Twelve Recipes of Christmas: Pinoli Cookies and Glogg

  I confess, I am in a mixed marriage: my Danish family has welcomed my Italian husband with open arms, and visa versa. I am known as "my Danish daughter-in-law" by my husbands father. He loves that I have embraced Italian cooking and traditions, and even occasionally shakes his head with amazement that I make my own sauce... This is an Italian cookie which disappears from the tray faster than any of the others... enjoy. Pinole Cookies 2 eggwhites, beaten to stiff peaks 1 pound almond paste (I use kernel paste from the deli section of Stop and Shop) 1 cup sugar 8 oz pine nuts *Mix sugar and almond paste in a food processor until well blended *Add beaten egg whites and mix again until well blended *Form about 1 tbs of dough into a short log as thick as your thumb. Roll in pine nuts and place onto cookie sheet. Shape into crescents. *Bake 15-20 minutes at 325 degrees until brown. Do not under bake. Store in an air tight container. No cookies taste better than when served with hot wine. This recipe is from my mother who served Glogg (pronounced "glook") at midnight on Christmas Eve along with a tray of cookies as we opened presents. Glogg 2 tbs whole cloves Orange Peel from one orange 3/4 cup sugar 4 cardamon seeds 3 cinnamon sticks 2 quarts burgundy 1 qt gin or vodka 1 cup rasins 8 oz dried apricots 1 cup blanched alonds *Place orange peels and spices in cheescloth and simmer in one bottle of burgundy for 30 minutes. Remove bag and discard. *Add remaining ingredients except nuts. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. *Heat until piping hot, then ignite and serve adding almonds to every cup. Serve in small glass cups all Christmas season!