Best.Dessert.Ever

Our last dinner club featured a beer theme and I did the dessert.  It was absolutely fabulous & I will definitely make it again!  I used my new ice cream maker for it & that worked wonderfully.  The kids & I are looking forward to making our next batch of ice cream in a few days.  Even they loved the mascarpone ice cream, once they got over the fact that it was made out of cheese...

Framboise Lambic & Mascarpone Ice Cream Float

This recipe is by Will Fausser, Pastry Chef at the Fuego restaurant at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa, A RockResort. He uses the homemade Mascarpone ice cream in a float made with Cantillon Framboise Lambic beer. [We used a peach lambic from East Wake Wines.]   Serve it in a burgundy glass for a truly delightful dessert.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Mascarpone Cheese
• 1 cup Milk
• 1½ cups Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• Framboise Lambic Beer

Preparation:

Combine the first four ingredients and blend them in a food processor. Proceed as usual following the instructions for your ice cream maker.

Fill burgundy glass around half-way with Lambic. Add a scoop of the ice cream. Serve with a small spoon and straw.

Sweet Potato Latkes

Sweet-Potato Latkes  

Gourmet | December 2001

Yield: Makes about 26 pancakes Active Time: 30 min Total Time: 30 min 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated 2 scallions, finely chopped 1/3 cup all-purpose flour [I used more like 2/3 cup of flour] 2 large eggs, lightly beaten [I used 3 eggs] 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3/4 cup vegetable oil Stir together potatoes, scallions, flour, eggs, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 4, spoon 1/8 cup potato mixture per latke into oil and flatten to 3-inch diameter with a slotted spatula. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Transfer latkes with spatula to paper towels to drain.

* I found this recipe to be too wet so added the additional egg & flour to it to make it stick together better.  I served with sour cream as well.

Read More here at Epicurious

Apple Latkes!

Joan Nathan's recipe from The Jewish Holiday Kitchen

Makes approximately 36 latkes

• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups orange juice, yogurt or milk [I used milk]
• 1 tsp baking powder
• dash of kosher salt
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar, depending on taste [I used 1/2 cup]
• 3 medium apples, peeled & coarsely grated [I used my food processor, which works wonderfully]
• Vegetable oil for frying
• confectioners' sugar

Mix eggs with the orange juice, yogurt or milk in a bowl.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt & sugar.  Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture, along with the grated apples.  Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet.  Allowing 1 large tablespoon of batter per latke or pancake, drop into the hot oil. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve.

*If you have leftovers, let cool completely and then freeze in a single layer in a ziploc bag.  Do not put in the refrigerator as they will become soggy.  To reheat, you can put in the toaster or on a cookie sheet in the oven.*

My New Knife

My husband got me a Henckels 7" Santoku knife for Hanukkah.  Yay me!  Here it is w/my other two Henckels knives.  One of the great things about working in a professional kitchen is that you get to use professional knives.  One of the bad things is that my Harris Teeter knives had to go. ;)

Japanese Night

The last dinner party at our house had a Japanese theme.  I used The Quick and Easy Japanese Cookbook by Katsuyo Kobayashi and made the following two recipes.  They were awesome and a huge hit.

Stir-Fried Beef and Lettuce with Kimchi

7 oz beef loin, thinly sliced
1/2 cup kimchi spicy Korean pickled cabbage
1/2 head lettuce
1tbsp sesame oil
2 pinches of salt [I used Kosher salt]

• Cut beef into strips about 1 1/2 inces long.  Cut kimchi into bite-sized pieces.  Mix beef and kimchi, let marinade.
• Tear lettuce leaves roughly into bite-sized pieces.
• Heat the sesame oil in a wok until quite hot. Add beef and kimchi, and saute over high heat until the meat turns color.
• Add the lettuce, season with salt, and stir-fry briefly, until lettuce leaves just begin to wilt.
• Remove from wok and serve immediately.

I served over a bed of udon noodles.

Tofu With Sweet Miso Sauce

1 cake firm tofu
3 tbsp miso paste [red, if possible]
3 tbsp sake
1 tbsp mirin [or honey]
1 tbsp sugar
a small piece of Japanese yuzu citron peel [or lemon peel washed]
1 block konnyaku
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
4 to 5 shiso perilla leaves, or lettuce or other greens [optional]

• Place the tofu in a pan with just enough water to cover and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Simmer 5 minutes, until the tofu is firm.  Use a spatula to carefully remove it, and place it on a cutting board.  Pat dry with paper towels.
• Moisten a small pan with water [to prevent sticking], add miso paste, sake, mirin, and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat.  When the mixture begins to bubble, turn heat to low and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick and glazed.  Turn off heat and add a few gratings of citron peel.
• Cut tofu and konnyaku into slices 3/4 inch thick [working from one end, as if you were cutting off pats of butter].  Make a series of crosshatches on one side of each konnyaku slice, to allow flavor to penetrate.  If you have wooden skewers, insert a skewer through the center of each slice of tofu and konnyaku to make it easy to pick up and eat.
• Heat the oil in a fry pan and saute tofu and konnyaku over medium-high heat until golden-brown on the outside and warm on the inside.
• spread a little of the miso mixture over each slice, and serve on a bed of perilla leaves.

If you don't have skewers, eat with chopsticks or a knife and fork.  Much to my surprise, even my kids liked these.  The miso paste was very sweet and gave the tofu and konnyaku a nice flavor.  No one had ever had konnyaku before so it was fun to introduce it. I was able to easily find all the ingredients at an Asian Market that my friend Shannon recommended.

I found the cook book itself to be easy to follow, with some helpful pictures and illustrations throughout.  If you're looking for a good Asian cookbook to experiment with, I'd say this is a good one.

Alton Brown Granola Bars

I want to try these next:

Ingredients

• 8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
• 1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
• 3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
• 1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
• 6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
• 1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
• 1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Directions

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week

World's Best Granola

Seriously.  My kids wanted it for dessert.  Thank you to Charlie for sending it to me! I am now an Alton Brown fan!  The only modifications I did were to use dried cranberries instead of raisins [dried cherries was also listed as an alternative by Charlie] and I added 1/8 cup of flax seed.

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

Candy Flavored Vodka

Must try this! Thanks to Leslie for the link! When I make some, I'll post about it.

Applesauce

The kids  & I made applesauce the other day w/the locally grown apples we got from The Produce Box.  We had 3 different kinds of apples too.  It was extremely easy:

Core, peel, & cut apples. [I found several recipes that said you didn't have to peel. So I didn't, but next time, I would. Yes, the skin just falls off eventually, but what a pain to dig through it all to find them.]
Cover w/water & bring to a boil, reduce heat & stir to prevent bottom apples from burning.
Add sugar, ground cloves, cinnamon & nutmeg to taste.
When apples are soft, mash w/potato masher.

Let cool & enjoy!

Baked Chicken

The kids love drumsticks.  Lately I've been doing breasts for me & Neil & then drumsticks for them. Here's one of their favorite coatings - so simple, but tasty:

egg
bread crumbs
granulated garlic
black pepper
kosher salt
I would say the mixture ends of being 60% bread crumbs 30% garlic & then 5% each of pepper & salt. My kids are like me & love garlic....

Lightly scramble egg & dunk chicken in to coat.  Mix enough bread crumbs, garlic, salt & pepper in a bowl to accommodate the amount of chicken you are preparing.  Coat the chicken thoroughly w/the mix and bake at 350.  I flip it about half way through to keep both side crisper.  My kids go nuts for this!

Rosh Hashanah dinner pictures, in a random order because blogger is being annoying.

challah by Trader Joe's

table is set up

fig sauce

chicken ready to go in oven

souffle going in the oven

Squash cooking

Honey Cake Recipe

I used a Pampered Chef mini-bundt pan to cook the recipe in

I found this recipe by using google and honestly, I couldn't resist clicking on it. Smitten Kitchen?! What a great name!  I will be making this as our dessert this year.


Majestic and Moist Honey Cake
Adapted from Marcy Goldman’s Treasure of Jewish Holiday Baking
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee or strong tea
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup rye or whiskey
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)
Fits in three loaf pans, two 9-inch square or round cake pans, one 9 or 10 inch tube or bundt cake pan, or one 9 by 13 inch sheet cake. I made mine in the Pampered Chef min-bundt pan, so we had 6 little cakes!
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray. For tube or angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper, cut to fit.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Make a well in the center, and add oil, honey, white sugar, brown sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, orange juice and rye or whiskey, if using. (If you measure your oil before the honey, it will be easier to get all of the honey out.)
Using a strong wire whisk or in an electric mixer on slow speed, stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.
Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds, if using. Place cake pan(s) on two baking sheets, stacked together (this will ensure the cakes bake properly with the bottom baking faster than the cake interior and top).
Bake until cake tests done, that is, it springs back when you gently touch the cake center. For angel and tube cake pans, this will take 60 to 75 minutes, loaf cakes, about 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet style cakes, baking time is 40 to 45 minutes.
Let cake stand fifteen minutes before removing from pan.

Here is an up close version of one of them.

I didn't grease the pan enough, so they aren't the prettiest, but everyone loved them!

Rosh Hashanah is coming

And I need to get the food for it.  I've settled on a menu I found at The Kosher Channel:

Holiday Baked Chicken with Figs and Honey Orange Sauce

12 pieces cut up chicken, about 5 pounds
3/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
12 fresh figs, quartered
1 cup orange juice
Juice of one lemon
1. Preheat oven broiler. Place chicken in a single layer in a baking pan, skin side down. Broil chicken 5 minutes, turn and broil until skin begins to blacken, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Set oven to bake at 325 degrees.
2. In a saucepan, heat honey, wine and pepper over high heat. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Add figs, orange and lemon juices and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes until figs begin to fall apart and the sauce is thickened.
3. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake, uncovered for one hour.
Makes: 8-12 servings ~ Must make ahead
Active time: 20 minutes ~ Cooking time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Pumpkin and Ginger Souffle

3 pounds peeled and cubed butternut squash [original recipe calls for pumpkin, but says it's ok to substitute butternut squash as well. I've changed the recipe to reflect the fact that this is what I am using.  Thanks to the Produce Box, I have a bunch on hand again.]
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup margarine, softened or applesauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup flour
3 eggs
1. If using fresh squash, heat a saucepan of water over medium high heat, boil squash 45 minutes to an hour until very soft. Add water as needed to keep pumpkin covered. Drain well. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place slightly cooled, still warm squash in the work bowl of a food processor. Add sugar, baking powder, vanilla, ginger, margarine or applesauce and oil. Process until very smooth. Add flour, mix well. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each addition.
7. Pour mixture into one 9x13 inch baking dish-or two smaller casseroles, sprayed with vegetable spray.
8. Bake in preheated over for1 hour or until top is light brown and soufflé is set (does not wiggle when pan is shaken).
Makes: 12-15 servings
~ Active time: 20 minutes ~ Can make ahead
Cooking time: 2 hours ~ Can freeze

Finally, I'll make garlic mashed potatoes and a raisin challah.  Although the challah, I'll probably cheat and buy, since I'm not the best at making challah....or have the time to make  another if I mess the first one up....

Sweet Potatoes

To release the sweetness, bake at 450 degrees for 15-30 minutes before turning down. For smaller sweet potatoes, use the 15 minutes, but the really large ones require much longer to get the sugars to caramelize.

Spaghetti Sauce

I've been doing the Produce Box with my friend Colleen for a bit now.  Almost every week, we get fresh tomatoes, which are fabulous.  Colleen & I canned some in salsa and stewed form a couple weeks ago.  The only bummer about this is that I am the only one in the house  who will eat tomatoes raw! And I can only eat so many a week. So again I have a surplus. I had a few beefsteak tomatoes, a bunch of roma and some cherry ones which needed to get used up this week.  I went ahead and blanched them all and have tossed them in a pot to make fresh sauce for dinner tonight.  Let me just say, that cherry tomatoes are a pain to get the skin off of, even when blanched. They are messy.  I blended the tomatoes so they aren't too chunky, added garlic, salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, olive oil and parsley. Somehow, I'm out of basil and oregano?!  But it should still be pretty tasty! 

Mango Lime Chicken

Weber puts out a great line of spices and I like the mango lime version for chicken.  I'm not entirely sure why it's not showing on their web page at the moment, but it's out there.  Anyhow, here is a quick and easy idea for a tasty chicken recipe. You can serve it with a side dish [such as rice or potatoes] or thinly slice it and serve atop a salad for a refreshing, light summer meal.

Chicken breasts
olive oil
mango lime seafood Weber seasoning
kosher salt


Lightly cover chicken with olive oil.  Generously sprinkle one side with mango lime seasoning and a small amount of kosher salt.  Flip and repeat on the other side.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour but up to twenty four is fine. The longer the chicken marinades, the more it soaks up the flavor.

This recipe works great either on the grill or in the oven. Cook until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Braised Vegetables

My kids really did eat these! I was amazed. Even Neil tried a few.  Braises benefit from being made ahead even if you have the inclination and the time. I've made the first recipe but would like to try the other one as well.  I've enjoyed looking through this website and look forward to trying out some of the other tasty dishes to be found, especially for Rosh Hashanah which is approaching rather rapidly!

Winter Vegetable Braise
2-4 pounds root vegetables such as

parsnips, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, fennel, celery root, rutabaga, peeled, trimmed and cut in 1/2 inch cubes

1 medium onion or 3 medium shallots, thickly sliced
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups orange juice
½ cup water
1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a medium sized Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add all vegetables and salt and cook, stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes, until slightly browned.
3. Add orange juice, water and thyme. Cover pot and place in preheated oven. Lower heat to 350 and bake for 25-35 minutes, until vegetables are very tender.
4. May be served warm or at room temperature.
Makes: 6-8 servings ~ Can make ahead
Active time: 15 minutes ~ Cooking time: 1 hour
a kosher for Passover Recipe

---

Mustard & Lemon Braised Vegetables 1 1/2 pounds mixed vegetables such as asparagus, green beans, leeks, carrots, red or yellow bell pepper, trimmed and cut similar in shape and size
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1. In a large skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil and margarine over medium high heat until margarine is melted and sizzling. Add vegetables and salt. Toss to coat. Cook, stirring only to prevent burning, 5-8 minutes until vegetables are browned, but not charred.
2. Pour in broth and cover pan with the lid. Simmer 3-5 minutes until liquid is almost absorbed. Remove from heat and quickly add remaining ingredients and toss well, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Makes: 4-6 servings ~ Can make ahead
Active time: minutes ~ Cooking time: 15 minutes

Guatemalan Charoset

My friend Leslie steered me to this recipe last year for Passover.  It was very yummy! When we were in Guatemala to get the girly, I actually saw the synagogue there, but never got a chance to go there.  I was excited to be able to incorporate some traditional Guatemalan cooking into our holiday and this will be a tradition in our family from now on!

Charoset ingredients

• 3 green apples, peeled, chopped, with a splash of
• lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cashews, chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 ounce sweet passover wine
• 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped

Sauce

• 1 ounce green chilies, and
• red chile, chopped, they are locally called chiltepe
• 2 teaspoons onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• cinnamon

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 16 mins

1. Toss all charoset ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2.  Liquify all ingredients for the sauce in a blender and season with salt to taste,.
3.  Add 1 tablespoons of the sauce to the charoset and blend. [I added more than one tbs of the sauce, use your own discretion, but I felt it needed more than one.]
4.  Add cinnamon to taste.

Potato and Cheese Mina - A Passover Matzo Pie

I made this recipe for Passover last year and my family loved it.  Mina is a traditional Sephardic Passover pie.

Ingredients:

• 1 idaho potato
• 6 eggs
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 ounces grated parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups of freshly grated cheese)

[I used three potatoes vs. just the one called for in this recipe since one seemed too stingy for me.  I also upped the nutmeg a bit as well, but the cheese & eggs I kept the same.]

Matzo crust

• 3 matzos
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• warm water, salted
Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 40 mins

1. Peel and dice potato. Place in a medium pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to boil and cook until soft. Strain and pass potato through a food mill. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl mix mashed potato with 6 eggs, seasonings, and 4 ounces cheese.
3. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Beat two eggs in a large bowl with milk and 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Place warm salted water in a container large enough to fit whole matzo board. Briefly soak each matzo in water. Dry each matzo and then dip into egg mixture. Heat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Sauté both sides of one matzo until golden brown. Repeat with remaining matzo. Leaving one piece of sautéed matzo in hot pan, place half of potato and cheese mixture on top, then place second piece of matzo over filling. Cover with remaining half of mixture. Place last matzo on top and sprinkle with 2 ounces of cheese. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or just until set. Remove from pan and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm.

This dish can be prepared a day in advance and kept refrigerated.  Reheat in a 325F oven for 10-15 minutes.  We had no leftovers of this dish & the next time, I will make two.

Alfajores & Dulce De Leche

We did a Brazillian theme one night for our dinner party and I made alfajores, which are traditional sandwich cookies.  Here is the recipe I made for dulce de leche first:

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (14 ounce) can of condensed milk (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 (12 ounce) can of evaporated milk (about 1 2/3 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Generous pinch of salt (optional) [I recommend Kosher Salt.]
• Cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

1. Place the evaporated milk and the condensed milk in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the cinnamon sticks, baking soda, and pinch of salt if desired. (Salt is not exactly traditional but helps intensify the flavor).
   
2. Cook and stir over medium low heat. The water will begin to evaporate as steam. Stir steadily so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Adjust the temperature so that the mixture stays just barely at a simmer.
   
3. The mixture will slowly begin to thicken and darken slightly in color. Keep stirring - this takes patience!  [But it is worth it! Just keep stirring!]
   
4. Cook and stir until the mixture is making big slow bubbles and is very thick. Lift the spoon out of the pot and drizzle some of the caramel over the surface. If it forms a ribbon that does not disappear after 10 seconds or so, it is ready. Also check by dragging the spoon along the bottom of the pot. You should be able to see the bottom of the pot for a few seconds before the thickened mixture closes in on itself and covers the bottom. The mixture will have been simmering for 30-45 minutes.
   
5. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks, and stir in the vanilla and corn syrup.
   
6. Let cool completely and serve.

Tip: If the mixture starts to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn, you can quickly change to a fresh pan. If there are burnt pieces already mixed in, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into the clean pot, and continue cooking and stirring.
Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Here is the recipe for the cookies:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon Pisco or Brandy [Pisco is a traditional Brazillian Brandy, but any Brandy will do]
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup home made dulce de leche
• 1/2 cup toasted coconut, finely chopped

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Place the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and mix briefly.
   
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture, blending with your fingers until the mixture is smooth.
   
4. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and Pisco, and mix with your hands until the dough is homogeneous and smooth. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
   
5. Roll out dough to 3/8" thickness, and cut into 2 inch circles.
   
6. Place cookies on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
   
7. Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes, until they are barely golden brown. Let cookies cook 5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.
   
8. To fill the cookies, spread one cookie with dulce de leche and top with second cookie. Roll the edges in the toasted coconut. [I did about half the cookies in coconut and half without, since I'm not a big coconut fan. But the toasting did make it tastier, I'll admit.]
   
9. Store in an airtight container.
   

Makes about 25 cookies.

Dexter Russell

This is my favorite knife at work for tomatoes/bread. And it always cracks me up because it reminds me of the show Dexter because of the name.  We have about 3 or 4 serrated knives at work, but the angle of this one works the best for me.

Winter Squash Soup w/Gruyere Cheese Croutons

I posted this recipe on the personal blog earlier, but I finally got around to making it today. I only had one acorn squash from the Produce Box, but I had plenty of butternut to make up the difference in amounts. Other slight changes I did are listed below, in with the recipe.

Winter Squash Soup with Gruyère Croutons Bon Appétit | December 1996

Ingredients
Soup
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth [I used vegetable broth]
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh sage [I couldn't find fresh so I used some I bought in a jar]
1 tsp ginger [I added this to the recipe]

1/4 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons sugar

Croutons
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
24 1/4-inch-thick baguette bread slices
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
Preparation

For soup:
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and sugar; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)

For croutons:
Preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.

Tangy Coleslaw

I can't find the link from where I originally found this recipe, but I did alter it somewhat by adding green pepper & carrots. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cabbage
1 onion
1 green pepper
2 carrots

Dressing Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp celery seed
1 cup vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Shred cabbage [a food processor works great for this] and place in large bowl. Dice onion, green pepper and carrots, add to bowl with cabbage and mix thoroughly. Combine dressing ingredients and bring to a boil in small sauce pan. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss.

Refrigerate and let sit at least half an hour before serving. The longer your slaw sits, the more flavorful it will become!

Peach Cobbler with Dumplings

Ingredients:

* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
* 1/3 cup water
* 4 cups fresh peaches, peeled & sliced
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Dumpling Batter:

* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 tablespoon sugar
* 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

Preparation:
Filling:
Mix cornstarch and brown sugar in a round glass cake dish (must be microwave-safe). Add water; stir. Stir peaches in gently. Microwave on High (100%) for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until mixture boils and has thickened. After mixture thickens, stir in butter and lemon juice. Meanwhile, prepare dumpling batter.

Dumplings:
Soften in a mixing bowl for about 10 seconds over a bowl of warm water. Beat in egg. Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat with a wooden spoon just until batter is smooth. Drop batter by spoonfuls in a circle over hot peach mixture (about 6 evenly spaced mounds). Sprinkle a mixture of sugar and cinnamon over batter. Microwave on High (100%) 10 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, spoon hot peach syrup over dumplings. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

This recipe contains lots of ingredients for a simple peach cobbler, but in the end, it was so worth it! Niles helped me make it from start to finish, so if he can do it, you can do it too. We had fresh peaches from the Produce Box to use up and this was an excellent way to use them. The fact that it was microwavable would normally turn me off, but it was so hot that I didn't want to turn the oven on that day. You'd never know that it wasn't made in the stove at all!

Mint Juleps

Ingredients for Syrup:

* 2 cups water
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

Ingredients for Drinks:

* 32 fluid ounces Kentucky bourbon
* 8 sprigs fresh mint leaves for garnish

Directions

1. Combine water, sugar and chopped mint leaves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow syrup to cool, approximately 1 hour. Pour syrup through a strainer or cheesecloth to remove mint leaves
2. Fill eight cups or frozen goblets with crushed ice and pour 4 ounces of bourbon and 1/4 cup mint syrup in each. (Proportions can be adjusted depending on each person's sweet tooth). Top each cup with a mint sprig and a straw. Trim straws to just barely protrude from the top of the cups. Serve juleps on a silver platter.

If you are using silver goblets, place them in the freezer for at least half an hour before serving. Handle frozen goblets with a clean towel, holding them by their edges, so as not to mar the lovely frosted surface.

My friend Lori from work gave me fresh mint, straight from her garden, which really added some excellent flavor to this recipe. It was very refreshing and a big hit at the dinner party I brought them too.

Dill Pickle Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup dill pickle juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 slice bread, torn into small pieces
1 pound lean ground beef


1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 8x8 inch baking dish.
2. Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the onion, pickle juice, salt, and pepper. Stir in the bread until soggy, then mix in the ground beef until evenly combined. Form into a loaf and place into the prepared pan. Stir together the chopped pickles, ketchup, water, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce; pour over the meatloaf.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

My Mom sent me this recipe and my kids loved it. The dill pickle juice gives it a nice tangy flavor and even Niles who doesn't like pickles raved about it. He didn't eat all the diced pickles on the top, but that's fine. I have to make two in order to feed all 6 of us, even when paired with oven fries.

Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour