Sugar Crinkles

These cookies come from a cookbook that my Mom has. It is a cookbook of recipes from bed and breakfasts throughout the country, and it's organized by state. This sugar cookie recipe is from Alaska. I made them twice this past weekend, and they came out really well.

Sugar Crinkles

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup shortening (I use unsalted butter)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Extra Sugar for rolling and sprinkling

Cream together the sugar, brown sugar, shortening, vanilla, and egg. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Roll into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on an un-greased baking sheet. Bake in a 350˚ oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. When the cookies come out of the oven, they will still be very soft on the top. Sprinkle a bit more sugar on them right away, so it sticks to the cookies as they cool. The cookies are best once they are cooled. Don't overcook, or the cookies will be too crunchy when they are cold.

The secret ingredient in this recipe is the cream of tartar. Definitely necessary. Also, this recipe supposedly makes 4 dozen cookies, but I don't see how that's possible. For me, it makes only 25 cookies or so. It can be good to double the recipe. It can also be good to add a chocolate chip or drizzle of chocolate at the top of each cookie as decoration when they are done. But they are also good plain.

Broccoli Crunch - from 101 Cookbooks

from 101 Cookbooks

(channy note: I used peanut butter instead of almond butter, and i candied some walnuts and pecans with balsamic, brown sugar, garlic powder, and cayenne)

The success of this salad hinges on the broccoli. Buy good-quality bright green broccoli with tight florets. Now that you have good broccoli, do your best not to overcook it - you don't want it turning to mush.

4 -5 cups tiny broccoli florets (and chopped stalks if you like)

1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup almond butter
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water

2 small crisp apples, cut into bit-sized pieces (if you aren't going to use the apples immediately, let them sit in a bowl of water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup toasted or candied walnuts or almonds
1/3 cup pan-fried crunchy shallots*
chives (optional)

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt as you would pasta water. Boil the broccoli just long enough to take the raw edge of - 10 or 15 seconds. Drain and immerse it in cold water (or let cold water run over it). At this point, I like to spin the broccoli in a salad spinner to get the water off, but a few good knocks against the sink in a strainer can do the trick pretty well. Set aside.

Make the dressing by sprinkling the salt over the clove of garlic. Smash the clove and chop, smash and chop - turning it into a paste. In a small bowl whisk the salty garlic paste with the almond butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil. Add the hot water and whisk until light and creamy. Taste, make any adjustments and set aside.

In a large bowl gently toss the broccoli, apples, red onion, most of the shallots and nuts with a generous drizzle of the almond dressing. Turn out onto a platter and finish with the rest of the shallots and chives if you like. Serve family style.

Serves 4.

*Stir together the shallots, a splash of clarified butter (or olive oil) and big pinch of salt In a large skillet over medium heat. Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about fifteen minutes. Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn), and if needed turn down the heat. Remove from skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer where they will crisp up a bit.

Potatoes Braised in Butter and Sake

this recipe was recommended by my sister, and is from "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant." It's super simple, and really really tasty.

• 4 medium potatoes (starchy ones, like russet)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup sake (filtered)
• 2 tbsp tamari or other soy sauce

1. Peel and chop potatoes into large chunks. Cover with water and boil until ender (about 10 min.) Drain.

2. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Add the potatoes and gently toss until each piece is coated with butter. Add the sake and cook on high heat, uncovered, stirring regularly, until the sake has almost evaporated. Add the tamari sauce. Lower the heat and continue to cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are covered with a thick, brown sauce.
Serve hot.

White Bean Soup

I made this soup the other night and it came out very nicely. I made it up as I went along, but based it on a leek and potato soup recipe....only I used beans instead of potatoes.

Ingredients:

3 cans of white beans (obviously using dried would work too, but that requires more planning)
3 large leeks, white and light green parts only
3 T butter
1/8 cup white wine
1 small white onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 carrots, chopped small
1-2 bay leaves
dash thyme
dash white pepper
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup milk
paprika to garnish

Directions:
Cut leeks and garlic into small pieces and put in large pot with the butter. Cook until the leeks are tender - it will smell really good. Add onion, tomato, carrot, wine, bay leaf. Cook for a few minutes, then add vegetable broth. Heat until simmering, then add beans, thyme, white pepper, black pepper and salt. Let simmer until carrots are tender. Pour soup into a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot and add milk. Heat again, then serve. Garnish with Hungarian paprika - the soup is a nice orange/pink color when it's all done.

Kyle liked this soup enough to have two helpings! So it must be good.

Poblano Eggplant Tart with Corn and Three Cheeses

I bought some beautiful poblanos and eggplants yesterday, and thought they'd make a delicious tart. In my fridge, I had chevre, a bit of ricotta, and some parmesan. I used frozen corn for some nice sweetness, and the yellow heirloom on my counter just begged to be in the mix. Voila!

Yeasted Tart Dough (recipe in previous entry)

3 Japanese eggplants
3 poblano peppers
3/4 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 medium heirloon tomato

3 tablespoons chevre
2-3 tablespoons ricotta
1 big handful of grated parmesan

Prepare the tart dough.

Roast the eggplants and peppers (whole) until soft. Put in a bowl covered with plastic wrap to steam them out of their skins. When cool enough to handle, peel skins and discard. Discard pepper seeds (don't run the peppers under water to rinse, they will lose a lot of flavor). Chop eggplant and peppers into small pieces.

Lay the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Spread the ricotta in a thin layer on the dough. Add peppers, eggplant, and corn.

Spoon on the chevre in small dollops. Cover with the parmesan. Thinly slice the tomato and lay the slices on top of the tart.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or so.

Yeasted tart Dough

This comes from the Greens Restaurant cookbook.

makes 1 9-inch tart

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons creme fraiche or unsalted butter, softened

Directions

1. In a bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in the water then move it to a warm place while you gather the other ingredients.
2. If the egg is cold warm it in a bowl of hot water.
3. Combine the 1 cup of the flour, salt, and lemon zest in a bowl and make a well in the middle.
4. Break the egg into the middle of the well; add the softened butter; and pour in the yeast mixture which should be foamy with bubbles.
5. Mix with a wooden spoon to form a soft smooth dough. Dust it with flour and gather into a ball. Set it in a clean bowl and cover with cling film or a kitchen cloth.
6. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk (about 45 minutes to an hour).
7. Flatten the dough place it in the centre of a 10 inch tart ring and using either your knuckles or the heel of your hand press it out to the edge of the ring. Add only enough flour to keep it from sticking. If the dough shrinks back while you are shaping it cover it with a towel and leave it to relax for 20 minutes before you finish pressing it out.
8. It should be thin on the bottom and thicker at the sides, about 1/4 inch above the rim of the pan.
9. It can be filled immediately or refrigerated until needed. Once the tart is filled, bake in the middle of a 375 degree oven.

Vegetarian Gumbo

I modeled this gumbo after one that is made every tuesday at Food Front Co-op here in Portland.

Cooked brown rice for serving

2-3 tablespoons of roux (recipe below)
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 cups vegetable broth
1 whole medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen okra, sliced
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with their liquid
1 dried chipotle chili (or less, depending on your spice tolerance), rehydrated, drained, and
chopped
a few shakes of tabasco sauce
1-1/2 tsp gumbo filé powder (ground sassafras leaves)
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 links Field Roast Mexican Chipotle "sausage"
1 package seitan, sliced

Make the roux: Melt 4 tbsp butter in a saucepan. When fully melted, gradually incorporate 4 tbsp flour. Stir until thick and golden, adding flour as you see fit.

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook 5-7 minutes until soft.

Add tomatoes, okra, seitan, "sausage," thyme, filé powder, tabasco, and vegetable broth. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes.

When the chipotle chili is fully rehydrated, chopped into little pieces and add. Take out the seeds for less heat. 1 chili + tabasco gave my gumbo a very strong kick.

Serve over brown rice. Serves 7-9

homemade sun-dried tomatoes

courtesy of ms. Lauren Baker who showed me how to make these the other night.
suuuuper easy and so good.

ingredients:
beautiful tomatoes - heirloom preferably, since they are prettier and taste good. long slices.
salt = joy of my life. lots (within reason)
olive oil. some
oven.

place tomatoes on a baking stone or tray. drizzle and sprinkle respectively, a healthy amount of olive oil and salt.
roast them for about 1.5 hours at 300F. They caramelize and get chewy and a bit syrupy. they are amazing.

put on salads. with pasta. on pizzas.

Pumpkin, Fennel and Mozzarella Calzones

I made calzones for the first time last night, and they turned out very well. I followed a basic crust recipe that I found online, and it worked pretty well. I'd definitely be interested in hearing about other calzone dough ideas though, since I think there was room for improvement. The filling I made up myself.

Makes 4 calzones

Dough:

1 package yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt (might be good with 1.5 tsp or 2 tsp)
1 T olive oil

Put yeast in bowl w/ water, sugar and salt - let sit for 15 minutes. Add flour, and mix with hand. The dough should seem almost too dry at first. Kneed for 10 minutes, until the dough becomes elastic and flour is completely incorporated. Put olive oil in a bowl and roll the dough in it so it becomes covered in oil. Let rise for 1 hour in a warm place, until doubled in size. Divide into 4 pieces, and let rise another 15 minutes.


Filling - this can be altered depending on what you have in the house:

1 medium onion
1 cup kabocha squash (or pumpkin), peeled and sliced very thin (I used a grater).
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 small fennel bulb
dash of wine
dash of balsamic vinegar
dash of salt
dash of pepper
dash of marjoram
dash of basil
dash of sage
olive oil
grated mozzarella cheese

In a saucepan, cook onions, garlic and fennel in olive oil. Once onions start getting soft, add the thinly sliced squash. Cook for a few minutes, then add tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes. Add wine, vinegar, salt, pepper, marjoram, basil, sage. Cook until the squash is tender. Set aside.

Optional: Sautee some Italian sausage (we used fully cooked chicken sausage) in a pan, and have that ready to add to the calzones as well.

TO FILL:

Take a ball of dough and roll it out with a rolling pin into a circle. Scoop in some of the squash mixture, and a generous amount of mozzarella cheese onto one half of the circle. Add sausage (if desired). Fold the dough over, and pinch the folds together. Make sure that they are completely sealed. Set calzone onto a greased baking sheet, brush with a mixture of egg and water, and cut two slits in the dough to allow release of air.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the calzones are brown on the bottom and lightly browned on the top. Serve with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

I think my friend might have taken pictures, so I will ask her and try to get them posted here. They were delicious :)

Refrigerator Pickles!

While Sandor Ellix Katz may snub his nose at these non-fermenting pickled cucumbers... I got the recipe from my CSA farm and they turned out to be delicious and super easy to make! and in only a couple of days.

Brine Solution:
1 quart vinegar (distilled or cider)
1 quart water
garlic cloves, peeled
3/4c sugar
1/2c salt
fresh dill or dill seed ( I suggest using some dill flowers if you can get them)

wash the cucumbers and place in a large container (must hold about 3 quarts of water) with the dill and garlic. make the brine solution by heating the water and dissolving the salt and sugar. Fill the container with the brine solution and add the vinegar. Put in the refrigerator for a 4 days.

enjoy!
xoxo
kareni

Anzac Cookies

from 101 Cookbooks

Anzac Cookie Recipe

1 cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat pastry)
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup finely shredded non-sweetened coconut
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into little cubes
2 tablespoons golden syrup or honey
zest of one medium orange

1 tablespoon boiling water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon orange blossom water*

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl; flour, oats, sugars, and coconut. Mix well.

In a small saucepan over low heat combine the butter syrup (or honey), and orange zest. Stir until melted and remove from heat. In a small bowl whisk together the boiling water and baking soda. Stir it into the butter. Now pour the butter mixture over the big bowl of oats and stir. Add the orange blossom water and stir again. This is a dough I like to mix it with my hands to make sure the butter is evenly distributed and the dough is moist throughout. I baked this batch of cookies in a well-buttered, heart-shaped cast iron pan, but you can simply drop them by the tablespoonful onto parchment lined baking sheets. Make sure they aren't too flat or they will get crispy. Bake for about 12 minutes or until deeply golden.

Makes 18 - 24 medium cookies.

Pedro's Arroz A La Cubana Recipe

My Spanish housemate made this for me the other day and I took notes. (They were also serving it at the restaurant next to work.)

There are three parts to this dish: (rice, tomato sauce and egg) and they magically come together at the end.

Rice:

1. Heat olive oil in pot.
2. Throw in chunks of garlic, cook till brown.
3. Add in water (twice as much as the amount of rice, and then a bit more).
4. Add some salt.
5. When the water begins to boil, throw in the rice and add a couple of laurel leaves.
6. As the rice sits, cook the other stuff.
   

Mom's tomato sauce:

1. Take your mom-picked tomatoes and cut them into two.
2. Grate the tomatoes and take out the skin in the process.
3. Take a pot, heat olive oil in pot.
4. Optional step 1: Add meat in pot, cook until almost done.
5. Optional step 2: Add chopped onions, cook until almost done. (If you do both optional steps, do 1 first, then 2.)
6. Add grated tomatoes into pot as well as much salt and sugar as you like (mom likes lots of sugar!). Also add other spices here as desired.
7. Cook on low heat for about 45 minutes, remembering to stir regularly.

Egg:

1. Take another pan and heat some olive oil in it.
2. Break an egg or two in the new pan and lap up the olive oil (using the spatula) on top of the eggs (instead of flipping the eggs) to cook it. (There is, as you can guess, quite a bit of olive oil to do this.)

1, 2, 3, combine!

1. On a plate, add in rice, slop on tomato sauce and toss the egg on top.

Enjoy!

Almond Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup ground almonds
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F°.
2. Spread and bake ground almonds on cookie sheet for 5 minutes till lightly browned.
3. In large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
4. Beat in the egg, extracts, and toasted ground almonds.
5. Gradually mix in the flour until well blended.
6. Scoop ping-pong ball sized amounts on ungreased cookie sheets and flatten with spoon to desired shape. (the cookies will not flatten while baking, they hold the same shape)
7. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cookies are lightly colored.
8. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk =)

Zucchini and Cilantro Soup with Chile and Mint

from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors

1 poblano/pasilla or 2 anaheim chiles
3 zucchini, 10-12 ounces
1 bunch cilantro, about 2 cups in all (i used much less and it was still delicious)
1 large onion
3 tablespoons sunflower seed or olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2-3 corn tortillas
sea salt
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock (or water)
juice of 1 or 2 limes
sour cream or yogurt, optional

1. Roast the chile, peel, remove seeds, and chip coarsely. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Wash cilantr and chop. Slice the onion.

2. Heat half the oil in a soup pot over medium high heat, then add the onion, cilantro stems, zucchini, chile, and mint. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is limp and the zucchini is fairly soft, about 10 minutes. Tear one of the tortillas into pieces and add it to the vegetables.

3. Add 2 teaspoons salt and the water or stock and bring to a boil. Simmer until zucchini is completely soft, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining cilantro. Let cool, then puree until smooth. Season with salt and lime juice to taste.

4. Cut the remaining tortilla into skinny strips and heat the remaining oil in a skillet. When hot, add the tortillas and cook until crisp. Set them on paper towels to drain. Serve the soup garnished with a dollop or sour cream or yogurt and little mound of tortilla strips.

Ottolenghi Red Rice and Quinoa

from 101 Cookbooks
I made this tonight for dinner and it. was. awesome.

1/4 cup shelled pistachios
1 cup quinoa
1 cup red rice (see headnotes)
1 medium white onion, sliced
2/3 cup olive oil
grated zest and juice of one orange
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
2 handfuls of rocket (arugula)
salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spread the pistachios out on a baking tray and toast for 8 minutes, until lightly colored. Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly and then chop roughly. Set aside.

Fill two saucepans with salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer the quinoa in one for 12 - 14 minutes and the rice in the other for 20 minutes. Both should be tender but still have a bite. Drain in a sieve and spread out the two grains separately on flat trays to hasten the cooling down.

While the grains are cooking, saute the white onion in 4 tablespoons of the olive oil until golden brown. Leave to cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl combine the rice, quinoa, cookied onion and the remaining oil. Add all the rest of the ingredients, the taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve at room temperature.

Makes a large platter.

Thai Chicken Salad with Mango and Ginger

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
teaspoon minced seeded Thai, hot red, or serrano chiles
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salad:
12 ounces skinned, boned chicken breast
2 cups sliced peeled mango (about 2 mangoes)
1/4 cup matchstick-cut peeled fresh ginger
4 cups mixed salad greens
2/3 cup torn mint leaves

Preparation

To prepare the dressing, combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl, and stir well with a whisk. Set dressing aside.

I used a stovetop griddle for the chicken- cut into large strips that will then get cut up later. Sear both sides, allow to cook through- 10 minutes or so - and sprinkle liberally with salt and black pepper. I also doused the chicken with a bit of fish sauce. Alternately, you could marinate it in a bit of the dressing.

Once chicken is cooked through, cut into shreds or smaller, bite-size slices. Toss with slicd mango, salad greens, mint, and ginger. Dress and serve.

Kale Slaw

I had some deliciously spicy kale slaw when I was up in Portland recently. I tried to recreate it at home:

a few big handfuls of curly kale, washed and chopped into bits
2-3 carrots, julienned

for the dressing:
olive oil
sesame oil
a splash of apple cider vinegar
chili flakes
cumin
coriander
a little squeeze of honey or agave nectar

mix it all together, and let sit for several hours before eating. It's best if you make it a day before you want to eat it.

I didn't have a lemon, but I think next time I'll use some lemon juice to balance out the honey.

Faux Coq au Vin

This is a quicker version of the French Classic. I peeked at Alton Brown's version on Food Network, and adapted, throwing out anything that took too long.

2 chicken thighs
flour
salt and pepper

1 small red onion, chopped
1 strip of bacon (I used pancetta)
3 cloves garlic
3 tsp tomato paste
about a cup of chicken broth
about a cup and a half of red wine (traditionally made with pinot noir - i used petite syrah)

pinch marjoram
pinch herbs de provence
small sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf

olive oil
1 tbsp butter
honey (optional)

Cover chicken thighs in salt and black pepper. Dredge in flour.

Heat olive oil in a cast iron. Cook onions until translucent.
Add pancetta.
Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and let brown- 2 minutes on each side.
Add garlic, tomato paste, herbs, and a bit of each of the liquids.

Cook on medium heat until reduced, and add more of the liquids and the butter.
Cover and let braise for about 20 minutes. Add the rest of the liquid after about 10 minutes.
When it was almost done, I added about a tablespoon of honey.

Serve with pasta. (Serves 2)

Thai Garlic Noodles

Melissa and I just made these noodles - I got the recipe from a friend at the chowhound picnic in the fall. The secret ingredient is the tianjin vegetable, which is preserved salted cabbage that comes in a lovely earthenware jar. You can buy it at the Asian market, and it really adds a lot to the dish. So does the entire head of garlic!

Tianjin vegetables

Garlic Noodles, Bamee Haeng (recipe from Kasma Loha-Unchit Clark)

1/2 cup peanut oil
1 head garlic, finely chopped
1 lb chinese thin noodles
1/4 cup tianjin vegetables
6 green onions
4 cups bean sprouts
3 tbs fish sauce
3 tsp sugar
cilantro
15 lettuce leaves
chopped peanuts
1 lb charsiew pork

Cook noodles. Drain and rinse.

Heat oil in wok. Fry the garlic until it starts to turn golden. Turn off heat, and drain off some of the oil. Add in all of the ingredients, and some chili flakes too if desired.

serve warm or at room temp.

Garlic noodles!

This recipe can be altered in many ways - we added some cabbage instead of lettuce, which was great, and we also added some green garlic. The fish sauce/sugar combo is important, so it would be hard to make this strictly vegetarian - but it would be great with some fried tofu instead of the pork.

These noodles taste awesome!

Pine Nut Rosemary Shortbread

from 101 Cookbooks
(I didn't have any lemons, so I left out the zest)

2 cups white whole-wheat flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour)
scant teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (natural cane) sugar
zest of one lemon
2/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and loosely chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Combine flour and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

In a separate large bowl or stand mixer cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and lemon zest and mix again, then add the flour mixture, nuts, and rosemary and mix until the dough goes just past the crumbly stage, and begins to really clump together (you don't want to over mix, but under mixing will make the dough seem a bit dry, which can make it difficult to handle). Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough just once or twice to bring it together, then divide it into a ball and flatten into a disk 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper of a Silpat mat. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into whatever shapes you desire, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sometimes I chill the dough in the freezer for another 10 minutes, it seems to help the cookies hold their shape - but you don't have to. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are beginning to brown on the bottom. The baking time will vary depending on the size of the cookies, taking less time for smaller cookies.

Makes about 2 dozen small cookies.

Variation: use chopped raw or toasted walnuts and 1 tablespoon coarsely ground coffee in place of the lemon, pine nuts, and rosemary.

Favorite Winter Salads

I've been chopping together a lot of salads lately— some with greens, some without. Thought I'd share a couple of my favorites:

-chopped snap peas and carrots with feta, currants, and sunflower seeds
-arugula with navel orange, avocado, and spicy candied pecans

I dressed both of these in meyer lemon juice and olive oil.

For the candied pecans, I heated the nuts in a skillet with a splash of balsamic vinegar, a few tablespoons of brown sugar, a dash of cayenne, and a little garlic powder.

When putting together a salad, I like to have some green, some sort of dried or fresh fruit, some crumbly or hard cheese, and some sort of seed or nut. For dressings, I typically do olive oil and whatever vinegar best suits the ingredients (beets=balsamic; carrots=white or apple cider; green beans=red wine), along with a spoonful of mustard and some spices (i'm a ground coriander fan). Lately, though, I've been revisiting the good ol' lemon-juice-olive-oil-salt-and-pepper trick. So easy, and so good! Especially with feta and citrus :)

Fillo Tart with Cauliflower, Leeks, and Gruyere

I made this tonight in Thomas's fancy kitchen, and it was awesome.

2 leeks, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 head romanesco, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped
frozen puff pastry
butter and egg for brushing
salt and pepper to taste
a good amount of gruyere

preheat oven to 400
saute leeks in butter until soft.
add cauliflower, romanesco, and jalapeño- cook until al dente. season to taste.
spread out fillo- brush each layer with melted butter- I used 6 layers on the bottom.
put cauliflower/leek mixture on fillo dough on a baking sheet.
top with abou6 6 more layers of fillo. brush top with egg wash.

bake for about 30 minutes, until cheese is oozing and fillo is golden brown and crispy!

Helen's Special Raisin Bread

I forgot how much I liked this bread, until I made it just recently for one of my classes. It is a really soft, and sweet crumb.
we made it a few times at leavenworth. it is from my bread bible, 'Home Baking' by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.
this recipe makes 2 medium sized golden loaves. enjoy!

2 c scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm
1 c warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
6.5 -8 c all purpose flour
1 large egg
1.5-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon salt
1 c moist dark raisins

combine the milk and water in a bowl. sprinkle on the yeast and stir in. add the sugar and 2 cups of flour and stir until smooth. let stand for several minutes. add the egg and butter and stir in, then sprinkle on the salt and stir in. continue to add flour a cup at a time until the dough becomes difficult to stir. flour a work surface generously and turn out the dough. knead for about 5 minutes, incorporating more flour as necessary until the dough is smooth, firm and elastic.

place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 3-4 hours, until not quite doubled.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and cut it in half. lightly butter 2 8x4 inch bread pans. flatten one dough piece to a rough rectangle about 8x10 inches. sprinkle on half the raisins, leaving a 4 inch wide band raisin free at a short edge. roll up the dough from the opposite edge and pinch the seam to seal, and place the seal seam down in one of the pans. repeat with other half. cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hr.

put the rack in the bottom 3rd of the oven and preheat at 425.
just before baking, brush the loaves with a little melted butter and slash twice crosswise. bake until golden, about 30 minutes. brush the tops of the loaves with a little butter and lower the heat to 375 and bake for another 5 minutes. remove from the pans. they should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. place on a rack to cool for 30 minutes.

Orzo with Kale, Pine Nuts, Raisins, and Fennel

about 1.5 cups orzo
1 bunch dino kale, chopped into bits
one handful pine nuts
1/2 medium bulb fennel

butter
olive oil
salt & pepper

-Cook orzo until tender in boiling water or broth.

-Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in a dry frying pan. When golden, add olive oil, kale, and raisins. Saute until kale is tender.

-Melt butter in another pan, saute fennel 8-10 minutes until tender, chop finely.

Mix all ingredients together - salt & pepper to taste. yum!

Pumpernickel Bread

This is the bread that I made on Christmas. It came out really well - I think I let it rise for longer than it says to on both rising periods, but following this recipe should result in great bread.

2 pkgs of yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups warm coffee
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 T caraway seeds
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup molasses
5-6 cups white flour
2 cups rye flour
1 egg white
extra caraway seeds and salt for sprinkling on bread

Dissolve yeast in water. Add coffee, cocoa, caraway, salt, molasses and 3 cups of the white flour. Stir. Add rye flour and enough white flour to make a smooth dough. Kneed. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour). Sprinkle greased cookies sheet with corn meal or flour. Punch dough, divide in half, shape into 2 balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Let rise again until double. Brush tops with eff white, slash with a knife, sprinkle with sea salt and more caraway seeds. Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

Balsamic Eggplant

1 medium eggplant, or 2-3 japanese eggplant
balsamic vinegar
brown sugar to taste
soy sauce
about 20 thai basil leaves
oil for saute
pinch of cayenne
sesame seeds for garnish
water
salt to taste

-Cut eggplant into cubes or small slices. Salt and let sweat for 20 minutes.
-Heat oil in a wok. When hot, add eggplant. Let cook for about 15 -20 min until tender.
-Add a healthy amount of balsamic (several teblespoons), about 1tbsp of soy sauce, up to 1/4 c brown sugar (do it to taste), and cayenne. Let flavors mingle and soak in.
-Taste the eggplant. If the flavors are too strong, add some water to the pan and let steam.
- Add thai basil leaves and sesame seeds and let cook for another 2 minutes or so.