Baking for tomorrow

Today was a lot of fun - I got up early and walked Bean, then headed to the various stores for my ingredients. I made two recipes from the "Land O' Lakes Holiday Cookies" magazine, both of which turned out beautifully. Chai Birch Logs, and Lemon Pecan Snowdrops. Both have a unique flavor and lots of spices. I was attempting to make a cookie that wasn't centered around chocolate but also wasn't a traditional sugar cookie. I'm certainly adding these to my cookbook.

Lemon Pecan Snowdrops (Prep time: 45 min | Yields 3 dozen cookies)

Cookie:

1 C butter, softened

1/2 C sugar

2 C flour

2/3 C pecans, finely chopped

1 T grated lemon peel (from your tree!)

Glaze:

1 C powdered sugar

1 T butter, softened

1 T light corn syrup

1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice 

1 T grated lemon peel

1 - 3 T milk (probably closer to 1)

Topping:

Coarse grain white sugar or colored sprinkles

Heat oven to 325. Combine 1 C butter and sugar in bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy.  Reduce speed to low, add flour, pecans, and lemon peel. Beat until dough forms. 

Shape into 1" balls (the smaller the better to keep them from spreading too much). Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 20 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets 1 minute then remove to rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, combine all ingredients *except* milk in a small bowl. Beat at medium speed, gradually adding enough milk for desired dipping consistency. 

Dip tops of cooled cookies into glaze; shake off excess glaze. Place onto waxed paper. Sprinkle tops with sugar and let stand until glaze is set (about 1 hour). 

Store in loosely covered container between sheets of waxed paper. 

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Chai Birch Logs (Prep time: 55 minutes | Yields 4 dozen cookies)

Cookie:

1 C butter, softened

3/4 C sugar

1 egg

2 3/4 C flour

2 T instant unsweetened tea powder (I used regular Trader Joe's Chai Tea with good results)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (substitute 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves)

1/2 tsp ground cardamom (this is an expensive but indispensable spice - don't leave it out!)

Topping:

6 oz white chocolate chips

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp vegetable oil

Heat oven to 350. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Reduce speed to low and add in egg until combined. Add all remaining cookie ingredients and beat until well mixed. Mixture will be crumbly. 

Divide into 8 portions. Roll each portion into 12" ropes on a lightly floured surface. Cut ropes into 2" logs. Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 11-15 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove and cool 15 minutes.

For topping, place white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute and stir. Continue microwaving, stirring every 15 seconds until melted and smooth. Using a small offset spatula, frost tops and sides of logs; place onto waxed paper. Let stand until set (15 minutes).

Place chocolate chips and oil in small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Dip fork into melted chocolate, drizzle chocolate crosswise over logs. Let stand until set (45 minutes). 

Home made Mac & Cheese

Oh boy was this yummy: Barefoot Contessa's Mac & Cheese. I substituted Gorgonzola dressing for crumbled blue cheese, and used ready-made breadcrumbs. Part way through our dining experience we got the idea to sprinkle a little smoked sea salt on top. HOLY moly. This rich meal was consumed with a fine red wine from Argentina I received for my birthday - it has tones of berries and plums.I regret I made no vegetables to go with this but they would have been ignored anyway. We almost hurt ourselves trying to consume seconds. Good thing I made enough for lunch tomorrow!

Rainy Day Comfort Food

I LOVE risotto. It's a staple in our house and generally the first thing I look for on the dinner menu in a new restaurant. This is one of our favorites, "Risotto with Chicken and Caramelized Onions" from my Williams-Sonoma Risotto Book. It's not a stellar recipe, but simple (okay my idea of simple might not be yours; this is a four-burner to-do).  I substitute Marsala for the Madeira, and skip the leeks. I use one large hawaiian sweet onion, and I make only a half recipe which is enough for the two of us for two nights. Served with my favorite beer, Trois Pistoles (available at Trader Joe's) I'm in heaven. 

Fun fooding in Austin

After a fantastic home-made brunch of breakfast tacos at G & M's place, I left around noon-thirty and decided the capitol building was calling my camera out. I had taken my whole kit when I left this morning so I veered off at that exit, parked and walked around. I didn't know there was some sort of festival happening out on the lawns and I was lucky to get a parking spot for free, on a side street, in the shade, one block away. I walked directly to a tent where they had a pro kitchen set up complete with cameras, tv screens, mirrors to watch the cook, and lots of chairs. It was hot and that was shady and looked interesting so I sat down. I am so glad I did! Martha Hall Foose (someone I have never heard of) was giving a demonstration but I was more interested in hearing her stories. She was just captivating everyone with her humorous tales of the South. Really personal and very interesting stories, all connected to food. Fun! When she was finished I just had to buy the cookbook, "Screen Doors & Sweet Tea"; the recipes are right up my alley for after-work ease and they are things I *love*. I stayed and had her sign my copy too, just to complete my experience. When I got home I read the reviews on Amazon and people really love her book for all the reasons I do - she's a really fun storyteller. It's laid out well too, which is sadly not the case for my "Chocolate & Zucchini" book, hence is sits on my shelf. I'm already gobbling this one up and can't wait to get back home to my kitchen and try some of these things out!