Chimichurri Bread #SundaySupper

I can't believe it's less than a week until Christmas day arrives! frankly, I'm happy for that fact, because like every year I am already 110% holiday-ed out and ready for a true vacation where I can chill out, tend to myself (read: Zumba time!), my blog, latent book reviews, languishing sourdough starter and ever-patient cat. Of course, until December 26, the kitchen is a flurry of activity - between me putting together the finishing touches on cookies and chocolates for gift baskets to preparing components of holiday meals, breads and endless batches of shortbread cookies. The oven is almost constantly on and occupied, but when guests come over it always seems to be a scramble to set out enough nibbles in time! 

This year,  I took a leaf out of my Home Ec syllabus and whipped up an Argentine-inspired appetizer to set out during one of the many gatherings taking place this month. Thanks to a demi-loaf of homemade baguette in the freezer, all I had to do was beat together some herbs, garlic, cheese and butter, smear it onto the halved loaves and slap it onto a panini press plugged in away from the main action of the stove and oven. By using the press (you could use an electric grill pan or George Foreman too), it keeps the large appliances free for the mains and sides while still allowing for a hot, crispy and gooey addition to the party platters. Pair it up with some sangria, a bowl of chilled, grilled shrimp, crudites and salsa and you've got a taste of the balmy southern hemisphere on your table - even when it's snowy out! 

Today, the Sunday Supper tastemakers are easing the holiday rush with recipes perfect for last-minute gatherings, cravings and "oh yeah, I should eat" moments!

Beverages
Gluten Free Holiday Mocha by Gluten Free Crumbley
The Frenchy by Books n’ Cooks

Breakfast
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread by Ruffles & Truffles
Chocolate Cranberry Mini Muffins by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Appetizers
Cauliflower-Apple Melts by The Wimpy Vegetarian
Chimichurri Bread by What Smells So Good?
Everything Cream Cheese Balls by Magnolia Days
Mini Party Crab Cakes by Food Lust People Love
Holiday Bruschetta by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
Lobster Salad in Puff Pastry Cups by The Weekend Gourmet
Potato Kimchi Bacon Bites by kimchi MOM
Quick Crab Stuffed Mushrooms by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Scallops with Cranberry Bacon Jam by Caroline’s Cooking
Shrimp and Artichoke Crostini by Monica’s Table
Spanakopita Bites by Casa de Crews
Tortellini Caprese Bites by The Freshman Cook
Tropical Cocktail Wings by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Main Dishes
Bean, Escarole, & Sausage Soup by Get the Good Stuff
Chicken Cacciatore Pronto by Crazy Foodie Stunts
Easy Chicken Fried Rice by Feeding Big
Swedish Meatballs by Palatable Pastime

Side Dishes
Apple Pecan Salad by Wholistic Woman
Bourbon Glazed Sweet Potatoes by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
Healthier Hoppin’ John by Cooking Chat
Italian Sausage & Broccoli Rabe Stuffing by The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine

Desserts
4-Ingredient Double Chocolate Christmas Fudge by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding by Wallflour Girl
Dark Chocolate Coconut Pecan Cups by PancakeWarriors
Frangelico French Silk Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Holiday Pie Crust Cookies by Rhubarb and Honey
Peppermint Bark Pretzels by Pies and Plots
Red Velvet Eggnog Cheesecake Trifle by The Crumby Cupcake
Santa Cookies by NinjaBaker.com
Skillet Cookies by Lifestyle Food Artistry
Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
White Chocolate Covered Gingerbread OREOS by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Quick and Easy Holiday Recipes #SundaySupper by Sunday Supper Movement

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It's easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Cranberry Pineapple Drop Cookies

I've been making my fair share of "cookie-biscuit" hybrids these days. Most of the time, these soft, cakey treats are the result of using less solid fat and/or sugar in the dough in favour of wetter fruit or vegetable purees (think pumpkin and apple butter). While it is usually yours truly doing at least some of this swapping, occasionally I come across a recipe in a (non-diet) cookbook that does the work for me! 

I've been paging through Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook again (there the Merry Berry Cookies came from) and discovered these semi-tropical goodies perfect for bringing a bit of brightness to the holiday cookie tray. Of course, I had to throw in my own flair too, adding dried pineapple and using coconut and whole wheat flours. I also added a touch of extra goodness by swapping in Truvia for half the sugar, non-fat Greek yoghurt for sour cream and silken tofu for the eggs. The end result was perfect - thicker cookies baked up like scones and would be more than passable at afternoon or mid-morning tea time, while smaller drops got a slight crisp to the outside but stayed moist and fluffy inside. The crushed pineapple adds a sweet -tart flavour that is echoed by the cranberries and stays bright even after baking!

Gluten Free Chocolate Biscotti #CreativeCookieExchange

One of the best things about making biscotti for the holiday season is that they are almost impossible to screw up. I mean really - when you think about it, they are essentially the croutons of the cookie world - deliberately dried out and crunchy (so no worries about refrigerating), sturdy and full of potential. I've used leftovers (or saved "ends") from batches of biscotti to make cookie balls, crumb crusts, mincemeat tarts and even cake fillings. I have a friend who once used gingersnap crumbs in her Eastern European meatballs, and I bet spicy biscotti crumbs would be killer in those too.

Biscotti are also fabulous vessels for modification and elaboration. Traditionally made with hefty amounts of nuts and eggs, I've successfully made killer batches without either - and this year I started to dabble in the world of gluten free biscotti too. I have an ever-growing list of friends, colleagues and acquaintances with food allergies or intolerances, so when it comes to putting together the gift boxes of various preserves, cookies and candies having at least a couple "safe" options in my back pocket that are easy to bake ahead and don't require special storage (hello, biscotti!) is a true gift to both me and those recipients. After all, we all deserve a little sweet joy at the holiday time, right?

This particular batch of rich, dark chocolate biscotti is gluten, dairy, nut and soy free, and thanks to Truvia they're also lower in sugar. For decadence, stevia-sweetened chocolate chips and black sesame seeds stud the slices, while teff flour and a pinch of black pepper add that little extra "something". If I didn't need to give out every last one, these would be in my pantry the whole season for dunking into coffee or hot chocolate after shoveling (once it snows, that is) or simply grabbing from the cupboard as a mid-morning snack.

This #CreativeCookieExchange event is celebrating the deliciously dunkable biscotti. Biscotti (or mandelbrot or any other twice baked cookie by any other name) are one of the perfect Holiday tin cookies! They last forever, and there are so many ways to make them festive. So we’ve got you covered--sweet, savory, low fat, loaded with decadence, you name it, we’ve got it! Happy Holidays!   Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

If you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

Almond Lemon Biscotti by Basic N Delicious

Banana Walnut Biscotti by Upstate Ramblings

Chocolate Almond Biscotti by Karen's Kitchen Stories

Chocolate Toffee Biscotti by Live Bake Love

Currant Walnut Biscotti by Magnolia Days

Dark Chocolate and Pistachio Biscotti by Flours and Frostings

Gingerbread Biscotti by Food Lust People Love

Gluten Free Chocolate Biscotti by What Smells So Good?

Holiday Biscotti Bar by The Spiced Life

Honey Beescotti by Oven Delights

Mocha Biscotti by A Baker's House

Orange Pistachio Biscotti by 2 Cookin' Mamas

Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti by A Shaggy Dough Story

Peppermint Kahlua Chocolate-Dipped Biscotti by All That's Left Are The Crumbs

White Chocolate Glazed Gingerbread Biscotti by Christmas Tree Lane

"Date Square" Granola

Now that report cards are done and filed (two major computer glitches later!), I've been able to come back to the kitchen and blog and catch up on all my holiday must-do recipes! Like every year, the majority of my gift recipients will be getting boxes of assorted homemade goodies - from preserves and salsas to cookies, biscotti, chocolates and of course, granola!

This year, I found myself with an unbelievable amount of dried dates after cleaning out my pantry, and was immediately inspired to make a granola with the flavours of one of my favourite desserts - the date square. My grandma used to make buttery, oaty, coconutty date crumble bars filled with a thick, squidgy layer of orange infused fruit paste at least once a year, and the smell of the paste baking in this mixture of gluten free grains, coconut and almonds brought me back to my 8 year old self. Not satisfied with simply using pureed dates, I added a glug of date "molassses" (also called silan) for a little extra caramelly oomph. Coconut and almonds added just the right amount of extra "yum" and crunch, making it perfect for breakfast or dessert.

I decided to go the gluten free route with quinoa flakes, buckwheat, millet, amaranth and teff so that I could give away assorted jars of granola to everyone on my list - not to mention using all those pseudograins added a good dose of fibre and protein to the mix as well!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Vanilla Bean Sandwich Cookies with Gianduja Filling #BornOnTheFarm

I'm the first to admit that I'm a 150% choco-holic. Vanilla anything has never been my speed - give me coffee, cherry, caramel or lemon flavours... just not plain-jane, pale vanilla. I'd leave the vanilla half of the Girl Guide cookie box, white birthday cake, soft serve ice cream and white chocolate truffles untouched as a kid - passing up their plain, saccharine flavour for richer, tangy or bitter ingredients like espresso, lemon, cherry or bittersweet chocolate. Vanilla, to me, was my dad's flavour. Chocolate belonged to me.

Over the years, though, I've developed an understanding with the "whitewashed" flavour. Part of this was realizing that the floral notes of vanilla were actually delicious when paired with those tangy or otherwise full-bodied bases I'm drawn to - things like yoghurt, sour cherry, apples, coffee and hot cocoa. The clincher was actually tasting what real vanilla was like. Not vanillin, not "vanilla flavouring" or "essence", but true, honest to goodness pods. Plump with seeds and bursting with aroma that infuses everything it touches, it's a whole other world. Now I make my own (high proof) extract with "de-seeded" beans, supplement my stash with vanilla bean paste and double-strength vanilla extract and add dashes of either coarse or fine vanilla sugar to what would normally be simply "white" bakes. I've never looked back.

So in the spirit of "making peace" in every way we can this time of year, I created what I think is a perfect marriage of opposites. On one hand, I poured a ton of vanilla bean flavour into these tender slice-and-bake cookies - vanilla sugar, vanilla seeds, vanilla extract and a new find for me - creamy, melt-in-your-mouth decadent Nordica Smooth Vanilla Bean Cottage Cheese. I was generously given a voucher from the folks at Gay Lea (AKA my family's "butter suppliers" every Holiday cookie season), and when I found the Vanilla Bean flavour alongside the Lemon and Caramel packs at my local store I was immediately inspired to bake with it! I based this recipe off of the ricotta cookies I made earlier (Caramel-Almond Latte Ricotta Cookies and Ricotta Cookies with Peanut-Nutella Swirl) but without a baked-in filling. Instead, a scoop of homemade Gianduja Crème Filling between baked rounds fit the bill perfectly, and added a rich nutty, slightly bittersweet element and colour contrast that made for a striking cookie plate addition.

About Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese (from Gay Lea): 

Canadians love to snack and are always looking for healthy snacking options. In fact, 33% of consumers are snacking on healthier foods this year compared to last. Gay Lea has introduced the perfect, protein packed snack to help get through that afternoon slump – Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese.

Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese comes in three delicious flavours – Salted Caramel, Lemon and Vanilla Bean. You can enjoy all the benefits of cottage cheese without the lumpy texture, including:

• 10 grams of protein per serving
• Only 110 calories
• 15% of your recommended daily intake of calcium
• Gluten-free
• Unimaginably smooth, delicious taste
• Can be enjoyed on its own or as a part of your favourite smoothie

Ingredients: milk ingredients, milk protein, sugar, water, rice starch, natural flavor, vanilla bean, guar gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan, locust bean gum, lemon juice concentrate, active bacterial cultures, microbial enzyme

MSRP: $3.99-$4.99 (4 x 100g cups)

Available at: Metro, Food Basics, Sobeys, FreshCo, Foodland, Loblaws, Zehrs, Your Independent Grocer, Real Canadian Superstore, Longo’s, Farm Boy, Coppa, Highland Farms, Vince’s and more.

Whether you crave a sweet treat or need a punch of protein in your day, Gay Lea knows that cottage cheese is not your usual choice – until now. It only takes one tiny taste to change everything you know about cottage cheese. By smoothing out the lumpy texture, this new innovation is like nothing you’ve tried before!