Over the weekend we did a lot of relaxing at its finest, with cocktails, feasting on leftovers, and good hang out time with friends. We made another batch of Moroccan Stew, this time using a homemade turkey broth, and the leftover turkey from our fried turkey. Frying the turkey was super easy and only took 35 minutes. I honestly felt like we cheated a bit. But then I tasted it and quickly forgot. It was perfectly juicy and crisp all at the same time; definitely a highlight of our Thanksgiving meal. Besides eating (which we did do a lot of) we also took several walks with Henry, played some games, and watched movies.
A picture of the dough for you. Why? Because sometimes the dough is so good it doesn't make it to the cookie stage.
I'm a sucker for traditions so every year we try and keep up a few traditions over the holidays. The day after Thanksgiving we go and pick out a tree, then during the weekend we usually watch Elf (my favorite Christmas movie) while decorating the tree. It's not unusual for us to camp out in the living room watching movies on a holiday evening (usually I love Lucy episodes or Robert Redford classics). Also, we must drop by Trolley Square mall during this season to pick up some of our favorite candied nuts from a little kiosk at the mall. You will easily find them, because the aroma of roasted nuts fills the whole mall. We also picked out some Christmas cards while we were there (Tabularasa is our favorite card and stationary store).
How was your Thanksgiving Weekend? What traditions did you make this year? Also, I must remind you to leave a comment on the post of Moroccan Soup and Thanksgiving Leftovers for a chance to win Three Many Cooks', Pam Anderson's, latest cookbook. It would make a wonderful Christmas present for the cook in your family!
I'm looking forward to hearing about all of your Thanksgiving stories!
Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cranberries and Pistachios
makes 18 large cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flax seeds (optional... it adds a rustic feel to the cookie)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1/3 cup dried cherries (2 ounces)
1/3 cup shelled pistachios (1 1/2 ounces; not dyed red), coarsely chopped
DIRECTIONS
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 baking sheets.
Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat until combined well. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, flax seeds and cinnamon in a small bowl, then add to dough and mix at low speed until just combined. Fold in oats, cherries and pistachios.
Spoon rounded tablespoons of dough about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies with a spatula to racks. (Cookies will crisp as they cool.)
I love Christmas traditions, and we tend to add more every year! These cookies sound wonderful and are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a wonderful weekend. That cookie dough does look irresistible.
ReplyDeleteThese look great! In my opinion, it's never too early to start posting Christmas cookie recipes. And I love holiday traditions. We usually get our tree Thanksgiving weekend too, and watch Love Actually while we decorate.
ReplyDeleteI love cookies with pistachios, and these sound great!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, love the new comments with the comment embedded right below the post!
ReplyDeleteum, YUM! those look delicious and just the right amount of Christmas color :)
ReplyDeleteYAY!! i've been waiting and waiting for you to posted this delicious recipe!! these were so yummy! thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteoh... and we had quite the eventful weekend... which is why we didn't make it over.... hope you had lots of yummy pie!
ReplyDeleteLove the colors in your cookies! Just thought I would let you know I finally did try Zy, and loved it! Thanks for the recommendation :)
ReplyDeleteSi, I'm glad you got a change to try Zy! I'd love to hear what you tried!!
ReplyDeleteI love anything with pistachios! These remind me of cookies I used to get at a favorite bakery in Alaska!
ReplyDeleteThose cookies are beautiful and so festive! The photography really shows them off well.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had a wonderful holiday. I love hearing about all of your traditions!
P.S. I like the old comment format better :-)
Rach, thanks for letting me know. I am trying out a different way to see which is easiest!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great combo for the holidays. Your pictures are wonderful too, great lighting!
ReplyDeleteHow cute!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to try these out. Love that you added flax seeds, I may try throwing in chia and hemp as well for some added nutrition. With the oatmeal, it'd probably be barely noticeable!
Great blog, so glad I found it.