Well for me it really is the day after Christmas! and you are thinking that I have had just a little too much holiday cheer by now. Maybe I have indulged a bit, but we were still celebrating the arrival of that man in the red suit last night!

Little boys and girls really need to be home on Christmas morning to see the wonder of what was left for them during the night, so we celebrated the holiday again last night with my niece and her family. More delicious food, more holiday cheer, laughs and reminiscing of Christmas past and of course more presents!

For dessert, we indulged in more of the wonderful cookies that my sister and I made during our annual cookie bake off. Some new recipes and some old favorites.

From the left there are Spumoni Ice Box Cookies, Walnut Cookies that are then filled with a chocolate hazelnut filling and Butterballs or some call them Russian Tea Cakes! In the center are Rugelach and Linzer Tortes filled with the same chocolate hazelnut filling. That filling was so good, that we just couldn’t waste any of it! Finishing out the plate are Pignoli’s, an Italian cookie rolled in pine nuts and one named Rosette, coming from an old family recipe. Last but not least, Biscotti with dry cherries and pistachios. A new recipe and one that we will probably use again!

Rosette, the name that was on this recipe really bugged me as no way does this look like a rosette, now does it? I was going to get to the bottom of this and I started looking through recipes and Googling it over and over. Come to find out that this is really Anginetti, referring to a cookie that it is as light as an angel with the white frosting being symbolic of the clouds. They can be made with vanilla flavoring, almond, lemon or anise and the latter is usually saved for the Easter holidays. I feel much better now that I got to the bottom of this! For everyone that thinks that I will be able to bring some of these cookies with me to the Phoenix TNNA Market, sorry to say that they will have long been a memory by then…

I am missing AlleyCat and Sylvester so much by now. I know that AlleyCat will speak her peace with me as soon as I open the door! Sylvester will be happy as soon as he gets a few treats or a frech can of cat food. I am anxious to get back to some serious stitching too! See you when I get back home.