However, I noticed that I didn't make any goals and resolutions at other times. I guess there is something to be said about having a set date. Much like people complain about Valentine's Day but we get caught up in busy hussle-bussle of everyday life, sometimes we need a day to make us stop and smell the roses.

I'm still thinking about my resolutions and haven't got a clear view of what I want to accomplish next year. But I still have some time to work them out.

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas!

Thought I'd share some pictures from happenings around here. Lots eating, get-togethers, hosting parties, going to parties, eating, gift giving, gift opening, eating, screams of joy, staying up, sleeping in, eating.

Don't forget, you can use food for displaying too! Floating cranberries always look festive this time of year.

I'm not sure if I'll be posting next week or not. Most likely not as I will be doing lots of eating and socializing.

I want to say thanks to all of you who come by to my little corner piece of the internet here on In My Element. I really do enjoy cooking, baking, photo taking, recipe sharing, food writing and sharing my adventures with you.

I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I know I'll be looking forward to a year of healthiness :)

Back in the new year!

My hubby had an aversion to Stollen for the same reason, those vile candied fruit bits. But it wasn't until my brother-in-law came back from a trip to Austria several years ago, with a stollen in hand that things changed. My hubby's friend, Christian, is a pastry chef and owner of Kaplan am Kurpark in Austria and he sent home a "ChristStollen" for my hubby as a gift.

Wrapped in a beautiful box, little did we know that we were embarking on a moment that would change our lives forever. We cut two slices of the stollen and noticed right away, it was free of candied fruit bits. It was a hallelujah moment! Astonished and surprised that it was possible.

"What's marzipan?" is what I asked my hubby, then boyfriend, the first Christmas we were dating. My hubby is part German and Austrian and marzipan is very much part of their culture, especially during the Christmas holidays.

I was given a chocolate-covered marzipan treat to try. It is soft in texture with a sweet, aromatic almond taste. Very delectable.

Marzipan is also very common in the decorating world. It can be used to cover cakes when rolled out as a thin sheet, much like fondant. Have you seen those cute little animals or other cake decorations? They are made out of marzipan! And in my hubby's case, marzipan is used in baking, found in traditional German Christmas Stollen.

Last year, my hubby made all sorts of little animals for the kids to eat. This year, marzipan was made specifically for his stollen making, which I will post about next time.

Apparently, fruit cake, stollen and panettone are the ugly stepsisters of Christmas cakes and breads. I personally have never been a fan of them. I used to always turned my nose up to them.

But I love dried fruits and nuts. It has always been those candied bits of radioactive-colored red and green icky "fruit" bits I detest which prevented me from enjoying these festive bread and cakes.

Fortunately, we are in luck! Many of these traditional breads and cakes have grown out of their squeeky-pubescent voices modernized and bakeries and food companies leave the candied fruits out and fill them with all sorts of delicious alternatives. My friend brought over a panettone from the Italian Centre which had a creamy hazelnut filling and was coated with a thin-layer of milk chocolate. I know, I know! Cut me another slice will you? Quick!

Recently though, I mistakenly picked up a panettone with those gag-causing candied fruits. Now I was in a bind since none of us wanted to slice it up and eat it. I had to come up with something since I don't like to waste food and I wasn't going to even contemplate picking out each one of those lil' suckers.

And this is where I save Christmas Panettone from a life as a dumpster diver. Eggnog French Toast using Panettone!

The eggnog is a sweet infusion to the panettone french toast and it really masks those vile candied fruits. Now, I don't want to lie, you can faintly taste them but as a sweet complement to the overall dish. They don't stand out like Susan Boyle at my kid's screeching Christmas concerts.

Add some delicious cinnamon-spiced maple syrup or rum-flavored whipping cream and it's almost non-existent. It's even better than a partridge in a pear tree, though personally, I would trade it in for the 5 golden rings.

...

Eggnog Panettone French Toast
serves 4

4 large eggs
1/2 - 3/4 cup eggnog, your preference on how thinned out you want the mixture.
4 - 1 inch thick slices panettone, cut crosswise
Butter or vegetable oil for pan-frying.

Whisk together the eggs in a large shallow dish. Add the eggnog and mix thoroughly.

Heat up a pan with either butter or oil over medium-low heat. Dip each side of the bread into the egg-eggnog mixture to coat. Fry each side for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with the remainder of panettone slices.

Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or your choice of toppings or accompaniments.

In the last two weeks I have learned that there are a few things that I know for sure.

One: Working tastebuds are crucial, especially for a person who has a food blog and likes to eat. Apparently, I developed scarlet fever along with my strep throat. My tongue is still not back to normal. I will tell you, life is miserable with delinquent tastebuds. I keep trying to taste everything, hoping that it will eventually start working, but I'm fooling myself. I've been like a eager puppy dog, licking and chewing everything in sight. My salt and sour buds seem to be on high alert while my sugar buds have gone MIA. Everything tastes off. It is cruel and unusual punishment.

Two: I need to get dressed up more and get out and have a good time. Hubby had his work Christmas party this weekend and I tell you, it was so very good. I am loving getting all gussied up! I've never been a girlie-girl (I was a tomboy when I was younger) but I think my time has arrived. I need to get more skirts and dresses!

Three: I can't make scones. Yes, the picture looks pretty but they turned into dense pucks. I just don't understand. I've made scones twice and both times, I've hosted Hockey Night in Canada. My hubby has stated that I leave the scone making to him. They were tasty, just really "hearty" in texture :)

Can anyone help a girl out? Do you have some tips or tricks to making scones fluffy and flaky?

...

Cheesy Squash Scones
makes 8 scones

3-1/2 cups white flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup squash puree
3/4 cup milk

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, parmeson and cheddar. Mix until blended and make well in the center.

In a separate bowl, mix together the puree and milk. Pour into the well of the dry ingredients. Knead only until all incorporated together.

Divide the dough into two. Pat into 2 flat circles, approximately 6 inches wide and at least 1/2 inch tall onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut each flat circle of dough into 4 segments. Brush the tops with some extra milk.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from oven, allow to cool on the pan over a wire rack. Serve warm.

It's been a rough week for me. I got hit with strep throat. Very badly. I spent 4-5 days in bed and the couch. I'm walking around today but I'm nowhere near 100%. The back of my throat, wow, you can probably write a science fiction novel about it. It's that scary.

There hasn't been much eating or doing of anything around here. So the ole blog is looking dusty from not being used but I think it will be that way for the rest of the week too. Sorry. Life trumps. I'm taking care of myself, resting on my couch, watching tv and sipping on tea.