Friends Food Family

It's National Peanut Butter Day! Try these great peanut butter recipes.

 

I love peanut butter. But I'm a picky peanut butter lover because I LOVE Skippy. I don't care whether it is smooth, crunchy or natural as long as it says Skippy, I'm all set.

When I read it was National Peanut Butter Day, I decided to showcase some of the peanut butter recipes from the past. Most are desserts but my ultimate favorite is a grilled peanut butter sandwich. Better than spreading peanut butter on toast, I'll eat a grilled peanut butter sandwich over any grilled cheese.

Check it out! Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich.

And to wash down the grilled peanut butter sandwich you might need - 

• Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark and Milk Chocolate Chips
• Muddy Buddies
• Chocolate Peanut Butterscotch Crispies
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Coconut Bars
• T.White's Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
• Peanut Butter Blossoms

I was laughing as I was copying the links for the recipes. I don't think there is one recipe that is made with only peanut butter as the primary focused ingredient...outside of the sandwich. Every recipe has chocolate in it...almost like the old commercial for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

I do know this...I need some new recipes for peanut butter. Enjoy this classic - "You got peanut butter in my chocolate! You got chocolate in my peanut butter!"

 

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 12 - Oatmeal Walnut Biscotti

I'm laughing as I finish this recipe. I have finally completed the 12 Cookies of Christmas. I had promised they would be completed before Christmas and then before the New Year. It is Friday the 13th and what better day to finish. There is a long holiday weekend upon us and a great time to bake some cookies. I have decided that next year it will be the 6 Cookies of Christmas because with my life that's all I'm capable of...I think.

For those who have missed my 12 cookie reicpes, I'm going to list them all so that you can have the completed list.

Day 1 - Aunty Anita's Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Day 2 - Jen's Shortbread Cookies 

Day 3 - Glitter Ball Cookies

Day 4 - Brownie Almond Biscotti

Day 5 - Lemon Drop Cookies

Day 6 - Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Kiss

Day 7 - White Chocolate Cherry Macadamia Nut Cookies

Day 8 - Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

Day 9 - Orange Chocolate Cookies - Jeff's Favorite - Huge Party Favorite

Day 10 - Dipped Gingersnaps

Day 11 - Florentines

Day 12 - Oatmeal Walnut Biscotti 

To finish this list, I will tell you a little bit about the Oatmeal Walnut Biscotti recipe. I found the recipe in Maria Robbin's Biscotti and Other Low Fat Cookies. I have had this book for a long time and periodically make Maria's biscotti. I like them because they combine a great group of ingredients and the biscotti is always delicious.

When you look at the ingredients used in this recipe - brown sugar, toasted oatmeal, maple sugar, raisins and walnuts - you will understand why I like the biscotti. The combination when baked was delightful. I am a big maple syrup fan and when it was combined with the oatmeal and brown sugar it was sweet and crunchy, and the nuts and raisins gave it a chewy, nuttiness. If you dip them in coffee or tea, you have an amazing breakfast treat or afternoon snack.

These probably weren't the greatest to make as one of the 12 Cookies of Christmas but it is one I want to remember because it's simple yet delicious and it's a recipe you can make all the time.

I want to thank my Quincy friends, Stephanie Coose and Kim Palmer along with my social media divas, Jen Vondenbrink, Jen Osojnicki, Dotty Wyman, Diane Dias and Susan Finn. You shared some amazing stories and recipes and for that I am truly grateful. You helped to create the 12 Cookies of Christmas 2011.

Ingredients:

1 cup of rolled oats (not instant)

1-1/2 cups of flour

3/4 cup of light brown sugar

1 teaspoon of baking power

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 large eggs

1/4 cup of pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla

2/3 cup of raisins

1/2 cup of walnuts, finely chopped

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Place oatmeal on a cookie sheet and toast for 12-15 minutes, stirring occassionally until they are lightly golden and fragrant. (The house will smell amazing!)

2. Take 1/2 cup of the oats and grind to a powder in the food processor. (oat flour)

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, oats, oat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. Add the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla and mix until blended.

3. Add the raisins and walnuts and combine into the mix.

4. Using two cookies sheets, make a strip of dough that is (approximately) 3 inches wide by 14 inches long, about 1-1/2 inches thick.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden and firm when touched.

6. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes on a baking rack.

7. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.

8. Cutting on the diagonal with a serrated knife, cut bars into 1 inch biscotti.

9. Place biscotti on cookie sheets lying on their side.

10 Bake for 10-15 minutes to slightly toast the biscotti. Flip the cookies once through the baking process. (Turn from one side to the other.)

Allow to cool on cookie sheet.

Saveur's Escarole Soup

As I look back over the holidays, I am a bit disappointed in myself. We made some incredible dishes from potato gnocchi to fig stuffed pork loin and Parker House rolls. In all the craziness of the moment, normally entertaining, I never got to take pictures of many of our creations. I am going back through some of my pictures and piecing together some of the recipes. I told Jeff that we may have to make some of these meals again, which will be fun because they were delicious.

After feeling like we had been eating non-stop, Jeff decided to put together something a little lighter. We decided that Christmas Day would be perfect since we tend to be alone or have fewer people expecting to be fed. He found this recipe in Saveur's Italian Christmas Magazine 2011. This December version has some amazing traditional Italian recipes which are served around the holiday. We actually have two more recipes marked off to try and make this month.

This escarole soup, which is sometimes known as Wedding Soup, was really easy to make as it works up in three parts: 1. making the meatballs 2. creating the broth and 3. cooking some white rice. If you don't have time to put the entire dish together, you can make the meatballs with the broth. It can be saved and when you are ready to serve it just cook some rice.

This soup was delicious and a welcome meal for a lighter fare after the holidays. The meatballs were perfectly cooked, firm yet you could break them with a spoon. The rice and escarole balanced the remainder of the soup. For me, it was a great comfort dish after a long (over -indulging) holiday season.

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1 lb. of ground beef
1/2 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of grated pecorino cheese
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, minced
1 small bunch of parsley, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten

Soup Base
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 large heads escarole, cored and cut into 2″ pieces
8 cups chicken stock
kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

4 cups of cooked white rice, for serving

Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Preparation:

1. For meatballs: Mix beef, bread crumbs, parmesan, pecorino, olive oil, Italian seasoning, minced garlic and onion, chopped parsley, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl (between 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of each). Form into 30, 1-1/2″ meatballs; chill.

2. For soup base: Heat remaining oil in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sliced garlic and onions; cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add escarole; cook until wilted, about 6 minutes. Add stock; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.

3. Add meatballs; cook until meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice; top with more parmesan and black pepper.

This escarole soup serves 6-8 people.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 11 - Florentines

I guess this falls into the category of better late than never. After having a slightly stressful holiday season...can you say 6 kids, 1 live-in in-law, a few holiday parties, decorating, shopping, working...Oh, I'm exhausted thinking about it.

I wanted to re-vamp my website and all concentration went in one direction and it wasn't towards completing my cookie list. I feel better having accomplished one MAJOR thing that has been weighing me down for a while, it now opens opportunity for growth...and blogging. The next two posts are coming out back to back and the 12th Cookie of Christmas will give you the final list of all 12 cookies for 2011.

These florentines were from the cookie swap and were a second set of cookies from my girlfriend, Jen Vondenbrink. She made the amazing shortbread cookies from Day 2 - Jen's Shortbread Cookies. Jen is the owner of Life Simplified and she is an incredible baker (and cook). She told me, "This recipe is a home version of a favorite recipe from a bakery I ran back in the late 80's. Customers couldn't help but drool when these came out of the oven.  They can be served as is or half dipped in chocolate.  Even better they can be formed around a cone or dowel and then either dipped in chocolate or filled.  Yummm!" 

The florentine cookies were delicate, nutty and sweet. They had a lightness that melted in your mouth. My mother-in-law, Althea, dubbed them as her favorites from the party. She was intrigued with their appearance as well as their taste, sweet but not filling. A perfect dessert cookie that complements any hot beverage.If you are looking to WOW your friends and family at the next gathering, try these cookies. You'll come home with an empty plate.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of packed brown sugar

1/4 cup of light corn syrup

1/3 cup of flour

1/2 cup of chopped nuts

1 teaspoon of vanilla

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350.  

1. Melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup.  Boil about 3 minutes mixing constantly.  

2. Take off the heat.  Add flour, nuts and vanilla.

3. Drop by small spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet leaving plenty of room between cookies (6-8 per tray).  

4. Bake until bubbly and brown about 5-7 minutes.

5. Let sit until firm enough to take off the sheet.  

Cool on rack.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 10 - Dipped Gingersnaps

It's been a long holiday season, with family commitments greater than anticipated, and I never seem to get the 12 Cookies of Christmas out before the 25th. I should rename them and just call them the Cookies during December.

My normal assortment of cookies was lacking this year because every time I had a spare moment I would make one specific kind of cookie. When giving out platters, if there isn't an assortment, you tend to use more of one or two kinds. This leaves that situation of no assortment and constantly running out of one or two varieties of cookies. At this point I am down to having two batches of cookies left, Nannie's Oatmeal Cookies and Angie's Ricotta Cookies.

This recipe is from my friend, Diane Dias. Diane owns a company called Our Good Dog Spot, the premiere online shopping destination for your classic, glamorous, preppy or trendy pup. Her daughter, Emily, and my son, Brian, have been friends since junior high school and are freshman at the University of Missouri. It's nice to have a familiar face at college when you are a 3-hour plane trip from home. When I was visiting Diane recently, she shared a favorite cookie recipe of Emily's called Dipped Gingersnaps. I was so excited about the recipe, I went home that night and made a batch. (See that gorgeous photo above!)

I was excited as well as disappointed when I made them. Excited because these cookies were delicious...chewy, yet crunchy and the spices were perfect. They are dipped in white chocolate but it tastes more like a rich vanilla icing which was perfect for me. My disappointment...I like them better than my favorite Ruby Warner's Ginger Snaps.

So, in my rush to get another batch done before the holidays, I half read the directions and ended up putting 4 teaspoons of baking powder verses baking soda in the recipe...what a disaster! They came out like chunky doughy balls...not good. My fault though, I rushing to get them finished before the holiday, but as soon as I am done posting this article, I'm heading back into the kitchen to make a batch. I need to be prepared for New Years!

Dipped Gingersnaps

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of vegetable oil

2 cups of white sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup of molasses

5 cups of flour

4 teaspoons of baking soda

1 tablespoon of ground ginger

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of salt

Additional sugar for rolling (I use demerara sugar)

12 ounces of white chocolate chips (or vanilla flavored chips)

1/4 cups of shortening

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Combine sugar and oil in a large bowl. Mix well. (I used my mixer)

2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.

3. Stir in molasses.

4. Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.

5. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well.

6. Shape into 3/4 to 1 inch balls, roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

7. Bake for 8 minutes or until the cookie springs back when touched. (It will be crackled, too)

8. Melt chips and shortening in a double boiler over low heat. Dip cookies half way, shake off excess and place on lined wax paper until hardened.

Makes between 8-10 dozen.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 9 - Orange Chocolate Cookies

 

Before you start reading this article about my girlfriend Stephanie's Orange Chocolate Cookies, PRINT THIS RECIPE. This is (hands down) my FAVORITE cookie this year. Stephanie and I went to middle school together at Quincy Point Junior High School in Quincy, MA. It's funny that 25+ years later, we end up living in the same community and her husband coached by son's basketball team. 

To start, I love oranges, whether juice, rind or jelly. I also love bittersweet chocolate, so when you combine these two ingredients, it's an amazing flavor and taste. Add a shortbread base and you finish with the most delicious, thumbprint style cookie. 

I wanted to tell you a bit about what transpired during and after the cookie swap.

1. Jeff declared them his new favorite cookie. 

2. The girls thought Stephanie's cookies were amazing.

3. I decided to make a set of cookies (see below) and realized the recipe is versatile. I didn't have orange marmalade so I substituted raspberry jam and dipped the cookies in both bittersweet chocolate as well as white chocolate. BIG HIT!

4. After bringing these cookies to 3 parties, I have had 5 request for the recipe. People were excited to make these cookies for the holidays

The shortbread is buttery with a hint of orange. The marmalade brings sweetness and the bittersweet chocolate brings balance. Over the past year, I have been using bittersweet chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate in many of my cookie recipes. I find that cookies are sweet and the bittersweet chocolate complements the cookie.

I am so glad...

1. I had a cookie swap this year because it has given me some great new cookie recipes.

2. That Stephanie was able to come and share these buttery orange chocolate cookie with the girls as well as my foodie following.

Thanks, Stephanie, truly appreciated!

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup of granulated white sugar

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons of finely grated orange peel

2 cups of flour

1/4 cup of marmalade

6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon of shortening

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.

Add the sugar and beat until combined, scraping the bowl occasionally.

Beat in egg and orange peel. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Using 1-1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut into rounds. Press your thumb into the center and fill with 1/4 teaspoon of marmalade.

Bake on parchment lined baking sheets in a 375 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. In a small sauce pan, melt chocolate and shortening over low heat. 

Dip half of each cookie in chocolate mixture. Place cookies on rack to set. 

Makes about 48 cookies.

Note: I used raspberry jam rather than marmalade and made the white chocolate dip by substituting white chocolate for bittersweet chocolate.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 8 - Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

 

These cookies were made after the cookie swap so none of the girls got to taste them. I made them after having a conversation with my mom about Aunty Anita's Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies. My mom was reminding me of a chocolate coconut meringue cookie which my grandmother used to make. She didn't have the recipe so I searched the internet and was able to find these Chocolate Coconut Macaroon which seemed pretty close. I found this recipe on the Joy of Baking site.

These macaroons were extremely easy to make and within 30 minutes they were mixed, cooked and cooling on the racks. The cookies are slightly dense, very sweet and extra fudgy. My kind of chocolate cookie. I brought them to work and they were thoroughly enjoyed by co-workers as well as clients. As I am writing this article, I am wishing I had a few.

A quick and easy macaroon recipe that will satisfy any chocolate craving. Whip up a batch, and hide a few because they will disappear. 

Ingredients:

4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 large egg whites

1/4 cup of cocoa powder 

3/4 cup of white sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2-1/2 cups of sweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir in the coconut and melted chocolate, making sure the coconut is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour, or until firm.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place small mounds (heaping tablespoons) of the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the macaroons are shiny. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool.

Yields 20 - 24 macaroons.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 7 - White Chocolate Cherry Macadamia Nut Cookies

I can't believe it is Christmas this Sunday. Some family issues and my having to bake the entire weekend has put me a bit behind with some of my cookies. I am going to write up some quick information about the next few cookies and my girlfriends who brought them to the cookie swap.

These white chocolate cherry macadamia nut cookies came from my girlfriend, Jen Osojnicki and she got the recipe from Paula Deen. Jen is an amazing photographer who owns Jen Osojnicki Photography in North Attleborough, MA and works in a marketing strategy group with me. Not only does Jen take beautiful wedding photographs, but she has a rockin' Facebook "Like" Page which highlights all her wedding sneak peeks and family portraits.

Jen's cookies were absolutely delicious. I call them my "guy" cookies. I make a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie that always disappears at a gathering. Most times, it is the men who enjoy this cookie. There is something about white chocolate and macadamia nut that the male population enjoys. What I loved about this cookie was the chopped candied cherries. They added that little bit of tartness to this deliciously sweet cookie.

This is a great staple holiday cookie that will definitely disappear from the cookie tray and leave a few for Santa. Rumor has it Santa likes white chocolate cherry macadamia nut cookies. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of  butter, softened

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1 cup of white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of milk

1 cup of chopped macadamia nuts

1/2 cup of candied cherries

1-1/2 cups of white chocolate chips

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375. 

1. Using a mixer, cream the butter and both sugars in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. 

2. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined.

3. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. 

4. Add the milk to the butter mixture and then the dry ingredients.

5. Mix until just combined. (The batter should be stiff.)

6. Add the nuts, cherries and white chocolate, stirring until just blended.

7. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheets. 

8. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 6 - Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Kisses

Have a chocolate kiss with these delicious Thumbprint Cookies - Day 6 from The 12 Cookies of Christmas.

My girlfriend, Kim, made these cookies for our cookie swap. Kim is a long time (really good) friend of mine, having gone to Archbishop Williams High School, then Stonehill College together. We always hung around in both groups. We also have daughter's who were born 6 weeks apart and have enjoyed each others company outside of our school connections. 

When Kim arrived, she brought this adorable snowman ornament. I thought this would be great when I showcase the cookies. I'm always looking for some creative ideas when I am doing food photography.

So far, I have highlighted a few shortbread style cookies but none have been made with brown sugar. They remind me of my thumbprint cookie recipe, a bit more dense with a hint of caramel. The chocolate kiss is always a wonderful addition; add chopped pecans to the thumbprint base and it could give you that "turtle style" cookie flavor.

Everyone loved the cookies and they were the first ones to disappear from my house the following day. They were buttery with a smooth chocolate finish. There is something festive and delicious about a cookie with a chocolate kiss. 

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of butter 

3 large eggs- separated

1-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

¾ cup of brown sugar      

3 cups of flour       

¾ teaspoon of salt       

Hershey’s Kisses (unwrapped)

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 375°

1. Cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg yolks, mix.  Add vanilla. 

2. Mix dry ingredients together and add to sugar mixture. 

3. Roll into 1 inch balls.  Dip in slightly beaten egg whites. Place on greased cookie sheet. 

4. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove pan and press thumb into each cookie. Return to oven and cook for 8 minutes.  

Immediately as cookies come out of the oven, press one kiss in the center of each.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 5 - Lemon Drop Cookies

A lemony sweet treat on Day 5 of The 12 Cookies of Christmas. 

As I mentioned in the Brownie Almond Biscotti recipe, I purchased a Taste of Home- Cookies and More booklet which I used to find some of my recipes for my cookie swap. This is another recipe from that book. 

As I was flipping through (a half dozen times), I kept coming back to these Lemon Drop Cookies. I make a few different lemon cookies, one being a Lemonade Drop and the other being the Lemon Ricotta Cookie and wasn't sure if I wanted a lemon cookie to the swap. The ingredient that kept pulling me back was the lemon drop candies. Jeff's dad, Joe, passed away in August and he was one of our biggest foodie fans. He had a sweet tooth (like mine) and enjoyed Lemon Drops. The cookie reminded me of Joe. So, I decided he would attend the swap in a different presence. 

This recipe has a sugar cookie flavor but has a delicate lemony crunch from the candy. Jeff's mom really enjoyed the cookies, this being her favorite one to date. I loved the sweet and tartness of the cookie and at one point thought of dipping them in confectioner's sugar, almost like a lemon cooler.

These are a delicate, delicious cookie which would pair well with a glass of Riesling, some hot tea or even a glass of limoncella. Flip it to summer and it would be fantastic with an ice cold lemonade. Either way, this is a great addition for this year's Christmas Cookie list.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

3/4 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon of half-and-half cream

1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel

1-1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of finely crushed lemon drops

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the egg, cream and peel.

3. Combine the flour, lemon drops, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 3 in. apart onto greased baking sheets.

5. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

6. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Makes about 3-1/2 dozen.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 4 - Brownie Almond Biscotti

Welcome to Day 4 of The 12 Cookies of Christmas.

So far, we have showcased 2 wonderful shortbread recipes and a delicious chocolate chip meringue. Now it is time for some really easy chocolate biscotti that are made with a brownie mix.

No, you say, a boxed brownie mix. Yes, I cheated, it was easy and very tasty.

Around the holidays, I tend to purchase some of the holiday cookbooks put out by various cooking magazines. This recipe, called Brownie Alpine Biscotti, came from the Taste of Home Cookies and More Booklet. I was looking for something chocolaty for the cookie swap and figured the fudginess of a brownie may make these cookies a big hit. I was making three different cookies for the swap and this recipe was very easy with the most effort going into grinding the almonds. The Brownie Alpine Biscotti recipe also called for almond extract. After I put it in and tasted the batter, I wasn't sure if the almond extract would be too strong. After the biscotti was cooked, the flavor definitely mellowed.

This biscotti has a nice mellowed chocolate taste with the almond flavor taking center stage. I wasn't sure I liked them, but as we discussed the biscotti at the cookie swap, biscotti are great for dipping, whether in coffee, tea or hot chocolate. If you are having biscotti for breakfast or as a mid-afternoon snack, it complements, not overpowers your drink.

The night after the cookie swap, I sat enjoying a cup of coffee and began dunking the biscotti. It really was delicious. It was nutty and sweet and was a great pairing to the cup of coffee. I started to laugh. At every cookie swap, or party you bring cookies, there are the cookies that get eaten immediately and those you save and eat the next day. I am a "next day" cookie eater. That's when you get to sit and savor, sometimes the best cookie...or in this case, biscotti.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 package of fudge brownie mix

3/4 cup of ground almonds

1/2 cup of flour

3/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1 egg plus 3 egg whites

1 teaspoon of almond extract

1/4 cup of sliced almonds

Preparation:

1. Combine the brownie mix, ground almonds, flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk egg, egg whites and extract. Add to brownie mixture; stir until combined.

3. On a greased baking sheet, shape each portion into a 7-in. x 3-1/2-in. rectangle.

4. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven; cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes.

5. Transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets.

6. Bakreduce oven to 325°, and bake the biscotti for an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2-1/2 dozen. 

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 3 - Glitter Ball Cookies

It's Day 3 of The 12 Cookies of Christmas.

My girlfriend, Dotty Wyman, is an interior designer and owns Dotty Wyman Designs. Everything with Dotty has great style, presentation and taste. Dotty has helped with some of the design in my house, helping with fabrics, color and curtains, which she makes herself. When Dotty arrived with her cookies, they were in a 24" clear glass vase. She had put the green cookies at the base, 3/4 of the vase was filled with red cookies and she topped it with a green cookie. I wish I had been taking pictures when people arrived. The presentation was extremely creative and festive.

The glitter ball cookies were perfectly shaped and looked like beautiful ornaments, hence the photography of the cookies in the (artificial) tree. These cookies have ingredients almost identical to Jen's Shortbread Cookies, but in different combinations. The frosting and decorative sugar bring more of an upfront sweetness verses the melt in your mouth flavor of Jen's. I'm always a fan of crunchy cookies, especially those rolled in sugar.

Dotty makes her cookies with a vanilla frosting. I'm interested in trying the ginger frosting which is part of this recipe. We have recently been using fresh ginger in some of our recipes (to be posted after the 12 Cookies of Christmas) and I think this dessert could complement some of the meals and appetizers we have been making. What is a good meal without a great dessert...especially a cookie!

Find some really festive sanding (or decorating) sugar and let's get rolling. We've got glitter balls to make.

Thanks, Dotty.

Dotty found this recipe on Martha Stewart; Glitter Ball Cookies.

Ingredients:

Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened

1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour

Sanding sugar, in assorted colors

Creamy Ginger Filling

4 tablespoons of butter, softened

2 teaspoons of finely grated, peeled fresh ginger

1 cup of confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon of honey

Preparation:

Cookies - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

1. Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down side of bowl as necessary. 

2. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour, and mix just until combined. 

3. Shape into 3/4-inch balls (chill dough if too sticky). Place sanding sugar in shallow bowls. 

4. Roll each ball in sanding sugar, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.

5. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are lightly golden, 15 to 18 minutes. 

6. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack. Spread 2 cookies with just enough filling to allow them to stick together.

Frosting

1. Beat all ingredients by hand or with an electric mixer on medium high speed until smooth.

2. Filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

3. This is the official filling for the cookies.  I used butter cream frosting with vanilla.

(For vanilla butter cream frosting, use ginger frosting recipe, omit the ginger and honey, replace with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1-3 teaspoons of milk to get to a frosting consistency.)

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 2 - Jen's Shortbread Cookies

Welcome to Day 2 of the 12 Cookies of Christmas.

These cookies are called Jen's Shortbread Cookies. They were made by my girlfriend, Jen Vondenbrink, who owns a coaching company called Life Simplified. She writes a great blog, Appetite for Life - A Blog About Life, Love, Laughter and the Lessons Along The Way, also. I have been fortunate to work with Jen in different capacities over the past 3 years and enjoy her business expertise as well as her passion for cooking and baking. I was excited when Jen said she would attend the cookie swap, I knew she would arrive with some delicious cookies.

When I asked Jen about her cookies she explained, "These shortbread cookies were a "by accident find."  I was looking for something different than a sugar cookie which our family always found too sweet.  These actually were supposed to be sandwiched with chocolate in between (which isn't a bad idea either).  Instead we use these as our basic decorated cookies for the season.  Now, I can't leave home without them."

The evening of the cookie swap, my daughter was heading to a friend's house, so we loaded her up with a sampling of all the cookies. When she arrived home the next day, she said, "Everyone loved those snowflakes!"

What I like about this recipe is the use of confectioner's sugar, my shortbread recipes are all made with granulated sugar. There is a buttery smoothness to this cookie that is different from my shortbread. These cookies melt in your mouth. I will admit, I'm looking forward to making a batch of shortbread cookies myself. I'm even thinking of adding some fresh lemon rind with a lemon icing...YUM!

We've given you some ideas...go forth and bake! Thanks, Jen.

Ingredients

3 sticks of butter (1-1/2 cups)

1 cup of confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla

3 cups of flour

Preparation

1. Blend butter until smooth.  

2. Add sugar and blend.  

3. Add vanilla and blend. 

4. Add flour, half at a time.  Mix thoroughly.  

5. Refrigerate dough for about 30-60 minutes depending on how warm the kitchen is (I usual make another batch of cookies while these are firming up).  

6. Roll out dough to 1/2" thickness.  Cut with cookies cutters.  Bake until edges are just golden.  
Preheat oven to 325.  

You can decorate the with an icing made of confectioner's sugar and milk or lemon juice.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 1- Aunty Anita’s Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Last Friday, I hosted a cookie swap with some neighbors and friends from home, home being Quincy, MA. I wanted something quick and easy that allowed us to taste everyone's favorite cookie as well as help me create a recipe list for The 12 Cookies of Christmas. This is year three and I was looking for some cookie inspiration. 

I am a cookie fiend. I'll pass up any dessert for a good cookie...especially a chocolate chip cookie. Is it any surprise that I started with a Chocolate Chip Meringue cookie? This chocolate chip meringue cookie was created by Susan Finn, who is a neighbor of mine and owns a company called Buttonwood Originals. She makes the most beautiful memory quilts out of t-shirts or a loved one's clothing. These are custom quilts incorporating the fabrics of your life or someone special to you.

She brought these cookies in a big container, perfectly rounded and delicately placed. They looked amazing and tasted delicious! They were crunchy and a little chewy, yet melted in your mouth. The chocolate chips gave a great texture and finish to this sweet cookie. Truthfully...they were the best meringues I have ever tasted. I proceeded to eat them for breakfast (on Saturday and Sunday) and finally had to share them with others. They made it to my office on Monday and today there is nothing left. 

These cookies will take some time to make, but I'm sure you could get a batch in the oven and then let them set while you finish your holiday shopping.

Two thumbs up for a chocolate chip twist on my favorite type of cookie. Thanks, Sue!

Ingredients:

3 large egg whites

¾ cup of granulated sugar - place in food processor for 30 -60 seconds in order to make it finer

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

½- ¾ cup of chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 250 °

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until they reach stiff peaks. Be patient.

2. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, very slowly.  Add the vanilla extract. Gently fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.

3. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto foil or parchment lined baking sheets.

4. Bake in oven 250 ° for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the oven for 2 more hours.

5. Remove from the pan and store in an airtight container.

 

Southwestern Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

 

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey. How many dishes of turkey did you eat over the past week?

We enjoyed a non-traditional Thanksgiving and ate at Latitude 41 in Mystic, CT. Jeff's daughter is a nurse and was scheduled to work on Thanksgiving. We drove down to CT to enjoy a quick lunch with her and didn't cook our turkey until last Sunday. We went with a small 14 pound turkey, compared to our normal 26 pound bird, and enjoyed a mini Thanksgiving. It was missing some of our favorites but it had the good old-fashioned staples - garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, corn bread stuffing, cranberry sauce and an awesome turkey gravy.

Once we had all the turkey removed, we put the remainder into a large dutch oven, cooked down the bones and made a delicious broth, that yield about 6 cups of turkey, too. I knew I would make a turkey soup as a second meal along with turkey tetrazzini with the leftover turkey from our Sunday dinner. As I said...turkey, turkey, turkey.

I was getting ready to make the soup and turkey with wild rice was my first thought. But, we had just finished a homemade chicken and rice soup last week and I thought any type of soup with rice might be repetitious.

SIDE TRACKED THOUGHT- I promise to showcase the chicken and rice soup the next time I make it. It was made and consumed so quickly, I never got to take pictures or blog about it.

I started looking up some southwestern versions of turkey soup. Progresso makes a southwestern soup with corn, beans, tomatoes and spices. I found this Southwestern Turkey Soup through Taste of Home and began grabbing ingredients from my pantry. Some black beans, diced tomatoes, chilies and corn...I was ready to go.

The best part of any soup is a homemade broth. I cooked the turkey bones with garlic, onions, carrots and celery. I strain my broth with a fine sieve so the broth is clear then I use some of the cooked carrots and celery to add color and flavor to the soup. 

Having the turkey and broth ready to go made this soup easy to put together. Within 10 minutes I had almost everything in the pan. With some increased heat and the cooking of the wild rice, start to finish was about 45 minutes. 

Results: DELICIOUS! First, I loved that we were able to use the turkey (for a third night) in a way that you didn't feel like you were eating another turkey meal. The soup had lots of flavor, some heat and a heartiness that made the soup a meal. I love any combination of tomatoes, corn, beans, cumin and chili pepper - part chili, part soup. Our family devoured half of the soup and I was able to take leftovers to friends and co-workers. So far, everyone enjoyed it as much as we did. (And all the containers have been returned empty.)

Tomorrow is game day, the cold weather is finally setting in (at least in New England), this is a great "end of the weekend" soup that will clean-up the last of those turkey leftovers.

Ingredients:

2 medium onion, chopped

3 tablespoons of olive oil

8 cups of turkey broth (we used the broth from cooking down the turkey, use can use chicken broth, also)

4 teaspoons of ground cumin

1-1/2 teaspoons of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

6 cups of cubed cooked turkey

2 can (15 ounces) of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 ounces) of fire roasted diced tomatoes with juice

1 can (4.25 ounces) of diced green chilies

1 (16 ounce) bag of frozen corn (we used a yellow and white corn combination)

1 cup of wild rice

tortilla chips and sour cream, optional

Preparation:

1. Over medium heat, place oil and onions in a large dutch oven and saute until tender and translucent. (about 5-7 minutes)

2. Add the broth along with the cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt.

3. Once blended add the turkey, black beans, tomatoes, green chilies and corn.

4. Bring to a boil, and add the rice. Allow to simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

5. Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Serves 10-12 people.

Adapted from Taste of Home - Southwestern Turkey Soup

Cranberry Sauce with Vanilla, Maple Syrup and Cassis

Are you serving canned cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving?

The reason why we ask is because you can give your guests the most amazing cranberry sauce that has 6 ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to make. We have been making this cranberry sauce for the past 4 years and actually double the recipe because the first year we made it, we ran out. 

We found this cranberry sauce recipe in one of our Fine Cooking Magazine and we haven't made anything else. When it works, you stick with it, especially when you only make it once a year.

If you have the cranberries, you will just need an orange, some sugar, maple syrup, creme de cassis and a vanilla bean. Everything gets mixed in a large pot and 10 minutes later, you have an amazing cranberry sauce. It's tart with a wonderful orange vanilla flavor. Perfect for turkey, chicken or ...we are going to serve it with swordfish kabobs tomorrow night.

If you don't have time to make the sauce for Thanksgiving, pick up a bag of cranberries over the weekend and make this cranberry sauce for left-over turkey sandwiches. After spending all that time making a big turkey dinner, what better way to complement your meal than with homemade cranberry sauce.

Because, there are no cans here!

Cranberry Sauce with Vanilla, Maple Syrup and Cassis

Ingredients:

6 cups (about 1-1/2 lb.) fresh or frozen cranberries, picked over and rinsed
2/3 cup of white sugar
1/3 cup of fresh orange juice (from 1 orange)
1/3 cup of crème de cassis (black-currant liqueur)
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of finely grated orange zest (from 1 orange)
Half a vanilla bean, split and scraped

Preparation:

1. Remove zest from orange, then cut in half and squeeze juice from orange to 1/3 cup.

2. Put 3 cups of the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, creme de cassis and vanilla bean in a medium (3 or 4 quart) saucepan.

3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook,
stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and broken down and the juices look slightly syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Stir in the remaining 3 cups cranberries and cook until the cranberries have popped, an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Remove from the heat, discard the vanilla bean, and let cool to room temperature.

6. Cover and refrigerate if not serving right away.

Note:
The cranberry sauce can be made up to one week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before serving.

Giant Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Raisins and Almonds

I didn't think I would be making any more giant cookies before Thanksgiving.

BUT, Jeff's daughter, Kate, came over and found an old recipe of mine and decided to take on the challenge. I can't even imagine where I might have gotten this recipe because it's on my giant index cards and they are at least 20+ years old. I remember making them when I was selling cookies out of my house as Danielle B's Goodies. It was a cookie I made a few times but it never caught on because everyone loved Nannie's Oatmeal Cookies. It seemed like I was duplicating the process.

This cookie has a nice combination of butter and sugar along with the right mix of oatmeal, raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, coconut and spices. These cookies are crunchy with a hint of caramel and sugary sweetness. I love that there is a touch of cinnamon which gives the oatmeal cookie that traditional flavor and feel.

As I increase my giant cookie recipe numbers, I'm looking forward to creating a few of these larger treats as holiday gifts. I tend to go overboard when giving cookies and sometimes people don't want too many sweets lingering at their home. A few large cookies can be enjoyed in two ways

1. Oh, I can't eat this whole cookie, I'll just have half.

2. That was so good, I'll just eat the other half.

How do I know? It happened at a recent staff meeting, everyone had half and no one left the other half. Perfect sized gift for the holidays!

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter
1-1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1-1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2-1/2 cups of oatmeal (not instant)
1 cup of almonds (sliced or chopped)
1 cup of chocolate chips
1 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of sweetened coconut

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until creamy (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until well incorporated. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon and mix together by hand until blended. Stir in the oatmeal, chocolate chips, raisins, almonds and coconut.

3. Using an ice cream scoop, place four scoops of cookie dough per tray. Slightly flatten the dough to resemble a disk.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, turning the trays once during the cooking time. Remove when slightly golden brown and the tops are no longer wet. Remove from trays and place on cookie racks to cool. Makes 18-24 cookies.

Enjoy!

Wilson Farm - Cranberry Banana Nut Bread

 

Periodically, a week ends with some overly ripened bananas laying on the counter. Sometimes they make it into a banana bread, (see Banana Bread with Streusel Topping) other times, it's the compost. A few weeks ago, a friend gave us some fresh cranberries from a local bog in Carver and Jeff decided to look for a bread that might contain both bananas and cranberries.

I think I stated in one of my last banana blog posts, I am not a banana fan. It was one of those food I got sick on when I was pregnant with my daughter (should I admit it...) 24 years ago. I still can't get beyond the taste. I will eat banana bread and a few other banana creations but...I'm just not a fan. So, I was already leary of what we would be making.

Jeff found this cranberry banana recipe in The Wilson Farm Country Cookbook. I like this cookbook for two reasons:

1. It's local, Wilson Farm is located in Lexington, MA.

2. It has great New England style recipes that are easy to make and incredible to eat.

So, I was softening, this recipe could be good.

As always, simple ingredients that came together quickly and within ten minutes the bread was in the oven. The house began to smell wonderful and within and hour, we had this amazing loaf of cranberry banana nut bread. I have to admit, I fell in love with it. The banana flavor was very subtle. The balance of sour from the cranberries and nuttiness of the walnuts pulled together for a deliciously tasting bread. Nice and warm, a little bit of butter...PERFECT.

Thanksgiving is next week, think...lots of cranberries, what will I do with all the cranberries? This would be a great addition to the dinner or a great breakfast bread to serve for early guests or those running off to a football game.

Tuck this recipe away, it's a keeper!

Ingredients: (Adapted from Cranberry Banana Bread)

1/4 cup of butter
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup of mashed banana
1 cup of coarsely chopped cranberries
1/4 cup of water
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1-3/4 cups of flour
1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix together the dry ingredients of flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl and put aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar, with an electric beater, in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs. Stir in the banana, cranberries, water and vanilla.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter. Mix to incorporate and then add the nuts.

5. Pour into a greased bread pan (9 x 5 inch loaf pan) and bake for 45-55 minutes. This will make one large loaf or you can make two smaller loaves.

Note: I use aluminum foil pans because it makes them easier to freeze or give as a gift.

Pork and Ricotta Meatballs in a Tomato Sauce

Spaghetti and meatballs. That's a common request at many households but asking for spaghetti and meatballs and getting spaghetti and meatballs are really two different things. (As seen above...)

It's really meatballs and sauce or meatballs and gravy to be correct. We have made many different variations of this recipe and always go back to the basics...some ground beef or pork, onions, garlic, eggs, bread crumbs, spices and parmesan cheese.

When Jeff went looking for one of our favorite recipes, Two different recipes, one great meal, he came across this recipe for Pork and Ricotta Meatballs in a Tomato Sauce from Food and Wine. As I was reading the recipe, I thought ricotta in the meatballs sounded different, but what about the onions and garlic? Was this meatball recipe going to taste good with fennel and crushed red pepper? How were spicy meatballs going to taste with a rather plain tomato sauce?

I saw the fennel seeds and crushed red pepper and thought this may not become a family favorite. We had a friend who used to make meatballs that were loaded with fennel and sometimes, that was all you could taste. The trick to any combination of herbs and spices is to enhance but not overpower the main ingredient.  Instead of using the herbs (fennel and crushed red pepper) as is, I decided to crush them further with a mortar and pestle, figuring that would mellow the flavor. I also like the meat mix of pork, veal and beef when making meatballs, it gives a firm but soft consistency. Today, many supermarkets carry it as a meatloaf mix. 

The ingredients came together quickly with the use of the food processor. The meatballs were a little wet but don't be concerned, they brown up nicely. Once the meatballs were cooked, we added the tomatoes. We found there wasn't much liquid so we added two additional cans of fire roasted, diced tomatoes.

Two hours later, this mixture was bubbling and the smell was heavenly. I grabbed a meatball and sliced it in half. I tasted the results and it was delicious. Moist and flavorful but not overbearing with the herbs. Then I went in for a better taste of the sauce...PERFECT! The flavor from the juices of the meatballs gave a perfect balance to the flavor of the sauce. We served it with homemade bread (which we will go into in the future) and it was a hit. Everyone in the family loved the dish. Because we doubled the recipe, we froze the remaining half and took it out last night for a quick dinner. The sauce tasted even better and the meatballs we still soft and flavorful...they melted in your mouth.

It's Saturday, think about a nice Sunday sauce and leftovers to freeze. C'mon, let's enjoy some spaghetti and meatballs!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound sliced white bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 1/2-inch dice (4 cups)
1 1/2 pounds meatball/meatloaf mix - beef, pork and veal
3 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, ground
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup ricotta cheese (5 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 28-ounce cans peeled Italian tomatoes, crushed
2 15-ounce cans of diced tomatoes, we used fire-roasted
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons shredded basil
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 pound of your favorite pasta, cooked according to instructions 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°.
Place fennel seed, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt, into a mortar and grind with a pestle until fennel and red pepper are crushed. In a food processor, pulse the bread to coarse crumbs. Place in large bowl. Place pancetta in food processor and pulse until ground. Add to bread crumbs.
Add the pork, pancetta, eggs, ricotta, parsley, and ground ingredients. Mix well. Shape into 24 meatballs, using about 3 rounded tablespoons of the mixture for each. Transfer the meatballs to an oiled medium roasting pan.

Roast the meatballs in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until firm and just beginning to brown. Using a spatula, loosen the meatballs from the bottom of the pan. Add the crushed and diced tomatoes to the pan. Lower the oven temperature to 325° and cook uncovered for about 2 hours, or until the sauce is very thick and the meatballs are very tender; turn the meatballs once or twice during cooking. 

Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the meatballs and tomato sauce to a large platter. Garnish with the basil and Pecorino cheese. Serve with your favorite pasta.

It's Fall - Time to break out the Pumpkin Martinis!

I'll admit, I'm not impressed with the picture. I took it on Halloween (like the gummy worm?) and the lighting wasn't great. It seems like the last time we made these pumpkin martinis was at night and the lighting was bad, so...out comes the flash. Think of this martini lurking in a champagne glass shadow.

My daughter, Danielle, was telling me about these pumpkin martinis a co-worker had tried. It was Halloween and Danielle wanted to bake some cupcakes and enjoy a martini. (Like mother, like daughter.) She picked up the vanilla vodka and tried to find some pumpkin liquor. She ended up getting a Pumpkin Pie Creme Liquor, instead. So, it was off to the kitchen (or on Halloween, the laboratory) with our bar supplies.

Her list started with Kahlua, vanilla vodka, pumpkin liquor and cream. We decided that since the liquor was already creamy, we would eliminate the cream. Even though the mix called for Kahlua, I had some chocolate liquor (Godiva, to be exact) and decided we would try a different variation. We mixed our martinis with one having Kahlua, the other using the Godiva chocolate liquor.

I grabbed a small plate and mixed sugar and some pumpkin pie spice, dampened the glass rim and added the sugary mix. The first martini was Kahlua, vanilla vodka and pumpkin liquor. The second was chocolate liquor, vanilla vodka and pumpkin liquor. As much as I am a coffee and Kahlua fan, I liked the chocolate flavored martini better than the Kahlua martini. The martini was smooth and had a wonderful spicy vanilla finish.

Since I'm really not a big martini fan, this has definitely piqued my interest as a great winter cocktail. With holiday parties coming up quickly, try something surprisingly different at your next gathering!

Pumpkin Martinis

Ingredients:

1 measured shot of vanilla vodka (like Stoli Vanilla Vodka)

1 measured shot of chocolate liquor (like Godiva)

1 measured shot of Pumpkin Pie Creme Liquor

Ice

1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

Preparation:

Mix sugar and pumpkin pie spice on a small plate. Dampen a martini glass rim and dip in the sugar mixture. (This will trim more than one glass.)

Place ice into a shaker and add the three measured shots, shake for 30 seconds and strain the martini into the glass.

Serve chilled...sip and enjoy!

 

Giant Chocolate Cookies with Symphony Bars and Pecans

What started out as another giant cookie recipe, took on an ingredient accident and ended with an amazing product!

I was making cookies for a function at work and needed giant cookies. Giant because that is my theme heading into the holidays, I've got about 5 giant cookie recipes on my list so far (go to Giant Cookies in the recipe section). I found this recipe at Epicurious and they were called Giant Chocolate-Toffee Cookies.

I started off, not reading the entire recipe and jumped the gun with some ingredients. Instead of a full storyline, I'll bullet what I did...

1. I chose to use bittersweet chocolate VS semi-sweet chocolate. I really love the bittersweet taste when a cookie has quite a bit of sugar.

2. I started out with too much butter, but I played around with the dry ingredients and adjusted the flour.

3. I used some dark brown sugar in place of all light brown sugar because you get a bit of chewiness with the crunchy edges of the cookie.

4. I use kosher salt when baking cookies, it gives that sweet-salty flavor which enhances the cookie.

5. I added Symphony Bars and Pecans - because they seemed like a perfect complement for the cookies. 

So, I give you Giant Chocolate Cookies with Symphony Bars and Pecans and they are AWESOME! I love to watch people as they break the cookie in half (because it's too big) and then dive back in for the second half because they were SO GOOD! These cookies are chewy and crunchy, rich and chocolaty yet not too sweet. People have been asking for this recipe...quicker than most.

Try this recipe before the holidays set in and start looking at great treats you can give as gifts. I always say, the best way to a person's heart is through their stomach. Enough said!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 (10 ounce) bags of Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips (16 ounces is about 1 2/3 bags)
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (4.25 ounce) milk chocolate Symphony Bar with Toffee Bits and Almonds, chopped
1 cup of chopped pecans

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking power) in a medium sized bowl and put aside.

Place Ghiradelli chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water and stir until melted. Allow to cool to luke warm.

In a large bowl, add eggs and sugars and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, until slightly thick and gooey.

Add melted chocolate to the mixture and beat until uniform, add vanilla. Mix together until incorporated.

Stir in dry ingredients, once mixed thoroughly, add chopped milk chocolate and pecans.

Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment. Use an ice cream scoop to place dough on the tray. Flatten slightly. Press the cookie to a 1 inch disk. Bake 3 to a tray.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the center is slightly puffed and the cookie is crackly.

Move to cookie rack and allow to cool. Makes 14-16 cookies.

 

Maple Honey Granola with Pecans, Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds

Over the past 6-8 months, I have become a granola freak. I've tried everything from commercially boxed to 100% natural. I've had crunchy and sweet to chewy and nutty. As I have eaten through many bags and boxes, I realized I like my granola slightly sweet, really crunchy with nuts and fruits.

I started investigating different recipes and found some with sugar, others with honey, some with maple syrup. After combining a few different recipes, I came up with my first homemade - Maple Honey Granola with Pecans, Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds.

Let's start with some of my usual (or unusual) ingredients...

1. Maple Syrup - I used pure Maple Syrup (straight from Maine). If you use commercially packaged maple syrup, you might want to eliminate the brown sugar.

2. Honey - I used Orange Blossom Honey (straight from Maine...again).  I am lucky, we visited Maine last month and I was able to by these products fresh. They definitely have a richer flavor than the store bought versions.

3. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds - You can use raw or salted seeds. Mine were salted so I didn't add any salt to the mixture. If you use raw products, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe.

My granola mixing started last week with a few trials and the results were great. As much as my family walked around saying they weren't hungry enough to try the granola, I found numerous people taste-testing the batch. After delivering a few samples to friends and co-workers, we finished 4+ cups of granola in two days, with the request to make more. Batch # 2 is upon us.

The maple honey granola is crunchy and slightly sweet. It has hints of maple, cinnamon and orange with tanginess from the dried cranberries. The variety of nuts ties the flavor together. We have been eating it as a snack, and sprinkling it on ice cream and hot oatmeal. I haven't add it to milk but I have a bowl set for breakfast tomorrow morning.

If you like granola and want to try homemade, this is a fairly easy recipe to put together. Now that I have started, I don't want to stop. I'm off to mix another batch of granola...maybe it will be with a combination of vanilla, walnuts and apples.

So, what's you favorite granola flavor?

Ingredients:

3 cups of old-fashioned oats (not instant)

2/3 cup of chopped pecans

1/3 cup of salted pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup of salted sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon of wheat germ

1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of canola oil

1 tablespoon of  brown sugar 

1/2 cup of pure maple syrup 

Rind from 1/2 an orange

3/4 cup of dried cranberries

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Line a cookies sheet with aluminum foil.

3. In a large bowl, mix oatmeal, pecans, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds together.

4. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon, oil, brown sugar, maple syrup and orange rind together.

5. Pour liquid mixture into dry mixture, once blended, pour onto cookie sheet. Spread oat mixture across the sheet.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, stir the granola and then bake for another 1o minutes. Once it is slightly golden, shut off the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the dried cranberries and let it sit in the cooling oven for another 10 minutes.

7. Take out of oven, cool and enjoy!

 

Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark and Milk Chocolate Chips

I have been on a giant cookie kick. It started with the Giant Ginger Cookies I made last week.

It was fun making large cookies since they have a different texture which brings a bit of a different flavor. They are more crunchy and chewy together. Tough to describe, but eat individual cookies and then eat a giant cookie...more cookie...more flavor.

I took out my peanut butter cookie recipe from Peanut Butter Blossoms and didn't think it had the power for a giant cookie. I searched the web and came up with two recommendations for the Magnolia Bakery Peanut Butter Cookies. I decided to mix it up with dark brown and light brown sugar, as well as a few Reese's mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups and milk chocolate chips. Add an ice cream scoop and demerara sugar and you have Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark and Milk Chocolate Chips.

These cookies were amazingly delicious. Loaded with peanut butter and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! The demerara sugar made them sweet and extra crunchy yet the cookie was thick enough to be chewy. As much as I froze a few for later this week, they are walking out of here much faster than I thought. They were in everyone's lunch today and I've seen them disappear into lunch bags for tomorrow.

Over the next few weeks I will be making a few more giant cookies because I'd like to offer something fun and different for the 12 Cookies of Christmas and I have a funny feeling they will be GIANT!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 cup of butter, softened
2 cups of chunky style peanut butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon of milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 12 ounce package of Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips
15 mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups (chopped into sixths)
1 cup of milk chocolate chips

Bowl of demerara sugar (raw sugar) for dipping cookies (about 1 cup)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. See aside.

3. Cream butter and sugars, when completely blended add the chunky peanut butter.

4. Once the peanut butter is incorporated, add the eggs and vanilla.

5. Mix half the flour mixture into the batter. Add the milk, mix until well blended and then add the rest of the flour mixture.

6. Stir in the peanut butter cups with the dark and milk chocolate chips.

7. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough and release scoop into a bowl of sugar. I use the demerara sugar because of the large granules.

8. Roll the ball until completely covered with sugar. Place on the cookie sheet and flatten to a 1/2 inch thickness.

9. Place up to three cookies on one cookie sheet.

10. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden with cracks on the top. bang cookie sheet on counter to allow the cookie to flatten. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove from tray to cookie rack. Makes 24 giant peanut butter cookies.

This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen and The Singleton in the Kitchen.

Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Muffins with a Streusel Top

 

This is the ultimate breakfast of champions for all my coffee and chocolate fans! I'm enjoying them with a cup of coffee.

Yesterday morning was fairly disastrous as I tried to make pumpkin scones. I had taken two recipes and tried to combine them throwing off the balance of liquids to dry ingredients. The batter became very mushy and I wasn't able to mold it into scones. As I added more and more flour, the based seemed doughy and (low and behold) the scones tasted like cardboard. They were extremely dense and I could gag thinking about eating them. Kind of wish I took pictures, both of the scones and me eating them!

So, this morning I wanted to make muffins. let's see...no pumpkin puree, no oatmeal, no frozen blueberries or strawberries, not much for a healthy breakfast. But then, I found coffee and chocolate and decided, "There must be a breakfast muffin that can use these ingredients."

I found two recipes from the New England Bed and Breakfast that I combined for one delicious treat. I wasn't sure how a coffee muffin would taste with coffee, but with the subtle chocolate tones and the walnut sweetness, these really are wonderful. The combination of flavors might remind you of that Mexican flavor of chocolate, coffee and cinnamon.

This morning, I was also in the mood for muffin tops, so I made both muffins and tops. I love the sugary toppings but I know a few of the others in my house actually like to finish the bottom portion of the muffin, so two styles for two tastes.

Looking forward to one more muffin top with my second cup of coffee...these really are addicting!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks of butter (3/4 cup), softened
1 1/3 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
3 1/4 cup of unsifted all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 large egg
1/4 cup of instant coffee granules
1/4 cup of Godiva liquor or Kahlua (if not, an a 1/4 cup of brewed coffee)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup of mini chocolate chips

Streusel Topping
1/2 cup of dark or light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons of better, melted
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of flour

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl to a crumb consistency.

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Place coffee granules, vanilla and liquor (or brewed coffee) in a bowl and stir until the granules are dissolved. Put aside.

2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder together in a medium sized bowl. Put aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar (with beater on medium speed) until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and coffee mixture until blended.

4. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Divide batter among muffin pan tins. Mix streusel according to directions. Gently press the streusel into the top of each muffin.

5.   Bake 15-20 minutes or until centers spring back when lightly pressed. This will make between 18-24 muffins.

6. Enjoy warm with a delicious cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

Adapted from New England Bed and Breakfast Cookbook.

Giant Ginger Cookies

 

(Beware: Objects appear smaller than they are.)

It seems like I haven't made some new desserts in a while. The truth is I have, I just haven't posted my articles as often as I would like. It's time to start enjoying the desserts AND sharing the recipes with my wonderful friends and followers.

I have been looking at quite a few cookie recipes lately with the holidays creeping up on us. I will be having a new list of the 12 Cookies for Christmas and I know that they will never replace the original list from 2009 The 12 Cookies of Christmas. I like to offer new cookie recipes each season so that you can find your family's favorites. I'm also thinking of doing a cookie swap which could get me some great family favorites from my friends.

When I started, I was looking for a good hermit cookie recipe. The results weren't great so I think I need to go digging into some old recipe books. I was looking for a hermit recipe with coffee as one of the ingredients. I came across a few, but not exactly what I was looking for.

I did come across this ginger cookie recipe on Martha Stewart's website and thought this could be fun since these cookies were about 5 inches in diameter when they were finished baking. I don't normally make large cookies like these but truthfully, this is where you get a different flavor and texture. I also liked that there was pepper in the recipe. I love ginger, but the thought of additional heat to the cookie using pepper was interesting.

I adapted Martha's Giant Ginger Cookies by adding a bit more ginger and molasses and changed up the salt and sugar. I like the saltiness of kosher salt (vs. table salt) because when you bite into something sweet, you get that salty-sweet flavor. I love to use demerara sugar for rolling cookies. It is raw sugar which has larger, light brown crystals. It looks great and gives the cookies an extra crunchiness.

I mixed the batter and placed the dough in the freezer. It gave me enough time to make a batch of my favorite cookies, Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookie. I cut the dough into 16ths and they were rolled and in the oven with four cookies per cookie sheet.

Some friends and family tried them and absolutely loved them. They were chewy and crispy. The best was after they ate the cookie and said, "I can still taste the spiciness of the ginger", which was probably helped by the pepper. We enjoyed them as a mid-morning snack with pumpkin spiced coffee. What better way to enjoy a giant cookie that was just DELICIOUS!

Think warm, think GIANT ginger cookies!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 rounded tablespoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of butter, room temperature
1/2 cup of packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated white sugar, plus 1/3 cup of demerara sugar for coating
1/3 cup of molasses
1 large egg

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, allspice, and pepper.
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. With mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Flatten into a round disk, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 20 minutes.
3. Cut disc to create quarters, cut quarters in half, cut eighths in half (you will have a perfectly cut pie shape with 16 pieces.). Roll into 16 balls.
4. Place remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll balls in sugar to coat; place at least 4 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten into 3-inch rounds. Sprinkle with sugar remaining in bowl.
5. Bake until brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Makes 16 large cookies.

Harvest Corn Soup with Lobster, Bacon and Scallions

Summer is officially over when you buy the last fresh ears of corn. As we drove to Flint Farm, we were told that this was the last day for corn. We arrived just in time. I kept telling Jeff that I wanted to make some type of corn soup or chowder since it would be perfect for a cool autumn evening.

While we were in Maine, last month taking cooking lessons, we made a delicious corn soup with lobster. It was a completely blended soup and I was looking for something that had more corn left in the broth. The only true test of corn chowder I have is my mother adding a can of milk to a can of creamed corn and calling that corn chowder. Not a great reference point.

I found this recipe from Epicurious called Summer Corn Soup and it was written by Dorie Greenspan. When I went into her "Around My French Table" Cookbook, I realized it was one of her recipes. Just a quick plug, if you want to buy a great gift for your favorite cook, definitely consider this cookbook. Jeff and I love the book and it has amazing recipes. We took the original version and adapted it.

As we were putting the recipe together we realized that we would need to double the recipe. At our house, a recipe serving 4 will not cut it. As we shucked the corn, there definitely wasn't enough corn (for my liking) so we added more. Once we got all the vegetables cooked and added the herbs, we found the herbs fell off the sprigs as the mixture came to a boil. The flavor was great but I didn't enjoy fishing all the rosemary out of the soup. Our recommendation is to place it in cheese cloth. Easier and less messy to remove.

Lastly, when it called for you to blend and strain the soup, we decided to only blend 1/2 of the soup and not strain any portion of it. It allowed the base to thicken and left a filling in the soup. We steamed two lobster ahead of time and had lobster meat ready to go. Lobster first, soup second, bacon and scallions to garnish. Grab spoon and and say Ahhhhh.

The soup a.k.a. corn chowder was amazing. It was so fresh and the flavor was distinct with every bite. The lobster was moist and the bacon give a slight smokiness to the dish. It was perfect for a cool night in October.

As we enjoyed the corn soup for lunch, I was disappointed that I might not be able to make this soup again until next year. You need the freshness of the corn kernels and the cobs to add that additional flavor. I did say to Jeff that I will attempt this soup again with some frozen ingredient. Not sure I will get the same freshness, but I might be able to re-create the memory in the winter. It might be a faint memory but I will try!

Ingredients:

3 cups whole milk
4 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut from cobs, cobs broken in half and reserved
3 tablespoons of butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 cups water
2 large fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 bay leaf
Salt and white pepper to taste

Optional:
cooked lobster meat from 1 1/2 pound lobster, coarsely chopped

Garnish:
2 thick bacon slices, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Preparation:

1. Bring milk and corncob halves (not kernels) just to boil in heavy medium pot. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep while sautéing vegetables.
 
2. Melt butter in dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt (about 1/4 teaspoon) and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add corn kernels, carrot, celery, and garlic; cook until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Place herbs and bay leaf in cheese cloth or herb bag. Add 2 cups water, herbs, and milk with corncobs.

3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover with lid and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors.

4. Remove corncobs, herb sprigs, and bay leaf. Cool soup slightly. Working in batches, puree 1/2 of the soup mixture in a blender or food processor. This will give a thicker consistency while leaving filling within the broth. Add salt and white pepper to taste.

5. If using lobster, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of chopped lobster to the bottom of each serving bowl, spoon the soup over the lobster, garnish with chopped bacon and scallions. Enjoy!

Makes 4-6 servings.

Bon Appetit's Chicken and White Bean Chili

Finally, we are back up and running. I can upload photos and make the blogs look beautiful again!

Last Sunday, we decided to make chili for the big New England Patriots game against the Buffalo Bills. As I was looking for a recipe, I definitely wanted something with chicken and lots of beans, and a little different from our White Bean Chili.

I took out my iPad and used my Epicurious App and found a Bon Appetit Chicken and White Bean Chili recipe with a tomato base from 2005. That's what I love about some of these applications. They don't necessarily give you the most up to date recipe but it does give you lots of recipe opportunities. I read the recipe and figured it was easy, it could simmer during the game and then dinner would be served.

I adapted a few of the ingredients from the original recipe by using chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs. I also cut back on the chili powder. For those who like a hot chili, go with the original recipe that calls for 3-1/2 tablespoons (or more) of chili powder. Lastly, I used fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of regular diced tomatoes. I like the heartier flavor of the fire roasted, which worked perfectly.

This chili was delicious, and perfect when the Patriots lost and we had a table full of grumpy people. We had homemade rustic bread and butter which finished the meal. It had the perfect amount of heat and flavor which pleased the chili lovers as well as the picky eaters.

Tomorrow starts another round of college and professional football games for the weekend. Mix up a batch and have it ready for your fans. Oh, and it tastes even better the second day. Enjoy!

GO TEAM!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of olive oil
1-1/3 cups of chopped onion
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2-1/4 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2-1/2 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
2- 15 to 16-ounce cans of white beans with juices
2- 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes, fire roasted in juice
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add chicken; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until chicken is no longer pink outside, about 5 minutes. Mix in chili powder, tomato paste, cumin, and oregano.

Add beans, 1 cup reserved bean juices, and canned tomatoes. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and chili is thickened, about 25 minutes.

Season chili to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in cilantro and serve.

Green Apple, Avocado and Chicken Salad with a Honey Lime Cilantro Dressing

Fall is definitely in the air as we woke this morning to temperatures of 56 degrees.

But, I love the Fall!

For me, it's a great time of year with the colorful foliage, cool days with warm breezes, and the big 3...Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

To savor the last few weeks of summer, we made a wonderfully delicious salad for dinner that have touches of summer and Fall namely, the last of our garden's cherry tomatoes and cilantro and some freshly picked granny apples from one of the local area farms.

Back a few months ago when I was traveling with my son, looking at colleges, I enjoyed a salad similar to this. When I came home, I was able to create the salad dressing and then added the original salad ingredients plus a few of my own. You could probably call this a "throw in the kitchen sink" salad as you can add some of your favorites also.

Most of the salads we enjoy have the balance of good greens, a meat or protein, vegetables, fruits, cheese, nuts and a dressing that ROCKS! That's probably why we order so many salads at restaurants and don't necessarily recreate them at home.

So to that balance, I give you a Chicken Salad with Green Apples and Avocados and a Honey Lime Cilantro Dressing. (The Honey Lime Cilantro dressing ROCKS!) This is easy to put together and allowed my family to mix and match what they liked into the salad. Rotisserie chicken, apples, avocados, dried cranberries, sugared walnuts and crumbled goat cheese, were the products of choice so I let them mix and match to their likings. Think of the endless possibilities if you added strawberries, grapes, oranges, feta cheese, sliced almonds, celery, carrots...find your flavors and mix away.

What is your favorite ingredients in a salad? And what kind of salad dressing makes it all come together?

Ingredients

Salad

1 - 2-3 lb. rotisserie chicken, chopped or torn into bite size pieces

1- 12 ounce container of baby spring mix greens

2 avocados, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 green apples, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 package of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1- 6 ounce container of crumbled goat cheese

1 package of dried cranberries (Craisins)

1 package of sugared walnuts

Dressing

4 tablespoons of honey

Juice of 2 freshly squeezed limes

1 tablespoon of lime rind

3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place greens into individual bowls, add chicken, apples, avocado, cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, goat cheese and sugared walnuts. Add a few tablespoons of dressing to cover the mixture. This salad can feed 4-6 people.

 

Epicurious' Pork Tenderloin with Tomato - Peach Compote

When we go grocery shopping, we try and figure out what our dinner recipes will be for the week. It is the one meal that has many mouths to feed. It's also the one meal which we get the most phone calls, "Hi Mom, what's for dinner?"

Many times we look at pork recipes but some how seem to move past them. I think it's because growing up I ate pork chops or a pork loin, every other week. My fond memories were finding enough applesauce to run the pork through so I wouldn't choke on the dry meat. Saw dust best describes the taste and texture of what I ate. Back then, pork was somewhat "overcooked". Today, we have a better understanding of seasoning, cooking to a slightly lesser degree and allowing meat to rest. It enhances the flavor as well as the experience.

Jeff found this recipe from Epicurious called Pork Tenderloin with Tomato-Peach Compote. It looked pretty easy, not many ingredients and we did have a bunch of great garden tomatoes. Cooking the pork to slightly under 160 degrees (which was my mother's favorite number, plus some!) will definitely give you that juicy tasting pork. Taking the time and allowing the meat to rest for 10 minutes helps, too.

The compote was delicious. A bit of sweet and sour which was much better than traditional applesauce and pulled the entire dish together. After everyone got their first serving (6 people), we had a bit of pork left but was definitely short on the compote, then again, I still have that bad habit of drenching my pork in sauce. I enjoyed the compote!

As we eat delicious dishes like this, it makes me want to cook more pork recipes. It's hard to get past eating certain foods which bring back childhood nightmares. Whether it's under cooked chicken or overcooked pork, trying new and tasty dishes will hopefully fade those food memories.

What is your nightmare food?

Pork Tenderloin with Tomato-Peach Compote

Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of chopped peeled ginger
1 teaspoon of curry powder
2 (3/4-pound) pork tenderloins
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3/4 pound of fresh tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 peach, chopped
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon of sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Mash garlic, ginger, curry powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to a paste using mortar and pestle. Rub all over pork.

Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown pork on one side, about 5 minutes, then turn over and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 145 to 150°F for juicy meat, 10 to 12 minutes. Let pork rest, uncovered, on a cutting board while making compote.

Add onion to skillet (handle will be very hot) and sauté over medium-high heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatoes and peaches and sauté until just softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in thyme and sugar.

Slice pork and serve with compote. Jasmine rice is a great complement for this dish.

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto with Fresh Tarragon

 

Yes, we survived Hurricane Irene. Having lost power for three days, unloading the refrigerator and freezer, cooking on the grill, playing games by candlelight and showering with cold water, this experience was tolerable. Nothing we would want to be doing on a regular basis, thank you!

Since last weekend, the mornings and evenings have been slightly cool. We have written about comfort food and our love for many different types of risotto. Jeff made it home first the other night and decided to blend a few different risotto recipes with some ingredients that needed to be used up. We had some fresh celery and tarragon from the garden and some dried porcini mushroom that needed to be used.

With a little bit of tweaking and our comfort with mixing and matching our ingredients for risotto, he came up with this chicken and mushroom risotto with fresh tarragon. One of the interesting things he did was use a different type of risotto rice. There are three types of risotto rice: 1. arborio, which we use all the time. 2. carnaroli, which we used in this recipe and 3. vialone nano. These are the best rices for risotto because they absorb liquids better, release more starch and can give the dish a creamier consistency.

We always use arborio which tends to give you a creamier consistency with this rice. The carnaroli is not as creamy, but definitely worked with this dish. The risotto was loaded with chicken and mushrooms and the slight taste of tarragon was a great combination, slightly licorish...so delicious.

It was nice to have some comfort food this week. It made us feel like home again and with eating out and cooking with minimal resources, this was a perfect dish to celebrate electricity and a need for some good old fashioned home cooking!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of olive oil

4 tablespoons of butter, separated into 2 tablespoons/2 tablespoons

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic, chopped 

1 stalk of celery, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

2 cups of carnaroli rice

1 -1/4 cups of white wine

1 - 6 ounce package of dried porcini mushrooms

6-7 cups of chicken broth, placed in a medium sauce pan and heated to a slight simmer

1 - 3 pound roaster chicken (cooked, store bought), loosely chopped or pulled into pieces

1 cup of grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of butter

2 teaspoons of freshly chopped tarragon

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Place 7 cups of chicken broth in a medium sauce pan on medium heat. Once the broth is heated, place on a slow simmer.

2. In a large heavy sauce pan, over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil. Add the scallions, garlic and celery and saute until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the rice and dried porcini mushrooms and cook for about 1 minute, allowing the mixture to become incorporated. Add the wine and allow the mixture to boil off.

4. Start adding chicken broth by the ladle full. We normally begin with 2, allowing the mixture to be covered slightly with broth. Stir to mix the broth into the mixture. Reduce the heat to low and continue to add ladle fulls of broth as the mixture becomes less moist and the broth is absorbed.

5. Stir periodically to keep the rice from sticking and mixing the additional chicken broth. This process will take about 15-20 minutes. As you get near the last few ladle fulls of chicken broth, test the rice. You want it to be creamy but still have slight firmness. Add the chicken and tarragon, once incorporated add the last 2 tablespoons of butter and parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Take off the heat. The mixture may get a little sticky, just add a little of the chicken broth. You may have 1/2 to 1 cup left. When I package the remaining risotto for leftovers, I add a little chicken broth to the top to keep it slightly moist and easier to reheat.

Hurricane Irene's Cucumber Raspberry Mint Martini

 

Last week while I was in Chicago, I had an amazing Cucumber Mint Martini. I had promised my Facebook fans that I would have a post for the martini by Friday. With all the excitement of Hurrican Irene, I finally got to put something together and enjoyed it (last night) before the big hurricane. I'm hoping that if you have some vodka and fresh herbs and vegetables from your garden, you can still create this interestingly tasty drink either for the hurricane or maybe even Labor Day Weekend.

I started by infusing the vodka with cucmbers and raspberries, fresh from my garden. I took

3 cups of vodka (the better the grade, the smoother the martini)

1/4 cup of cucmber slices, quartered

5-6 fresh raspberries

I mixed all of these ingredients in a pitcher and allowed it to incorporate (about 2-3 hours). You don't have to do this but it definitely gives amazing taste and flavor. Before you use the vodka mix, mash the ingredients lightly and then strain the mixture. It should be a light pink color.

While the mixture was infusing, I started making a simple syrup which is one part water to one part sugar.

1/4 cup of water

1/4 cup of sugar

Place into a small sauce pan and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture bubbles. Take off burner and allow to cool.

Now you will need:

5-6 mint leaves, loosely chopped

1 lemon cut into quarters

To mix the martini:

Place loosely chopped mint into a cocktail shaker. For every measured shot of vodka, add 1 tablespoon of simple syrup and a squirt of lemon. I made 6 parts of the mixture and squeezed about 1/2  lemon. Add ice to the shaker. Shake and let rest for a minute. Strain into martini glasses and garnish with a cucumber and raspberry.

I'm not and overall martini drinker but I love the smoothness of this drink. (Note: I normally describe martinis like rocket fuel, they are strong, but if made right, very, very good!) I also liked the fresh smell of the cucumbers. The raspberry flavor is not strong as it provides more color than flavor. If you would like more raspberry flavor, add more fresh raspberries.

If you are looking for an interesting martini to end the summer, try this incredible drink, which mixes up the flavors of a great summer.

Overall Prep List

3 cups of vodka (use a good grade)

1 cucumber

1/2 cup of raspberries

1/4 cup of water

1/4 cup of sugar

1 lemon

5-6 mint leaves

Ice

 

Oven Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce and Fresh Pasta

 
(with fresh pasta from Venda Ravioli)

After being away for a week, in Missouri and Chicago, I was tired of eating out. All I wanted was a home cooked meal. Even though I had great meals while I was away, there is nothing better than a meal made at home with vegetables picked from your garden.

When I got home, it had been a busy week for Jeff and it seemed like our garden went from choice vegetables to overgrown and over ripened. The tomatoes were starting to split, due to rain, and the eggplants and cucumbers were enormous. We spent a good two hours picking as many tomatoes and vegetables as possible. With tons of ripe and overly ripe tomatoes we started on a mission to make sauce. Jeff had a cherry tomato sauce recipe his chiropractor had given him and I had my standard fresh tomato sauce recipe.

We started with the roma tomatoes and began boiling them to remove the skins. With 60 tomatoes, we peeled them and removed the pulp and seeds. I put them away and decided to complete that project later in the week.

We washed and picked through the cherry and grape tomatoes and mixed them with the onions, garlic and fresh herbs. We placed them in the pan and put them in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes. As they started to bake, the house smelled amazing! As they appeared burst and slightly golden, we removed them from the oven, added them to the fresh pasta and grated the entire dish with fresh parmesan cheese.

The first words out of my mouth were, "Now, this is what I was waiting for...a home cooked meal!" It was light and flavorful and makes you appreciate having a backyard garden. This dish rests on fresh ingredients. The fresh pasta was perfect and the roasted tomatoes were bursting with flavor giving the dish its "made from scratch" flavor.  I can't imagine putting this recipe together in the dead of winter with store bought tomatoes and dried herbs. Get some crusty Italian bread and PERFECTO!

Before the summer ends, promise me you will make this recipe, it's easy, the ingredients are readily available and you will swear this is the best dish you have ever made. Mangia! 

Ingredients:

2 pints of cherry and/or grape tomatoes

1 large onion, diced

2 large cloves of garlic, crushed (for 2 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons of each, freshly chopped 1. basil 2. oregano 3. parlsey 

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

grated parmesan cheese

1 pound of fresh or boxed pasta

 
(picked fresh from our garden)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil in an oven safe pan. Cook for 25-35 minutes or until all the tomatoes have burst. (see below) Cook pasta according to directions. Toss pasta with tomato sauce and top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

 
(after roasting in the oven)

If you want to be more creative, consider adding artichoke hearts, black olives and/or mozzarella cheese.

 

White Barn Inn Garden Fresh Summer Ratatouille

In my White Barn Basil Pesto post, I mentioned how we were completely in love with our new White Barn Inn Cookbook and that we would be posting a few of their recipes.

As some parts of our garden continue to grow and others die out, this was a great recipe for our zucchini, summer squash, eggplant and peppers. It was an easy recipe which devoted most of its time to the chopping of vegetables. Once that was completed, it takes about 15 minutes to cook and serve.

There was an interesting ingredient in this ratatouille which caught me off guard. For all the beautiful garden vegetables included in the recipe...where were the tomatoes? Instead they used V-8 juice. At first I had visions of my dad drinking it every morning for breakfast. V-8 has a distinct flavor that you either love or hate, I'll go with the latter. I couldn't figure out how this was going to taste. But then, you have to think about how some great tomato sauces are started with carrots and celery.

I poured in the V-8 and finished mixing the vegetables. The ratatouille was delicious especially using the garden fresh vegetables. You could really taste the individual flavors of the peppers, squash and eggplant. Jeff and I kept wondering if we needed to add some fresh herbs or parsley because this ratatouille is normally served with an herb roasted lamb on top, along with a pesto potato puree. All of these parts to the meal bring additional flavor to the ratatouille. Truthfully, it was delicious as it was. Sometimes simple is just plain BETTER!

It was nice to enjoy a dish, fresh from the garden with the distinct flavor of peppers, squash and eggplant grabbing every taste bud.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped to 1/4 inch pieces

1 medium eggplant, chopped to 1/4 inch pieces

1 medium zucchini, chopped to 1/4 inch pieces

1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped to 1/4 inch pieces

1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped to 1/4 inch pieces

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped to 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 cup of V-8 juice

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until transparent but not brown, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and add the peppers, yellow squash, zucchini and eggplant at 1 minute intervals, stirring continuously. Once all the vegetables have been added, cook an additional 5 minutes.

Add the V-8 juice and cook for 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This dish can be made a day ahead to better incorporate flavors.

White Barn Inn Basil Pesto

 

Back two weeks ago, we traveled up to Kennebunkport, Maine to spend the weekend celebrating a close friend's 50th birthday. We stayed at the cutest place called The Cottages at Cabot Cove. Perfect sized cottages for two people. As part of our weekend stay, we made reservations at the White Barn Inn restaurant to enjoy an incredible dining experience. The White Barn Inn offers the only combined AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star dining experience north of New York City. Being a foodie, this is like heaven. The meal was amazing, all the way to my flour less chocolate cake sitting between layers of praline...death by chocolate.

As we left, our friends purchased a signed copy of The White Barn Inn Cookbook. Ah, the memories of an incredible dinner, brought to life in a cookbook. I couldn't stop reading through the recipes.

We are starting slow with this cookbook (it's a 5 star) and since the basil in our yard is overflowing, pesto was the first on the list. I liked this pesto recipe because it was very easy and used three different types of nuts. The flavor to this dish is amazing...nutty and fresh.

Not only did we serve it as an appetizer with crackers, we put it on crusty bread with dinner and we finished the last of it with a chicken ravioli pesto recipe. Delicious alone and versatile with other ingredients, think pizza, pasta or a  sandwich spread, the list goes on. The White Barn Inn suggests mixing it with Idaho potatoes to make a pesto potato puree.

This is a great staple for any occasion. Make a batch and unleash your taste buds to endless opportunities.

Ingredients:

a bunch of basil leaves (about 2 cups packed)

a 1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley (about 1 cup packed)

1 clove of garlic, sliced

3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup of pistachio nuts

1/4 cup of pine nuts

1/4 cup of walnuts

salt and pepper to taste

crusty bread (sliced thin) or stone ground crackers

Preparation:

Place the basil, parsley, garlic, cheese and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the nuts and chop a few more seconds being careful not to over-process the mixture. The nuts should be chopped to a medium texture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use. We serve ours with crusty bread.

The pesto will keep best in a non-reactive glass or stainless steel container. Place a layer of olive oil on the top to keep the mixture fresh and green.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

Zucchini, zucchini and more zucchini. Yes, we have lots of zucchini. We have made a few loaves of zucchini bread, mixed zucchini in an amazing ratatouille and have grilled it as a side dish with dinner. I will be sharing these recipes with you in the upcoming weeks.

While I was looking for recipes for zucchini and summer squash, I came upon this recipe in Allrecipes.com. Hmm...dessert with zucchini, better yet, chocolate dessert with zucchini. I need to try this zucchini brownie recipe.

As I started to make the recipe I noticed there were no eggs, first sign that there is something wrong with the recipe. For me, it was perfect! I love taking recipes and adding new and exciting twists so I needed to figure out something with the liquid and consistency. I started byadding 2 eggs, using to different types of sugar and adding kahlua rather than vanilla. When I made the frosting, I added half and half instead of milk and got a fudgier frosting that was amazing.

The cake was moist and fudgy and the frosting was rich and delicious. It doesn't have the consistency of a brownie but the cake does have somewhat of a denseness. The chocolate zucchini brownies didn't last long at our house, but then again, do any? It's great as a snack cake and even better with ice cream...coffee ice cream for me!

Too much zucchini, looking for something tempting, this is the best of both worlds...eating your vegetables as dessert.

Ingredients:

Zucchini Brownies
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of Demerara sugar (washed raw cane sugar - light brown granular)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of Kahlua
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
2 cups of shredded zucchini
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Frosting
6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup of butter
2 cups of confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup of half and half
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or kahlua...depending on the audience)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugars, eggs and kahlua until well blended.
Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. This mixture will be thick and a bit stiff. Add zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and butter; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, half and half and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.