In Reruns: Christmas Cookies and Peppermint Bark!

A flurry of messages on Facebook last night about Christmas cookies left me thinking, wow, time to make something for that cookie party on Friday night and time to make peppermint bark for the nursery school teachers and….well, here we are. Start your ovens! From Dec. 14, 2007….

I just peeked at my stats, assuming you had ALL LEFT ME for good after not posting all week, but surprise, you have been here checking for something new every day. Your faith in me is touching, if undeserved. At least I left you with something good to look at all week.

But anyway. It’s just that I’ve been doing all this freelance work for Santa this week, and he is an absolute BEAR on the deadlines, so my blogging life suffered a bit. But I make it up to you with not one but TWO recipes today, both diligently tested at my house in the last 24 hours.

Mine is only dark chocolate this year. Because I’m simplifying.

Peppermint Bark

You do know you don’t have to buy this only at Williams-Sonoma for $20 a tin or Trader Joe’s for slightly less, right? Because you can make it in your own kitchen, and you get to use your favorite kind of chocolate, too.

This recipe is infinitely adaptable (white chocolate! dark chocolate! layers! peppermint extract! or nooo!), but here are the basic ratios:

Crushed candy canes, to yield one cup

One pound chocolate (I like bittersweet or sometimes I layer dark and white)

(A word about chocolate: Callebaut, Valhrona are excellent choices for this confection and sold in big chunks at places like Whole Foods, but not to worry— you can also use grocery store chocolate chips like Ghiradelli or packaged squares like Bakers. Just stay away from the milk chocolate. Because that is wrong.)

1/2 teaspoon peppermint flavoring, optional

Place candy canes in a plastic bag and smash away into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, and stir constantly. Combine candy cane chunks/dust with chocolate, but save some of the biggest chunks to press into the top after you pour it out.

Add peppermint flavoring at this point, if desired. Chocolate will separate a little at this point, but just keep stirring.

Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet (with edges, to contain the river of chocolate) lined with parchment or waxed paper, add big chunks of candy cane on top and place in a cold spot for 45 minutes or until firm. (Don’t use your Silpat liner here, as I learned—your bark will be etched with the Silpat pattern.) Remove from cookie sheet and shatter into cookie-sized pieces.

Supposedly this will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator, but I wouldn’t know. (Plus, if you put it in the fridge, it will get that unsightly white cocoa “bloom”—just eat it, for God’s sake, or give it away.)

I promise to add the cookie recipe later today, but Santa is cracking the whip right now.

Like you were going to make cookies before breakfast anyway.

See you later—it’s good to be back!

And, since we live in the age of TIVO and instant gratification, you get the cookie post too, even though last year you had to wait for it.

For the love of Christmas cookies

So, I love Christmas cookies. LOVE them. And I plan to enjoy them wholeheartedly this year, because last year? Was Christmas with no egg, no dairy and no soy. And while my family came through with AMAZING substitutions (email me if you need help in that department), I still will be enjoying a healthy, if you will, dose of butterfat this year.

But anyway, that is where you come in, dear readers. I want your cookie recipes.

Please post a favorite Christmas cookie recipe in the comments, or on your site and post the link or if you scavenged it from out there in the interwebs, then share the love and post a link to that. PLEASE.

Consider it your little Christmas present to Hank & Willie, and think of the amazing cookie resource we can create. Bakers of cookies like Granny Annie’s Bourbon Balls, Jayne’s Toffee and Shannon’s Rum Balls, I’m talking to you.

Because I NEED those recipes this year.

Here’s a few on my list:

Photo by Smitten Kitchen

Homemade Oreos from Smitten Kitchen. I’ve had the exquisite priveledge of enjoying these baked by TWO Hank & Willie readers, Clink and Lorraine. Send ‘em along if you want me to taste YOUR version. I’m a very appreciative audience.

Photo by Milk & Cookies

Double Chocolate Cookies, originally by Martha, as adapted over at the delicious food blog, Milk & Cookies. I agree with the adaptation, because I don’t find much call for milk chocolate in my life.

Peppermint Checkerboards by Julie, via Cookies Unlimited.

Peppermint Checkerboards, as seen in Cookies Unlimited. Version here made by Julie at A Little Pregnant who says, “I modified Malgieri’s vanilla sablé recipe by replacing half of the vanilla with peppermint extract, and then dyeing the holy Christmas shit out of half of the dough.”

And then finally, the mother lode of Christmas cookies, here at Food Blogga — a collection of Christmas cookies from readers around the world, updated daily. You even have a chance to win a dessert cookbook, Desserts by the Yard by Sherry Yard. So AFTER you post your recipe here, head over to Christmas Cookies Around the World to post yours and enter to win this yummy-looking cookbook. Mmmm….

Here’s what I’m entering over there:

(Recipe and illustration by Susan Branch, Christmas from the Heart of Home)

I’ve been making these delicious, easy butter cookies for YEARS, and if you make no other cookie, make this one. It can be anything—twist this dough into candy canes, roll it out (chill it mercilessly first) and use your cookie cutters, put it in a pastry bag and squirt it through a # 2 star tip, or roll it all into one giant snake, roll it in sprinkles or mini chips or coconut and slice and bake into perfect rounds….you get the idea. The dough does need to be really well chilled to work with, though. All that butter, you know.

Annie Hall’s Butter Cookies

2 cups unsalted butter, slightly softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350. With an electric mixer, even the hand-held kind, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla, mix well. Suft flour and salt together and beat into butter mixture until well mixed.

When ready to bake use an ungreased cookie sheet (I use my Silpat liners, but not required.) and place cookies about one inch apart. Bake for about ten minutes, but do not brown them. Remove cookies from cookie sheet while still warm and cool on sheets of waxed paper.

And as my aunt pointed out last year, when you make these, you have extra egg white, so then you make THESE:

Surprise Meringues

2 egg whites (clearly, you WILL have to double the recipe after making those butter cookies.)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
1 6-oz pkg chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup sugar

Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually, beating until peaks are stiff. Fold in chocolate and nuts. Cover cookie sheet with plain brown paper or parchment paper. Drop mixture on by rounded teaspoon. Bake in slow (300F) oven about 25 min. Makes about 2 dozen, cool before removing from paper.

Or you make these, provided by Christina last year:

Christina’s Mom’s Coconut Macaroons

3 eggs white
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
8 oz coconut

Whip eggs, salt and vanilla until peaks form. Slowly add sugar while continuing to beat until stiff. Gently fold in the coconut. Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet covered with brown paper/parchment paper. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes; cool before removing from paper. and then ENJOY!

Get thee to a kitchen and start baking, folks! But not before you post what you’re baking here.

Tomorrow? Shannon’s Rum Balls. You won’t want to miss them!

In reruns: The Fabulous Housewives of Stonington

Remember when I used to do Food Fridays? Remember when I used to blog almost every day? Sigh. I’m hoping my brand new spanking blog and whole new look in 2011, designed by Chocolate Creative Design, will change my deplorable blogging habits.

In the meantime, I had so much fun reading Heidi ‘s guest post on shoes over at  Glitter, Glue and Fireflies (if you haven’t been following along in the gift guide, catch up now!) that I had to go back and watch the entire Fabulous Housewives slide show. Boy, that was fun. Boy, that was a lot of bronzer. I think next up the fabulous housewives are planning a 70s fondue evening, but I’m hoping a 50s housewife party, complete with retro aprons will be on the docket someday!

Food Friday: Fabulous Housewives and a Champagne Dinner for Eight

Who needs to be real housewives when you can be fabulous ones? A few brilliant and creative friends, (including Lucinda Wesson of creative design studio True & Wesson) recently engineered a send-off to a friend leaving our staid New England shores for sunny Florida. The send-off involved, among other things, a can of hairspray, seven pairs of false eyelashes, several pairs of tube socks and an awful lot of bronzer as we channeled a retro Florida fabulous groove in her honor.

Thankfully, the evening also involved a fantastic progressive meal (plus a stop in a local establishment before the main course to be SURE our outfits were appreciated). The menu? From “A Party with Fizz” in the June 2007 issue of Bon Appetite. The food? Fabulous.

The complete menu is available here, and it was just terrific, from the Shiitaki, Goat Cheese and Chanterelle Pizza appetizers,  the salad, the Roasted Shrimp in Champagne-Shallot Sauce, the delicious Orzo Risotto and the amazing Blue Lake Green Beans with Lemon and Thyme that we all raved about.

Menu cards and table design by Chocolate Creative Design/Lucinda Wesson, china and stemware from the extraordinary and lovely collection of the bronzest housewife of all, Heidi,  who bravely hosted this dinner.

I can only take responsibility for the Lemon Cream Tart, and hardly at that because (come closer, I’m going to whisper this) I didn’t actually make the crust, but used a premade one. I’ve never done this before, and I was really surprised at how okay it was. Or perhaps it was the champagnes paired with each course that dampened my ability to be critical of pie crust. In any case, the recipe is easy and so darn good, especially with a bit of Raspberry-Apricot Compote with Champagne and Lemon Verbena on the side. I’m just saying.

Lemon Cream Tart Crust

• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 large egg yolks

Filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

For crust: Butter bottom (not sides) of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Blend flour, sugar, grated lemon peel, and salt in processor. Add butter; blend until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolks; blend until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Press onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Freeze crust until firm, about 15 minutes. DO AHEAD Crust can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep frozen. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake crust 5 minutes. Press up sides with back of fork if falling. Continue to bake until golden, pressing up sides as needed, about 18 minutes longer. Cool completely. Maintain oven temperature. For filling: Whisk sugar, eggs, yolks, and lemon peel in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk in lemon juice and wine. Cook over medium heat until custard thickens and just begins to bubble, whisking constantly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Cool to just warm, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Gradually whisk in cream. Pour filling into crust. Bake tart until filling is set in center and begins to puff at edges, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

If you have your own party, you’re going to need a little of this–SERIOUS hairspray and nearly illegal coral lipstick.

For the full, fabulous experience, enjoy our extremely fabulous slide show here.  And let me know if you are having your own fabulous housewives party, because I want to come!

A Roundup of Fall and Holiday Cupcakes (redux)

Note to the reader, this is a reprint from a post I did a few years ago, but Henry and I were looking online today for Halloween cupcakes, and realized that the best ones were right here! Enjoy.

Well, it happened.

Someone found me by Googling hedgehog cupcakes.

Which reminds me that was in a post about summer cupcakes, and it is high time for a roundup of fall cupcakes. Ready? Start your ovens!

(Complete recipe and decorating instructions linked to the titles.)

Pumpkin Patch

There are lots of weird, overly-orange-pumpkin-homage cupcakes out there. This isn’t one of them. I say this is pumpkin done to perfection.

Apple Cupcakes

This one is a little weird, only because I’m not sure I’m on board with red frosting. But what’s fall without an apple cupcake?

Touchdown Cupcakes

If you’re a football family, you’ll need to become a football cupcake family.

Wicked Witch Cupcakes

Halloween in general has gone off the deep end in recent years, but these are simple Halloween classics and won’t (I think) scare my children.

Hairy Daddy Longlegs Cupcakes

Cutest cupcake with least appealing name. I could have done without the word “hairy.”

Eyeball Cupcakes

How is it, exactly, that bloodshot eyes came to represent Halloween? I’m not sure how I would explain that to my kids, but these are the most beautiful bloodshot eyeball cupcakes I’ve ever seen.

Tombstone Cupcakes

Now these I love. Most delicious graveyard I’ve ever seen.

Sweet Monster Cupcakes

I was okay with the green on top, then I read something about a gooey, green pudding surprise inside. Pretty cute monster, though.

Thanksgiving Cupcakes

I won’t say no to toasted coconut!

Tiny Turkey Dinner Cupcake

Also, weirdest fall cupcake ever. Not really sure what to say here. But if someone Googles “cupcake that actually looks like a turkey dinner”  I am SO HERE FOR THEM.

And a few just for the grownups, though kids might like them, too. If you’re willing to share.

Zucchini-Ginger Cupcakes

This is suitable for breakfast in my book!

Cranberry Cupcakes with Dulce De Leche Pecan Frosting

You had me at “cranberry-flecked” cupcakes, ever before we started talking about the frosting.

Spiderweb Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes

I’ll share the recipe for these soon (because I know you probably can’t read that one below), these are from the lovely Cupcake Deck which every cupcake lover should have. Gorgeous photos, beautiful, yummy cupcakes. Mine came this year on my birthday from a fellow cupcake lover, and I could (and probably will) make every single one in it.

Dean & Deluca Fall Cupcakes

Or just order these from Dean & Deluca.

Three each of Pumpkin with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Icing, Cinnamon with Mayan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and Vanilla with Vanilla Frosting.

$55 for nine cupcakes plus shipping and WORTH EVERY PENNY, I AM SURE.

If someone wants to send them to me, I promise will do an exhaustive quality control check and report back.

Happy fall! And if you find a good fall cupcake photo, please share it in the comments.

Food Friday: Wild Blueberry Muffins

A few photos of what I’ve been doing instead of blogging of late:

H, W and I voyaged to Maine in the company of two of our favorite people, Maria and her little boy, Tommy. Here we are, off to swim in the lake.

We visited big boy Jack.

And Lydia, who I’ve been photographing since she was BORN. It’s only fair that she turns the lens on me.

We ate well.

Exceedingly well.

Visited old friends and new babies.

And former babies that are now impossibly big girls.

We cooked s’mores over the fire but not before a little experimenting!

No marshmallows were harmed in the process.

But there were a lot of sticky noses.

A lot.

We helped with the gardening.

And relieved the wild blueberry bushes of Acadia National Park of several pounds of blueberries.

So, if you, like us, have a bounty of blueberries on your hands, I have a new muffin recipe for you. It is low fat and low sugar and has whole grains, but don’t let that scare you—it is still a classic, gorgeous blueberry muffin. Best with wild blues, but we make it with the high-bush berries as well. Actually, this recipe is good with any berry. If you use frozen berries, don’t thaw them, and add 3-4 minutes to the cooking time.

Wild Blueberry Muffins

1 egg white

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1/4 cup canola or safflower oil

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon Boyajian’s lemon oil, or, lacking that, zest half a lemon (lemon flavoring is optional, of course, if you have neither the oil or a lemon, but is so good. Also good with orange oil or orange zest, particularly with cranberries)

1/4 cup maple syrup or henry [EDITED TO SAY, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? That’s HONEY, of course.]

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 generous cups of berries

Preheat the oven to 350, and coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick spray or muffin papers.

Whisk together the egg white, yogurt, oil, vanilla and maple syrup.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Stir.

Pour wet ingredients into dry, and fold together with a rubber spatula until moist but still slightly lumpy. DO NOT MIX WELL. Fold in the berries gently. DO NOT OVER MIX.

Scoop batter into muffin cups, and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350.

P.S. You might want to double it–they disappear fast!

P.P.S. Also good with blueberries and finely chopped peaches or nectarines. Just keep the total amount of fruit to 1 1/2 generous cups per batch.

P.P.P.S. Miss you all–I plan on being back WAY more regularly!

P.P.P.P.S. You okay with my posting client photos here? Because I clearly can’t have TWO blogs!

Food Friday: Fabulous Housewives and a Champagne Dinner for Eight

Who needs to be real housewives when you can be fabulous ones? A few brilliant and creative friends, (including Lucinda Wesson of creative design studio True & Wesson) recently engineered a send-off to a friend leaving our staid New England shores for sunny Florida. The send-off involved, among other things, a can of hairspray, seven pairs of false eyelashes, several pairs of tube socks and an awful lot of bronzer as we channeled a retro Florida fabulous groove in her honor.

Thankfully, the evening also involved a fantastic progressive meal (plus a stop in a local establishment before the main course to be SURE our outfits were appreciated). The menu? From “A Party with Fizz” in the June 2007 issue of Bon Appetite. The food? Fabulous.

The complete menu is available here, and it was just terrific, from the Shiitaki, Goat Cheese and Chanterelle Pizza appetizers,  the salad, the Roasted Shrimp in Champagne-Shallot Sauce, the delicious Orzo Risotto and the amazing Blue Lake Green Beans with Lemon and Thyme that we all raved about.

Menu cards and table design by Chocolate Creative Design/Lucinda Wesson, china and stemware from the extraordinary and lovely collection of the bronzest housewife of all, Heidi,  who bravely hosted this dinner.

I can only take responsibility for the Lemon Cream Tart, and hardly at that because (come closer, I’m going to whisper this) I didn’t actually make the crust, but used a premade one. I’ve never done this before, and I was really surprised at how okay it was. Or perhaps it was the champagnes paired with each course that dampened my ability to be critical of pie crust. In any case, the recipe is easy and so darn good, especially with a bit of Raspberry-Apricot Compote with Champagne and Lemon Verbena on the side. I’m just saying. Lemon Cream Tart Crust

• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 large egg yolks

Filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

For crust: Butter bottom (not sides) of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Blend flour, sugar, grated lemon peel, and salt in processor. Add butter; blend until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolks; blend until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Press onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Freeze crust until firm, about 15 minutes. DO AHEAD Crust can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep frozen. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake crust 5 minutes. Press up sides with back of fork if falling. Continue to bake until golden, pressing up sides as needed, about 18 minutes longer. Cool completely. Maintain oven temperature. For filling: Whisk sugar, eggs, yolks, and lemon peel in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk in lemon juice and wine. Cook over medium heat until custard thickens and just begins to bubble, whisking constantly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Cool to just warm, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Gradually whisk in cream. Pour filling into crust. Bake tart until filling is set in center and begins to puff at edges, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

If you have your own party, you’re going to need a little of this–SERIOUS hairspray and nearly illegal coral lipstick.

For the full, fabulous experience, enjoy our extremely fabulous slide show here.  And let me know if you are having your own fabulous housewives party, because I want to come!

Food Friday: It’s a (smoked turkey with mango and curried mayo) Wrap

I know, I know, it has been so long since I’ve posted a Food Friday you’ve completely written me off. But just when you think you need to go elsewhere for sustenance, HERE I AM. And you might even forgive me for this on, it is so darn good.

I first had this a few years back at my friend Ellen’s house in Maine, who is one of those cooks who subcribes to food magazines and ACTUALLY COOKS FROM THEM. I promptly wrote it down, I remember it about twice a year, and each time I am just blown away by how yummy and easy this is for summer eating. And in New England, I keep seeing mangos for super cheap in the grocery store, so this is your time to try this out.

Other than that, I’ll keep the commentary short and sweet–MAKE THESE!

Smoked Turkey Wraps with Mango and Curried Mayonnaise

Curried mayonnaise

• 2 teaspoons good curry powder (I love Zanzibar by Seasoned Pioneers)
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise (or regular, which is usually what I have)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Sandwiches

• 2 lavash wraps, each cut in half crosswise to make four 12×12-inch squares (Not sure what that all means. Get wraps that you like and adapt as necessary.)
• 8 ounces thinly sliced smoked turkey
• 4 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
• 2 cups thinly sliced seeded peeled English hothouse cucumber
• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced

For curried mayonnaise:
Stir curry powder in heavy small skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, about two minutes. Transfer curry powder to small bowl. Stir in mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

For sandwiches:
Place 1 lavash square/wrap on work surface. Spread lavash with 2 tablespoons (I like a little less, like half that) curried mayonnaise. Place 1/4 of turkey in center of lavash. Top turkey with 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup cucumber, 1/4 of mango, and 1/4 of cilantro. Top with 1/4 of avocado slices. Fold in short sides of lavash, then roll up like a burrito, enclosing filling completely. Repeat process for remaining 3 wraps. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap; keep refrigerated.) Cut wraps in half crosswise.

Courtesy of Bon Appetite and Epicurious.com

Food Friday: May Day Muffins

It’s a damp and cool May Day here, but that didn’t stop a herd of nursery schoolers in our town from delivering blooming baskets to unsuspecting neighbors all over town.

But before they delivered their wares, they fueled up with these May Day Muffins (it was our day to bring snack). Apricots and butter, yum.

May Day Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour (I used half all-purpose, half white wheat)

1 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

2 large eggs

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 cups dried apricots, diced

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the over to 375 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with muffin papers.

2. Mix four, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk yogurt and eggs together in a medium bowl. Gently fold the yogurt-egg mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in melted butter. (TAKE NOTE: I think I mixed too much, and my crust was SLIGHTLY tough. Definitely don’t over mix.)

3. Use a large ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean, with just a few crumbs. Be careful not to overbake. (25-30 minutes)

4. Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

(Easily customized, of course. If you don’t have apricots, make lemon-blueberry muffins, adding 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries. Or orange-cranberry. Or lemon-poppyseed. Or raspberry-almond. Or banana-walnut. You get the idea.)

After snack and basket delivery, it was time for the Maypole.

And on a completely different note, a wiser mom than me saw Henry permanently attached to me this morning, noted my frustration about not being able to walk three feet away from him without fuss, and quietly reminded me, “They won’t always need us. Enjoy it while they do.”  Thank you, Amanda. You are so right.

They also won’t always delight in making crowns of ivy and wearing them. I’ll snuggle up with them while they do.

Happy May Day!

Food Friday: Magnesium sulfate and sugar water

Today’s Food Friday was going to be an Ina Garten cookie recipe, and it’s a good one.

But instead,  I’m with my sister in the hospital while she staves off preterm labor on a cocktail of magnesium sulfate, and gets a drip of sugar water in lieu of food. She can’t eat, because she is waiting to hear if she will be having a c-section at 28 weeks into her twin pregnancy. Twenty-seven weeks into a mostly easy twin pregnancy, she was hospitalized with preterm labor, and now is fighting the dual complications of preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. The only real cure? Delivering her babies.

These little ones have a due date of  July 1, though,  and while we are most anxious to meet them, we were all hoping to wait just a little longer before we discover if H & W have two girl cousins, two boy cousins or one of each. (And JUST two cousins—last night my sister, her husband and I all stared, perplexed, at the THREE monitors banding her belly until the nurse explained the obvious–one for each baby and one for mom’s contractions. She assured us they had not discovered a third baby—yet, anyway.)

The babies don’t seem to notice their new locale. They are happy, growing and as hale and hearty as delicate 28 weekers can be. We spent time watching the “baby races” on the monitor—fetal heart rates burbling along, sometimes in synch, sometimes one sprinting briefly faster than the other…133… 145…141…138… My sister assured us she was fully aware of the sprints we were seeing on the monitor. We debated the old wives tales about heartbeat. Do you think slower heart beats are boys or girls?

So we wait. They test liver function and blood pressure and weigh those numbers against the fact that these little ones would really prefer another 9-12 weeks of  membership to club utero.  My sister and her husband are no strangers to critical care. This is the same hospital that provided a stem-cell transplant for my brother-in-law just a year ago. They have an easy rhythm with each other, with the infuriating flow and ebb of information, with the idiosyncrasies and personality pecadilloes of the hospital staff and with the knowledge that it is all out of their hands, once again.

Today they’ll assess her status, and determine a plan for today. And meanwhile, those heartbeats still percolate away…132…145…136…Boys or girls? I think those numbers mean HEALTHY.

Food Friday: Balsamic Chicken

Twin boys, age 2 1/2 weeks, still one week from their due date. Taken March 16, 2009.

Wondering what these gorgeous little loves have to do with Food Friday and chicken? Not much, except I made this when visiting these fellows last weekend, and I am convinced it is so easy even the sleep-deprived, frazzled parents of newborns might be able to make it. Might. Also, I couldn’t wait to post a preview of the photos we took, so here you go. This was my first time photographing twins, and lucky me, it won’t be my last—my sister and brother-in-law are expecting twins this summer, whee!

Matt and Leo are the lovely sons of our dear friends Jess and Dan, and another friend and I got the chance to spend the weekend with this new family of four. If you think cuddling a newborn is heavenly? Try two. While it certainly isn’t easy caring for needy wee ones around the clock and day after day, this mom and dad are already an amazingly synchronized team of completely equal caregiving, and I know they are all going to be just fine. Especially since they live around the corner from one of the world’s most amazing gelato experiences ever—84 flavors, I think.

Balsamic Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced or 1/2 teaspoon dried (and if you live near me, I practically have a rosemary hedge, so come take some off my hands)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4-6 Tablespoons white wine (optional)

1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Combine the rosemary, garlic, pepper and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Place the chicken in a large bowl, drizzle with oil and rub with spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (We have never done this, and nor would parents of newborn twins–just pour it all together and cook–the flavors are so pungent that advance marination doesn’t seem necessary!)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, spray a heavy roasting pan or iron skillet with cooking spray and place the chicken in the pan. Bake for ten minutes and turn the chicken over. If the drippings begin to stick to the pan, stir in a few tablespoons of water or wine (if using).

Bake about 10 more minutes on other side or until a thermometer in the thickest portion regiters 160 and the juices run clear. If the pan is dry, stir in another tablespoon of water to loosen the drippings. Drizzle the vinegar over the chicken in the pan. (Again, did not do this, mixed it all together and cooked. Nothing was dry.)

Transfer chicken to platter or cutting board.

You can do anything with this chicken–serve it with rice or potato or over pasta with broccoli. I like to make it into a salad, so I slice the chicken into long strips and then add what I have on hand—red pepper, grape tomatoes, cucumber, Parmesan cheese, olives—and sprinkle it all over red leaf lettuce, washed and spun dry. I either make a dressing with oil and vinegar or use Annie’s Goddess Dressing on top. YUM. (And, for those of you in the South Beach Diet way of thinking, all perfectly legal, you can even have blue cheese dressing!)

A great tip for busy families is to make this at the beginning of the week (double it, even!) and use the sliced meat  in sandwiches, salads, soups and quesadillas.

Hope you can find a moment to make this, Jess and Dan! Your boys are amazing and so are you, will send all the photos after the weekend.  xo

Food Friday: Chocolate-Filled Monkey Bread

Photo by Bake or Break

Dear Maria,

A few weeks ago I visited The Baker’s Store at King Arthur’s Flour, and you asked me to “think of a recipe you like, then get me what I need to make it.” A tall order, for sure. I roamed the aisles thinking, “Bread baking? Cookies? Pie? Brioche? Pizza? Crackers? Scones?” I considered almond flour, I pondered pizza crust flavoring and I examined the Great Wall of Chocolate while sipping an excellent cup of their Dancing Goat coffee.

And then I thought of the perfect Maria recipe: sweet, delicious, chocolatey and great for brunch, our mutual favorite meal—Chocolate-Filled Monkey Bread. In this recipe, individual chocolate-filled balls of sweet yeast dough are layered, rising into one magnificent loaf, a perfect centerpiece for any brunch. (Like the one we are both invited to later this month, hint, hint.) I tried this recipe at Christmas, made by my in laws, and it was delicious. They also gave me the cookbook, and Henry, Will and I enjoyed making it almost as much as eating it. You are going to love it.

Happy baking (and come visit SOON to collect your ingredients),

Love, Anna

Lora Brody’s Chocolate-Filled Monkey Bread

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons dough relaxer, optional (from King Arthur’s)

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 sticks butter at room temp

For the sake of brevity, I am going to share the stand-mixing technique, because that is what I use. Let me know if you are desperate for the hand-mixing method, the bread-machine method or the food-processor method.

The Dough

Place the flour, sugar, dough relaxer (if using), yeast, salt, eggs, 2/3 cup (6 ounces) of warm water and the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted witht he dough hook. Kneed on low speed until a ball stars to form, then increase the speed to medium and knead for 5-7 minutes, adding more flour if necessary to form a soft, supple ball of dough. Turn off the mixer, remove the dough hook, leave the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Gently deflate the dough, re-cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and as long as 24 hours.

To Assemble

Unsalted butter for the pan

25-30 pieces (1/2 ounce or so) of dark chocolate

1 stick unslated butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 cup sugar

(Can also use dried fruit with chocolate–cherries and apricots are particularly good)

Coat a 10 x5 x3-inch loaf pan (or a similar 8-cup capacity pan, like an angel food cake pan) with butter. Gently deflate the risen, refrigerated dough without kneading it—this will keep it relaxed and easy to roll. Place it on a slightly-floured work surface, and roll it into a 1/4-inch thick circle. Use a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter or other similar circles to cute 25-30 circles out of the dough, re-rolling and cutting any scraps. Place a piece of chocolate in the center of each circle, paint the edges of the dough with a little water, then gently stretch and mold the dough around the chocolate (or chocolate and dried fruit) to enclose it. (I actually skipped the water and it worked fine.) Pinch the edges together to form a neat package and (It helps to have an assistant here, I recommend your godson Henry for this task) dip each ball into the melted butter, roll it in the sugar and place it seam-side down in the bottom of the pan. Make two rows, then a second layer of two rows  resting on the spaces between the bottom pieces. Place any leftover balls of dough on top to make a third layer. Drizzle any remaining butter over the top, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar. Let the loaf rise, uncovered, at room temp for 30-40 minutes, or until almost doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven until 375F, with the rack in the center position. Bake for 60 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 200 F. It is essential to bake this break long enough for the insides to be cooked thoroughly, so if the top starts getting too dark before it is cooked, tent pan loosely with foil. (I could not have made this bread without an instant-read thermometer, because it will loose done on the outside long before it is done on the inside.)

Remove pan from oven and cool for 10 minutes on a rack before unmolding. Serve warm–best enjoyed the day it is baked, but reheats nicely wrapped in a clean towel in the microwave for just a few seconds. See you at brunch!

* * *

Last week’s I promised two lucky commenters a copy of a fantastic community cookbook, Galley Watch: Twenty Years of Cooking with Williams-Mystic. Not only did I have the pleasure of editing this massive collection of goodness, I was a bona fide  member of the community, so was able to add some of my family favorites to the brew, immortalizing my mom’s pound cake recipe, my sister’s stir fry, my aunt’s penchant for chocolate and my Scottish grandmother’s shortbread recipe. Yum.

Since I had a few rogue commenters in the group who didn’t want to be part of the draw (they already own it), I did the draw without the help of my friend random.org, and instead used my old friend, paper bag. And since this cookbook is so darn good, I decided to pick THREE of you. No thanks necessary, just invite me over for dinner. 🙂

Galley Watch winners are: Applecyder, Katy and Christina. (I’ll send ’em out next week, make sure I have your address!)

Food Friday: Frozen Strawberry Smoothies & Popovers

First things first:

The lucky winner of the King Arthur Whole Grains Cookbook is #1, Maria, as decided by the computer at Random.org. Maria, your cookbook will come from the folks Countryman Press next month!

Thanks for commenting, all, and I have another giveaway for today. Love this cookbook stuff.

At this point in the winter, I’ll do anything to break out of the breakfast rut, and here’s what we are having today:

Strawberry Smoothies

Take about 3/4 cup of yogurt per person (vanilla or plain, cows milk, soy, whatever you have on hand)

About 5-8 frozen strawberries per person

About 1/3 a banana per person

About 1-2 Tablespoons of orange juice per person or one teaspoon of honey

Add all this to the blender or food processor, give it a whirl until strawberries are blended and mixture is pink.

If you like, sneak in 2-3 Tablespoons of ground flax seed at this point and whirl again—with all those strawberry seeds, they’ll never know, and what shiny coats they’ll have.

Pour and drink your lovely pink brew!

I could stop here, but this morning I had requests for popovers, so I could use this classic recipe or this easy one that we use all the time, even on the occasional school morning.

Never-Fail Popovers

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

Do not preheat oven. Break eggs into bowl and add milk, flour and salt. Mix (do not beat) well with spoon. (Disregard lumps.) Grease 6 to 8 custard cups (or a popover pan) well with unsalted butter. Fill each 3/4 full with batter. Place in a cold oven in lowest position. Turn to 450, and do not peek until 35 minutes have gone by. Large ones may take more time. Turn off oven, pierce with a sharp knife and leave in over for five more minutes so they will not be soggy. Perfection! (Note, I never do this and I don’t think they are soggy!) Serve with butter and jelly.

So, want to win the cookbook featuring these yummies and many more? I edited a community cookbook called Galley Watch for an educational organization I worked for more than ten years ago, and still go to it every single week–crammed full of amazing recipes, I would probably take this one with me to a desert island, at least one with a Whole Foods or Wegmans! If you want a copy, leave a comment, and two lucky readers will get their own copy. Happy cooking!

Food Friday: Whole Grain Baking with King Arthur and a giveaway

Cooking with whole grains or their only slightly processed cousins (rolled oats, wheat flour) is habit around our house. I have a near aversion to the anemic look and nutritional void of white-flour creations, or perhaps it just a way to justify eating more of my favorite flour-based foods: pancakes, muffins, breads, waffles, cookies, cakes, etc.

My usual approach is to replace from one-third to two-thirds of the white flour with King Arthur’s Organic White Wheat Flour, and I swear you’d never know it—if you’ve eaten pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, oatmeal cookies, any kind of muffin or chocolate chip cookies  at my house in the last few years, guess what—you had white wheat flour. But as your taste begins to stray away from plain white, it becomes even more fun to see what you can add. Pancakes, for example: I don’t use any white flour at all, but instead use white wheat or whole wheat flour mixed with a nutty, grainy colorful corn meal. Everyone in my house devours these. To muffins, I have a similiar routine: I add handfuls of rolled oats or oat bran, spoonfuls of ground flaxseed, wheat germ or flours ground from oats, barley or spelt. And when  baking bread with my trusty Zojirushi, I toss in handfuls of bulgur or millet to whatever my flour mix of the day might be.

However. I was fully ready to concede that SOME things, like my beloved croissants and fine-grained cupcakes and other desserts perform best without hearty, healthy ingredients in the mix. Until I received a copy of  Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains by King Arthur Flour.

I basically want to marry all of the King Arthur cookbooks, and this one is no exception. My willy-nilly approach to a handful here and there of nutrition booster is kid’s stuff compared to the fine kitchen science at work here. Sweet Plum Cake with Rum Frosting, Double Fudge Brownies, Nectarine Upsidedown Cake, Pull-Apart Cranberry Pecan Buns, Orange Cloud Pancakes, Caramel Blitz Torte, Chicken and Mushroom Pastry Pockets, Whole Grain Blitz Pastry Dough and yes, even my beloved Chocolate Croissants have a place in this book, and you won’t see any of them bulging with grains—the effect is subtle and the food is divine.

Since I know whole grains can be intimidating, I’ll start you off slow:

Homemade Whole-Grain Pancake Mix

Photos courtesy of King Arthur’s Flour

• 4 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned or rolled oats (the five-minute kind, not the quick-cook kind)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 cup safflower or canola oil

You make this mix, and then store it in the freezer, so you’ve got ready-made pancake mix in the house, without all the trans fats, corn syrup and other additives in the grocery store version. While we just usually make pancakes from scratch each time, I can’t figure out why I never thought to make it up ahead of time, brilliant!

• 16 ounces King Arthur white whole wheat flour
• 4 1/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 12 1/4 ounces old-fashioned or rolled oats
• 1 1/2 ounces sugar
• 1 1/2 ounces baking powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 7 ounces vegetable oil

To make the mix:

1) Grind the oats in a food processor until they’re chopped fine, but not a powder.

2) Put the flour, oats, and all other dry ingredients into a mixer with a paddle. Mix on slow speed, and drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running.

3) Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature, or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make pancakes:

1) Whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup of buttermilk (you can use soured milk, but buttermilk gives noticeably superior results; a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk also will do), and 1 large egg. Don’t worry if it seems thin at first: the oats will soak up the milk, and the mix will thicken a bit as it stands. Let the batter stand for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

2) Heat a lightly greased griddle to 350°F (if you’ve got a griddle with a temperature setting; if not, medium-hot will do).

3) Drop the batter onto it in 1/4-cupfuls  to make a 4″ diameter pancake.

4) When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface without breaking (after about 2 minutes, if your griddle is the correct temperature), turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side, which will take about 2 minutes.

5) Serve pancakes immediately, or stack and hold in a warm oven.

Yield: a batch using one cup of the mix will make about eight 4″ pancakes.

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk in the house, but do have buttermilk powder, try this: In place of the buttermilk, add 2 tablespoons buttermilk powder to 1 cup of dry mix, then stir in 1/3 cup water and 1 large egg.

Variation: Add 1 tablespoon orange juice to the dry mix along with the buttermilk. The acidity and sweetness of the orange juice helps mellow the tannic taste some people perceive in whole wheat flour; while the pancakes won’t have any orange flavor, they may taste slightly milder to you, if you’re not a fan of whole wheat flour (but still want to get more whole grains into your diet).

• If you’re not in the habit of having buttermilk around, reconsider: you can freeze leftover buttermilk, in 1-cup portions, for future batches of pancakes.
• These pancakes hold in a low oven for half an hour without getting tough or rubbery, and they’re more than willing to act as a vehicle for any kind of fruit addition, such as peach, raspberry, banana-walnut,  blueberry and cranberry-apricot.

So, you say if you made it this far, never mind the pancakes, where’s that whole-grain chocolate croissant recipe?

You’ll have to find it for yourself—leave a comment below to be entered into a giveaway for their copy of Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains by King Arthur Flour, available from Countryman Press. Believe me, you WANT this book.

Winners will be announced next Friday, when I am back from my annual trip to Baker’s Mecca King Arthur’s Baker’s Store in Vermont.

Good luck!