A Tale of Two Cities: munchy marathon

This past holiday weekend I quite possibly baked more than I ever have. (Or at least since Thanksgiving!) Besides reading, running, working out, shopping, sight seeing, blogging, and the many other activities that occupy my time during winter break, I love cooking. Food is one of my passions because there are so many things associated with it. Food is more than just something you eat, it's about the bonding that occurs while preparing it, the history behind a family recipe, and different cultures. Food brings about old memories and creates new traditions. I have a huge sweet tooth so I'm partial to desserts. But I love trying new recipes for all types of meals.

Since I've been home for break my mom and I have baked the following desserts:

Pizzelles: an italian wafer-like cookie typically made around christmas. Anise oil is typically added to the dough giving it a licorice flavor. The dough is pressed using an iron, which gives it the unique pattern. So tasty!

Creme de menthe bars: a simple holiday cookie, but refreshingly yummy. The bottom layer is composed of a light chocolate cake. A layer of mint frosting is spread on top, and a third layer of melted chocolate goes on top of that. Heaven.

Peppermint chocolate bark: the version of "bark" that my mom and I make involves the following ingredients: saltines, butter, sugar, chocolate, and candy canes. I will post the recipe in the near future!

On Christmas eve morning I made light, fluffy, lemon ricotta pancakes, they were luscious.

My mom and I made a chocolate cake with "magic," vanilla meringue frosting for Christmas eve dessert. The "magic" factor comes from the crunchy texture of the meringue mixed with the smoothness of the vanilla frosting. It was delectable.

I also helped my mom make Christmas eve dinner and Christmas day dinner. I don't know how she does it, it felt as if we were in the kitchen all day! Regardless, I had a great time.