Christmas Sweets

 We had a fun Christmas season at our house this year, but apparently not a lot of photo documentation.

The boys had fun decorating gingerbread cookies. I think I got the idea to put the sprinkles in a muffin tin from a Cook's Illustrated magazine. It definitely made things (slightly) less messy!

Rhett picked the tulip cookie cutter as one of his shapes and called it a "Christmas flower."

Rhett helped me make some Christmas Jell-O. (He was a lot more happy about it than he looks here.)

On Christmas Eve we decorated our graham cracker houses. 

Later we took our neighbors gifts of homemade hot cocoa mix and homemade marshmallows, and had our traditional Christmas Eve Palestine dinner. I cooked salmon using this recipe, which was so tasty, if not very authentic for a Palestine dinner.


Seared Salmon with Balsamic Glaze
from Cook's Country
  
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 sprig rosemary (about 5-inches long) (I've since substituted dried rosemary)
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 4 skin-on salmon fillets, 6 ounces each, 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick
•   Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Whisk vinegar, juice, honey, and pepper flakes together in small bowl, then add rosemary. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Season salmon with salt and pepper and cook, skin side up, without moving, until well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip fish skin side down and cook until all but very center of fish is opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to platter and tent with foil.

2. Wipe out pan with paper towels and lower heat to medium. Carefully pour balsamic mixture into pan (it will splatter). Simmer until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove rosemary sprig. Whisk in butter, season sauce with salt and pepper, and pour over salmon. Serve.