Christmas in July

Christmas cookies! Now I’ve got your attention. It has been hot, and miserable, and I know I am not the only one who has had enough of the heat already.

Back in January, I tucked these cookies carefully into a Ziplock freezer bag. Into the dark depths of a freezer drawer they went, nice and snug, to a spot so secret no one would spy them there.

Fast forward to July. It is hot and not very merry. We could use a little Christmas. Something to cheer us and distract us from watching our lawns die.

One of the best tricks any cook has on their side is the element of surprise. It is very exciting to see a Christmas cookie (or any cookie, for that matter) when you are not expecting one. It is too hot to even think of turning the oven on and there you are with some home made cookies. Clever.

While you are busy being too hot, relish some alone time in your freezer. Grab your freezer mittens and do some digging. Besides being a great way to cool off, I guarantee you will find some frozen treasures you didn’t know you had. You can defrost these and have some easy meals that don’t require cooking. It will make space in your freezer for all the incoming food from your garden.

And, this Christmas, remember to stash away some of your goodies. Think about doing this any time you have extra of anything special. (Pie, cookies, cake…) Cut cake into nice wedges and spread them out on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. Once your cake is frozen, wrap individual wedges in Saran wrap and then store in Ziplock freezer bags. Label your bag with a Sharpie and put a date on it. Now you can defrost one slice at a time. I like to plate up individual slices of pie on small paper plates and cover with Glad Press ’n Seal. Can you feel the excitement?

Wrapped up carefully, you will have a nice assortment to choose from, and your family and guests will be just as excited to see what you have kept cryogenically as they were the first time you presented it. (Imagine… that birthday cake showing up 5 months after the fact, and very unexpectedly. Guaranteed to cheer your kid’s day.)