ULTIMATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

These shortbread cookies melt in your mouth, they are super easy to make (with few ingredients) and they are foolproof!!

 I have been trying different shortbread cookie recipes for years and they have always been a pain. Either the dough is crumbly and hard to roll out, or the "easier" ones that you pat into a pan look ugly to me (lol) and then there are the ones that handle beautifully, but you don't get that melt in your mouth shortbread taste. Well, I'm happy to report that I have found a winner... todays recipe it is absolutely perfect!!

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2 cups of butter (room temperature)
1 cup of granulated sugar
4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract (see note)
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In a stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter, sugar and extracts until the mixture is light and fluffy (2-3 minutes on high).
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Add the flour, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition.
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Roll the dough into two logs and wrap in plastic wrap, then chill until very firm.
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After "logs" are very firm, roll them in sprinkles nor nuts (optional) and slice into ¼" slices. Bake on ungreased baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes (mine were lightly golden in 18 minutes). Cool on baking rack.
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NOTE: The coconut extract isn't absolutely necessary, but its such a nice addition. The funny thing is, is that you do NOT taste coconut, but you do taste a richness and sweetness that is slightly reminiscent of those Danish cookies that come in a tin at Christmas (but even better). If you don't use coconut extract, just use all vanilla extract.

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Crazy For Casseroles

As I mentioned earlier, Harry Lowe, gifted me with the worlds best casserole dish and I have been vigorously using it. There are few food things that Southerner's know better than a good casserole. So naturally one should turn to fellow Southerner, James Villas for tips on that classic. It is said that every great Southern hostess has several casseroles carefully frozen in the freezer just in case someone were to die and a quick funeral dish was needed.

As Villas points out, the 1970's were not kind to casseroles. (Frankly, I am not so sure that the 1970's were kind to much of anything, but I digress...) Some canned soup and crumbled cereal do not a casserole make. In Crazy for Casseroles, Villas gives the reader a staggering 275 casserole options. That is a lot of casserole action. Many of the casseroles will be familiar, many of them are derived from friends and family. Villas has a lot of friends and it is amazing how many of them have a fave casserole. This one was inspired by a casserole from David Page's restaurant, Home.

David’s Chicken, Ham, Artichoke, and Pasta Casserole

1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium-size onions, minced
2 large celery ribs, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups milk
1 cup diced cooked ham
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
4 large artichoke hearts (cooked fresh or bottled), quartered
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pound rigatoni, cooked according to package directions and drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 3- to 3 ½ -quart casserole.

2. In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over low heat, add the onions, celery, garlic, and nutmeg, and
stir till softened, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir 2 minutes longer. Add the
wine, increase the heat to moderate, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the milk and stir till thickened,
about 3 minutes. Add the ham, chicken, artichoke hearts, and sour cream and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the pasta and cheese and toss till everything is well blended.

3. Transfer to the casserole, sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the top, drizzle the melted butter
over the crumbs, and bake till bubbly, about 30 minutes.

I say, stick that tuna casserole in the freezer for your next funeral and serve this one up in a festive celebration.

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CHERRY CHEESECAKE PIE

Last week, Debbie, over at Mocha Me, posted a raspberry cream cheese pie that sounded quick, easy and tasty. It had a chocolate crumb crust, a layer of fresh raspberries, a baked cream cheese filling and a chocolate drizzle.
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On the day I wanted to make the pie, we were snowed in with a foot of new snow so I had to improvise on some of the ingredients. The final result was excellent and I will be making this versatile recipe often, thank you Debbie!!

I didn't have raspberries, so I substituted some frozen dark sweet cherries and made a cooked filling to go under the cheesecake layer. I'm sure you could use almost any fresh, canned or cooked fruit under the cheesecake layer (it is a very user friendly recipe).
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CRUST
1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
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Mix all ingredients and press into a 9" pie plate (no need to grease) and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes (I let mine cool for about 10).
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FRUIT LAYER
2 cups of fruit (I used frozen dark sweet cherries cut in half).
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract
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Cook the fruit & sugar together until it is tender (the fruit will make its own juice). While its simmering, stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water. Simmer until juices are very thick, remove from heat and stir in extract. Pour into bottom of crumb crust and set aside.
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CREAM CHEESE LAYER
4 ounces of cream cheese (room temperature)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
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Beat the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together, add the lemon juice, vanilla and egg and beat until smooth. Pour over the fruit layer. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let pie cool on a rack for about 30 minutes before you chill.
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GLAZE
Mix ¼ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips with ¼ cup heavy whipping cream and heat (over low heat) until the chocolate melts. Drizzle over baked pie. Chill pie for several hours.




NOTE: When chilled, this cuts beautifully.

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CARROT CAKE with PINEAPPLE

This recipe has been in my recipe box for so long, that it seriously needs to be replaced. It is covered with thumbprints and little vanilla splash stains that have accumulated over the last 30 years. Every time I see the card, it reminds me of the times I made this for my children and I can't bring myself to make a new card. It is a deliciously MOIST and easy cake.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple (most of a 20 oz. can)
1 cup chopped pecans
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Mix the dry ingredients and set aside. With an electric mixer, beat eggs and oil until very well combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Stir in the nuts, grated carrots & pineapple (squeeze it dry then measure it...it will take most of a 20 ounce can). Stir until smooth.
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Pour batter into a greased and floured pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. If you are using a 9" x 13" pan, bake it for 1 hour. If you are using a large tube pan, like an angel food pan, bake it for 1 hour and 10 minutes. There is just a little too much batter for MY bundt pan, but if you have a BIG bundt pan, bake it for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick.
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Let baked cake rest for about 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan.

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Picasso & Pie

I love the kismet of blogging. Case in point. I recently picked up this odd little cookbook. I liked the title. It seems that there was "The Ladies Social Library of Blue Hill" in Blue Hill, Maine. The ladies formed a library in 1796. In the 1950's they held fundraisers for the Library. One particular fundraiser involved rather "avant-garde" paintings. They entitled their fundraiser "Picasso & Pie." The "pie" was so popular that the Blue hill Buffet was established. A collection of recipes was gathered and later put into a nice hardback format. Just like the one I bought.

So, because I procrastinate extensively, I put the book into my pile of cookbooks to blog about. You can imaging my surprise when I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Down East Dilettante. He had a quiz which included the following questions:

How are this unknown lost mid-century building...

Robert Motherwell...

Blueberry Pie...

Quincy Marketplace...

and my local library, all connected?

The answer was in an article in the New York Social Diary. When I clicked on the article I found EVERYTHING I would ever need to know about Picasso & Pie by Lynne Thompson and so much more.

Here is their signature dish from Lynne, The Down East Dilettante and Cookbook Of The Day:

Blueberry Ambrosia

2 1/2 quarts of water
thin cut peel of one lemon
small amount of tangerine rind (if possible)
small stick cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Simmer the blueberries, lemon rind (and tangerine rind) in the 2 1/2 quarts of water until the berries are soft.

Strain and put the berries through a sieve or puree them finely in ta blender. Return to strainer juice. Mix the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in about 1/2 cup water and add to mixture.

Simmer 5 minutes.

Chill to iciness and serve with whipped cream which has been sweetened to taste. Dust the cream lightly with cinnamon.

Enjoy the recipe but not without The Down East Dilettante.

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CLASSIC BREAD PUDDING

"Classic" recipes are classic for a reason; they are great old recipes. Bread pudding is one of those classic recipes that most people have a fond childhood memory of. It doesn't take any special ingredients, it is inexpensive and easy to make. It is total comfort food, so it works well for any family gathering or holiday.

10 slices of white bread cubed (see note)
¼ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
½ cup raisins (soaked)
6 eggs lightly beaten
¾ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups hot milk
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Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking spray. Put your raisins in a small dish and cover them with boiling water and ½ teaspoon of rum extract (if you don't have rum extract, just leave it out, but its very good).
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Cube the bread (you can leave the crusts on or take them off, whichever you prefer). Place the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish and set aside.
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Heat the milk, sugar, butter and salt until the butter melts (I use microwave), add vanilla & spices and whisk in the beaten eggs (whisk while adding the eggs).
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Drain the raisins (throw away the liquid) and sprinkle them over the bread cubes. Pour the egg -milk mixture over the bread cubes. Let this sit for 15 minutes (important).
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Before baking, sprinkle the surface with a little cinnamon sugar (or just sugar) and bake 30-40 minutes (my oven takes 35 minutes). Bread pudding is done when knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm (not hot) with whipped cream or ice cream.

NOTE: This recipe works better with bread that isn't super fresh/soft. Specialty breads like brioche or egg bread work well.

NOTE: When making this for company, I use raisin bread, and I let it sit out in the air for a couple of hours to remove some of the breads moisture. I don't add other raisins.

NOTE: I hope you will all go over to Sweet as Sugar Cookies and take a look. Lisa, is hosting the neatest "Sweets for a Saturday" post. Tons of sweet goods to inspire you!!!

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SUBWAY SWEET ONION CHICKEN TERIYAKI SANDWICH

This is a "knock off" recipe for Subway's sweet onion chicken teriyaki sandwich. It is delicious, only about 370 calories and very quick to fix (as long as you make the sweet onion sauce a day ahead).

 

 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
.¼ cup soy sauce
¾ cup pineapple juice
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
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Bring everything but the chicken to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes or until it starts to reduce. Cool completely and pour over the chicken, cover and refrigerate the chicken for about 30-60 minutes.
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When it's time to eat, take the chicken out of the marinade (throw marinade away) and grill or broil the chicken until done (don't over cook).
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Place chicken pieces in grilled bun and add favorite toppings. Drizzle with sweet onion sauce. Mmmmmmmmmmm!!! Makes about 6 sandwiches.

SUBWAY SWEET ONION SAUCE
 This is SO tasty and I find all sorts of uses for it. It is not overly onion-y and not overly sweet. Make it a day ahead of time to let the flavors blend and mellow.

½ cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon finely minced Vidalia onion
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon buttermilk powder
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch cracked black pepper
pinch garlic powder
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Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil for about 30 seconds. Whisk well and cover and chill overnight.

NOTE: If you don't have Vidalia onion, a white onion will work, just mince it VERY finely. I've even used re-hydrated onion flakes successfully, although the vidalia onion is best.

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Feast-Day Cakes From Many Lands

There is something celebratory about cakes. My family used to bake a cake every couple of days, depending upon how fast the cake was eaten. But for me, they always seem like some type of celebration. I love this little book by Dorothy Gladys Spicer, Feast-Day Cakes From Many Lands. I love the idea of Feast-day cakes. It seems a great way to tell time. If it's Simnel Cake it must be Lent.

Traveling the world, Spicer brings cakes and cookies that are, for the most part, cooked for a specific day of the year. (Though where she got the idea to include hush puppies in this mix I will never figure out!) Still, this is a wonderful book for those of us who love holiday history and cake. Since Easter is upon us, here is her history of a Czechoslovakian Easter cake.

"Bábovka is also a coffee cake, rich with eggs and chopped blanched almonds and baked in a round pan with a hole in the center. This feather-light delicacy is served with hot coffee for the Easter Sunday feast in Czechoslovakia.

Easter in this country is unthinkable without quantities of eggs. Housewives need them for the holiday breads and cakes. Some eggs they decorate and sell at the village market. Others they paint for the feast-day table. Boys want eggs for the Easter Monday sports. Girls, especially, require eggs, since custom decrees that they inscribe them with sentimental couplets and present them as love tokens to favored lads.

On the fourth Sunday in Lent, a group of girls lead a flower-crowned queen through the streets and chant little verses to announce the spring. Some songs include requests for eggs to make Easter cakes and end with threats such as this:

Far back behind the kitchen stove
Your hen sits on her nest.
We see her white eggs rolling
And ask you to share with us.
But if you are ungenerous
And order us away
Take care!Your pretty daughter
Shall have no wedding day.

Great Friday and White Saturday, the Friday and Saturday preceding the holiday, are favorite times for decorating eggs. Most of the designs are traditional to certain villages or regions, since both patterns and coloring secrets are handed down from mother to daughter for generations. Some eggs are hard boiled and decorated for table use; but often people bore a hole in each end of the egg, blow out the contents for cooking use, and decorate the empty shell. Roots, vegetables, and grasses make interesting dyes. Onion skins, for example, produce beautiful soft tones of yellow and rust, while beets give pleasing reds and pinks.

Wax from homemade tallow candles, a stout needle or sharp knife, and a small lamp to heat the metal point, are the crude implements for creating a kraslice, or beautiful egg. The women decorate most eggs by a laborious process that resembles batik. First, they dip the egg into the wax. Then they etch a design on the shell with the needle or knife point. Next, they plunge the egg into a cold dye bath. They now cover the colored surface with wax and draw on another pattern. The process is painstakingly repeated many times before the exquisitely executed, glowingly colored egg finally emerges-a triumph of century-old peasant craftmanship.

All Czechs do not decorate their eggs in these traditional designs. Young girls often paint their eggs by hand, inscribe them with love messages and present them to sweethearts on Easter Monday. Easter Monday, or Pomlazka, the Day of Whipping, is Czechoslovakia's greatest youth festival. Boys braid willow branches into whips, which they ornament with flowers and colored ribbon streamers. The lads then roam about, to carol for eggs and whip the village girls "so they won't be lazy or have fleas." This symbolic custom, which probably originated in pre-Christian purification rites, supposedly brings good luck.

In return for their whippings-which are the measure of a young woman's popularity-the lads receive decorated eggs and generous portions of holiday coffee breads and cakes."

And here is the recipe.

Bábovka

1 envelope active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, well beaten
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1 cup chopped blanched almonds

Dissolve yeast in warm water, stir in 1 tablespoon sugar, and set aside to rise for 15 minutes. Then add 1 cup flour to yeast mixture and let rise for 30 minutes, or until spongy and light. Meanwhile, cream butter and sugar, and beat in the egg yolks. Sift together remaining 2 cups of flour and salt and add to butter- sugar- egg yolk mixture. Combine with yeast mixture. Fold in vanilla, beaten egg whites, and 3/ cup almonds. Blend thoroughly. Spoon into well-greased and floured 9-inch tube pan. Sprinkle top with remaining chopped almonds. Let rise in warm place until double in bulk. Bake in moderate oven (350° F.) for 45-50 minutes.

I am so happy that my chickens are back laying their lovely "colored" eggs. They are being very generous as am I.

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RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD BARS

These dainty bars are delicious. They have a super tender shortbread base, a layer of sweet jam, then a layer of sweetened cream cheese & white chocolate and finally, a soft chocolate frosting.

The recipe says to chill them, but I think they are even better when they've been out of the fridge for 30 minutes, although when you do that, they are a little messy on the fingers, but Oh! so worth it!! Any flavor jam will work well, I just think that raspberry and chocolate go so well together.

 1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup confectioners sugar
½ cup butter room temperature
½ cup raspberry jam
3 ounces cream cheese room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup white chocolate chips
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons boiling water
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar
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Preheat your oven to 375 and line a 9" x 9" baking dish with foil or parchment. Leave the ends extra long, so you can use them to lift the bars out of the pan after they chill. This is not a necessary step but it makes them easier to cut.
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Cut the butter into the all purpose flour + powdered sugar until crumbly. Press into the bottom of an ungreased pan and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
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FILLING
Spread the jam over the baked cookie base. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and milk until smooth. Melt the white chocolate chips and add to the cream cheese mixture, mix until smooth. Gently spread over the jam (see note). Chill.
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FROSTING
Whisk together 3 tablespoons melted butter, 3 tablespoons boiling water, 3 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 cup of confectioners sugar until smooth. Gently frost the chilled bars. Put back in fridge to set the frosting. Store completed bars in the fridge.

NOTE: I melted my white chocolate in the microwave, checking on it every 15 seconds or so. I gently spooned the white chocolate mixture on top of the jam layer (tablespoon at a time) then gently spread it out, so as not to keep the layers separate. Chill the bars thoroughly after you do this step. When chilled, then spread the chocolate frosting on.
NOTE: I haven't tried it, but I think this would double easily and bake in a 9" x 13" pan.

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9 X 13 The Pan That Can

I know!!! If I don't start posting more, you are going to stop reading. What happened to me posting every day? Well, life gets in the way. I'm sorry. but I digress...

Harry Lowe read a review in Cook's Illustrated about the very best 9 X 13 baking dish.


He set out to order them for Christmas presents. Unfortunately, the pans were sold out and back ordered for quite some time. I received a lovely box with a note saying I would get my Christmas pan as soon as they were back in stock. Well it took some time but I finally received my pan this weekend while I was in D.C.



I stopped by a favorite used book store and there sitting on the shelf right before me was a copy of The Better Homes and Gardens 9 X 13 The Pan That Can. Clearly, it was an omen and clearly I bought the book. IF you read this blog or my other blog you will know that I need NO help in figuring out what to put in a 9 X 13 pan, but again, one cannot fight omens.

I must say, I find the recipes rather long and complicated for cooking in 9 X 13 pan. One would think that these recipes would require a whole compliment of dishes. Actually, many of them are adapted from other Better Homes and Gardens publications. For some the main difference in the recipe is changing the word "pan" to "9 X 13 pan." Still, there are over 300 recipes that you can make in that 9 X 13 pan or any other pan you might have. Here's one. Just a note, you will need another saucepan for the green beans and several containers to put everything in to refrigerate. Frankly, I would rather eat this hot that chilled for 24 hours.

Fennel Lime-Crusted Beef Tenderloin

1/2 cup lime-infused olive oil (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup fennel seeds
1/4 cup snipped fresh tarragon
1/4 cup finely shredded lime peel (need 5 to 6 limes)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3-pound center-cut beef tenderloin
1 pound peeled onions (such as cipollini onions, pearl onions, and/or yellow onions)
3 cups sliced fennel
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed


1. In a small bowl combine 6 tablespoons of the oil, the fennel seeds, tarragon, lime peel, pepper, and salt. Coat the tenderloin with seed mixture. Place meat on a non-reactive tray; cover loosely with foil. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place meat on a roasting rack in an ungreased 9 X 13 pan or baking dish. Return any coating left on tray to meat. Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into the thickest portion of meat. In a medium bowl, toss together onions and 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil. Place onions on half of the pan or dish alongside meat. Roast, uncovered for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, toss together fennel and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Stir onions and add fennel to other half of roasting pan alongside meat. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes more or until thermometer registers 135 degrees F for medium-rare doneness.

4. Transfer meat to cutting board; cover with foil. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes. The temperature should register 145 degrees F for medium-rare doneness. Wrap roast tightly in plastic wrap; chill for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Transfer onions and fennel to separate bowls. Cover each bowl tightly; chill for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

5. For sauce, pour drippings from the baking pan or dish into a small saucepan, scraping out and including the crusty browned bits. Add red wine to the saucepan; cook until bubbly, stirring constantly to
dissolve browned bits. Transfer sauce to bowl. Cover; refrigerate until serving.

6. To serve, cook green beans in a small amount of boiling salted water for about 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water until chilled; drain again. Toss green beans with the sauce. Arrange on serving platter. Thinly slice tenderloin and arrange on top of beans. Serve your tenderloin platter with roasted onion and fennel.

OK, you can chill the whole thing. On second thougth it might just make an excellent picnic item!

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PEANUT BUTTER CLOUD PIE

If you like peanut butter, this pie is a little taste of heaven on earth. It is super easy to make (even easier if you use a ready made Oreo crust). It is the perfect ending to any meal; it is not heavy at all and it is absolutely delicious frozen.

CHOCOLATE GRAHAM CRUST
1¼ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup melted butter
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Mix ingredients and press into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes then cool completely before filling.
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FILLING
8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
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Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well mixed; add the peanut butter and vanilla and beat on high until very well mixed and light in color.
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In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently spoon the peanut butter mixture into the whipped cream and gently fold the two together until well combined.
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Pour into baked and cooled pie shell. Chill for several hours or speed chill in the freezer for about 3 hours.

NOTE: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature for this recipe. If you don't have room temperature cream cheese, you can put it in the microwave for 10-13 seconds (take the wrapper off first).

NOTE: Everyone I have ever served this to has raved about it. I hope you give it a try. I think next time I make it for a potluck, I'm going to double (or triple) the recipe and make it in a big sheet pie.

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NOTE: I like to serve this after it has been in the freezer for 3 hours. If you leave it in the freezer overnight, take it out about 15 minutes before serving.

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