Sing (Or Rather, Bake) It With Me: ‘Here Comes Santa Claus’
After much planning, recipe testing, and a full day of filming, my 2nd annual Christmas TV special will air throughout December.
At Home with Christy Rost: CHRISTMAS features sweet gifts from the kitchen, sparkling cocktails, Spanish Romesco sauce for a holiday party refresh, a lesson on how to make gift baskets like a pro, an apres ski fondue you’ll want to serve even if you don’t ski, wine pairings, and cookies that kids of all ages will adore.
The show ends with a festive Christmas party which you can find on my YouTube channel Christy Rost Cooks.
It’s not easy filming Christmas in August — even when filming in the mountains.
One obstacle is the lack of snow, but the camera crew’s flight delays from New York solved that issue because we ended up filming the entire show at night. Green aspen leaves fluttering in the trees remained unseen.
And then there’s getting into the Christmas spirit in the midst of summer when others are running around in shorts and heading out for a hike. Thankfully, my kitchen crew took it upon themselves to shout “Merry Christmas” as soon as I walked into the kitchen that morning. Talk about team spirit!
I carefully select recipes for the Christmas show, keeping in mind what viewers want to see. Decorated cookies are always a fan favorite so this year it’s Santa Claus cookies. A sugar cookie that’s buttery and mildly sweet complements the buttercream stars forming Santa’s face. Rather than Santa cookie cutters, I turn large heart-shaped cookies around so the point becomes his furry hat and the top of the heart becomes his snowy beard.
I’ll admit decorating the cookies takes time, so it’s best suited to a quiet afternoon or when you have enthusiastic helpers to pipe tinted frosting. Turn this into a family project served with cups of hot cocoa topped with swirls of whipped cream, and you have the formula for a sweet memory. Merry Christmas!
Christy Rost is a cookbook author, host of Celebrating Home cooking videos, and longtime resident of the Park Cities and Preston Hollow. Her ‘At Home with Christy Rost’ cooking series for Eat This TV Network airs on AmazonFire, AppleTV+, Roku, Samsung TV, and YouTube. Please visit christyrost.com for details and recipes.
