Holiday Baking

So clearly the holiday spirit has got me to cook more new things. I LOVE to bake around the holidays, however I do not like to eat it. Today was the Winter Tea for my kids. It was a bit bittersweet because this was Blake's last Winter Tea in Elementary school. Maybe he'll be back in 4 years playing with the orchestra.

For the tea, the PTA provides the workers and the beverages (punch, tea & coffee) and parents bake up cookies (or stop by a store and pick up cookies). I have made sugar cookies and other holiday treats, but this year I made Butter Cookies. French Sables. You know, the cheap ones in the blue tin at Walgreens called "Danish Butter Cookies"? Fine. I love those cheap cookies.

A few months ago I was watching America's Test Kitchen (it's by Cooks Illustrated on PBS and it's like Good Eats, but less entertaining). They were making.... french sable butter cookies. The recipe called for one very odd ingredient.

One cooked egg yolk.

Yes, you read that right. Weird, I know. It's kind of hard to explain why, but it had to do with the moisture content that they were trying to achieve in the cookie. But anyway, it works! They tasted almost like the cookies in a tin, but my ingredients were local and organic (yay for Willy St Coop being so close!) and not from a tin baked months and months ago.

Because the recipe was on TV -- and on PBS no less -- I will share it with you. Seriously try it. It's an easy cookie recipe that gives great results.

Oh, and no pictures, sorry. All the cookies went to the tea. They are much better off there.

Makes about 40 cookies.   Published November 1, 2008.   From Cook's Illustrated.

Turbinado sugar is commonly sold as Sugar in the Raw. Demerara sugar, sanding sugar, or another coarse sugar can be substituted. Make sure the cookie dough is well chilled and firm so that it can be uniformly sliced. After the dough has been wrapped in parchment, it can be double-wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients

1	large egg
10	tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
1/3	cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (2 3/4 ounces)
1/4	teaspoon table salt
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
1	teaspoon large egg white , lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
4	teaspoons turbinado sugar (see note)

Instructions

1. 1. Place egg in small saucepan, cover with 1 inch water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill small bowl with ice water. Using slotted spoon, transfer egg to ice water and let stand 5 minutes. Crack egg and peel shell. Separate yolk from white; discard white. Press yolk through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl.
2. 2. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, salt, and cooked egg yolk on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl and beater with rubber spatula as needed. Turn mixer to low, add vanilla, and mix until incorporated. Stop mixer; add flour and mix on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Using rubber spatula, press dough into cohesive mass.
3. 3. Divide dough in half; roll each piece into log about 6 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in 12-inch square of parchment paper and twist ends to seal and firmly compact dough into tight cylinder (see illustrations below). Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
4. 4. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Using chef’s knife, slice dough into ¼-inch-thick rounds, rotating dough so that it won’t become misshapen from weight of knife. Place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Using pastry brush, gently brush cookies with egg white mixture and sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.
5. 5. Bake until centers of cookies are pale golden brown with edges slightly darker than centers, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using thin metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature. Store cooled cookies between sheets of parchment paper in airtight container for up to 1 week.

International House of Pancakes

For my birthday my husband surprised me with a crepe pan. We had been talking about making crepes and I told him I needed a pan. He clearly listened! I am definitely not one to get offended about getting cooking things for my birthday. It only took a day or two for me to use it.

I think people don't make crepes much because they are intimidated by them. I mean, clearly, people like them. There are restaurants dedicated to them. At Disney, the crepe stand in EPCOT is always busy (and we always get them) yet how many people make them??

I found an easy recipe at Allrecipes.com, it got good reviews, so I figured I would give it a go. I did add some vanilla as some other people suggested. I would definitely only do this if they are dessert type crepes, and not savory. But seriously, it was easy! There is a saying I learned long long ago "“La premiere crepe est pour le chien." -- the 1st crepe is for the dog -- essentially that the 1st one is no good -- but I didn't even have that happen. Even the 1st was good. So, make some crepes!


Then, later that evening ....


I make potato pancakes (potato latkes). I had seen lots of posts and recipes about them since it's was Hanukkah last week. I won't pretend to know much about Hanukkah or about Kosher food, but I do know I like potato latkes. Just like the crepes these were pretty easy to make too. I searched the internet and found lots of recipes -- they were all the same. Grated potato (preferably Yukon Gold), egg, salt, pepper - I decided to add some garlic and rosemary. Well... it was suggested by an old friend who I worked with more than 10 years ago that HE wanted to make garlic rosemary pototo latkes. So, that's where the idea came from (thanks Serge!).


I used about 5 medium potatoes, 3 eggs (scrambled), some salt, some pepper,  2 large cloves of garlic and some dried rosemary. Fry in about 1/2" vegetable oil. It took about 2 minutes on each side. I served them with Daisy Light Sour cream. I LOVE sour cream, but try to get the light version. The Daisy Light is perfect. It doesn't taste bad like so many "light" sour creams - in fact - it tastes like real full fat sour cream. 






So, that was my night of international pancakes. Weird, but oh so good!

I want to go to New Mexico

While eating dinner tonight, I realized I want to go to the southwest -- not to GO there, but for the food. I LOVE southwestern food. When I visited Colorado last year I made sure to have some green chili -- it's just not something you find in the east. You reach a certain point, and foods change. Chiles, spices, cilantro, lime - it's all stuff I love. I know a few people who are from that area and the food just sounds perfect. Of course, I would never lose weight if I was out there -- so it definitely would need to be like a day visit or something quick!

Last night a friend from college posted that she was having white chicken chili. It sounded so good -- she even mentioned that her husband is from New Mexico and liked his food spicy. I found a recipe on Cooks Illustrated (it's my go to site for recipes since they don't really seem to fail). It is a pretty simple recipe -- the soup is almost entirely from scratch (the broth I did not make from scratch) and really didn't take that long too make. My version definitely had a kick to it. I didn't take the seeds or ribs out of the Anaheims or Poblanos  (I probably should have) and only left them in on one jalapeno. Next time I make it I might make it a little milder. Even though this was a "white chicken chili" it definitely felt like a green chili. A yummy southwestern food. Make it.

White Chicken Chili - From Cooks Illustrated

Adjust the heat in this dish by adding the minced ribs and seeds from the jalapeño as directed in step 6. If Anaheim chiles cannot be found, add an additional poblano and jalapeño to the chili. This dish can also be successfully made by substituting chicken thighs for the chicken breasts. If using thighs, increase the cooking time in step 4 to about 40 minutes. Serve chili with sour cream, tortilla chips, and lime wedges.

3	pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves , trimmed of excess fat and skin
1	tablespoon vegetable oil
3	medium jalapeño chiles
3	poblano chiles (medium), stemmed, seeded, and cut into large pieces
3	Anaheim chile peppers (medium), stemmed, seeded, and cut into large pieces
2	medium onions , cut into large pieces (2 cups)
6	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
1	tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2	teaspoons ground coriander
2	(14.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans , drained and rinsed
3	cups low-sodium chicken broth
3	tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
1/4	cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
4	scallions , white and light green parts sliced thin

Instructions

1. 1. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until skin is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and lightly brown on other side, about 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate; remove and discard skin.
2. 2. While chicken is browning, remove and discard ribs and seeds from 2 jalapeños; mince flesh. In food processor, process half of poblano chiles, Anaheim chiles, and onions until consistency of chunky salsa, ten to twelve 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of workbowl halfway through. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Repeat with remaining poblano chiles, Anaheim chiles, and onions; combine with first batch (do not wash food processor blade or workbowl).
3. 3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from Dutch oven (adding additional vegetable oil if necessary) and reduce heat to medium. Add minced jalapeños, chile-onion mixture, garlic, cumin, coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
4. 4. Transfer 1 cup cooked vegetable mixture to now-empty food processor workbowl. Add 1 cup beans and 1 cup broth and process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add vegetable-bean mixture, remaining 2 cups broth, and chicken breasts to Dutch oven and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until chicken registers 160 degrees (175 degrees if using thighs) on instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes (40 minutes if using thighs).
5. 5. Using tongs, transfer chicken to large plate. Stir in remaining beans and continue to simmer, uncovered, until beans are heated through and chili has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
6. 6. Mince remaining jalapeño, reserving and mincing ribs and seeds (see note above), and set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding bones. Stir shredded chicken, lime juice, cilantro, scallions, and remaining minced jalapeño (with seeds if desired) into chili and return to simmer. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and serve.
   
   
   

A different Thanksgiving

 

This is my Thanksgiving Meal.

What's missing??

Yup. No Turkey.

There are 3 people in this house that eat meat, one of those BARELY does, so why should I buy a 12lbs turkey to over stuff ourselves? I shouldn't. One of the people in my house is a vegetarian, so why have a Turkey when we can join him for day? Another reason is that I ran a 5k this morning! Luckily everyone in the house had no issue with going vegetarian for this Thanksgiving day. Honestly, it's kind of nice. I do like turkey, and the one I make for Christmas will be even better. 

I wanted to share what I made for my Thanksgiving meal.

 

The "main dish" was Macaroni & Brie. This was posted on Facebook by my friend Serge. I worked with him back at MindSpring - back in the day - he's definitely a foodie and we seem to have similar tastes. It was a pretty easy recipe and I used some skills I hadn't used in years, such as making a roux and a bechamel sauce (sorry, I can't make the accent). 

I also made a wild rice dish suggested by a local veterinarian friend (she has her own blog -- http://veteranveterinarian.blogspot.com/ ) who took care of our sweet Pixie. It is a lemon infused rice dish. I used a rice mix from the new coop that included wild rice along with other varieties. I will admit I am not a huge fan of lemon flavors BUT it was the perfect compliment to the other dishes. It was like a refreshing change from the other dishes. It's pretty simple -

Lemon Pecan Wild Rice

3 cups chicken broth (I used vegetable Broth)
1 cup uncooked wild rice (I used the rice mix)
1 Tablespoon butter
3 Tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1) In a large saucepan, bring the broth, rice and butter to a boil.
2) Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until rice
is tender.
3) Stir in the onions, parsley, lemon peel and juice.
4) Stir in pecans.
5) Chill for 1 hr before serving.

Serves 4-6 

I also made some stuffing -- from a box. As well as the "log" cranberry sauce.

Finally -- Carrots.  I made 2 versions. Herb Roasted -- olive oil, salt & herbs roasted. Very simple. And some "candied" carrots -- 4 tbsp butter mixed with 1/4 cup butter mixed together, poured over the carrots and roasted. This used to be a hit with the kids, but this year -- not so much. 

Oh, and I need to mention that the drink being served to all was sparkling apple cider from Trader Joes. No, the kids did not have wine! 

I had planned rolls, but failed to read the recipe from Cooks Illustrated that included "refrigerate for 24-48 hours" and "let rise for 6-7 hours". Yeah, damn Cooks Illustrated. I knew it couldn't be as easy as it seemed.

I have to admit that I didn't miss the turkey that much and it was really nice to have a "guilt free" Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Menu

So, I have decided what to have.
Here's my menu.
I will give you all an update on Thursday!

Macaroni & Brie (recipe posted by my friend Serge)
Wild Rice (hopefully a recipe courtesy of my veterinarian friend who cared for Pixie cat)
Cranberry Sauce (nothing special here)
Roast Carrots (my standard roasedt root veggie mix)
Stuffing (nothing special)
Rolls (haven't decided on the specifics yet)









It all sounds so good! I can't wait to make it!

Comfort Food and Holiday Ramblings

One of my old standbys, and forgive me if I have posted this before, is roasted vegetables. Total comfort food in the fall. It's my "go to meal" (yes, meal). I just throw in some veggies (usually root vegetables) drizzling some Olive Oil (EVOO, if you may), some kosher salt and toss in some garlic for flavor (sometimes rosemary too). I usually roast carrots, potatoes, onions etc... this way. Roasting them around 375 degrees seems to pull out the sweetness. When the ends turn brown and start to carmelize, you know they are perfect. I also made some butternut squash this way last night and it was so good. I wish I had made more. I seriously couldn't stop eating it. Never thought I would say that about butternut squash.

As I mentioned previously, I haven't really been cooking many new things. My recent meals have been a lot of the same old same old. I love French Onion Soup. And I love Chili. I am hoping as the holiday time arrives, I will add some new recipes to my rotation. And that bring me to this....

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am facing a dilemma. It's just me David & the kids, and one of the kids is a vegetarian, so a "tradional" Thanksgiving meal just doesn't seem appropriate. I have also lost ALMOST 30lbs in the last year and a half (well, if we must be exact, 27), so I don't want to over indulge. Additionally, I am running my second 5k that morning, so coming home to a huge turkey and butter laden foods seem counter productive. We have entertained the idea of going out, but I still want to cook. I was thinking of going vegetarian with our Thanksgiving meal in a way to attempt to eat better. I don't want the Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes (as good as they are, I need to pass on the whole bar of cream cheese, plus a stick of butter) and I definitely don't need a 12lbs turkey.

What should I make?

I was thinking some of the delicious roasted butternut squash that I mentioned above, perhaps some wild rice, some cranberry sauce. Any ideas or suggestions for me? Please share!

Soup is good food

I have soup recipes for you. No pictures, but believe me, both are great! Here in Wisconsin (and nearly everywhere I think) it's been cool and breezy. Throw in some rain, and it's a perfect day for soup. I love making hearty soup when it's cool out. On Monday, I had a delicious lunch at an Indian Buffet, so I needed something light for dinner. I opted for 0 Point Soup. Perhaps I am outing myself here, but 0 Point Soup is a Weight Watchers meal. Without going into too much depth, foods are given points and you eat a certain amount. 0 Point Soup is essentially broth with veggies in it - 0 point veggies (no starches like potatoes, legumes, corn etc). It can be adjusted based on your tastes. Here's how I made my 0 Point Soup:

1 onion (carmelized, yummy!)
3 or 4 carrots (from my garden!)
~48 oz low sodium chicken broth
2 daikon radishes (also from my garden)
4 leaves of kale
a few leaves of Napa Cabbage
Tuscan Sunset seasoning

I caramelized the onions and then added the carrots & radish to cook a little. Then added the broth, the rest of the veggies and seasoning - then simmered for about 20 mins. It's a great filling, vegetable soup. If you need a little extra, some bread to go along side, doesn't hurt -- too much!

My 2nd soup is one I spotted a few weeks ago. It's from The Pioneer woman and is Corn Chowder with Chiles. I had been waiting and waiting to make this. Today was the day.

Recipe: Corn Chowder with Chilies

Prep Time: 10 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 20 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 8

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Ingredients

• 2 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces (or Smaller)
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1-½ whole Yellow Onion, Diced
• 5 ears Corn, Shucked (about 4 Cups)
• 2 whole Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce, Finely Diced
• 1 whole 4-ounce Can Diced Green Chilies
• 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1-½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
• 3 Tablespoons Corn Meal OR Masa
• ¼ cups Water

Preparation Instructions

(Carefully) slice the corn kernels off the cob. Set aside.
Add bacon pieces to a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes. Throw in diced onion and stir, cooking the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add corn. Stir and cook for one minute. Add both kinds of chilies and stir.
Pour in chicken broth and cream. Add salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.
Combine cornmeal (or masa) with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon of cornmeal mixed with water. Cook for another ten minutes.
Serve with crusty sourdough bread or in a bread bowl. Absolutely yummy!

Now, based on the 1st soup, you can probably guess I made a few adjustments. I did not use heavy cream -- I went with half and half. My cream soups tend to separate - I don't know why - but this one was no exception. It's still good, it just doesn't look as creamy as the picture. I will blame it on the half and half.  Oh, and also only used 1 tbsp of butter. Otherwise, I made it as is and I did the nutritional calculations and it really wasn't that evil of a soup. I did limit myself to one serving. I will have more later!