sugar and spice and everything nice.

This picture courtesy of my dad.

"Auntie Hannah laced her tea with rum, because it was only once a year."
-from A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

---

A post dedicated to our edible treats this Christmas.  

Roast Leg of Lamb: not exactly the recipe we used but this one has very similar flavors.
Brussels Sprout Gratin: this, by far, gets my vote for Best Item on the Dinner Table.
Tangy Cranberry Sauce: I didn't have enough orange juice so I put in 1/4 cup lemon juice as well.
Alfajores: again, not quite the recipe we used but it gives you the idea; ours includes lemon zest and calls for rolling the edges in coconut.
Cranberry Bars: I used King Arthur's gluten-free flour and a combination of cranberries and cherries, which was most excellent. These are quickly becoming my favorite cookie.
Sugared Plum Pudding with vanilla whipped cream: plums being entirely out of season, I substituted some roasted peaches that I'd frozen this past summer.
Cinnamon Vanilla Pecans: addictive.
Peppermint Fudge: seriously the easiest imaginable!
Bourbon Fudge: this was thanks to Luke, whose culinary endeavors often involve gratuitous alcohol, not that anyone's complaining . . . essentially the same fudge recipe, with less chocolate and 1/4 cup whiskey stirred in.