Blog

Happy Holidays – See You Next Year!

It has been an exciting year for Kinzer Partners, and now it’s time for our annual holiday break with our families and friends. Our office will be closed from December 24th through January 1st allowing us to recharge for a fantastic 2016!

This  year, with the help of our neighbors at Sugar Mountain, we closed out 2015 with a Holiday Cookie Bake-off! Nicole Harris took the reigns with help from Jenny Jansen and created the following structure:

  • The winners were selected by 3 non-biased judges from Sugar Mountain
  • Winner was based on taste, and an Honorable Mention was awarded for presentation
  • The Winner and the Honorable Mention received a gift card, and the Winner has the illustrious honor of  being featured on our blog along with their award-winning recipe

See below for the stunning results, and a gallery of culinary delights. Wishing you and your families Happy Holidays and safe travels. See you in 2016!

Honorable Mention – Presentation (3rd place for taste*)

Tri Tran – Croquembouche

1st Place Presentation, 3rd Place Taste
Reportedly treating 3rd degree burns from the spun sugar application

Winner – Taste (2nd place for presentation)

Jennifer Brosius – Mrs. Smith’s Holly Cookies

1st Place Taste, 2nd Place Presentation
Was going to skip it because it was her day off, but the smack talk got too intense to pass up

1/4 lb salted butter
1 10 oz bag marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon green food coloring (or however much makes it the color you want)
4 cups Cornflakes
1 container of Red Hots (cinnamon candies)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan gently over medium heat. Just as the butter is mostly melted, but not yet foaming, add the marshmallows and stir constantly till melted, reducing the heat as you go to prevent burning. Add vanilla and food coloring and stir till blended. Remove from heat and quickly add in the cornflakes. Gently mix until the flakes are coated. Drop bite-sized little piles of the cornflakes on a sheet of parchment. It helps to use a teaspoon and to wet your fingers in a bowl of water as you go. Garnish each with a pair of Red Hots.

*Kris’s submission was a generous pour of rum and your choice of hot cider or eggnog. She won 2nd place for taste. Given that these aren’t in fact “cookies” there is suspicion of foul play, and her title is under review.