Celebrate

I didn’t want to do it.  Yes I love “entertaining” books but I didn’t think I could bear to buy the Pippa Middleton book.  Of course, I couldn’t NOT buy it, I mean really, Pippa Middleton.  Her Mum and Dad made a fortune selling party goods – paper napkins and balloons – a fortune!!  He sister married well.  She has an extraordinary ass (you can judge yourself, but commentators were quite struck by it during the royal wedding).  

Not just a pretty ass face, Pippa has had a rather prosperous career as a party planner/organizer for high-end corporate and luxury brand events, i.e. she packed the boxes of napkins they ordered, but still…

So it would only seen fair that she should write of book on how to celebrate:  Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends.

Do I sound a bit snarky?  Well yes I do and so does Pippa.  Just read the introduction:

“It’s a bit startling to achieve global recognition (if that’s the right word) before the age of thirty, on account of your sister, your brother-in-law and your bottom.”

Indeed!

Clearly, Middleton understands that most people who grab up this book are doing so because they remember her from her sister’s wedding.  But she does know something about the party business, so let’s jump right in.

First and foremost, there are almost as many photos as there are words in the book.  Food, flowers, decorations, drinks, parties, and dishes are all well documented.   One reviewer remarked that all the pictures were “nauseatingly middle class.” 

There is Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter, but also Boxing Day and a great Burns Night.  Middleton states in her introduction, “While some of the events, crafts and dishes may be unfamiliar to an American audience, I am thrilled to share my favorite British traditions and hope you’ll find them as lovely as I do.”

And while Burns Night is typically Scottish, the British still consider all the colonies “British”, even I think, the old US of A, just the northeast, but still…  And I must say, Pippa has an astonishing array of usages for haggis.  Who knew?

Celebrate is a good collection of food and fun for anyone. There are lovely macaroons (which Pippa tells us are difficult to make, so buy them) to Rice Crispy treats that you can make yourself.  There are decked halls, steaming fish pie, and instructions for a tug-of-war.  Celebrate is jam-packed and action filled.  And while there are indeed Rice Crispy Treats, there is also a recipe for Millionaire’s Shortbread.

Millionaire’s Shortbread

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a 9 X 13 oblong jelly roll pan.

For the shortbread base, place 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2-cup superfine sugar and 2 sticks of unsalted butter in a food processor and blend together to form a smooth dough.  Press the mixture into the base of the pan and prick with a fork.  Chill for 15 minutes before baking in the over for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and firm.  Set aside to cool.

To make the topping, place 13/4 sticks of unsalted butter, I cup superfine sugar, 3 tablespoons golden syrup or honey and a 14-ounce can of condensed milk in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the butter melts.  Turn the heat up to medium, bring to a boil then cook the mixture gently for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until thick and golden brown.  Pour evenly over the cold shortbread and leave to cool.  Melt 7 ounces of chopped dark chocolate in a bowl over simmering water.  Pour the chocolate over the cooled toffee and place in the fridge to set.  Remove from the pan and carefully cut into squares.

I admit I was skeptical.  The book has been thoroughly panned in England with the most damning criticism being that the book is just to simple.  Well, it was never touted as an elaborate guide to party planning, it was written as a way to make celebrating with family and friends easy.  Seriously, the family fortune is based on selling matching paper cups and streamers, what did they think she was going to write about?  But you know the British press, they are much more snaky than I. I can tell you, if Pippa asks me to a party, I would go, as simply middle class as it might be… and don't lie, so would you!

Read More

Thanksgiving

 We do love a good Thanksgiving cookbook and this year we have found a doozy!   Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well by Sam Sifton is just a great little how-to manual for the holiday season.

Having grown up in the South, Thanksgiving was a kind of competitive cooking extravaganza, resulting in too much food.  You were commanded to try EVERYTHING;  everybody's congealed salad, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, three different greens... by the time you got ready to eat, your plate looked more of compost than dinner.   When I became the chief Thanksgiving cook, the meal was pared down to a "meat and three" with dessert.  But enough about me...

Cooking for Thanksgiving can be a daunting prospect.  But now, the novice Thanksgiving preparer has Sam Sifton on their side.  First and foremost, Sifton is a writer of some note, in fact (if one is impressed by such), Sifton was the restaurant critic for the New York Times and now serves as its national editor.   He is practical and funny.

"It is best never to call giblet gravy "giblet gravy," but simply gravy.  Giblets are mysterious things, terrifying to many in theory..."

After having a glorious fried turkey, Sifton try to replicate the recipe and meets  his future wife:

"...we burned the turkey badly and managed somehow to pierce the bottom of the pot while doing so, igniting the oil and starting a fire that nearly engulfed a woman dressed in white Daisy Dukes who would later become my wife."

Yes, Virginia, those Allstate commercials are true, each year several dozen people burn large swaths of land and the occasional house trying to deep fry a turkey.  But if you are so inclined (to cook one not to burn down the house) Sifton gives you all the sound advice that should keep you relatively safe.

Sifton is quick to tell you the screw-ups and how to avoid them.  Remember, it takes several days for a frozen turkey to defrost.  A frozen turkey on Thanksgiving morning means pizza for Thanksgiving.

My favorite Thanksgiving accoutrement is dressing.  Again, being from the South we are not big on stuffing things into our bird, probably because there is no bird out there with a cavity large enough to hold our favorite dressing.   Also, we are not fond of large chunks of dry bread being passed off as stuffing.  Magazines love to show a stuffing that looks like a big bag of croutons.  Please!

Here is on of Sifton's dressing recipes.   He also has a recipe for cornbread which incorporates the dreaded SUGAR, but we will forgive the Yankee boy who got his cornbread recipe from a guy in Boston.  Horror!

Three-Pepper Sausage Cornbread Dressing

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds andouille sausage, or fresh chorizo or hot Italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, cleaned and diced
2 red or orange bell peppers, cored, seeded, and diced
2 poblano or Anaheim peppers, seeded and diced
2 serrano or jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, cleaned and roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups chicken stock (if using store-bought, use low sodium variety)
1 pan cornbread, cut into cubes

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Heat olive oil in large flat-bottomed sauté pan over medium high heat. Add sausage and sauté until browned, approximately 10 minutes. Remove to a large bowl and set aside.

3. Add onion to the pan and reduce heat to medium, then sauté until onion begins to turn clear and soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add celery and peppers and continue cooking until peppers begin to soften, approximately 10 minutes.

4. Pour vegetable mixture into bowl with sausage, add chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste, and toss to mix.

5. Return pan to heat and deglaze with a splash of chicken stock, then scrape contents into bowl with sausage and vegetable mixture.

6. Pour mixture into a large roasting pan and add cubed cornbread, mixing by hand. Add chicken stock to moisten, cover with aluminum foil, and place in oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is soft and the flavors well incorporated. If you desire a crunchy top, remove foil for final 10 minutes of cooking. (Dressing can be made ahead of time and reheated when needed. If dry upon reheating, add additional chicken stock) 

While this book will be a God-send for the novice Thanksgiving cook, it is a delight for those of us who have cooked Thanksgiving dinner for years.  An if you are invited to some else's house for dinner, forget the wine and take them a copy of Thanksgiving; they will be forever thankful.

Read More

CLASSIC BANANA CREAM PIE

Every family holiday dinner, I make way too many desserts. There is usually a cheesecake, a cream/pudding type pie, a fruit pie, cookies and something "experimental". That just means it is a recipe that I really want to make but I know picky-picky husband wouldn't touch it, so I need my family to "step in" and try it. 

As fun as it is to try new recipes, the old classics are always a hit; this banana cream pie is a tried and true family classic; it is the "real deal". It has a baked graham cracker crust, cooked vanilla custard, bananas and the most delicious whipped cream topping I've ever tasted (it has cream cheese in it)

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
1½ cups finely crushed graham crackers
¼ cup white sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
Mix everything well and pat into a 10" pie plate. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

PIE FILLING
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 and 1/3 cups water
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (see note)
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 medium ripe bananas (cubed)

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the cornstarch in the water; stir in the sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook until thickened and bubbly remove from heat; add butter and vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly. Cube the bananas and fold into the slightly cooled pudding. Pour into cooled crust and lay some plastic wrap on the surface of the filling so that it doesn't form a skin. Chill in the fridge for about 3 hours. Frost with whipped cream topping.

WHIPPED CREAM (Stabelized)
I hope you do not skip this step because it really is delicious and "makes" the pie. This is my new "go to" whipped cream recipe.

(1) 8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream

With your electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar and extracts in a large bowl until smooth (scrape sides to make sure you don't have any cream cheese sticking to the interior of the bowl). While the beaters are still running, slowly add the whipping cream (stop a couple times and scrape the bowl). Beat until you get stiff peaks. This makes enough topping to cover a 10" pie generously.

NOTE: Make sure you use sweetened condensed milk in the pie filling (and not evaporated milk).

Read More

From A Southern Oven

 

Jean Anderson has written numerous cookbooks, but this might just be my favorite.  From a Southern Oven: The Savories, The Sweets is a book full of baked things.  Lord knows Southerners love some baked things almost as much as they love fried things.

What I love about From a Southern Oven is the stories that accompany each and every recipe. A great collector of old comb-bound community recipe books; Anderson has gleaned many recipes from this study of local foodways.  One must remember that food is not just sustenance but a history and Anderson uses this history to illuminate each recipe.  Here a few examples:

Lafayette Gingerbread is actually Mary Washington’s gingerbread.  In 1784 when the Marquis de Lafayette visited America he visited Washington’s mother.  She gave him a mint julep and a slice of gingerbread.  From then on it was called Lafayette Gingerbread.

Confederate Corn and Chicken Pie came from a small cookbook by the North Carolina Federation of Home Demonstration Clubs.  An old Alabama favorite of the mother of Mr. J. W. Roberts of Barbour County, Alabama, who fought in the War Between the States, returned to the Old Roberts Plantation and lived to a ripe old age.

Chesapeake Deviled Crab ponders the question; does every cook have a favorite recipe for deviled crab, perhaps a cherished family one handed down the generations?

Osgood Pie is a little known pie said to have come from Arkansas and named for one of the Osgood’s or perhaps it is a contraction of Oh So Good. 

And on and on…

This recipe is from a Virginia church cookbook from 125 years ago.   It is a casserole of Guinea squash or…

Eggplant Gratin

1 medium eggplant

1 large egg

3/4 cups half-and-half

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground hot red pepper

1 cup coarsely grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup moderately fine soda cracker crumbs tossed with 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spritz 5-cup au gratin pan or shallow casserole with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Peel eggplant, cut in 1/2 to 3/4 inch dice, and place in ungreased 2-quart casserole that has a tight fitting lid.  Add enough boiling water to cover the eggplant, put a lid on the casserole, slide into the middle oven shelf and bake about 20 minutes until the eggplant is tender.  Drain very well.

3. Whisk egg until frothy in medium-sized bowl.  Whisk in half-and-half, slat, black pepper, and cayenne.  Fold in drained eggplant and half of cheese.  Transfer to au gratin pan, spreading to edge, and top with remaining cheese.  Sprinkle Topping evenly over all.

4. Bake uncovered in upper third of oven 20 to 25 minutes until center is set and crumbs are nicely browned.

5.  Serve oven-hot as an accompaniment to roast beef, lamb, veal, or pork.  Good, too, with roast turkey or chicken.

From a Southern Oven is filled with delightful anecdotes as well as tasty recipes wrenched from a rich past.  Even if you don’t own a Southern oven or even a microwave, this book is a great read.

Read More

You’re All Invited

Well known chef and Nose-To-Tail enthusiast, Fergus Henderson has always had a secret weapon, his wife Margot.  While Henderson was out front founding restaurants and promoting offal, Margot Henderson helping out while running a successful catering business and feeding their growing family.  

A New Zealander by birth, Henderson has the central casting look of an Irish cook – pale, ginger-haired, and solid.  She looks for all the world like the one person who could remain calm during a massive kitchen fire, getting the people and pets out safely and grabbing a loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese and a bottle wine in the process.  Form everything that has been written about her, her personality matches her looks.  She likes the word “chaos.”

 “We’re a one-course-and-cheese family.  I like organized chaos when entertaining…and I think people are more relaxed, if things aren’t too formal: relaxed chaos.”

The way to relaxed chaos is careful planning.  Low flowers, the same with candles; a flowered tablecloth, a good drink and familiar food.

There is polenta and pasta and Brussels sprouts.  There is pork belly and lamb shank and roasted bird of every size and shape.  Finish it off with something chocolate, lemony, and fruit tarty… and some cheese.

Truth be told, there is probably not a single recipe in You’re All Invited that you have never heard of.  You have heard of them all, you have probably eaten them all, but gathered together; they are like family – comforting, inviting, and rich in every sense of the word.

This may well be the most “exotic” of Henderson’s recipes due to the inclusion of feijoa, a fig-like fruit often grown New Zealand. 

Feijoa Ice Cream

400g ripe feijoa

juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon vodka

1 tablespoon Cointreau

175g caster sugar

250ml double cream

250ml whole cream

Trim the feijoas top and bottom, then halve or quarter them.  Put them in a food processor with the lemon juice, vodka, Cointreau and sugar and whiz into a puree.  Stir in the cream and milk, then put in an ice cream freezer and churn.  Once slightly frozen, transfer to a plastic container and put into the freezer for at least 4 hours.

In the back of the book, Henderson lists a series of events that she has catered and the numbers of people attending.  She then provides the menu for each. You may not have 80 for a gallery opening or 240 for dinner, but the menus offer up the same planned chaos that have made Margot Henderson’s cooking a treasure.

Read More

CREAM OF ____ SOUP MIX

I am so excited to share a "discovery" I found on the Utah State University web site. Maybe you already knew about this one, but I sure didn't.

It is a recipe for a simple dry mix that can be used in place of any "cream of ... soup"  in most recipes. 

How many times have you wanted to make a quick inexpensive casserole for your family, but the recipe takes $3+ worth of cream of chicken soup ?!? Problem solved!!

BASIC SOUP or SAUCE MIX
2 cups powdered non-fat milk
3/4 cups cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bullion
2 tablespoons dry onion flakes
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (optional)

Mix ingredients and store in an airtight container.  The above jar is equal to NINE (10½ ounce) cans of "cream of .... soup"!! No need to refrigerate the dry mix.

For any recipe that calls for a creamed soup, mix 1¼ cups of water with 1/3 cup of the above dry mix. Whisk together until smooth and cook (or microwave) until thick.  That's it!!   Add it to any casserole like you would a can of soup!!

The USU web site has a lot of recipes using this mix (they call it the Soup or Sauce mix). Here is the web address: SOUP OR SAUCE MIX

I'm thinking I will make another batch using beef bullion and some dehydrated mushrooms for mushroom soup!!  With the holidays coming up, I usually buy mass amounts of creamed soups, but not this year!!

The USU recipe link posted this cream of tomato soup recipe:
1/3 cup soup or sauce mix
1¼ cups cold water
Cook until thick, then stir in:
2 cups tomato sauce
Heat back up...serves 3

What could be easier? I threw in a pinch of red pepper flakes  for a little zip and a pinch of sugar.  The possibilities are endless!!

Read More

Not A Cookbook -- An Auction

NYR2794_SaleCat


Food related news.  Charlie Trotter is selling off the wine collecting from his namesake Charlie Trotter's.  The 4000 bottles are expected to fetch a cool million.   I say we buy the entire collection and party like it's 1999 or 2009.

Read More

HOT SPINACH and ARTICHOKE DIP

Party season is coming up and if you are like me, you are starting to surf the Internet for that "next new and exciting" appetizer or party snack recipe. I keep all of those "potential recipes" in a folder on my desk and once in a while I look through it and say to myself..."what was I thinking?!?"  So much for late night Internet surfing I guess!!

Today's post is one of those traditional "never fail" recipes that seems to please everyone. I make it with low fat ingredients but you can't tell it. This tasty dip is hot and creamy (it stays hot for a while which is nice)and very easy to make.


8 ounce cream cheese (low fat ok)
1/4 cup sour cream (low fat ok)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated, not powdered)
1/4 cup Romano cheese (grated)
2 cloves garlic minced (I used roasted from jar)
1/2 teaspoon dry basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
(1) 14 oz. can artichoke hearts (rinsed)
1/2 cup red bell pepper (chopped finely)
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Plunge fresh spinach into boiling water for about 30 seconds, remove and put into large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and squeeze dry and roughly chop.

Drain the artichokes and rinse under cold running water, then chop into small pieces.

Mix everything together and place in a (lightly greased) small oven proof dish. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Serve with pita chips or any sturdy cracker.

NOTE: This can also be baked in a hollowed out bread bowl instead of a baking dish.  

Read More

PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKES

This is a wonderful recipe for several reasons: the cupcakes are super moist and tender, they are mildly spiced and the batter goes together with one bowl and a whisk; what could be easier? They are so tasty, that they really don't need a frosting, although I like to serve them frosted with a simple maple flavored butter cream (pumpkin and maple are MADE for each other). Everyone loves these simple cupcakes!!

In a large bowl, mix together with a whisk:

(1)  15 ounce can of pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 2/3  cup of granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
(scant) 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
(scant) 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Whisk together until very well mixed, then add:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Mix well, then stir in 1/2 cup of raisins (optional).

Fill cupcake papers 3/4 full.  Bake in a 350 oven for 23-25 minutes (my electric oven takes 23 minutes) or until toothpick tests clean.  Remove and cool.

After the cupcakes have cooled, dust the tops with powdered sugar or frost with your favorite frosting.

I never measure my "everyday" frosting, but here's a stab at it:

Melt 3 tablespoons butter; add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon maple extract.
Add 1 to 1½ cups of powdered sugar and a couple tablespoons of cream.  Whisk till smooth. If it seems a little to dry, add another tablespoon of cream.  If it seems a little too wet, had another spoon of powdered sugar.  

MAKES 24 CUPCAKES

Read More

Happy Halloween

Don't Go Into The Attic...

Read More

TRICK or TREAT !!

I recently came across this great trick or treat idea through an old friend who found it on feeling crafty.org   It obviously doesn't need "instructions" or a "recipe" but I just thought it was so clever and I wanted to share it.

I can see a big bowl of these ready for

trick-or-treaters on Halloween!!

Read More

SWEET AND SAVORY RICE

I love savory rice and picky-picky husband loves sweet rice. As a matter of fact, his all time favorite rice is plain white rice with butter and sugar on it, go figure!!

Today's rice is one that we BOTH enjoy. It goes very well with almost anything, but we especially like it with pork chops or baked ham.

.

2 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup raw white rice
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large cooking apple (cored, peeled and diced)
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup golden raisins
½ cup chopped toasted pecans
.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the RAW rice.  Cook/stir the rice until it turns sort of opaque white. This will help keep the rice grains separate while it cooks.

Add the chicken broth and everything else in the recipe, except the pecans.  Bring to a boil and then turn the heat way down so that it is at a low simmer. Put a tight fitting lid on the pot and let it simmer for 20 minutes (don't peek).

Remove the pan from the heat, gently stir in the toasted pecans and put the lid back on for 5 minutes (but with no heat).

That's it!! The dark brown sugar and fruit lend a mildly sweet flavor to the rice and the ground cumin gives it a full flavor. This rice makes an excellent buffet dish since it also tastes great at room temperature. I hope you will try it.

NOTE: I've also used canned peaches (when I was out of apples) and it tasted great.

NOTE: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth if you are vegetarian

Read More

MAPLE FLAVORED SYRUP

Our children were raised on homemade pancake syrup for two reasons. First and foremost, it was economical and easy to make. Secondly, the kids didn't care for the (waxy?) aftertaste of commercial pancake syrups, so homemade syrup was their request. 

Now, I know there are people who will write and say they can't eat anything but real maple syrup; I understand that. However, the price of real maple syrup is almost frightening, these days, ($25 for a small jug here in Alaska) and this homemade syrup is a tasty alternative. I like to make it the night before and pour it into a mason jar and let it sit at room temperature (until morning). I then microwave it for a minute or so when the pancakes are done.

 

If you are one of those people who grew up with homemade syrup, you know that it is a lot thinner than some of today's commercial syrup (especially when its very hot). I'm guessing that commercial syrup is thickened with high fructose corn syrup. On the other hand, it is a little thicker than real maple syrup.

This recipe is SUPER quick and easy:

1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar (I use dark brown sugar)
3/4 teaspoon maple flavored extract  (see note)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put everything in a large, heavy pan (use a DEEP pan because this syrup will bubble up as it boils).

Boil hard (not stirring) for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat.   You can use it right away, but it will seem thin.  The syrup thickens as it cools. Use it just like you would any pancake syrup.

We like to eat the syrup warm (not hot).

NOTE: I like to use dark brown sugar, but light brown sugar works just as well (but syrup will be  lighter in color).

NOTE: Bring the ingredients up to a rapid-crazy boil over high heat. The liquid will try to "climb" the walls of the pan, so make sure your pan is big enough. Once it's boiling like crazy (don't stir), turn the heat down to medium high and boil for 3 to 4 minutes. I boil mine for 3 minutes, but if you want the syrup to be a little thicker, go for 4 minutes. If you boil it much longer than that, the syrup will form a few rock candy crystals in the bottom of the jar (fun to eat).

NOTE:  I prefer a maple flavored extract called Mapleine (Walmart carries it), but if you can't find it, regular maple flavored extract works well too. My family says they can't tell the difference.

Read More

CHEWY OATMEAL WHOOPIE PIES

Whoopie pies are two cookies, layered back to back, with a thick layer of frosting in between. Some have a cake texture, some are crunchy and some (like today's post) are chewy.  I like to wrap them individually so the cookies stay on the soft side (plus, since they are pre-wrapped, they are easy to toss into a lunch box, sort of like home made Little Debbie's oatmeal cookies.

This recipe has the wonderful taste of "oatmeal and autumn" spices. It is also a cookie you can easily make even if the pantry is running low on everything because there are no "special" ingredients in these whoopie pies.

2 cups brown sugar (I like dark brown)
3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
2½ cups all purpose flour
2 cups quick cooking oats

Preheat oven to 350 and spray cookie sheets with vegetable spray (I don't spray, I just use parchment paper).

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and boiling water. Beat until mixture is light in color and fluffy.

Beat in the flour and oats. Let mixture sit for about 5 minutes.

Roll into balls about the size of a small walnut.  These cookies don't "spread" a lot, so you can space them about 3" apart. Just try and make them all the same size.

Place the cookie dough balls on a prepared cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  The cookies will look like they need another couple of minutes, but they don't. Remove them from the cookie sheet and place on a cooking rack. If the cookies are puffed up... very lightly tap the top of the cookie with the back of a fork.  Cool cookies completely.

COOKIE FILLING

1 cup butter (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk

Mix everything (starting with only 3 tablespoons milk) and add the other tablespoon if the frosting is too stiff.

Use the frosting, generously, to "glue" two cookies together.

Wrap cookies individually or keep them in an airtight container so the cookies will remain chewy and not crunchy.

Read More

Not A Cookbook -- A Quote

 "There are some of these foodstuffs that I think just taste better when they die in your mouth as opposed to die when you squish them with a hammer or something like that. And of course you could argue that there is a theatrical element to it."   

René Redzepi at the 2012 New Yorker Festival.  The Noma chef was asked about eating bugs or seafood while it is still alive.

Read More

Not A Coobook...A Winner

Not a lot of responders, which means your chances of winning were greatly enhanced.   We threw the names into our favorite mixing bowl and Melanie and Wendy scored.   We want to see your Grain Mains creations so send pictures!!! 

Read More