Tim and I enjoy watching cooking shows together and by the way, he is an excellent cook! When we married, we joined kitchens, which means lots of utensils and gizmos! You name it, and we’ve got it,…….or so I thought.

During one of our shows, a competitor used a spaetzle. It looks like a flat grater with a square sliding container nestled on top.  I commented, “that looks interesting,” as the chef dropped a dumpling like batter through the spaetzle and into boiling broth.

Guess what I had in my stocking Christmas morning? A spaetzle maker! It took up most of the space in the fuzzy interior of my personalized stocking. Tim could hardly wait to try it out, so we had spaetzle, braetwurst, and red cabbage the next day! Tim is like that. I barely mention an interest in passing, and the next thing you know, he’s gifting me with it. If I speak a thought out loud, it’ll come!

I wish my prayers were like that…. oh well, on to the recipe for spaetzle.

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In another bowl, wisk the eggs and milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. The dough will look like a thicker pancake batter. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.

2. Boil 3 quarts of a salted liquid (water or broth), pass through the spaetzle utensil in batches so that the tiny dumplings don’t stick together. The dumplings are done when they float to the surface. Remove and drain in a colander and rinse with cool water.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spaetzle, tossing lightly to coat. Cook for 2 minutes to give the dumplings a toasty color. Sprinkle with chives, and parsley, or sage (garden fresh is best). Season with salt and pepper before serving.

What new recipe will you try this holiday season?