Cookies that contain candy.

OK so I know the holidays are almost over and most of you are sick of sweets, but I had to share a couple of cookie recipes that I made this Christmas season before I forget about them. Incidentally, both of these would be a good way to use up some of that candy you got in your stocking if your haul happened to include candy cane kisses or Rolos (neither of which are that great when eaten plain, in my opinion).

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies (adapted slightly from ourbestbites.com)

(Image courtesy of Our Best Bites)

I made these cookies for a Christmas party with my high school girlfriends and they were a hit. Since then I’ve made them using both the shortening and butter mixture the recipe recommends and just butter alone. I have to say I prefer the butter, since shortening freaks me out a little and it didn’t seem to make that much difference in the texture of the cookie.

1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening
1/2 c. real butter
OR
1 cup butter

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
48 Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped

1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy.
3) Add the eggs and vanilla.
4) Meanwhile, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
5)Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the centers are set but still soft.
6)Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 minute. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss. Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss

Rolo Cookies (from the Ivory Favorites cookbook)

I originally bought Rolos intending to make an entirely different treat, but after finding out that peanut butter is literally the only flavor of M&Ms not available in holiday colors (a fact that seriously baffled me) I had to put the kaibosh on that idea. These cookies were a more than adequate substitute.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Bag of Rolo candies, unwrapped
2 Tbsp. sugar for rolling the cookie dough balls in (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees .

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.

3. With a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

4. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture and blend well.

5. Using your hands, shape dough into small balls (mine were about the size of a ping pong ball, maybe a little smaller).

6. Press Rolo into center of ball and cover with dough.

7. Roll dough ball in sugar ( I skipped this step because I’m not a fan of that sugary texture) and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

8. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until tops of cookies are slightly cracked.

9. Remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

White Chili

Is there a better winter dinner than warm, hearty soup? I made this one for a Jazz party and a friend asked for the recipe. Hansol, this one's for you:

White Chili

2 tablespoons oil (the recipe recommends vegetable but I use olive)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 (9 oz.) package frozen white corn (preferably shoepeg)
1 large clove minced garlic
2 (15 oz.) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans chopped green chiles
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons lime juice

Garnishes (optional):
Sour cream
grated cheese
tortilla chips

1) heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onions and garlic and saute for about five minutes until onion is soft and translucent.
2) Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then let soup simmer for 20-30 minutes.

A roundup of Thanksgiving desserts

OK, I know I probably should have gotten around to posting this sooner, before it was almost Christmas and you all still had Thanksgiving on the brain, but I am nothing if not the queen of procrastination. I am also the queen of stealing good ideas, so after years of hearing about people having pie parties the night before Thanksgiving in order to more fully enjoy the dessert portion of the holiday meal, I finally got my act together this year and had one of my own.

I’m not too big on pies, and I figured that most people would get their fill of them after Thanksgiving dinner, so instead I called my function a dessert party, and it was really just an excuse for me to bust out all the autumnal baked goods recipes that I’d had bookmarked for months but never made.

The party itself turned out to be quite fun, and, in my opinion, a perfect way to spend the night before Thanksgiving. It consisted of an assortment of friends and family dropping by to eat and mingle, with the Jazz game and baby Anna providing ample entertainment. On a cold, snowy night, our house felt warm and cozy as it was packed with people. This gathering might just have to become a tradition.

Of course I failed to take a single photo that night, including one of the dessert table. Luckily I found all of the recipes I made that night on the internet, so I’ve posted the links to the recipes (along with beautifully styled food photography that you sure won’t find on this site) and included my opinion of them, along with any changes/adjustments I made.

Pumpkin Brownies (via Smitten Kitchen and marthastewart.com)
I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, but the original can be found on Martha Stewart’s site. The Smitten Kitchen version reduces the amount of sugar in the recipe, which I’m thinking is a mistake. As much as I normally like my desserts on the subtle side, this one could have used a little more sweetness.

Overall, though, these were very good. Moist, dense, and a great take on the pumpkin/chocolate combination. I did make them in a 9X13 pan instead of the recommended 9x9 (which I would suggest doing unless you like your brownies really thick) and if I were to make them again I would probably drop the final pumpkin layer onto the chocolate batter in big spoonfuls, then swirl in with a butter knife, rather than just pouring it on. I’m thinking I would get a better marbleized effect this way.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding (via foodnetwork.com)
Thing is, I love the flavor of pumpkin but hate the smooth, gooey texture of pumpkin pie. When I saw this dessert on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay I knew it would be a perfect nontraditional take on the flavor of the season. It turned out delicious.

I skipped the caramel apple sauce on this one, and, due to a stove burner that likes to lie about its temperature, curdled the freaking crème anglaise. After losing my mind a little over the fact that I had just wasted a ton of egg yolks and a pricey vanilla bean, I set about googling ways to remedy the situation. I read through a bunch of complex solutions that would have been impossible given the temperamental state of the aforementioned stove before coming across a suggestion to just throw the sauce in a blender. Miraculously enough, it worked. A few whirls in the blender turned a curdled mess into a sauce as silky and creamy as any crème anglaise I’ve ever had. Thank goodness for the internet.

Other changes: left the bread out to dry the night before instead of toasting it, omitted the bourbon.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (via Smitten Kitchen)
Ah, the dessert that took 5 years off my life. After baking this cheesecake for ten minutes longer than the recommended time, the thing still jiggled like crazy. I gave it ten minutes more, then spent the next few hours obsessing over whether or not it would set. Luckily it did, and ended up looking exactly like the photos on the website. Crisis averted.

This cheesecake was good in terms of flavor, but I think I would like the filling to be a little more dense. Or maybe I did just underbake the thing. Who knows. I left the bourbon out of this recipe as well.

Rustic Apple Tart (via marthastewart.com)
I’m always looking for new apple desserts and this one seemed like a good variation on the traditional pie. I actually never got to taste this tart, as it was gone before I had a chance to, but everyone that tried it said it was good. However, if I had found it earlier I think I would have tried the Pioneer Woman’s approach to this dessert, as it seems infinitely easier and results in no pieces being left without those delicious puffed edges. Leave it to Martha to make things complicated.

Pecan Chocolate Pie (via She Wears Many Hats)
This was a “filler” dessert that I quickly threw together because I had all the ingredients and wanted to add something more traditional to the spread. I’m not a huge fan of pecan pie, but those that are said this one was great. Although the recipe doesn’t state this, I would recommend covering the edges of the pie crust in tin foil for all but the last twenty or so minutes of baking time. Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed a pattern already, my version of this pie was bourbon-free.

Baked Brie with Red Pepper Jelly (via Our Best Bites)
Ok, so I know this isn’t a dessert but I wanted to provide something not completely sugary in case people weren’t in the mood for sweets. So I served this baked brie and a mound of blue cheese drizzled with honey (sounds weird but is so good) alongside some sliced fruit and crackers. My only complaint about baked brie is that, unless you keep it warm somehow, it congeals fairly quickly, so I might not serve it next time I have a party like this. But I did love the combination of brie and red pepper jelly, especially when eaten with pear slices.

Fast White Bean Stew

In an effort to eat better quality food, I recently started buying my meat from a local farm. This is advantageous in a lot of ways, but one of the few disadvantages is that you can’t pick and choose your cuts. With our recent pork order, for example, I received a few packages of thick, uncooked ham slices. I’m not a big fan of ham, so they sat in our freezer for the past couple of months until Mike, thinking that they were ordinary deli-style ham slices, put them in the fridge to thaw.

Imagine his disappointment when he realized that the contents of the package marked “ham slices” would not be going on a sandwich with mustard and cheese anytime soon. Instead we cooked the ham, cubed it, and, while Mike ate some of it in omelettes and the like, I went looking for a soup recipe to use it in. In my search I came across mostly split pea soup (which I love but Mike hates, so no go), or rich, creamy stuff like corn chowders that weren't what I was feeling at the moment.

I probably would never have made the recipe posted below if not for all the glowing reviews it received on epicurious.com. At first glance it seemed too minimalist to create a great soup and the ingredients struck me as kind of an odd mix. However, I had all the ingredients on hand so I decided to trust in the reviewers and make a batch. And man am I glad I did. This soup was incredibly quick and easy to make, yet it had the complexity and flavor of something that had been simmering away for hours. It was hearty and satisfying but still healthy: a perfect weeknight dinner for the busy, food-filled holiday season. If only I had some more ham…

White Bean Stew (From Gourmet Magazine, January 2007, via epicurious.com)

I did tweak this recipe just a little bit. Like many reviewers, I used baby spinach instead of the romaine or arugula that the recipe recommended. I also added a little bit of paprika and cayenne pepper to the soup to give it a little heat. Red pepper flakes would probably also work well. Oh, and I skipped the toasts. I thought this soup was filling enough not to need bread served with it.

2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can stewed tomatoes (I used Italian style)
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (3 cups)
1 (1/2-pound) piece baked ham (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (5-ounce) bag baby romaine, baby arugula, or baby spinach (10 cups loosely packed)
8 (3/4-inch-thick) slices baguette
pinch of paprika and cayenne pepper, if desired

1) Cook garlic in 1/4 cup oil in a 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
2) Coarsely cut up tomatoes in can with kitchen shears, then add (with juice) to garlic in oil.(I skipped this step and just broke up the tomatoes with a spatula when I added them to the pot).
3) Stir in broth, beans, ham, and pepper and bring to a boil.
4) Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in greens and cook until wilted, 3 minutes for romaine or 1 minute for arugula.
5) While stew is simmering, preheat broiler. Put bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil.
6) Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat until golden, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Toffee Apple Dip

I have kind of a complex about people coming over to my house. When we have guests over I don’t really care if the house is spotless or if my spaz of a dog is under control, but what I do freak out over is ---no surprise here--food. I need to feed people, plain and simple. So when Mike called me last week to tell me that friends were coming over for a Jazz game at 5:00 that night, my mind immediately went into panic mode thinking that I had no time to make anything for dinner.

Mike quickly reassured me that, since it was an early game, we could all go to dinner afterward and not worry about eating at our house. That seemed reasonable to me, so I went about my day fully planning on providing our guests only with a space to socialize and enjoy each other’s company without plying them with food the way I usually do.

However, the moment I walked in the door from work this sensible plan flew right out of my head, and was replaced by my characteristically dramatic stream of crazy thoughts: “What if people are hungry? What if they come straight over from work and need a snack? What if they don’t feel comfortable enough to ask for something to eat so they spend the game starving and never want to come back to our house again? What if we become known as the people that never feed anyone and everyone hates us?!” So I made this apple dip.

This dip is a funny thing to watch people eat for the first time. They usually take a bite and immediately say “what is this?” then marvel at the fact that something that is essentially just cream cheese and sugar could taste this good. Definitely a crowd-pleaser. And yet I still worried that there might be someone without a sweet tooth present so I went ahead and made nachos at half-time. Did I mention I have issues?

Toffee Apple Dip (from the Ivory Favorites cookbook)

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
About half of an 11 oz. bag of Heath or Skor bits (just add to your liking)

1) Beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.
2) Stir in vanilla and toffee bits.

Butternut Chicken Curry

It surprises me how often I hear people make a blanket statement about not liking curry, since the term doesn’t really apply to one specific food or spice but a wide variety of South Asian dishes. To me a tangy, runny Thai curry tastes completely different from a thick, cumin-y Indian one. But that could be because I have yet to meet a curry that I didn’t like. In fact, once the weather starts getting cold and snowy like it did this week I immediately start craving Chanon Thai’s red curry with tofu. One bite of that stuff will chase the chill right out of you.

The curry recipe posted below is very much an Americanized, mild dish—perfect for those who are skeptical about eating this kind of stuff. I found it while looking through my cookbooks for a recipe to use up some butternut squash, specifically a savory one since it seems like most methods for cooking squash favor a sweet preparation involving cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. I loved the way this turned out—the bland, sweet flavor of the squash was a perfect complement to a slightly spicy, flavorful sauce. It was also simple to make and made for excellent leftovers throughout the week. Highly recommended.

Butternut Chicken Curry (from the Keeping Up Cookbook)

I did have to make a few tweaks to the original version of this recipe. I could tell at the outset that the one tablespoon of fish sauce it called for was going to be way too much so I reduced that amount, as well as the amount of onion. I added some carrots and red pepper, but you could really use any other veggies you want (potatoes, snap peas, mushrooms, etc.). I also had issues with my sauce being way too thick. I’m thinking this is because my chicken took twice as long to cook as the recipe indicated, so the squash broke down a bit and thickened the sauce. I solved this problem by adding some hot water every time it got too gloopy, but in the future I think I’ll just start cooking the chicken earlier in the recipe.

Note: most grocers carry curry paste, coconut milk, and fish sauce but you can find this stuff for a lot cheaper at your local Asian market.

1 small butternut squash, seeded, peeled and diced
1 (14 ounce) can of unsweetened coconut milk, lite or regular
1 heaping tablespoon mild Indian curry paste, such as Patak’s*
1/2 medium onion, diced
3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (I only used 2)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks (or a bunch of baby carrots cut in half, which is what I used)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
1 tsp. salt

1) Place squash and carrots in a microwave-safe dish and add enough water to just cover bottom of dish. Cover and microwave for several minutes until squash is tender. (mine took a lot longer than the "several" implies. About ten minutes total).
2) Drain water and set aside.
3) Bring 1/4 cup coconut milk and curry paste to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat, whisking constantly.
4) Add onion and bell pepper and saute for 5 minutes (I would probably add the chicken at this point, too, but I can’t say that definitely because I haven’t tried doing it yet).
5) Stir in remaining coconut milk, sugar, salt, and fish sauce, then add chicken, squash, and carrots.
6) Simmer until chicken is cooked through, stirring often, 6-8 minutes. Serve over rice, couscous, or pilaf.

*I bought the “hot” version of the recommended brand and it wasn’t too spicy at all. If you like a little heat to your curry, I would suggest buying something stronger than the mild variety and adding more of it.

A pizza fit for Fall

I like to think of pizza as a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless when it comes to sauce, cheese, toppings, etc. A while back I heard about a pizza made with butternut squash and blue cheese. I have no idea how I first found out about it (a google search revealed that the combo is pretty ubiquitous), but a rainy Sunday afternoon last week found me in the kitchen with some leftover pizza dough and blue cheese at my disposal, along with a squash sitting on the counter, so I immediately recalled that combination and got to work.

The end result of my experiment would have been perfect had my blue cheese not been oh-so-very-strong from sitting in my fridge for about a month. But even with the overpowering blue cheese flavor, this combo was still delicious. The saltiness of the cheese mingled perfectly with the sweet roasted squash, caramelized onions, and red bell peppers. Plus the combination of colorful ingredients made this pizza a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Eating it kind of eased my sorrow over the fact that grilled pizza season is over.

Autumn Pizza

I didn't list amounts for the ingredients in this recipe, since that is going to depend on how big your pizza is and how much of each topping you prefer.

One pizza crust (my basic dough recipe is posted here)
Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
Olive oil
Kosher salt
One sweet yellow onion
Red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Mozzarella cheese
Blue cheese (or another dry, crumbly, salty cheese such as feta)

1) Toss squash with enough oil to thinly coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 400 for about 40 minutes, or until squash is fork-tender.
2) Saute onions in olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 tsp. salt and saute until onions are golden brown and reduced, about 20-30 min. (This process is called caramelizing and you can find more detailed instructions here).
3) Roll pizza dough out to desired thickness (I like mine pretty thin). Place on a baking sheet that is either sprayed with cooking spray or dusted with cornmeal and brush with olive oil.
4) Top with desired amount of squash, onions, bell peppers, and cheese (I would suggest maintaining about a 4:1 ratio of mozzarella to blue cheese. But that amount depends entirely on how strong your cheese is).
5) Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes (or according to crust recipe directions).