During the twelve days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will present staff favorites from the holiday season.  This sixth edition will not include six geese-a-laying, but beloved Christmas songs, recipes, movies, crafts, and memories.

Song: “It’s Christmas Time” performed by Mr. Benjamin “Macklemore” Haggerty and featuring Mr. Dan Caplen.

Recipe: S’More Rockin’ Reindeer Ravioli

Total time: Two hours and 15 minutes

Quantity: Two dozen

Ingredients for filling:

• Five graham crackers, broken into pieces
• Six ounces of milk or dark chocolate, or a combination, chopped
• Three ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature

Ingredients for dough:

• Ten tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• One-half cup dark brown sugar
• One-half cup granulated sugar
• Two tablespoons molasses
• One tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• One and one-half cups all-purpose flour
• One cup graham flour
• One-half teaspoon baking soda
• One-half teaspoon fine salt
• One-half teaspoon ground cinnamon
• One-fourth cup heavy cream

Steps:

1) For the filling: Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until crumbly.  Add the chocolate and cream cheese and continue to pulse until crumbly but pasty.

2) Using the filling portion of a 12-section ravioli mold, cover the indented side with plastic wrap.  Pack some of the filling into each indentation, leveling each one so it’s flush with the top of the mold.  Remove and place on a plate.  Repeat to make 24 fillings.  Cover the filling with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

3) To make the dough: Combine the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl.  Beat at medium speed, until fluffy and combined, about two minutes.  Add the molasses and vanilla and beat until combined.

4) In a separate bowl, whisk both flours, the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three parts, alternating with cream in two parts, beginning and ending with flour.  Be careful not to overwork the dough.  Divide into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until very firm, about one hour.

5) Lay out an 11 by 15-inch piece of foil on a clean workspace and sprinkle generously with flour.  Place a disk of dough on top and cover with a large sheet of plastic wrap.  Roll the dough between the two layers until you have a rectangle measuring ten by 13 inches, cutting and patching as needed.  Repeat with the other disk of dough.  Transfer each foil to a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.

6) When chilled, remove plastic wrap from one flat of chilled and rolled dough.  Spray the zigzag side of the ravioli mold with nonstick spray and sprinkle it with flour.  Place the mold, zigzag side down, onto the lower half of the dough, making a slight indent in the dough.  Take the chocolate filling from the refrigerator.  Place a round of filling on the center of each square ravioli impression.

7) Using the foil to lift the top of the dough, fold it over the mounds on the bottom half leaving plenty of give to tuck dough between each mound.  Gently press out the air around the mounds with wet fingers to keep the dough from cracking.  Spray the zigzag side of the mold again and sprinkle the top of the ravioli with flour.  Invert the press on the cookies, making another impression in the dough, and press very firmly to seal the two layers together and cut off excess dough.

8) To remove the mold, gently lift by pressing downward on the two mounds on the end.  Lift up on the mold working your way across the dough slab.  Use a dry pastry brush to brush off excess flour.  Cut ravioli into individual portions, trimming away excess dough with a knife or fluted pastry cutter.  Arrange on a baking sheet.  Chill the molded ravioli in the refrigerator until firm to the touch, 30 more minutes.

9) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

10) Bake the ravioli for 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet five more minutes, using a pastry cutter to cut in between the ravioli while warm, if desired.  Then slide the slab onto a cookie sheet to cool.  Eat one slab and freeze the other to keep it really fresh.

Movie: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 

“From the studio that brought you Beauty and the Beast comes the re-imagined tale of The Nutcracker.  When Clara’s mother leaves her a key, she embarks on a journey to four secret realms – where she discovers her greatest strength could change the world,” Courtesy of disney.com.

Craft: DIY Nordic Sweater Mini Christmas Trees

Supplies:

• Foam florist cone
• Nordic print ribbon (or whatever wide ribbon you would like to suit your style)
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Fabric scissors
• Small piece of cardboard
• Star cookie cutter
• Pen or pencil
• Toothpick

Instructions:

1) Cut a five-inch length of the ribbon with fabric scissors

2) Cut that length into thirds

3) Take one of the thirds and fold it over with the decorated side facing out

4) Make a loop

5) Start at the base one to two inches from the bottom and apply a little hot glue to the top of the ribbon loop, and press it into place.  Use a little glue in between the two ends at the top of the loop.

6) Repeat the process, working your way around the base of the cone and up until the entire cone is covered.

7) For the star: use the cookie cutter to trace a star on a small piece of cardboard.

8) Cut out the star and stick a toothpick in the bottom.   Then stick the star into the top of the foam cone.

Memory: Sinclair Noonan ’23

“In 2018 my family and I traveled to Morocco for Christmas break.  It was very interesting to celebrate Christmas in a country that does not recognize the holiday as we do in the United States.  On Christmas Day my family and I went to the Agafay Desert and rode camels and ATVs.  We were able to see small villages with local people and watch the sunset behind the mountains.  We also ate a traditional Moroccan dish called tajine and drank mint tea in the remote and beautiful scenery of the desert.  My family and I still look back on this day as one of our favorite Christmas celebrations and value the relationships we made and the overall once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Instead of staying at home and opening presents under a tree, we got to experience a new culture and visit a place, unlike anything we had ever seen.”

Featured Image by Claire Moore ’22