If only I lived in a place where the streets at Christmastime looked like they do in Germany or Strasbourg! Seriously, have you been there? I took a trip up to Strasbourg in December when I was living in France. It had just snowed, so the buildings along the river looked like gingerbread houses dusted with powdered sugar.

Icicles hung beautifully from the roof; the city was twinkling with Christmas lights; the streets smelled of crisp pine. And then you walk through the Christmas markets – you feel like you’re IN a Christmas movie (my dream), and you get a big cup of mulled wine to warm you up while you peruse the wonderful ornaments and a hot pretzel to fill your belly.

I was feeling very wintery this week with the DC snow and nostalgic for the Christmas markets, so guess what!…I made mulled wine and pretzels :D

While I’m a pro at mulled wine ;)  I’ve never made pretzels before, so I went to my favorite blogger, Joy the Baker, for a solid recipe. Have you ever boiled dough before?! It’s a weird experience, but totally necessary for the gorgeous browning on these bad boys. They’re fluffy and salty and filled with the most delicious carbs you ever did taste. I served them up with two kinds of mustard and white truffle oil with a little sprinkle of salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Joy the Baker.

French phrase for fun:

J’ai passé sept heures entières dans une cuisine industrielle aujourd’hui!

I spent seven whole hours in an industrial kitchen today!