I have been a little overwhelmed these past few days. Between a cold, finishing the Christmas shopping and wrapping, cooking for various holiday meals, making the holiday “rounds”, and general Christmas mayhem, by Christmas Eve night, I was done. By Christmas night I was over-done.
And, then, when things calmed down last night, and I finally got a chance to get on my cozy fleece pants and sit down on the couch in front of the lit Christmas tree and fire place, I realized – I’m grateful. I’m grateful to have a family to shop and cook for. I’m grateful to have a mom that cares enough to get all stressed out over making a wonderful Christmas dinner. I’m grateful to have enough people to buy presents for that it kept me up until the wee hours on Christmas Eve wrapping ridiculously large presents that caused the Great Ribbon Shortage of 2010. And finally, I’m grateful to have a recipe that although forced me to be slightly late to my mom’s house on Christmas Day due to the the (minimal) prep work, still tasted delicious, even after we ran it over with the car. Thank God for puff pastry.
If you, too, felt a little stressed these last few days, take this day, this white, snow-blanketed, Southern-freak-show-of-a day, to appreciate the quiet moments. Don the kids in rain boots and your mish-mashed collection of “snow/rain” gear to make snow angels and snow men in the front yard, warm up with cocoa and marshmallows, and get in some serious cuddle time in front of the fireplace. Appreciate the goodness that was the mayhem of the last few days, and relish the peace that we are forced to enjoy while remaining captive at home on this wonderful snowy day.
And, if you happen to have the ingredients, make this yummy appetizer. You can even embellish it with tire-treads from your car. Like us moms during the holidays, nothing fazes this recipe.
Parmesan Scallion Pastry Pinwheels, recipe adapted from Real Simple.
Ingredients
* 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.25-ounce box), thawed
* 1 large egg, beaten
* 3 scallions, thinly sliced
* 1/4 cup of salted pistachios, chopped
* 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (1 1⁄2 ounces)
* kosher salt and black pepper
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Unfold the pastry and brush with the egg. Sprinkle with the scallions, pistachios, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Roll tightly into a log. Freeze until firm but still sliceable, about 20 minutes. You can freeze these for up to two weeks. Thaw until slice-able before proceeding to step 3. The optimal time to run this recipe over with your car is during the thaw stage (between step 2 and 3). You may want to make a couple of batches so you can perfect the tire-tread pattern.
3. Slice the log into ¼-inch-thick rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Merry Christmas!
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