Cuccidati for Christmas!

Homemade cuccidati!

I remember having a huge pink bakery box of Italian Christmas cookies at my grandma's house every year.  Being allergic to nuts, I couldn't eat many of those cookies, but I remember how good they looked and how everyone enjoyed them.  I've been making more of an effort to research Italian and Sicilian traditions, especially holiday and food traditions, and re-create them.  This year, it was Sicilian Spiced Fig Cookies, or Cuccidati.  Instead of the traditional filling of spices, dried fruit and nuts, I left out the nuts and made a cookie that I could eat!  Here is the recipe that I used:

Holiday baking.

Cuccidati (but they're missing their sprinkles) from Wikipedia. 

I'll be working on some holiday baking this afternoon before I sing my last two gigs with the Lyric Theatre Victorian Carolers later today, so we'll see how much I can get done.  On the schedule: Sicilian cuccidate, more gingerbread (cake) and gingerbread cookies, and possibly some Italian anginetti and/or anise toast. 

The gingerbread cake will be for gifts, along with jars of homemade jam.  The gingerbread cookies will be made in two shapes: houses and donkeys.  The gingerbread houses will be decorated as Victorian houses, and the donkeys will be decorated like Italian donkeys (with red saddle and blue bow around neck).  The other cookies will be for the family.  There is a lot of advance preparation, and chilling of the dough, so I'd better get started!

Afternoon tea in San Jose: Satori Tea Bar.

Satori Tea Bar street sign.

Did you know you could have afternoon tea at Satori Tea Bar in downtown San Jose?  The shop is not only a good source for flavored and unflavored loose tea blends, and a quiet place to sit and enjoy a pot of tea and a pastry.  Victoria, the owner, has put together a couple of afternoon tea menus that can be customized to suit an occasion or the dietary requirements of the customer.  Advance notice is, of course, necessary!  There are two options: the Demi Tea and the Full Tea.  The Demi Tea costs $21.95 and includes a pot of your choice of tea, a scone with clotted cream, jam and honey, and four large tea sandwiches. 

Demi Tea plate with savories and scone

Use tea to make your own Christmas gifts!

www.FreeFoto.com

Now that the Christmas season has begun, everyone is thinking about affordable, yet thoughtful gift ideas that will please their loved ones.  Of course, tea makes a wonderful gift in and of itself, but did you know that tea can be used to make many things that can be given as gifts?  You can make a variety of gifts that are useful and attractive, and save money doing so.  Here are 10 inexpensive, fairly easy ideas for food and cosmetics that your friends and family would love to receive:

Making a late-Victorian day cap, ca. 1882

Day caps.  Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine, 1863.

Now that the winter is closing in, we costumers start thinking about sewing projects that we want to complete for the holiday season.  There are so many fun events happening all over the United States that it can be hard to choose which ones to attend!  Here in the Bay Area we have the Great Dickens Christmas Fair going on, and California costumers love to go there in Victorian costume.  The best costumes are complete outfits, including all the little details of accessories, like day caps, that make you look like you've stepped out of the past.

12 San Jose area holiday events for 2010!

Christmas bells.  Image from AntiqueClipArt.com

Well, now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the turkey leftovers are getting eaten up, it's time to start thinking about Christmas and other winter holiday celebrations.  Here are some interesting things happening in the San Jose area in the next few weeks:

1. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair: November 26 to December 19, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City, CA.  General admission: $25 (discounts for advance purchase online).

Take time out this week with a tea party!

Photo: Nikolay Dimitrov. www.e-Cobo.com

Most of us across the United States are gearing up for Thanksgiving in the next week.  A quintessentially American holiday, with a profoundly religious background, the Thanksgiving feast, shared with as many friends and relatives as possible, can be a very stressful project.  It's easy to get hung up on the details and forget the purpose of the holiday: to set aside the difficulties and celebrate the blessings of family, friends, food and good deeds for an entire day.  Celebrate those who have provided for you and helped you to become the person that you are today.  Keep yourself in an attitude of gratefulness and appreciation by delegating some work to those who will share the meal with you, and put your feet up once in a while with a cup of tea! 

You can "taste-test" some of the treats for the big day by making them ahead of time and enjoying them before the frenzy of preparation.  A Thanksgiving High Tea is also the perfect way to use up leftovers after the holiday!  Here are some recipes you might want to add to your tea table; they would also make great additions to a special breakfast on Thanksgiving day.

Cranberry Orange scones
Butterscotch-Ginger scones
Cream scones
Pumpkin butter
Apple butter
Mock clotted cream
Spiced-Tea Cranberry Sauce

Mushroom Croustades
Pumpkin Fritters
Maple Shortbread

Interesting links:
“Thanksgiving tea ideas”
“Thanksgiving meal tea and food pairings”
“Hostess a Thanksgiving Tea Party” by Sheila Kosmicki
“A Thanksgiving Tea Party, Relax and Enjoy!”