World of Food

Chicken Cordon Bleu

2008-06-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

Steve requested this as a Father's Day treat. Since we were traveling on Father's Day, I made it tonight. I read several recipes to get the general idea, then made up my own. According to Steve, "This tastes just like the restaurant!"

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (one per adult) between sheets of wax paper until they are pretty thin. Spread a little bit of dijon mustard over each piece, using your hands to make sure it is even and pressed into the chicken a little bit.

Roll Canadian bacon slices around a piece of string cheese, two slices per piece of cheese. Place the bacon-wrapped cheese at one end of the chicken, and roll up, tucking the ends around the cheese to keep it in. Place the chicken roll in a baking dish, seam side down, and repeat with the remaining pieces. Rolls should be fairly close together, so they don't come apart. Salt and pepper to your liking.

Melt a little butter (a tablespoon or so per roll, depending on how rich you like it). Dribble half of the butter over the rolls, then sprinkle liberally with breadcrumbs. Pat down between the rolls to be sure crumbs cling to the sides. Dribble remaining butter over all, then sprinkle a little more breadcrumbs.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, and let set for a few minutes prior to serving.

Per request, I served this with a blue cheese salad topped with roasted hazelnuts. Mmmmmm...

Pumpkin bran loaf (or muffins)

2007-11-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

Sam loves my baked goods, and this is one of his favorites.

1.5c oat bran
.5c flour
.5c brown sugar
2tsp baking powder
1 - 2 tsp spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cider spices)
.25tsp salt
1c cooked mashed pumpkin (or sweet potato)
.5c milk
1 egg
2TBS olive oil

Mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl. In separate bowl, beat egg, milk, pumpkin and oil until well blended. Slowly add wet mixture to dry and stir until well combined. Do not overmix. Pour into well-greased 9 x 5 loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 50min or until done.

Options: For muffins, pour in lined or greased muffin cups, bake at 400 for 20min. You could also add raisins or chopped pineapple tidbits, or nuts. This recipe is really forgiving, so get creative.

Originally from Recipezaar, with modifications.

Chickpea curry

2007-10-18T22:29:00.001-07:00

Becca sent me this recipe -- so yummy. Perfect for when you need to atone for an over indulgence. Very hearty and healthy.

Chickpea Curry

1 big or 2 small onions, chopped

oil for sauteing

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T ginger, chopped

1t cinnamon

1 t cumin

1 t coriander

1/4 - 1/2 t cayenne (or more if you like it really spicy)

2 cans garbanzos, rinsed and drained

1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes

1 can light coconut milk

cilantro

Saute the onion until translucent, add garlic, ginger and spices. Saute a few minutes more. Add everything but the cilantro and simmer for ~30 minutes, more or less. If it gets too thick, add some water. You'll want it saucy. Add cilantro, serve over hot rice.

Black Bean Soup

2006-12-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

I hardly ever make black bean soup the same way. Tonight's version was particularly well-received:

Black Bean Soup
olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
5-6 jalepeno slices, minced
2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can/box diced tomatoes (13.7oz)
lime juice (1 TBSP or so)
chile powder (to taste)
salt & pepper (to taste)

Saute onion, garlic, red pepper and jalepeno peppers over medium heat until veggies are soft and onion is translucent. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add water if soup is too thick. Use potato masher to smash beans and make a nice gravy.

Serve with sour cream and homemade tortillas.

The Perfect Dinner

2006-10-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

This is not *my* perfect dinner. My friend recently had a baby, and I made dinner for her family last week. My friend called me during dinner a month or two ago, and she oohed an ahhed when I told her what we were eating, so I knew I had to cook it for her when the time came. What did I serve? A very simple meal:

*Falafel balls (from a mix) fried in coconut oil
*Homemade tortillas, rolled a little thick to be more like pita or naan
*Sliced tomatoes, onions and cucumbers for garnish
*Tzatziki sauce (plain yogurt, chopped garlic, diced seeded cucumber, salt & white pepper)

And the capper, Mixed Nut Chocolate Pie.

Award winning blueberry coffee cake

2006-09-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, our local Farmers Market held a blueberry bake-off. I thought my favorite coffee cake would taste extra yummy with the addition of local organic blueberries, and I was right. I won first place in the "crumbly" category -- my reward was a market poster and $25 in "Market Bucks" to spend at any vendor.

Unfortunately, the contest was overshadowed by the County Fair that weekend, and the sad news that our local organic blueberry farm was over-picked for the season. I got what may have been the last of their blueberries at the Wednesday market that week. But all that didn't stop me from bragging about my culinary expertise to any and all who would listen. Including you.

All I did was add a cup or so of fresh blueberries to my standard coffee cake recipe. I also used all white flour, and plain yogurt. For the topping, I subbed chopped pecans for the coconut. I made a full recipe and baked it in two 9" round cake pans. One for entering, one for family to enjoy. Delish.

Baked Potato Soup

2006-05-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

I made this tonight by adapting several recipes. It can be made over the course of the day, which is what worked for me. You could also just make it and eat it!

Baked Potato Soup
2 medium russet potatoes, baked
half a yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1-2TBS butter (or more to taste)
1-2TBS olive oil (or more to taste)
2TBS chicken broth powder
3TBS flour
half a cup spicy jack cheese, grated
1 cup milk (more or less)
Salt & pepper
garlic croutons (optional)

Bake the potatoes early in the day. Chop onion and garlic, saute with butter and olive oil in 3qt saucepan until onions are translucent. Chop baked potatoes (skin & all) into small cubes; add to onions and stir well. Smash potatoes a bit in pan. Measure broth powder and flour into quart jar and fill with cold water. Shake to mix thoroughly. Add to saucepan and whisk well. Bring to a boil, and simmer until thickened, whisking frequently. Add cheese and whisk until melted. Salt & pepper to taste.

At this point, I took the soup off the stove, cooled it down, covered it, and put the whole skillet in the fridge. You could just keep going if you are ready to eat.

(If necessary, reheat soup on low until warm throughout)

Wisk in enough milk to bring soup to desired consistency. Continue heating but do not boil. Check seasonings, and serve with croutons sprinkled on top.

Serves 2-4

Nothin' says luvin' like...

2006-05-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

I have been a baking maniac the last few days. Thursday I made banana muffins using a recipe I got at my bridal shower. "Absolutely never fail and easy" was the tagline. If anyone wants it, I will post.

Yesterday, I made homemade tortillas for our lunch-time quesedillas. Then after the kids went to bed, I made cinnamon rolls and a loaf of bread from this recipe. I modified it by making the full-yeast version, but doing the second rise overnight in the fridge. A bit dense (the dough, not me) but still very good. I used almost all whole wheat pastry flour.

Then tonight, I made these cookies. Absolutely the easiest cookies ever. The recipe made 16 good sized cookies, with a bit of spare dough for tasting. (Yes, Steve, I am mostly over my fear of salmonella from cookie dough). I used shortening, and white flour. But hey, all the ingredients were organic! Which means the batch cost a bit more than two bits like the recipe says, but still pretty darned cheap.

In the midst of all this baking (or maybe because of it) I have re-ordered my kitchen somewhat so that I always have a clean work space. It makes everything sooooo much easier.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bar Cookies

2006-05-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

As promised. These are the best, easiest cookies to make, and people rave about them. Look at the ingredients. What's not to love? This is also a good one for children to help with. And the raw dough is amazing (if you are into that kind of thing). I adapted this from a couple of other recipes.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bar Cookies
(I make mine w/organic ingredients)

2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour (I used half whole wheat pastry, half regular white)
1 cup oats
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Grease 9 x 13 cake pan. Blend butter and sugar together, add egg yolk and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add in flour one cup at a time; mix in oats and chocolate chips. Pat batter into cake pan, covering entire bottom of pan with even layer of dough. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 15 min before cutting into small squares. Makes a lot of very rich cookies.

Coffee Cake

2006-05-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

The only other coffee cake I have made is my grandmother's Rivel Kuchen, which I make every Christmas. This coffee cake was chosen because I had all the (organic) ingredients in my kitchen. Very quick, easy and tasty.

Yogurt Coconut Coffee Cake (from Breakfast in Bed)
.5 cup butter
.5 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour (I used part whole wheat pastry, part all purpose white)
1 tsp baking soda
.5 tsp salt
1 cup yogurt (I used vanilla nonfat)
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:
.33 cup sugar
.33 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
.5 cup coconut (I used unsweetened)

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening, and sugar. Beat in eggs. Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture. Stir in yogurt and vanilla; mix well. For topping, in a small bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, and coconut.
Pour half the mixture into a greased and floured 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle with half the topping. Pour remaining batter on top and sprinkle with remaining topping. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until cake tests done.

Serves 12

Note: I just put all the topping on top, none in the middle. You could get by with using a little less this way, and it is easier.

Chocolate Stout Cake

2006-04-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

Steve calls this my "Three sticks of butter and a can of beer" cake. I call it delicious. Adapted from epicurious.com.

Cake
12oz Guinness (buy the 14oz can and have a few sips)
3 sticks butter
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for dusting pan)

3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream

Glaze
.33 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
6 TBS cocoa
2 TBS vegetable oil
1.5 tsp vanilla
2 - 4 TBS hot water

Preheat oven to 350. Spray large Bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder. Shake off excess. Bring Guiness and butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. (This makes a lot of batter!) Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 85 minutes, until tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Transfer pan to metal rack; cool for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack, cool completely.

To prepare glaze: melt butter in saucepan, whisk in cocoa and oil. Blend in sugar and vanilla. Stir in water, one tablespoon at a time, until glaze is of proper consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Curried Couscous w/Chicken

2006-04-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

Can also be made without chicken, as a side dish (omit romaine lettuce). Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Serves 3-4 as a light main dish.

1.5 cups Israeli couscous
1 TBS butter
2 cups water
.25 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
.25 cup good olive oil
1tsp white wine vinegar
1tsp curry powder
.25 tsp ground turmeric
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large chicken breast, cooked and chopped
.5 cup grated or small-diced carrots
.5 cup minced fresh flat leaf parsley
.5 cup dried currants
.25 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white & green parts)
OR
.25 cup small-diced red onion
Several cups chopped romaine lettuce

Mix couscous with water and butter, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until all liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender. Add more water during cooking if needed. Fluff with a fork.

Wisk together yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, and spices in a medium bowl. Add couscous and toss well to coat. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve at room temperature over a bed of chopped romaine lettuce.

Coming attractions

2006-04-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

I've been cooking and baking a lot lately for other people, which leads to the very flattering "I must have this recipe!" request. I love it, obviously, or I wouldn't have this blog. Soon, you will see recipes for the following:

Orzo BFO
Chocolate Stout Cake
Fresh Shiitake Mushroom appetizer
Chocolate chip oatmeal bar cookies
Curried couscous w/chicken

And maybe a few other things I have forgotten about...

Frugal eating - What's for Dinner?

2006-03-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

We spend (I should say I spend) way too much to feed our family. Obviously, this hasn't changed since we switched to organic. I am looking for help with inexpensive, healthy, TASTY meals that I can make for my family. I will be using organic ingredients, so keep that in mind when making your suggestions (i.e. no 10 for $1 deals on canned corn at Safeway).

Can you help? Post your best for all to see. Bonus points if you actually calculate the cost.

ps - I don't use my freezer for leftovers, so the maximum serving size needs to be 6. We do eat leftovers for lunch occasionally.

Peanut Butter Granola

2006-03-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

I have become entranced with the Hillbilly Housewife. Thanks to an insanely frugal friend, I checked it out to get the recipe for homemade granola. This stuff is sooooooo good. I tweaked the recipe a little to accomodate what I had on hand, but it was all over and done in about 15 minutes. Steve had a big bowl of it this morning, and Sam and I have been snacking on it today.

Peanut Butter Granola
2 tablespoons margarine (I used butter. Organic, natch)
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup honey (I didn't have enough so I used some maple butter too)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Begin by melting the margarine and peanut butter together in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the honey, vanilla and salt. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and hot throughout. It doesn’t need to boil. Add the oats. Stir until the oats are completely coated with the sticky gooey peanut butter mixture. It will be chunky. Turn the mixture into an ungreased cookie sheet, or a large 9 by 13-inch pan. Spread the granola out evenly and bake it at 375° for 10 minutes. It will be brown and crispy. Now remove it from the oven and allow it to cool right there in the pan. Break it up into pieces after it is cooled. Transfer the granola to a clean coffee can or sealed canister. Add the raisins, if you are using them, when the granola is cool.

spaghetti & mushrooms

2006-03-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

There is a guy here in town, a good customer at the store, who grows mushrooms. Each year, he brings Steve a big bag of luscious, fresh mushrooms. The first year, I was suspicious and lacked confidence and ended up throwing them out. This year, the grower told Steve exactly how his lovely oyster mushrooms (which I saw for sale at the co-op today for $8.99/lb) should be cooked for maximum flavor. The trick is to sear them in a hot, dry pan for about five minutes until crispy. Then add butter and whatever else you want to use to flavor them. They won't pick up as much of the other flavors, but will retain more of their woodsy goodness.

I roughly chopped the shrooms and seared as directed. Then I added butter (a lot, I confess), some chopped portabello mushrooms, lots of coarse ground salt & pepper, the juice of one large lemon, and four cloves of garlic (chopped). Sauteed until brown and yummy, then mixed with whole wheat spaghetti noodles and blanched brocolli florettes tossed in olive oil. Add some shredded parmesan, and yum!

If you find yourself with a pound of oyster mushrooms, I highly recommend this recipe. Actually, it would be good with just portabello caps as well, or any mushroom you like.

Harvest for Hope

2006-02-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

Everyone should read this book. I just read it for my book club and it has changed the way I shop for food. We were already on the "buy local" train, and we switched to organic milk over a year ago. But now it is quite different.

Unlike my high fructose corn syrup freak out, I did not clear my shelves of anything non-organic. I gave myself permission to use up what I already had, but replace it with better choices when the time came. I found that there were too many choices (not enough acceptable choices) at my local supermarkets, so I have come to rely on the Food Co-op and Key City Fish. I expect to use the Farmer's Market more this year than I ever have.

We have not become vegetarians. We don't even compost. But I did ask QFC (where I get a latte five days a week) to start offering organic milk as an option. They did, and I am not the only one requesting it. I only buy organic produce, and I especially look for the signs that say it comes from a local supplier. Cheese is now organic, as is all our meat. We are fortunate to have not one but two organic bakeries in the area, one only three blocks from our house. One of them even sells balls of frozen pizza dough. (Sidenote: I made my first pizza a few nights ago -- using just olive oil and garlic as a base, no red or white sauce. I added spinach, chopped salami, kalamata olives, and three kinds of cheese. It was GOOD.)

OK, enough from me. Just read the book. Tell me what you think.

Banana Nut Muffins

2006-02-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

These happen to be vegan. They are very tasty, and higher protein than ordinary muffins. Use the ripest bananas you have, for extra sweetness. They are not "beautiful" but more of an every day type of muffin.

14oz (1 tub) SOFT tofu, drained
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1.5 cup whole-wheat flour
1.5 cup white flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin pans with non-stick spray, or coat with butter.

Crumble tofu into bowl of electric mixer. Add bananas in chunks, mix until smooth. Scrape down sides, add sugar and vanilla and process until blended.

In separate bowl, mix together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to the banana/tofu and beat until just smooth. Add nuts and mix (do not overmix).

Drop batter into prepared pans (this makes about a dozen large muffins and a dozen mini muffins). Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until browned, springy to the touch and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan or on wire rack.

These are dense, hearty muffins. Kids love the mini size. They do not crumble, so are not too messy. They keep well for a few days in a plastic bag. Would probably freeze well too.

Birthday Breakfast

2006-01-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

Steve brought me the latest issue of The Week shortly before his 40th Birthday and said, "You could make me this for breakfast." Since he usually asks for donuts, I happily obliged. The recipe serves four; we pigged out and ate double portions each. We regretted it. If you are only cooking for two, adjust the recipe accordingly.

Slow-scrambled eggs with prosciutto

4 slices rustic bread, about half an inch thick
1TBS olive oil
1 clove garlic, cut in half
6 eggs, at room temperature
2TBS butter, divided
.25tsp salt
Pinch of white pepper
4 slices prosciutto di Parma (I used Soprasata instead)

Brush bread slices with olive oil. Toast bread in large skillet over medium-high heat until browned on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Rub each slice with cut garlic clove and set aside.

Whisk together eggs, 1TBS butter cut into small pieces, salt, white pepper. Melt remaining 1TBS butter in 9-inch nonstick skillet over low heat. Add eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to set on bottom, about 2 minutes.

Continue to cook, stirring almost constantly, until eggs become creamy, with texture resembling small-curd cottage cheese. Continue cooking and stirring until they begin to thicken and become less glossy but are not quite done, 8 to 15 minutes. Remove eggs from heat and stir for about a minute to finish cooking. They should be very creamy, with very small curds.

Divide eggs onto toasted bread and spread over each slice. Top each serving with slice of prosciutto.

Serves 4

not quite right

2006-01-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

It was my night to cook for my friend tonight, and I had a lovely menu prepared:

Spicy pumpkin soup w/Mexican cream & toasted pepitas
Tomato & cucumber salad w/cilantro
Ficelle (small thin baguette)
(no dessert - we're taking the month off from sweets)

I won't post the soup recipe because it came out way too thin, despite the fact that I halved the amount of broth it called for. What were they thinking? But want I wanted to document here was how wonderful the crema and pepitas were. If the soup had been the proper weight, it would have been a most lovely presentation. If you have never made Mexican cream, try it sometime drizzled over any thick soup. Lentil or black bean come to mind. Just mix equal parts sour cream and heavy cream together, with a little lime juice and chill for two hours or up to a day. Mmmmm.

Lentil Stew

2006-01-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

"Oooh, you should definitely blog this." - Steve
"This doesn't taste like diet food at all." - Steve
"Mmmmm... well, I like sausage... mmmmm, that's good." - Sammy

Lentil Stew

1 can 99% fat free chicken broth
1 can (see above) water
1 cup uncooked lentils
1 tube reduced fat Jimmy Dean sausage
1 sm yellow onion, chopped
1lb white mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
2 carrots, grated
1.5 TBS butter, divided
2 TBS flour

Pour broth and water into large saucepan, add lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer with lid vented for 30 minutes. Check to be sure they are tender before adding other ingredients.

While lentils are cooking, brown sausage, breaking up into small chunks. When fully cooked, spoon into a bowl and set aside. Add .5 TBS butter to pan (with any leftover brown bits from the sausage that might be stuck there), add onions and sautee over medium heat until soft, brown and sweet. Spoon onions into a bowl and set aside.

In same pan, add another .5 TBS butter and sliced mushrooms. Grind salt & pepper liberally over mushrooms, sautee until done. Add mushrooms, sausage and onion to saucepan with (now done) lentils. Stir well and leave on low heat.

Add final .5 TBS butter to pan with 2 TBS flour to make a roux. Slowly wisk in liquid from lentil pot, simmering over medium high heat to make a gravy. Add as much of the lentil liquid as you like, 1 cup or so. When it makes a nice gravy, return to the lentil pot and stir well.

Serve in wide bowls with grated carrot garnish.

(Note: for those of you who care about such things, this recipe has approximately 1600 calories total, half of which is from the sausage. I estimate that my portion and Steve's were about 600 each, and Sam's was 400 - although he didn't finish it. Athena had pears and toast.)

Fish Tacos & Black Bean Salad

2006-01-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

This is a very easy, nutritious meal that (with a little planning) can be thrown together in about 15 minutes. I trade cooking duties with a friend once a week, and this is what I made tonight.

Black Bean & Corn Salad (make early in the day or the night before)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup (or so) frozen whole kernel corn, cooked
2-3 chopped roma tomatoes
.50 purple onion, diced
chopped cilantro to taste

Mix all together, cover and chill.

Fish Tacos
.50 to 1lb halibut filet, no skin or bones (you could substitute any mild white fish)
olive oil
chili powder
lime juice
chopped cilantro
.50 small green cabbage, very thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
thin corn tortillas

Heat olive oil, chili powder and lime juice in skillet until hot; add halibut and grind some salt & pepper over all. Sautee until fish breaks apart and most of oil is absorbed. Meanwhile, prepare cilantro, cabbage, and avocado. When fish is done, stir in cilantro. Warm tortillas in the microwave, and serve. To assemble, place a small mound of fish mixture on warm tortilla, top with cabbage and avocado, fold over and enjoy!

ps - Steve likes to top his with salsa; perhaps you will too.

Diet dinner #1

2005-12-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

We haven't actually started the diet yet (that's for Jan 1), but since I was shopping with that in mind, I bought mostly diet-friendly stuff (and a couple of last-minute splurges!)

I sauteed a *bunch* of sliced white mushrooms in a tiny bit of butter, while boiling some pre-cooked flavored chicken sausage (sundried tomato & basil). I soaked a bag of baby spinach in hot water to wilt, then spun to remove the water and placed it in a serving dish. When the sausages were hot, I cut them into bite sized pieces and tossed them in with the mushrooms. Sauteed a bit to brown, then spooned over the spinach and served.

Yummy. Now on to some last minute chocolate...

Chocolate-Pecan Snowballs

2005-12-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

I hosted a cookie exchange this weekend, and this was my offering. You can see them in the picture, near the back of the table, in the green glass bowl. I also made some of the shortbread version, because I got tired of rolling little balls.

Chocolate Shortbread Two Ways

2 sticks (.5lbs) butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup finely chopped pecans
about 2 cups powdered sugar

In large bowl of a standing electric mixer beat together butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in yolks, 1 at a time, and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Mix in cocoa and pecans until well blended. Beat in flour gradually, until just combined well.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and arrange about 3/4 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. You may also press part of the dough into a square baking pan if desired, to create shortbread cookies instead of snowballs.

Bake at 350 until just firm and beginning to brown, about 18 minutes. Cool on baking sheets five minutes.

For snowballs, toss balls while still warm in powdered sugar. Set aside to cool, then toss again. They make wonderfully white snowballs, and the chocolate is a nice change from the usual shortbread.

For shortbread cookies, allow to cool completely in the pan, then sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into squares. A delicious and less time-consuming alternative; also not so "Christmasy."

If making snowballs only, this recipe yields 5-6 dozen cookies.

Friendly fudge

2005-12-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

This is basically the recipe for "Friendship Fudge" from the PDN, but I exchanged the vanilla for Tuaca.

3 cups (18oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used 2/3 semi-sweet, 1/3 milk chocolate)
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
dash salt
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional) -- I used pecans
1.5 tsp vanilla (or Tuaca, or mint extract, or??)

In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chcolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt. Remove from heat; stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread evenly onto wax paper-lined 8 or 9 inch square pan.

Chill two hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board; peel off paper and cut into squares. Store leftovers covered in the fridge. (I stored them in the fridge for a day, then took them out and they are still fine two days later)

Note: This is "cheater's fudge" to me, because it is not really cooked. It got rave reviews from my husband and friends, but it is not my dad's fudge. Which is, of course, the standard by which all other fudge is judged.