Wednesday, January 5, 2011
FIRESIDE WARMTH, January/February 2011
As most of you are probably aware, January is Fireside Warmth Month. It’s also National Skating Month, but it’s probably safer to eat by the fire than when you’re skating. So, it is in this spirit that we would like to see your favorite food to eat by the warmth of the fireside.
FIRESIDE WARMTH, January/February 2011
As most of you are probably aware, January is Fireside Warmth Month. It’s also National Skating Month, but it’s probably safer to eat by the fire than when you’re skating. So, it is in this spirit that we would like to see your favorite food to eat by the warmth of the fireside.
RESULTS: September/October 2010 (Lasagna)
Most inventive/unique: Indian Lasagna
Best cooking story: Mexican Lasagna
I desire to eat this immediately: Indian Lasagna
Most effortless (but in a good way): Deconstructed Greek Lasagna
Best Photo(s): Indian Lasagna
Best In Show: Indian Lasagna
Thanks to all who accepted the challenge.
Best cooking story: Mexican Lasagna
I desire to eat this immediately: Indian Lasagna
Most effortless (but in a good way): Deconstructed Greek Lasagna
Best Photo(s): Indian Lasagna
Best In Show: Indian Lasagna
Thanks to all who accepted the challenge.
RESULTS: September/October 2010 (Lasagna)
Most inventive/unique: Indian Lasagna
Best cooking story: Mexican Lasagna
I desire to eat this immediately: Indian Lasagna
Most effortless (but in a good way): Deconstructed Greek Lasagna
Best Photo(s): Indian Lasagna
Best In Show: Indian Lasagna
Thanks to all who accepted the challenge.
Best cooking story: Mexican Lasagna
I desire to eat this immediately: Indian Lasagna
Most effortless (but in a good way): Deconstructed Greek Lasagna
Best Photo(s): Indian Lasagna
Best In Show: Indian Lasagna
Thanks to all who accepted the challenge.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Uber-Buttery Shortbread-- December Cookie Challenge-- Nikki
Every year at Christmas, I make Jay's coworkers a little treat of some kind. Cookies, candy, something festive yet inexpensive. Two years ago, I ran across a very simple recipe in the (sadly) now-defunct Wondertime magazine... the writer suggested jazzing these bars up with lemon peel and rosemary, but the plain version appealed to me. They were received with joy-- one coworker calls them "Christmas in cookie form". These little bars of joy consist of just FOUR ingredients-- butter, sugar, salt and flour. That's it. A monkey could make these cookies. Here are the measurements:
11 Tbsp Butter (that's nearly one and a half sticks)
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour
Preheat the ol' oven to 325 degrees. If you're smart, you will have set out the butter a couple of hours before you make the cookies so it will be nice and soft. If you forgot, no biggie-- soften it up in the microwave for a bit.
Cream the butter and sugar in your handy-dandy standing mixer, if you are fortunate enough to have one. A hand mixer works just as well if you don't. But try to get one. Your life will be significantly enriched in ways you would never guess.
Add the salt to the butter and sugar mixture, then add the flour. Try not to pour flour all over the counter as you add it one-handed as you try to take photos of the flour addition. Ahem.
The resulting mixture will be crumbly, but that's cool. Scrape the sides of the bowl to be sure you get all the buttery goodness into the dough, and dump it into a 9x9 glass baking dish. A pie plate works, too-- I just like the look of the rectangular shaped cookies. Please, for the love of heaven, DO NOT grease the dish. The cookies grease the dish on their own-- hello, 11 tablespoons of butter-- so they will come out without any further assistance.
Pat the crumbly mass down into pan, and score the dough into sixteen bars with a sharp knife. Pop it into the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, and relax as your house starts to smell delicious. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, re-score them IMMEDIATELY, as they harden pretty quickly. Let them cool, and taste the goodness.
Now, even though I make at least 10 batches of shortbread every December, I have never actually tasted it. I don't think Jay has, either. By the time I make enough for gifts, I have no desire to see anymore shortbread, let alone eat it. So this was our first taste!
We both approved, and I have a feeling that I'll have a hard time keeping Jay out of the cookies next year. Make this simple, delicious treat for yourself! Do it! Do it!
11 Tbsp Butter (that's nearly one and a half sticks)
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour
Preheat the ol' oven to 325 degrees. If you're smart, you will have set out the butter a couple of hours before you make the cookies so it will be nice and soft. If you forgot, no biggie-- soften it up in the microwave for a bit.
Cream the butter and sugar in your handy-dandy standing mixer, if you are fortunate enough to have one. A hand mixer works just as well if you don't. But try to get one. Your life will be significantly enriched in ways you would never guess.
Add the salt to the butter and sugar mixture, then add the flour. Try not to pour flour all over the counter as you add it one-handed as you try to take photos of the flour addition. Ahem.
The resulting mixture will be crumbly, but that's cool. Scrape the sides of the bowl to be sure you get all the buttery goodness into the dough, and dump it into a 9x9 glass baking dish. A pie plate works, too-- I just like the look of the rectangular shaped cookies. Please, for the love of heaven, DO NOT grease the dish. The cookies grease the dish on their own-- hello, 11 tablespoons of butter-- so they will come out without any further assistance.
Pat the crumbly mass down into pan, and score the dough into sixteen bars with a sharp knife. Pop it into the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, and relax as your house starts to smell delicious. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, re-score them IMMEDIATELY, as they harden pretty quickly. Let them cool, and taste the goodness.
Now, even though I make at least 10 batches of shortbread every December, I have never actually tasted it. I don't think Jay has, either. By the time I make enough for gifts, I have no desire to see anymore shortbread, let alone eat it. So this was our first taste!
We both approved, and I have a feeling that I'll have a hard time keeping Jay out of the cookies next year. Make this simple, delicious treat for yourself! Do it! Do it!
Uber-Buttery Shortbread-- December Cookie Challenge-- Nikki
Every year at Christmas, I make Jay's coworkers a little treat of some kind. Cookies, candy, something festive yet inexpensive. Two years ago, I ran across a very simple recipe in the (sadly) now-defunct Wondertime magazine... the writer suggested jazzing these bars up with lemon peel and rosemary, but the plain version appealed to me. They were received with joy-- one coworker calls them "Christmas in cookie form". These little bars of joy consist of just FOUR ingredients-- butter, sugar, salt and flour. That's it. A monkey could make these cookies. Here are the measurements:
11 Tbsp Butter (that's nearly one and a half sticks)
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour
Preheat the ol' oven to 325 degrees. If you're smart, you will have set out the butter a couple of hours before you make the cookies so it will be nice and soft. If you forgot, no biggie-- soften it up in the microwave for a bit.
Cream the butter and sugar in your handy-dandy standing mixer, if you are fortunate enough to have one. A hand mixer works just as well if you don't. But try to get one. Your life will be significantly enriched in ways you would never guess.
Add the salt to the butter and sugar mixture, then add the flour. Try not to pour flour all over the counter as you add it one-handed as you try to take photos of the flour addition. Ahem.
The resulting mixture will be crumbly, but that's cool. Scrape the sides of the bowl to be sure you get all the buttery goodness into the dough, and dump it into a 9x9 glass baking dish. A pie plate works, too-- I just like the look of the rectangular shaped cookies. Please, for the love of heaven, DO NOT grease the dish. The cookies grease the dish on their own-- hello, 11 tablespoons of butter-- so they will come out without any further assistance.
Pat the crumbly mass down into pan, and score the dough into sixteen bars with a sharp knife. Pop it into the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, and relax as your house starts to smell delicious. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, re-score them IMMEDIATELY, as they harden pretty quickly. Let them cool, and taste the goodness.
Now, even though I make at least 10 batches of shortbread every December, I have never actually tasted it. I don't think Jay has, either. By the time I make enough for gifts, I have no desire to see anymore shortbread, let alone eat it. So this was our first taste!
We both approved, and I have a feeling that I'll have a hard time keeping Jay out of the cookies next year. Make this simple, delicious treat for yourself! Do it! Do it!
11 Tbsp Butter (that's nearly one and a half sticks)
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour
Preheat the ol' oven to 325 degrees. If you're smart, you will have set out the butter a couple of hours before you make the cookies so it will be nice and soft. If you forgot, no biggie-- soften it up in the microwave for a bit.
Cream the butter and sugar in your handy-dandy standing mixer, if you are fortunate enough to have one. A hand mixer works just as well if you don't. But try to get one. Your life will be significantly enriched in ways you would never guess.
Add the salt to the butter and sugar mixture, then add the flour. Try not to pour flour all over the counter as you add it one-handed as you try to take photos of the flour addition. Ahem.
The resulting mixture will be crumbly, but that's cool. Scrape the sides of the bowl to be sure you get all the buttery goodness into the dough, and dump it into a 9x9 glass baking dish. A pie plate works, too-- I just like the look of the rectangular shaped cookies. Please, for the love of heaven, DO NOT grease the dish. The cookies grease the dish on their own-- hello, 11 tablespoons of butter-- so they will come out without any further assistance.
Pat the crumbly mass down into pan, and score the dough into sixteen bars with a sharp knife. Pop it into the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, and relax as your house starts to smell delicious. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, re-score them IMMEDIATELY, as they harden pretty quickly. Let them cool, and taste the goodness.
Now, even though I make at least 10 batches of shortbread every December, I have never actually tasted it. I don't think Jay has, either. By the time I make enough for gifts, I have no desire to see anymore shortbread, let alone eat it. So this was our first taste!
We both approved, and I have a feeling that I'll have a hard time keeping Jay out of the cookies next year. Make this simple, delicious treat for yourself! Do it! Do it!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Spritz – Dec 2010 Cookie Challenge - Sara
My knowledge of tradition is limited. I think it’s because I have a short attention span. Regardless, when I was looking through the ol’ Betty Crocker cookbook for inspiration, I read that Spritzes were the quintessential holiday cookie. I didn’t know what the heck a Spritz was. I was determined to find out!
Recipe:
1 cup butter
½ cup sugar
2 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla (or almond)
Mix your dough. I had a cookie press on hand because I have a penchant for picking up culinary oddities when they’re on the clearance rack at TJ Maxx. I learned from my mother that my cookie press is called a “spritzer”. Clearly she was holding out on some cookie knowledge. We could have been eating these for years!
Spritz those cookies right onto a cookie sheet. Don’t grease it because they have to stick to the sheet to keep shape. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-9 minutes
Usually they have sprinkles etc on them. The sprinkle suggestion helped me realize I knew these cookies quite well. But, I really wanted a Milano and thought these might fit the bill. So, I melted some chocolate candy coating stuff and piped it onto a cookie.
So, there you have it, a spritzy milanoesque delight!
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