This marks our first Christmas holiday in our Fredericksburg vacation home. Foodprep-wise, I am quite apprehensive on how the kitchen would hold up. Don’t get me wrong, we fell in love with this house with its uniqueness, magnificent views,  and being country-chic and rustic. But those last two adjectives  are not my favorites specially when it pertains to a kitchen. With these in my mind, I was plotting and scheming for recipes that won’t require too many gadgets and can be done with only one oven to use. The other thing was ingredients. I don’t have a neighborhood butcher and grocer  who I can trust for my meats and veggies, so I had to list and pack all my ingredients and get ’em all from H-town. It really didn’t help that I was working 4 straight shifts prior to our drive here…

Anyhoo, after a meticulous list of gadgets and ingredients, we were able to pile all into the G-wagen, another feat which was almost like German engineering in itself. Remember that we also packed our personal effects, gifts and of course, our the two dogs. They have to have individual carriers, lest we end up with only one puppy and a furry carcass after a four hour drive.

We arrived late in the afternoon and we took a hike to the river because forecast said that it might rain in the next couple of days. Hiking is a great way to stretch our legs after a long drive. Once there, we were again reminded why we simply have to get this place.

Back to the house,I decided to do some food-prep. For my main course, I decided on Herbed Turkey Breast . I admit this bird will have a dual purpose. I want to use the left-overs for Turkey Pot-Pie. It’s Dave’s favorite so I’ll cook it on his birthday.

I am not a big fan of soggy stuffing so I opted for ItalianSausage and Mushroom Stuffing as one of the sides. This stuffing still has some crunch to it and all the bread bits are soaked and cooked  in white wine. Yey!

D loves Butternut Squash Soup. I find it quite bland most of the time. After several tries, I finally made one that hits my mark—add sherry. Whoops, I guess someone forgot to take a soup selfie…That’s what sherry does to you. This is the easiest dish on my list except that I forgot to pack my peeler. I had to peel the squash with a huge kitchen knife (forgot to pack a paring knife too!). I ended up with a complete set of ten fingers, so I thought that really called for a celebration, hence the sherry.

Another side I made is Parmesan-Topped Sweet Potatoes .

For dessert, We picked up Butter Cream Pie from our favorite pie place, Fredericksburg Pie Company.

For wine paring, we decided on an Viognier from Grape Creek Vineyards, one of our favorite wine-clubs in the area. We just picked up our member selection and this was among their holiday favorites.

(I have hyper-linked my dishes to corresponding recipes. Last time I checked, the hyperlinks work. )

I am giving away Gluhwein and Glogg for my dear friends in the clinic this year. Gluhwein is German mulled wine while Glogg is its Swedish counterpart.  It’s amazing how different cultures come up with ways to feel warm and cozy for winter nights. There are dozens of European varieties of mulled wine. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to, they all taste the same…The Glogg I ordered is actually from Pedernales Cellar in Fredericksburg. Every winter, the city holds a mulled wine festival and that winery has been a consistent winner. We have been stocking up on it for the last two years.

Naturally, I searched for good pairings. My German friend, Hans, said that anything cheesy and savory would be perfect. Hmmmm. Cheesy and savory—-the two words that would send anyone fleeing for a liposuction. That shouldn’t be so hard. I instantly thought of gougeres. Gougeres are French savory pastries that are like cheese puffs.

Add 1 cup of flour and stir in low heat until it dries out and starts pulling away from pan.

Bake at 400 for 20-22 minutes until it puffs out, looking like this:

Another really easy pairing is Home Made Cheese Straws

Grab a sheet of puff pastry, cover with parmesan cheese and Italian Blend seasoning. Pat it down, put some muscle into it, otherwise the whole delectable concoction of cheese and herb falls off.

Cut in small small strips, 1/2 inch should be perfect, then twist

Bake for 15 minutes at 350

So, those are two pairings so far. As mentioned earlier, anything cheesy is good. But at times when I am not inclined to whip up anything in the mixer, turn the oven on, or just when the thought of cleaning up kitchen mess fills me with so much dread, I just want to chug the whole bottle of Glogg, I go direct to the point. I pair it with plain old cheese. HEB has some good selections this season. Many thanks to Connie, Dr N’s so-much-better half.

Another good option is Pfeffernusse cookies. These are German Spice cookies. I made them in the past but Trader Joe’s started making it and as much as I hate to admit it, is so much better than mine. Hey, I am a hard-core foodie. I have no pride. If someone can make it better and will not charge me my first-born for it, I’m buying it. It’s $4.99 without pots and pans to clean, so naturally, it made it on my list.

I have to throw this in. Before you start judging me, I just urge you to try it. It is called Better Than Good Bacon Jam. It is made of  onions caramelized in balsamic vinegar  and bacon, then made into a jam by angels somewhere in Texas. You can spread this baby into anything and make it turn into something very decadent. Pair it with warm, spicy wine, sit by the fire, and all bacon-associated guilt disappears into thin air.