
It has layers of almond butter cake, a jam filling, and a chocolate icing.


Hints:

About the Ricotta Cookies…

As with all cookies, have the butter and eggs at room temperature so that the butter is soft enough to blend easily with the sugar.

The extra fat in whole milk ricotta helps make soft, tender cookies.


The cookies are often flavoured with lemon or anise extract, but you could use vanilla or almond or orange extract. You could use one flavour in the cookies and a different one in the icing. You could divide the batter and use a different flavouring in each batch.

The dough can be made ahead of time and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a few days. The unbaked dough does not freeze well.

If you have 2 cookie sheets allow them to cool completely before using for the second batch. Refrigerate the remaining dough while working on the first portion.

Unglazed cookies can be stored in an airtight container.
Let frosted cookies dry for at least 2 hours before placing them in a covered, not airtight, container with wax paper separating each layer. Store at room temperature.

The glaze softens over time. If giving as gifts, frost on the day you deliver.

You could also use a buttercream frosting.

It is best to eat them within 5 days.

Baked unfrosted Ricotta Cookies freeze well.


About the Christmas Cake…

To evenly divide the batter, use a kitchen scale and weigh out the batter in each bowl.

Add as much food colouring as you like. I used 1/2 teaspoon of each colour.

Chill the cake to produce fewer crumbs. Score around the cake layer and cut only a little bit at a time. When cutting the layer in half use a long serrated knife and keep it parallel to your work surface.
If a cake does split when you are cutting it, fit the pieces back together and use a bit of jam as glue. Place the split layers in the centre of the cake and no one will know.


About the 1930s Dollar Fruitcake…

During the early 1930s this recipe cost $1 to make.
By 1974 the cost of those same ingredients had increased to more than $4.
By 1979 the price passed $8.
Now? Don't ask. Just enjoy.



                        Ricotta Cookies

48 cookies

Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper
or use 4 ungreased cookie sheets
                 
Sift together
4 1/2 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Place in a large bowl
1/2 pound butter, softened
Cream thoroughly, then add, 1/2 cup at a time
2 Cups sugar
Continue creaming until well blended.
Add
1 pound whole milk ricotta

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon extract of your choice, or more vanilla
Beat well.
Add sifted ingredients to the batter.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Drop about a teaspoon of dough two inches apart on 2 baking sheets.
Place in the oven and bake 10 to 13 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

WHILE COOKIES ARE BAKING make cookies with the remaining dough and place on other 2 baking sheets.
Remove cookies from the oven when the edges are lightly browned.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Bake remaining cookies.

Icing:

Place in large mixer bowl
1/4 Cup butter
3 Tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract
Blend well, then gradually add
2 Cups confectioners’ sugar
Spread icing on top of the cookies.
While the frosting is still wet top with
multi-coloured sprinkles or coloured sugar


                        Christmas Cake

Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans

For the cake

Sift together in a medium bowl
2 3/4 Cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Set aside.

Place in a large bowl of an electric mixer
10 ounces almond paste, broken into small pieces
1 1/2 Cups unsalted butter, softened
Beat together until thoroughly combined, about 4 minutes.
Add in, 1/2 cup at a time
2 Cups sugar
Mix until fluffy and  thoroughly combined, about 3 minutes.
Stir in
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat in, one at a time, until blended
5 large eggs
Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Making 3 dry and 2 liquid additions add
the flour mixture
3/4 Cup whole milk
Mix only until the dry ingredients are just blended. Do not over mix as the batter will also be mixed when you add the colouring.

Pre-heat oven to 350º F

Evenly divide the batter into 3 separate bowls.
Add to the first bowl
1/2 teaspoon red food colouring
Add to the second bowl
1/2 teaspoon green food colouring
Mix each bowl until combined.
Pour the red batter into a prepared pan, the green batter into the second pan, and the uncoloured batter into the third pan.
Bake for 28 - 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Remove the cakes from their pans.
Let the cakes cool completely.
Refrigerate before slicing each cake in half horizontally to have 6 layers of cake.

For the frosting

Melt
8 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate
Allow to cool thoroughly.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
Beat until smooth and creamy.
With the mixer on low, gradually add
1 1/2 Cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
Turn the mixer up to medium and mix until combined.
Add the cooled melted chocolate and mix until combined.

To assemble

Have on hand
3/4 to 1 Cup raspberry jam

Leave a layer that has a bottom of a cake layer uncovered with jam so that you can have a top layer that is flat and unsliced.
Spread 2 to 3 Tablespoons of the raspberry jam on top of 5 layers of cake.
Stack the layers, alternating the colours, with the top of the cake being unsliced.
Ice the cake with the chocolate frosting.
If the frosting is too thick to spread, add in more hot water, a teaspoon at a time.
If it is too runny, place it in the refrigerator a few minutes.

If you wish to add sprinkles:
The frosting sets quickly. Add sprinkles while the frosting is still fresh so they will stick.


                        1930s Dollar Fruitcake (Winnipeg Free Press)

Line a 9-inch tube pan with greased brown paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil

Pour boiling water over
1 pound sultana raisins
Place raisins between paper towels and dry thoroughly.
Set aside.

Halve
1/2 pound candied cherries

Chop
1/2 Cup blanched almonds
1/2 Cup walnuts

Place in a measuring cup
1/4 Cup fruit juice (orange, apple, grape or juice from canned fruit)
1/2 teaspoon brandy flavouring or almond extract

Place in a large bowl
the washed and dried raisins
the halved candied cherries
the chopped blanched almonds and walnuts
2 Cups mixed peel

Sift together
2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sift again over the fruits and nuts, then stir until each piece is coated.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter
Cream until light and fluffy.
Gradually blend in
1 Cup sugar

Beat in, one at a time, until blended
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 300º F

Making 3 dry and 2 liquid additions, stir the flour / fruit mixture alternately with the fruit juice into the butter / sugar mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours, until the cake starts to pull away from the side of the pan.

Remove pan from oven and let the cake cool in the pan on a rack.
Remove cake from pan and allow to cool thoroughly.
Wrap well and store in airtight container.

                                                       ~~~
I also wrote the following essay about Christmas traditions for our CKUW radio show ‘2000 & Counting’. Over the years our listeners asked for some seasonal stories to be repeated.
They seemed to like being reminded that we were all in the same holiday boat, a communal ship which made us feel like we were all sinking fast.

Ah… Christmas shopping, holiday baking and holiday customs…
Why do we do it?

I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned, there are two questions no one should ever ask a woman.

The first is How old are you?
The second is Have you done your holiday baking yet?

Why is it that, when the thermometer falls, we're supposed to bake? 
Does the Queen whip up a fruitcake before writing her speech?
I don't think so.  

Holiday baking has been with us an awfully long time.
Did you know that ginger was popular in Greece over 5,000 years ago? The Egyptians were eating gingerbread when the great pyramid of Cheops was just a brick and a prayer. I wonder what their gingerbread men looked like.

A few years after Egypt's building boom, an English King and his hunting party got lost in a blizzard on Christmas Eve. Well, they were clever lads full of English pluck, so they threw everything they had - meat, flour, sugar, apples, ale and brandy - into a bag and cooked it. Wallah!!  Plum pudding. The Iron Chef would've been proud.  

On Christmas Day in 1666, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary that he had risen earlier than his wife Who was desirous to sleep having sat up till four this morning seeing her maids make mince pies. 
I really admire Mrs. P. She just sat and watched her maids do the work, yet her husband felt guilty about her workload. How did she get him to suffer like that?   

Some Christmas carols seem a little too focused on food.  For example:
     Now bring us some figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer!
     We won't go until we get some, so bring it out here.
Those were somebody's friends?  Somebody should've called the cops.


Holiday baking has followed us into modern times. The 1970s was the decade of old time family television shows like The Waltons and memoir books.
Have you ever browsed through a memoir book? It could make you weep. They reminded us of times like this...
Evenings when a cold blustery wind howled outside were perfect for sorting through recipes. They were cozy times. The children were sitting at the oak table helping Mama chop fruit and raisins. Papa was cracking and shelling nuts and crushing fresh spices in the grinder.

Isn't that sweet? Sentences like that convinced me that if we did things just like people did before television was invented, the world would be a kinder, gentler place.

We'll never know. Paul told me, in no uncertain terms, that he was too busy to grind nuts for a cake he didn't even want.
Alright. Scratch Paul grinding his nuts. I bought ground nuts.

Step two... the batter had to be mixed. Back to that memoir...
When all the fruits were in, Grandmother called, 'Come, stir the batter!'
We all took turns giving it a stir - clockwise for good luck - and made a wish.

I made a batter, threw in the fruits and called out Come, stir the batter!

Carl pointed to the electric mixer sitting on the counter and said that he was staying on the eighth level of his computer game, The Temple of Ra. He also told me, in no uncertain terms, that he was too busy to stir batter for a cake he didn't even want.

I stirred the batter, clockwise.
Don't ask what I wished.


It's been downhill ever since. Do you know about the charming Swedish custom of hiding a whole almond in a serving bowl of rice pudding? The lucky person who finds the almond has to get married or do the dishes. Either my husband or my son - the fink never confessed - managed to swallow the almond every time.

I tried the German version: whoever finds the almond receives a marzipan pig. By then Paul and Carl had their own tradition: swallowing the almond. I felt so guilty looking at that poor rejected pig.
I started my own tradition and ate him... along with the cake.

There's a Christmas carol that goes: Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

Well, the goose isn't the only one.

Anna Sultana’s Gnocchi with Sausage & Tomatoes or with Peas & Pancetta; Homemade Gnocchi / Proof That God Is Not A Woman by Margaret Ullrich

 

Goodness! A week has gone by since I posted the tortellini and spaghetti recipes.
Gotta love tortellini and spaghetti.
Great budget stretchers.

Another budget hero, gnocchi, is easy to make and is a great way to use up leftover boiled or baked potatoes.
Along with these recipes, they can also be pan-fried and served with tomato sauce or butter and cheese.

Just like tortellini, gnocchi can be found in most supermarkets, usually in the deli section.
Shelf-stable gnocchi, usually packaged in vacuum-sealed containers, can be found in the pasta aisle.

Ma never served homemade gnocchi. We had lots of potatoes - mashed, baked, boiled, pan-fried, and roasted. Ma never got really fancy with her potatoes. Interesting since Malta produces enough potatoes to export to Holland.

I would compare the gnocchi to Ma's ravioli - Ravjul in Maltese. They're both starchy. They're both filling. They both cook in boiling water.


Hints:

About Gnocchi with Sausages & Tomatoes…
Use any sausage you like. You can go spicy, as with jalapeño sausages, or mild with breakfast sausages, if that is what you have in your fridge.
Parmesan cheese also goes well with this dish.

Don’t use a non-stick skillet if you want the sausages to have a nice crisp surface.
Two cups of tomatoes, sliced, can be used instead of the cherry or grape tomatoes.
Don’t have fresh basil? Dried basil (about 2 Tablespoons) works well.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

About the Gnocchi with Peas & Pancetta…
No pancetta? No problem. Bacon is fine and will add a stronger, smoky flavour.
Canadian bacon, salt pork, prosciutto, smoked ham, or smoked sausage are also good.

About the Gnocchi…
The shaped gnocchi can be refrigerated overnight.

To freeze uncooked gnocchi place them in a single layer on a heavily floured parchment-lined baking sheet, letting them air dry at room temperature for 1 to 4 hours.
Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and freeze until solid, about 1 hour.
Transfer frozen gnocchi to freezer bags and seal.
Gnocchi can be frozen up to one month. Do not thaw before cooking.

Gnocchi is also delicious with tomato sauce, or bolognese sauce, or just some butter, with or without garlic and sage.


                        Gnocchi with Sausages & Tomatoes

Serves 4

In a large pot place
4 quarts water
salt to taste
Bring to a boil.
Add
1 pound frozen or shelf-stable gnocchi
Cook for 2 minutes or according to package directions.
Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.
Place in a 10-inch or larger skillet
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Heat over medium heat and add
9 ounces cooked sausages, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick coins
Cook until the sausages begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
Push the sausages to the edge of the skillet and turn the heat up to high.
Add
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise, skin down 
Cook 1 to 2 minutes then stir in the sausage and cook about 2 minutes more.
Stir in gnocchi and cook until all is combined, but the tomatoes are still firm.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in
1/2 to 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. 


                        Gnocchi with Peas & Pancetta

Serves 4

Finely chop
2 Tablespoons onions
1 teaspoon garlic

In a large pot place
4 quarts water
salt to taste
Bring to a boil.
Add
1 pound frozen or shelf-stable gnocchi
Cook for 2 minutes or according to package directions.
Drain and set aside.

WHILE THE WATER IS BOILING:
Place in a skillet
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, diced
Lightly brown the pancetta over a low flame.
Add the chopped onion and garlic and fry 3 minutes.
Add
1 Cup frozen peas
1/2 Cup chicken broth
Cover and let simmer until peas are tender but not mushy.
Stir in
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 Cup cream or evaporated milk
Let simmer on low to form a thin sauce.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the cooked gnocchi and let simmer on low heat to form a thin sauce.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the gnocchi and add to the pan with the peas.
Add
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese and stir on low heat 2 minutes.
Serve immediately.


                        Homemade Gnocchi

Serves 6

Preheat oven 400º F

Pierce with a fork
2 medium russet potatoes
Place potatoes on a baking sheet, place in oven and bake until tender, about 1 hour.
Let cool completely.
Cut in half, scoop the flesh into a medium bowl and mash.
Transfer to a large bowl and stir in
1 1/2 Cups flour
1/2 Cup ricotta
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Divide dough into 6 equal pieces.
Working on a lightly floured surface and sprinkling with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking, roll each piece into an 18-inch long rope, about 1-inch in diameter.
Using a sharp knife, cut each rope into 3/4-inch bite-size pieces.
Transfer to a baking sheet.

In a large pot place
4 quarts water
salt to taste
Bring to a boil.
Working in 3 batches, cook gnocchi until tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 6 minutes.
Drain well and serve or use as an ingredient in the above recipes.
 

                                                                ~~~
Another essay I wrote for the CKUW radio show ‘2000 & Counting' was about the sexuality of God. Okay… we were getting desperate. But some valid - and not so valid - points were brought up.
Here was my view on the issue, and a few of my female co-hosts agreed.

Whenever I wonder if God is a man - which I admit isn't often - all I have to do is remember the ho-ho-ho good time we women have during holidays.

Yep… God is a man.

He sits and expects a holiday to happen. It happened last year, right? No problem. He just sat and wallah! A holiday complete with a big dinner, a fancy dessert and gifts.


Okay, ladies, we know holidays take a ton of work. Remember the commercial in which we heard Nat King Cole singing about Mrs. Santa Claus? We saw a woman throwing toys into a cart with one hand, keeping a toddler from jumping out of the cart with another hand and clutching a preschooler with another hand.

Of course she had three hands. She was a Mom.

Admit it. We don't have holidays because we like them. They're part of our culture, our civilization. Yeah... So is cleaning the toilet.
But women are tradition keepers, so we keep responding like Pavlov's dogs when we read stuff like:

While winds howled, we gathered around the fire and sorted recipes.
At the oak table the children chopped fruit and raisins,
while Papa happily crushed nuts and spices in the grinder.

Let's think about that little scene... Sorting recipes? We now have mixes.
Children chopping raisins? Sure. Yank a gameboy out of a kid's hands, give him a big sharp knife and some raisins and you'll both end up on the 6 o'clock news.
Papa crushing his nuts in a what? No, thank you.

Remember how we thought technology would give us loads of leisure?
Uh huh. Technology means that in a public washroom, you and a dozen other women can hear your cellphone playing Up a Lazy River. Oh, for the days when we could pee in peace.

Think you can rest when you're retired? Surprise! You've unloaded your youngest, just to be begged by your oldest - the one with the Masters degree you worked to pay for - to babysit her kids while she and her partner hold down a couple of Macjobs apiece.
Oh, and your Mom could now use some help.

And now the holidays are back.

Okay, grab a pen and paper and sit down. Why are you doing this?
For some Jesus is the reason for the season. Okay, that's a start.
God became human. Humans can't become God.
So get rid of the crap that's crept into the creche.

What's important to you and your family?
Not to the neighbours, not to the in-laws and not to the stores. Set your own priorities.
Don't let the urgent, like making fancy decorations, keep you from the important, like spending time together.
If anyone tries to talk you into doing something extra, just say NO.

Back to the old time Christmas. Maybe chopping and crushing was their idea of a crackerjack good time. But, if your kids just want Oreoes, why stay up till midnight making weird sugar cookies that can't fit into a glass of milk?
I know. It's tradition.
Delegate the cookies. Bang open a tube of cookie dough and let the kids get creative while you take pictures. They'll actually eat those cookies.

Did you invite someone who thinks store bought is not fit for the holidays?
Stock up now, destroy the wrappings, toss your cookies into bread bags and freeze them.
Remember how in the 60s we distressed furniture?
When it's Show Time, pop the cookies into the oven for nice burnt edges.
And muck up the fruitcake's icing.
The snob will praise you and wolf down anything that doesn't look like it was made by a professional.

Speaking of professional, avoid The Stewart.
If you do watch Martha, remember: It's TV. Look at the credits. She has an army helping her. They bake 30 cakes and she shows the best one. She doesn't do all that work when she's bone tired after putting in a 12 hour day.
Martha is human, too.
You've seen blooper shows. Trust me. Martha bloopers.

Do you have a friend who thinks she's Martha?
Whoopee for her.
Like your Mama done told you, If your friend jumped off a bridge would you do it, too?
There has to be something your pal hates to do. Swap your expertise for hers.
Yes, you are good at something. She bakes, you wrap. See?

Ever feel that if you don't do everything the family's been doing since the Stone Age, the holidays will be ruined forever, it will be all your fault and the family will never recover?
That's Mama Guilt.
According to a psychologist, Guilt feelings are a messy mixture of insecurity, self-doubt, self-condemnation, self-judgment, anxiety and fear.
Dump the guilt.
Make a list of the things you think you have to do, including making that relish that's been in the family since the Black Death.
After dinner, before everyone runs off, read the list.
If something gets big smiles, it's a keeper.
If you say relish and people make barfing sounds, cross it out.
If your family's polite, think about last year.
If you were serving leftover Christmas relish with the Easter ham, lose the recipe.

Office and Organization Parties were once a fun way for spouses to meet the other important people in their mate’s life.
Now both spouses have been invited to parties - and guess what, they're always on the same night - and The Wives and The Husbands can't face another plate of appetizers.
Stay home. Your pals will save you a copy of the secretary's xeroxed butt.

Cards used to be nice and simple, with pretty pictures and cheery messages.
Just sign and send. Then some fool started printing up long bragging letters.
Don't write The Letter. Your friends will love you.

Back to the three-handed Mom pulling toys off the shelves like they were free samples.
There are four weeks left until Christmas.
Think that's a long time?
How many New Year's resolutions have you done in the last eleven months?
Neither have I.