Holiday Cooking Overseas: Christmas Cookies

There is nothing that smells like Christmas more than the smell of sugar cookies baking in the oven. I can remember this from my childhood. We'd help my dad string the lights on the tree while my mom baked up a batch of sugar cookie cut-outs in the kitchen.

Oh the memories the thought of that smell brings me now!

I'm one of those people that likes to carry on the traditions we had growing up, are you like that too? And it doesn't really matter that I live in Egypt now. I still like to put up the Christmas tree, decorate the house with poinsettias, and - of course - bake Christmas cookies.

And while the nostalgia of it all sometimes makes me a little more homesick than usual when December 25th comes around, but at the same time it just doesn't feel like Christmas without them.

As most of you know, I have a 1-year-old son. So this time last year, I did not make my usual hoard of Christmas cookies for gifts to family and friends because I'd just given birth to a beautiful baby boy.

Something about not getting a full night's sleep that just takes the baking urge right out of you!

But this year I've been dying to jump back into my Christmas baking. Unfortunately with said 1-year-old, I can only bake when he's taking a nap or in bed for the night. But I still managed to whip up a batch of sugar cookie dough earlier this week while he was sleeping.

The problem is that my tried-and-true recipe for sugar cookies makes 8 dozen cookies! Well, I have a solution for some of those... namely the tea time after church tomorrow, especially since it's Christmas and everyone's bringing cookies. But don't worry, I've got plans for that other 4-dozen sugar cookies that the other half of the dough will make.

Here's the recipe, in case you've been looking for a great recipe (especially if you'd like to share a few cookies with some friends because it makes A LOT):

Classic Sugar Cookies
Makes: 8 dozen cookies

3 cups powdered sugar
2 cups butter, softened (as in room temperature, not melted)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
2 eggs
5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar

In LARGE bowl, beat 3 cups powdered sugar, the butter, vanilla, almond extract, and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed (or with a spoon if you don't have a mixer). Stir in flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheet (if you don't have a non-stick one). On lightly floured surface, roll each half 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes with 3-inch cookie cutters. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake 5-7 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely about 30 minutes.

Notes:

• You don't want the dough to warm up too much so only take out enough to roll out cookies for one cookie sheet at a time. Then after you cut out the cookies, roll the scraps up into a ball and put back into the refrigerator to chill before reusing.
• The thinner the cookies, the better they keep their shape. Something about the Cairo air makes my cookies spread like wildfire in the oven so I make them as thin as evenly possible (watch them if you do this because they may only need 4 minutes if they're really thin).
• I usually split the dough in half and roll into long logs before wrapping them up in plastic wrap and refrigerating. I find the logs are easier to cut off just enough for one sheet of cookies than a big glob in a bowl.
• My favorite way to decorate is using sprinkles and egg yolk paint BEFORE the cookies bake. This keeps the cookies simple and less sugary (Egyptians aren't used to really sweet cookies with icing).
• Make sure you sift the powdered sugar in advance. A great makeshift sifter is a mesh strainer - I actually find this easier to use here because sometimes the powdered sugar in Egypt is really lumpy.

UPDATE - Sugar Cooking Icing Recipe: Combine 3 tbsp softened butter, 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 1/2 tbsp milk until reaches a smooth consistency. You may want to add more milk if it's too thick for you. Add any color food coloring you like (start with 3-4 drops, then add more drops to darken the color). You can switch out the vanilla for almond extract, lemon juice, or any other flavoring for a different kind of cookie.

Oh how I love cookies at Christmastime!

So I'm sitting here now and contemplating if I can manage to make any more cookies. Because you have to understand that my usual Christmas cookie repertoire includes about 6 or 7 different kinds. So whether it's Buckeyes or Thumbprints or - my particular favorite - Christmas Casserole (these delightful little balls filled with dates, walnuts, and coconut) cookies, I am going to try to find the time to make something else as well. 

What about you? Do you make Christmas cookies at Christmastime? Or do you have a favorite cookie you like to eat this time of year?

And in case you live in Cairo and don't have the time or energy to make Christmas cookies yourself, you might check out the Sugar n' Spice shop (6 Brazil St, just around the corner from the Mobinil shop) in Zamalek.

Holiday Cooking Overseas: A Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I think that this is mostly because it's all about the food. Yes, I'm thankful for all the blessings in my life. But I am always thankful when it's time to dig into my plate of food as well.

Remember how I told you that food makes me feel closer to home? Thanksgiving is definitely one of these times.

I love the holiday season in general. I love the food; I love the songs and the decorations. And the longer I live abroad the more important this time of year becomes.

And now that we're a family of 3 and not just 2 anymore, this changes the whole ballgame. Now I want my son to understand what the holidays are all about as well.

I love sharing Thanksgiving with people of all nationalities. Thanksgiving seems to be mostly a North American holiday (celebrated by Americans and Canadians). But I think that having a holiday that's all about giving thanks to God is just something too great to pass on the opportunity of sharing it with others.

It is interesting, however, to try explain what Thanksgiving is all about to those who have never heard of it before. They usually understand the idea although, perhaps, they may not like the food that much. One year I made an entire Thanksgiving meal for some Egyptians, and as an afterthought I made a lasagna as a second meat (it's usually customary to have 2 types of meat at a meal here).

They ate the lasagna.

But there are lots of people, Egyptians or not, who really enjoy Thanksgiving as it is.

I have realized that celebrating the holidays while living abroad is all about what YOU decide you want to celebrate and how you want to celebrate it. If I waited for someone else to make Thanksgiving special for me, then I might miss out on one of my absolute favorite meals of the year.

So I do it myself - if I can. And I share it with others too.

Putting together a Thanksgiving meal is kind of like creating a work of art. My grandfather was an artist, and I always say that cooking makes me an artist at heart as well.

Turkey. Turkey is central to the whole Thanksgiving meal. But I do believe in keeping my turkey as simple as possible. So my one tried and true recipe for roasted turkey is an easy herb rub mixed with olive oil.

Turkeys are fairly common in Egypt, although finding a large, plump bird can be a little challenging. But when I ask my husband to bring me a turkey, he always manages to find me one. He's my hero.

Stuffing. Can't have turkey without stuffing! In past years, I have taken it easy and brought stuffing mix home from the USA for Thanksgiving. This last time home, however, I completely forgot to buy it so it will have to be the homemade version this year.

Stuffing is pretty easy to make. Actually the hardest ingredient to find in Egypt is surprising - it's celery. Local celery is available in Egypt, but it's small and doesn't have big stalks like the celery in the States. Big celery is available from time to time but not always. I sure hope we can find it this year.

Mashed potatoes. Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't have Thanksgiving without them. Potatoes, butter, and milk... all available in Egypt. At last, something easy here.

Turkey gravy. Thanksgiving is the one time of year when I put gravy on my mashed potatoes. I never realized until recently how simple it was to make turkey gravy. All it takes is a little turkey drippings, flour and some chicken stock. Voila! The only thing I hate about this is having to wait until the very last moment to make it. Oh, well.

Sweet potato casserole. I grew up eating yams and marshmallows every Thanksgiving. But a few years ago, I tried a sweet potato casserole recipe on a whim. Pureed sweet potatoes topped with a brown sugar pecan crust. All I can say is YUM!

Luckily sweet potatoes are easy to find in Egypt. The problem ingredient actually is pecans. I have seen imported pecans here a couple of times, but usually I bring my pecans back from the States. We'll see what will happen this year because I don't hav any in my freezer right now.

Corn casserole. We never ate anything like corn casserole when I was growing up. And I honestly can't  tell you how or why I started making a corn casserole every year. This is basically a simple concoction of canned sweet corn, shredded cheddar, diced onion, and my own secret cream of mushroom soup substitute topped with a butter cracker crust.

The hardest ingredient to find in Egypt for this are the Ritz crackers. You can usually find these in several of the bigger grocery stores in Egypt. But sometimes they just aren't there when you need them. I'll keep my fingers crossed for now.

Green beans. Green beans serve a single purpose in my Thanksgiving meal. We Americans love our casseroles at Thanksgiving but I know from experience that some people (like my poor husband) don't want to eat all casseroles as side dishes. So I usually stir fry a bunch of green beans up with sauteed onions. Fast, simple, effective.

Dessert. As much as I love sweets, I have so much trouble making a decision on what to make for dessert at Thanksgiving. I am partial to pecan pie myself, although finding pecans and corn syrup present a bit of a problem in Egypt. Plus there's that *small* problem of making a homemade pie crust. Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of pumpkin pie unless someone else brings it.

I'm actually leaning towards making some sort of apple crumble this year. I tried making one a couple of months ago, and I think some sliced apples and a crispy oat crust topped with some vanilla ice cream just might hit the spot.

So I guess you can see that I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving this year.

Just a little bit.

What's So Different About Cooking Abroad?

Food is food, right? I mean, regardless of where you live you'll still find a way to make food and eat food, so why all the fuss about the challenges of cooking abroad?

Now picture your favorite food in your mind (for me it's this macaroni & cheese) and tell me... what would you do if your mom or grandmother or other favorite cook wasn't around to make your favorites?

Yup, I thought so. Guess you might have to learn to make it yourself, wouldn't you?

But it's true that cooking in Egypt is pretty much the same as cooking in the States. We get most things here. And if you can't make it at home, chances are that you can find an American restaurant somewhere in Cairo that will feed that urge.

For me, it's the best of the best that I make at home. I have yet to find a restaurant in Cairo that even serves macaroni & cheese. I tried a beef stroganoff dish once at a local restaurant only to find that it had a tomato sauce rather than a creamy sauce. And while there are several Italian restaurants that serve lasagna, I am still partial to the non-spicy, simple version we always made at home.

And I won't even BEGIN to try to tell you about the disaster somebody called a Thanksgiving turkey dinner that we foolishly tried one year here in Cairo!

So maybe my problem is that I'm a bit of a food snob. The imitations just won't do for me. I want to eat it the way I REMEMBER it!

For me, cooking abroad is more about the process of preparing to cook rather than anything else. Because the actual cooking is basically the same.

Let me elaborate...

Buying local or imported. The big difference between local and imported products in Egypt is the price. So, yes, there are a lot of things available in Egypt. But they certainly don't come cheap.

So when I choose to buy the imported version (that is - if there's actually a local version), there's usually a good reason why. For example, choosing imported red Cheddar over the local yellow Cheddar is all about the taste. Now I do use the local Cheddar in sliced form in grilled cheese sandwiches or in shredded form to top fajitas, but I do not - I repeat - do NOT use it for my macaroni and cheese. Only the sharp red Cheddar will do for homemade macaroni and cheese. I have tried the local Cheddar, and it failed the taste test miserably.

Making substitutions. I always tread carefully whenever I change a recipe in any way. Some substitutions work well and are barely noticeable, while others change the taste entirely and you're left with a completely different recipe.

For beef stroganoff, sour cream is typically used to create that cool, creamy taste we love so well. And sour cream is available in Egypt... sometimes. But did you know that plain yogurt is a perfect substitute for sour cream? I've gotten to where I almost always use plain yogurt for sour cream (even though it's available sometimes) because you can find yogurt in any little supermarket here in Egypt.

Adding seasonings. As I mentioned in Intro to My Cairo Kitchen: The Key to Successful Cooking Abroad, having a small supply of spices I brought from the States has been really helpful. I might be able to find some of these spices here, but there is no guarantee that a particular one will be available in stores here right when I need it. Plus I can never guarantee the freshness of what I do find.

The great news is that I can make many things from scratch just from using what I already have in my cabinet. Want fajitas? Make your own fajita seasoning! Want Italian dressing but don't want to pay an arm & a leg for it? Make your own! I have dried basil for our favorite Lemon Basil Grilled Chicken and dried oregano for Greek salad dressing. I have cinnamon for apple crisp and chili powder for homemade chili on that one cold day in January (hey, it's Cairo!)

So as you can see, cooking abroad is really about the pre-planning for me.

It's the reason why I bought mini muffin pans from the States on our last visit. And the reason why I restock my baking powder and baking soda every year I go home.

Because I like to cook, and I like to eat. And being able to cook the things that I like to eat makes me feel just a little more at home here.

So maybe it's not so different.

But it sure makes a difference to me.

Intro to My Cairo Kitchen: The Key to Successful Cooking Abroad

First of all, welcome to my Cairo Kitchen! It is challenging enough to live a somewhat *normal* daily life in Egypt but now it's time to take a look at one of my greatest challenges in Egypt. 

And this is one that doesn't require me even to step outside my front door... All I have to do is step into my own kitchen.

For anyone who loves food, it is easy for us to idealize the food we remember from our childhood. For me, this includes product of many hours sitting in my grandmother's kitchen watching her cook anything from made-from-scratch biscuits & gravy to pipin' hot skillet cornbread to melt-in-your-mouth cooked apples. She made everything look easy.

And it wasn't just my grandma who made great food. Making homemade chocolate chip cookies was almost a weekly ritual in our house growing up. And every Christmas we always made a big batch of soft sugar cookies to the point where it wasn't Christmas without them.

I have loved to cook for years, even though I took a hiatus from cooking in college (something about years of eating dorm cafeteria food that keeps that cooking gene lying dormant) and in the years following it just wasn't worth the effort most of the time to cook meals for one person.

And then I moved to Egypt, and food took on a whole new meaning.

Since moving abroad 5 years ago, I have realized that my one great connection with home (that is, the States) is food. Yes, I love the people and the places, but cooking food like I remember from back home is one way for me to keep a part of that with me.

However, cooking abroad isn't always the easiest thing to do. But it's also not nearly as hard as you might think it is.

For me, the key to successful cooking abroad was all about being prepared. I was lucky in that when I moved to Egypt to get married and to live permanently abroad, it was the second time I had lived in Egypt. 

So I already had an idea of what was available in Egypt...and what wasn't.

But I know that in many cases one might not be familiar with the country he or she is moving to and may not even know anyone who lives there. In fact, you may move to a country where you're not sure about anything, like where you're living or where you're working, much less to worry about what kind of food you're going to cook once you get there.

So let me share a basic list of the kinds of things I brought with me when I moved abroad:

Cookbooks. I brought my favorite all-purpose cookbooks with me to Egypt: Better Homes & Gardens and Betty Crocker. Every time I go home to the States, I keep planning to bring more cookbooks back with me. But even though I have only two, I must say that these 2 basic cookbooks have served me well these past 5 years in Egypt.

Spices. I brought a small startup supply of spices with me from the States. This list included things like basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, nutmeg, thyme, cloves, cinnamon, chili powder, etc. It was hard to remember exactly what was available in Egypt, but I wanted to be sure that I had everything I needed to make all of my favorite American dishes.

Baking essentials. My baking stuff is sacred. On any given day I have all the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies in my kitchen. And if you like to bake, it's vital that you bring your own baking stuff when you move abroad. I brought things like baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, food coloring, sprinkles, vanilla & almond extracts, poppy seeds, etc. Sometimes local substitutes are available, but these require some experimentation before they can replace old favorites.

Specialty cooking/baking tools. I can't tell you what to bring or what not to bring, because it really depends on where you're going. In all honesty most of your basic pots and pans will most likely be available in various sizes anywhere around the world. However, some things may be either unavailable or take some time to find.

For example, I eventually found muffin pans here in Egypt, but I had already brought one with me from KY. Other items I have brought from the States include: measuring cups (liquids and solids), measuring spoons, spatulas, a Springform pan, cake pans, a pie plate, hot pads, a rolling pin, and cookie cutters.

It can be really easy to forget what ingredients we need to cook the food we love...or at least we might if we don't actually sit down and plan it out.

I challenge you on any given day (without planning in advance) to go to the store and buy just the things you need for exactly 1 meal, without making a list first.

Hard isn't it?

My husband doesn't like it when I go to the store without a list.

The problem with trying to do this when you live abroad is that sometimes what was available last week or last month has now been stuck in customs for the past few weeks or months so it is no longer available in stores.

So basically I get in the habit of stocking up on things when I DO find them in the stores here. And if I can, I stock up on things not readily available in Egypt when I go back to the States. Granted my decisions on what things to bring back with me from the States are based on several criteria such as weight, scarcity in Egypt, and overall importance in my kitchen. There are some exceptions, especially when it comes to holiday cooking and baking (holiday = Thanksgiving and Christmas).

I have to say that overall I think I can live quite happily cooking in my kitchen in Egypt for years to come. It sometimes means that I have to make things the hard way (as in "made from scratch" kind of hard) or have to get creative with my substitutions and recipe adaptations, but the goal in mind is always the same.

Good food that reminds me of home.

Because no matter where I am, there is nothing like biting into a warm chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven or diving into a helping of homemade macaroni & cheese that can make all my troubles go away.