[Food Series] A Christmas Cookie Carnival!

Yes, I realize Christmas is over! It’s just with all of the holiday hoopla, I wasn’t able to carve out any baking time! My mom and brother were in town for the holidays, we drove up to Lake Arrowhead to join the rest of the clan for Christmas, then my husband surprised me with an anniversary tryst down to beautiful Temecula, California for wine tasting and marathon eating! So Christmas Cookies will aptly be renamed New Year’s Cookies!
Most people have never heard of Cocoons. I think it may have been a name made up by one of my Maw-maw’s great aunts and passed down through the Fontaine family for generations. Making cocoons with my Maw-maw and my mom is one of my favorite childhood memories; the three of us in the kitchen, pine scents wafting in from the christmas tree, the perpetual pot of coffee brewing and cocoons baking to perfection. A splendid blend of holiday smells.
So, here’s the big family secret: cocoons are in fact, russian tea cakes, shaped like little cocoons. The recipe is the same!
russian tea cake
The Fontaine Family Cocoons
So let’s get to it!
The ingredients:
2 sticks of butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
2-3 cups of powdered sugar for coating
2 1/4 cups of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of crushed pecans

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First start with softened butter. Put butter in the mixer and cream, slowing adding the vanilla. Slowly mix in the powered sugar, then the sifted flour and salt, then fold in the pecans. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Form dough into little cocoons, roughly an inch long and place onto cookie sheet. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. If you let them get to golden brown, they’ll be overcooked, so keep a close eye on them! When cookies are done, as my mom and maw-maw used to do, take a brown paper lunch bag and fill, a third of the way with powdered sugar, place in paper bag, in small batches, fold the bag closed and shake (this is the part where the kids can help!) Tip: Tossing cookies in the powered sugar while still warm allows the sugar to stick better! Enjoy!
What is your family’s Christmas cookie tradition?

[Food Series] A Turkish Delight! Mücver (Zucchini Fritters)

Mücver is one of my husband’s favorite dishes (in case I haven’t mentioned it, he is from Istanbul, Turkey). I have had mücver many times, but I think because of my hubby’s affinity for his mom’s mücver, I was always terrified to make it! I have tried my hand at numerous Turkish dishes throughout our 16 year relationship and have fared pretty well, so after our summer excursion to turkey this year, where we ate our weight in mücver, I came home with the determination to give it a go! Mücver is a delicious zucchini fritter. It’s best warm, but the thing I love about it is that it is pretty yummy cold! It’s GREAT as a vehicle to ‘hide’ veggies from kids and it’s also a perfect meal to stick in your backpack when you’re headed out to hike!

Ingredients
5 Small Zucchinis grated
4 Green Onions chopped (whites and greens)
1/3 cup fresh chopped dill
1/3 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint
2 eggs
1 cup of feta (this is not traditional and by no means mandatory, but I love it!)
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of flour (give or take a little)
olive oil for frying (about a 1/4 inch in frying pan, then add more as you need per batch)

First thing I do is “sweat” the grated zucchini by putting it in a colander with some salt for at least 30 minutes. This will draw out all of the excess water from the zucchini. Throw all of the ingredients (except for the flour and olive oil) into a bowl and mix. Next, start adding your flour into the mixture in small amounts. I usually do it in about 5 separate additions. Once all of the flour is incorporated, heat up your olive oil in the frying pan, on medium heat) and with a spoon, begin dropping your mixture into the oil. (To test the heat of the oil, simply dip the spoon with a touch of the mixture into the oil. If it begins to sizzle, it’s time!) Make sure your oil doesn’t get too hot. You want to be able to cook each side for about 4-5 minutes without it burning, otherwise the inside will be gooey. You don’t want that! Our preference is fairly thin patties, that way they have a less eggy consistency, but of course, it’s entirely up to you! Just make sure to leave space between the fritters in the pan otherwise you may end up with one big, record-breaking mücver! When they’re done, transfer them from the frying pan onto a plate covered with paper towels, so the excess oil can be absorbed.

Our 2 year old loves these!! It’s the only way I can get her to eat zucchini right now, which makes me feel awfully clever. Hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Reflection + Realization = Elevation ; Our Year-End Wrap Up!

It’s official! 2012 is over! The world didn’t end! Woo Hoo!
My 2013 will start with a breath and a whisper; to be the best person I can be… for myself, my husband, my daughter and the world. It’s a tall order, but still, I will pursue my declaration with vigorous devotion every morning I have the pleasure to awake.
Here are but a few of the days this year when I woke up grateful to be able to explore the world with my baby girl:
One of our favorite hikes before we had kids is this great trail in the Malibu mountains which leads you through meadows and over massive boulders, criss-crossing rivers and finally ends at a natural grotto. We finally brought the baby there this year. It was such a gorgeous day!

hiking with toddler in malibu
Hiking in Malibu, California
Earlier this year, fellow Mommy Hiker, Megan Flowers introduced us to Underwood Family Farms and it was love at first sight! It’s a great way to keep the kids connected to the earth, teach them where our food comes from and how it grows. Life lessons coupled with dirt! Lots of dirt!

underwood family farm
Picking the perfect tomato
Me and the Peanut enjoying a tickle and the trickle of a calm mountain waterfall.
malibu hiking
We only managed to sneak in a few days of camping this year. It never feels like enough! This was just a short ride up the coast to McGrath State Beach and it barely satisfied our thirst, but the bloody mary’s courtesy of Michael Flowers were delish.

camping with toddler
Camping at McGrath State Beach
During our almost month-long summer stay in Turkey this year, we explored many ruins and villages along the way!

toddler on steps
Exploring an old Turkish village
These purple hydrangea bloom every spring, right outside our front door!
smelling flowers
Taking the time to stop and smell the flowers
One of our favorite hikes with the kids is a trail that meanders up a canyon in the mountains of Altadena, California which leads to a beautiful 50-foot waterfall and refreshing swimming hole!

hiking with toddler in altadena
Hiking in Altadena, California
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is a recent discovery for us, but now that we have become NextGen members, I can tell you that it will become a significant part of our monthly adventures!

lacma art installation
Frolicking in an art installation at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
These two have hiked the entire greater Los Angeles area together! It is one of my tremendous pleasures in life to watch them develop their bond.

toddlers hiking
Hiking buddies forever!
This picture my hubby took doesn’t really need any explanation. It was pure bliss to have the opportunity to introduce our baby girl to her father’s homeland.

datca turkey
Conquering the soft pebble shores of The Mediterranean
October brought us back to the Underwood Family Farms! During the Fall season, hey have an awesome corn maze and massive pumpkin patch!

underwood family farms corn maze
Conquering a Corn Maze

pumpkin patch underwood family farms
Choosing the perfect pumpkin
While my mother and brother were in town visiting for the holidays, we took a drive up to Lake Arrowhead to frolick in the snow! Vivi LOVED it…for about 15 minutes! Then she was ready to snuggle up with the pups by the fireplace, which was fine with us considering that’s where the wine was!
toddler playing in lake arrowhead
What is this cold, wet stuff?
Christmas morning was full of gasps, laughter, shouting and joy. My mom’s comment summed it up perfectly! “Enjoy it, this is probably the last time she’ll ever be so excited to get socks.” Ha!

toddler opening presents christmas morning
I’ll leave you with this picture. For me, it sums up everything. 
Take the time to be still, to ponder, to reflect, to realize. Happy New Year!!!

toddler sitting by lake
Reflecting on the year…