Candy Cane Cookies

My mother has a Betty Crocker cookbook that has been falling apart for years. The binding has completely disintegrated and the pages are brittle from years of spills and splashes. It really isn't a very inventive cookbook. It was the type that was around in the 1960s and 70s when that generation was only interested in cooking "the basics." But every year, I think nostalgically of that particular cooking tome. It has three of my all-time favorite recipes in it. I've already shared the recipe for one of them: Crescents. This is another of those favorite recipes (with one minor tweak). They are somewhat labor-intensive in their original iteration, but kids love them (as do the adults who grew up loving them). This recipe doubles very well.

Candy Cane Cookies
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup finely crushed candy cane
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 egg
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp red food coloring
2 tbsp finely crushed candy cane
2 tbsp sugar

1. Stir together sugar, 1/4 cup crushed candy cane, butter, milk, vanilla, peppermint extract and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Divide dough in half. Stir food color into one half. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
2. Heat oven to 375.
4. For each candy cane, shape 1 rounded teaspoon dough from each half into 4-inch rope by rolling back and forth on floured surface. Place 1 red and white rope side by side; press together lightly and twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve top of cookie down to form handle of cane.
5. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until set and very light brown. While the cookies bake, combine 2 tbsp crushed candy cane and 2 tbsp sugar. Immediately sprinkle candy mixture over cookies when you remove them from the oven. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack before the candy cane mixture melts to the pan. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Substitution Suggestions: I would NOT use anything other than peppermint-flavored candy canes for this recipe. You can add a very small splash of almond extract for extra flavor.

Lessons Learned: I am sometimes a lazy baker. If I'm running short on time, I forgo creating the candy cane shape and just create 1-inch balls out of each dough color and then alternate them on my cookie platter for the semi-twisted effect. (You won't run the risk of breaking the canes as you pull them off the pan.) You can also take bits of each dough and gently roll them together to create one ball with both colors.
The original recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar and does not require 1/4 cup crushed candy cane. My mother didn't stock peppermint extract in her pantry, so she substituted by using crushed peppermint in lieu of the extract. I do both for that extra minty flavor, but if you don't have the extract, just use crushed candy canes. In all, you'll need one cup total of the sugar-peppermint blend. Use more sugar than candy cane.

Mexican Wedding Cakes/Russian Tea Cakes/Crescents

Growing up, my mother made a trio of Christmas cookies every year (and yes, they are Christmas cookies, not holiday cookies, not winter solstice cookies --Christmas cookies!). She'd carefully pack them into homemade felt stockings for me and my brothers to give to our teachers. (That was back in the day when you didn't fell obligated to spend $20 on a teacher present.) I loved the aroma of those cookies, but more importantly, I loved being around when she wasn't looking and I could snitch one from the cookie tin on the counter. This is one of those favorite recipes. It goes by many different names. We call them crescents, but I'm now too lazy to shape them into crescents. So, I guess we could call them powdered snowballs.

Crescents

1 lb. butter
4 cups flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup finely chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla
Powdered sugar

1. Mix ingredients together.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom.
3. Shake warm cookies in a bag of powdered sugar.
4. When cool shake again in powdered sugar or use a shaker to sprinkle heavily.

Substitution Suggestions: We always used walnuts, but I've also used chopped almonds and pecans. I think I like the pecans best. You can also add in a little almond extract. Whatever you do, don't leave the nuts out. They really add nice texture to this crumbly cookie.

Lessons learned: These cookies freeze well  after they are baked. The powdered sugar will get a little gummy if you shake them immediately as they come out of the oven. So, let them cool about five minutes or so before shaking them in the powdered sugar.

Sherried Lamb Chops

I am pretty traditional when it comes to proteins -- chicken, turkey, pork, beef, fish. I don't like rabbit and I'm not a huge fan of duck. But, a center-cut lamb shank was calling out to me at the grocery store, so I picked it up and figured I could do something with it. If the experiment failed, oh well. It turns out the make-it-up-as-you-go recipe was absolutely delicious. I accepted a little ingredient help from Alton Brown, but the measurements and cooking prep are entirely my own.

Sherried Lamb Chops

2 bone-in lamb chops
olive oil
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground thyme
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp rosemary, crushed

1. In small bowl, combine coriander, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic. Set aside.
2. Blot lamb chops to remove excess moisture. Cover liberally with olive oil on both sides. Coat both sides of chops with spice-garlic mixture.
3. Place seasoned chops in hot skillet. (If the chops don't sizzle when they hit the pan, the pan is not hot enough.) Sear for 2-3 minutes, then turn over for another 2-3 minutes. Before garlic burns, deglaze pan with sherry. Add mustard and rosemary and stir into the pan drippings. Turn the chops over a few times to infuse the sauce. Cover and cook on low heat until desired doneness is achieved, about five minutes.

Substitution Suggestions: I suppose you could experiment with the alcohol used to deglaze the pan, but I like the sweetness of sherry. Fresh is better, obviously, but if you don't have it on hand, dried spices will work just fine.

Lessons Learned: I learned that I should experiment with new meats more often. This recipe was absolutely delicious. I used on large chop (the size of a large hand span), but it's written here for two small chops (the size of two small hands). If you don't think you have enough spice garlic mixture, add to it before you smear it on the chops. I turned the meat over several times to really get the flavor into the meat, then served it with couscous. This is comfort food at its finest.

Not Too Tart Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce from a can may be OK for crock pot recipes, but it is definitely not OK for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Last year's recipe was really random (with balsamic vinegar and jalapenos) and my brother requested straight, plain Jane sauce this year. I can't just do plain Jane, so I went on the hunt for something better than just berries and sugar. I found this recipe and it gets five stars from me. It's not too sweet, not too tart and has lots of extra texture that makes it more interesting than straight mushy berries. It comes courtesy of Wayne Deen, son of Paula Deen, with some tweaking and substitutions by yours truly, which I've written into the version below.

Not Too Tart Cranberry Sauce

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 (16-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
1 cup chopped apple
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins
1 tbsp orange extract
1/2 orange, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated


1. Combine sugar and water in large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries and return to a boil, then lower the heat so that the liquid simmers.
2. Add the apples, pecans, raisins, extract, orange and lemon juices, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the sauce cool.


Substitution Suggestions: The original recipe called for walnuts. We like pecans. It also called for 1/4 cup Grand Marnier, but since I don't drink, I don't have it in the house. So, I substituted 1 tbsp orange extract for the orange liqueur. Orange juice concentrate would also work. I omitted the raisins, but only because I didn't have any handy.

Lessons Learned: It's a really easy recipe and unless you're serving a big crowd, you will have plenty of leftovers. If you don't include the nuts, you could easily use the leftovers for cranberried pork or cranberried chicken, which is also posted on this blog.
Use sweet apples, not Granny Smith. The cranberries are tart enough that you don't need extra pucker power from Granny Smith apples.

The Perfectly Flaky Pie Crust

There are certain foods that every cook never quite masters. It's different for each person: perfectly smooth creme brulee, non-lumpy gravy, a moist turkey, cookies that stay soft for days. For me, it has been the ever-elusive, perfectly flaky pie crust. Try as I might (and believe me, I've tried), it's always too tough, too soggy, too dry, too bland, too salty, too brown, too pale, too something. Every time. Until now. Thanks to allrecipes.com, I have finally created the perfect pie crust. Perfectly flaky, perfectly browned, perfectly salted, perfectly crispy -- "practically perfect in every way." And now I'm going to share it with you. You can thank me later.

Perfectly Flaky Pie Crust

2 cups flour
1 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup ice-cold water

1. Combine flour and salt in a bowl and stir until combined. Chill for at least 15 minutes. Chill the shortening for at least the same amount of time.
2. Cut shortening into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry cutter until clumps form no larger than the size of your baby fingernail. Do not over mix and do not put your hands in the mix.
3. Add ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time and gently toss until combined. The dough will begin to ball on its own.
4. Separate dough into two balls and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes. (At this stage, the dough can be frozen for later use.)
5. Liberally flour large wooden cutting board. Flour rolling pin. Remove one dough ball, unwrap and press down gently onto floured board. Roll into 10-inch circle, turning the dough often to make sure it doesn't stick.
6. Fold in half, then into quarters. Set it into 9-inch pie plate and unfold. Prick bottom and sides. Fill pie.
7. Repeat rolling steps with other dough ball and place on top of pie. Trim edges to about 1/2 inch overhang. Press down to seal top and bottom layers, then fold top crust under bottom crust and crimp. Cut four steam vents in crust.
8. Bake according to pie directions.

Substitution Suggestions: You can use 1/2 cup butter to replace half of the shortening. Just make sure it is very cold.

Lessons Learned: Oh, the lessons I've learned trying to make pie crust. I think the biggest thing is that it really does require that much fat to get the light, crispy, flaky crust. So your arteries might clog thinking about that much cholestrerol, but as long as you keep the portion size down, it's a happy mouth-feel indulgence.
I wouldn't bother with a food processor. This really took no time at all to mix up with a pastry cutter. It helped that the shortening was chilled (15 minutes in the freezer was the perfect timing for me).
I floated a few ice cubes in my water to keep it cold and measured out 8 tablespoons (which equal a half cup) one at a time, tossing it into the flour-shortening mixture.
It is very sticky, and by very, I mean that if you don't use a lot of flour, it will stick to your board, to your rolling pin, to your fingers and anything else it touches. I actually rolled it out between two heavily floured sheets of waxed paper. It stuck a little, but I was able to gently pull it off. I may add an extra quarter cup of flour into the mix next time to see if it reduces the stickiness. Since I can't roll a perfect circle yet, I was able to piece together the areas that needed a little patching.
Just before it goes in the oven, consider brushing it with an egg wash (equal parts water and egg). It'll give the nicely browned crust coveted by bakers. Don't brush the edge, though, because that tends to brown quickly without any extra help.
I baked my filled pie (chicken pot pie) at 425 degrees for about 35 minutes and rotated it at the 20-minute mark since the back of my oven runs a little hot. I could tell as soon as I pulled it out of the oven that I had finally achieved pie crust perfection.

Cauliflower Apple Soup with Apple Cider Reduction

Every year when I turn the calendar to October, I get an insatiable desire to cook. I think I equate fall with cooking. And, since fall is my favorite season of the year and cooking is my favorite hobby, it only makes sense that I spend more of my waking hours in the kitchen than in other seasons.
I clipped this recipe more than a year ago. When I was given the opportunity to make a dish with apples in it for a church function, I knew a variation of this recipe would would fit the bill nicely. I followed most of the steps of the original recipe, but found the flavor lacking. A few tweaks here and there and it was perfect. Below is my adaptation. Don't let the number of ingredients intimidate you. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Apple Soup with Apple Cider Reduction
2 cups apple cider
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 cups sweet onion, chopped
2 tsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp garlic, chopped
6-7 cups cauliflower florets (about 2 pounds)
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Gala or golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil apple cider in a small saucepan. Cook (reduce) until the liquid has reduced to approximately 3/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside and cool completely.

2. In large bowl, toss cauliflower and onion with 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on cookie sheet and roast in 400-degree oven until cauliflower begins to brown, approximately 20-25 minutes. Stir partway through cooking and add apples during second half of cooking.
3. In large Dutch oven, heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add curry powder and garlic and saute for one minute, stirring constantly (to avoid burning garlic). Add cauliflower, onion, apple and broth, then bring to a gentle boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes or until apples are soft enough to mash and the cauliflower is very tender.
4. Remove pan from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Puree batches of the cauliflower mixture in a blender (or emulsion blender) until smooth and place in separate bowl. Once the soup is entirely blended, return soup to Dutch oven and add half-and-half. Cook over medium heat for five minutes or until soup is heated (do not boil).
5. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste.
6. To serve, divide soup into eight 1-cup portions. Drizzle 2-3 tsp of cider reduction over each serving.

Substitution Suggestions: Any cooking apple will work here. I prefer something sweeter than the tart Granny Smith. Golden delicious (which are related to red delicious in name only) are sweeter and currently in season, so that's what I used.
If you prefer a vegetarian version, swap out the chicken broth for vegetable or mushroom broth.
If you don't have half-and-half, evaporated or whole milk would also work. I just don't think fat-free milk has the body necessary for this soup, though it is incredibly creamy even without any milk.

Lessons Learned: I used a hot curry and skimped on the measurement a little. It gave the soup just a hint of non-thermal heat without overpowering the dish. The dish felt a little flat until I added the healthy dash of cinnamon. That made all the difference in the world.
Don't let the tiny serving size on the cider reduction fool you. You really need it! Forgoing it would be a big mistake since it packs a lot of flavor in those few teaspoons.
If you are in a hurry, you can ditch the roasting step. Just saute the onions in 1/2 tbsp olive oil before adding the curry and garlic, then proceed as if you had roasted the bulky ingredients.

Artichoke and Mushroom Risotto

There are a few edible things in life that I have never particularly liked: rice, pork chops, stewed tomatoes and cooked bell peppers top that list. I can now remove rice from that list after creating this recipe. The concoction below is my first foray into risotto -- that elusive, creamy rice dish that transforms a boring carb into a decadent experience. If that weren't enough, adding white truffle oil at the end adds another layer of out-of-this-world savor that transforms a weeknight dinner into something several steps above ordinary.

Artichoke and Mushroom Risotto
3-4 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 mushrooms, finely chopped
3 canned artichoke hearts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup sherry
1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated
White truffle oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In small saucepan, heat chicken stock (from scratch or canned) until it reaches a gentle simmer. Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in heavy-bottomed saute pan. Add red onion and cook for 4 minutes stirring occasionally until the onion is golden. Add garlic and mushrooms and continue stirring until garlic starts to caramelize, approximately 1 minute.
3. Add arborio rice and stir until it is coated with the oil-butter mixture. Add cubed artichoke hearts. Add sherry and cook, stirring gently, until it has completely evaporated and been absorbed into the rice, about 1 minute.
4. Slowly add enough heated chicken stock to cover the rice. Stir until the stock has been absorbed and evaporated. Continue adding, stirring and evaporating stock for approximately 20 minutes. (A 1/3 to a 1/2 cup at a time is sufficient.) The risotto is done when the rice is soft on the outside and al dente on the inside.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tbsp butter and the Parmesan Reggiano until both have melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve immediately with extra cheese and white truffle oil on the side.

Substitution Suggestion: My inspiration recipe, of which I largely ignored except for cooking instructions, called for carrots and zucchini to be sauteed after the onion. It also called for asparagus tips at the end of the cooking process. Any squash could probably work. Sun-dried tomatoes and green onions would work, too. The key is to think about how it will complement the protein that you'll undoubtedly serve next to it.
I don't drink, but when cooking with alcohol, I prefer sherry over white wine, so that's why it's included here. White wine will work just fine.

Lessons Learned: I've steered clear of risotto for two reasons: 1) I don't like rice, and 2) everyone says it's hard to make. With this recipe, I can now confidently declare that I like rice and if I can make this risotto on the first try without it going gummy, anyone can do this! Considering it was my first attempt, I'm pretty proud of myself. I think the tip is to add hot liquid and to continue stirring. Sure, it's labor intensive, but it is SO worth it. What a treat to feel each individual grain of rice enveloped in the creaminess that's created by the starch, stock and butter.
That said, you really need good ingredients. Chicken stock powder won't cut it here. You need real stock. I admit that I used the low-sodium canned stuff, but I'll use homemade next time. And, don't use the Parmesan in the green can that you find on the top shelf of the pasta aisle. The freshly grated stuff really isn't that much more expensive than the tasteless version with the five-year shelf life. If you use artichoke hearts, do not, I repeat do NOT use marinated hearts. All that brine will absolutely ruin the flavor you have painstakingly built with all that stirring. I found hearts that didn't have any of the leaves left on them. By putting them in early in the process, they'll absorb a lot of the flavor of the onion and garlic. The truffle oil was definitely a splurge (at $18 for the tiny bottle), but I loved the extra nuance it added to the dish.

Apple, Pear and Cranberry Crisp

Sometimes a recipe comes along that requires zero improvement. That is the case with this one, which I found on the Food Network website. It is an Ina Garten original. Though I don't enjoy watching her show, The Barefoot Contessa, I did enjoy this recipe in all of its beautiful simplicity. The tartness of the apples, the sweetness of the pears, the little sour red nuggets of unexpected cranberry -- it melds on the fork and in the mouth for the perfect embodiment of an autumnal evening.
The recipe is a cinch to put together if you have an apple corer-peeler-slicer gadget. I can't imagine creating this recipe without one. Enjoy!

Apple, Pear and Cranberry Crisp
2 pounds ripe Bosc pears (4 pears)
2 pounds firm Macoun apples (6 apples)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the topping:
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel, core and cut the pears and apples into large chunks and place in a large bowl. Add dried cranberries.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour over fruit and toss until coated. Pour into a 9-by-12-by 2-inch baking dish.
4. For the topping, combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, salt, oatmeal and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.
5.  Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit
is bubbly. Serve warm.

Substitution Suggestions: I couldn't find Macoun apples (pronounced MacCowan), but Granny Smiths will work just fine. The tartness nicely juxtaposes the sweetness of the pears.

Lessons Learned: Instead of cooking this in a casserole dish, I packed the apple mixture into foil muffin cup liners (paper liners will not work because of the juices) and topped each individual serving with the crumb topping. Aside from requiring a little extra care to get the cups out of the muffin pans, it was the perfect small serving at a dessert potluck. I wanted individual, stand-alone foil cups, but was out of luck after searching three grocery stores, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma. If you cook this in individual servings, whether with liners or in ramekins, it only requires 30 minutes of cooking as opposed to the casserole's 50 minutes.
There is one very small addition to Ina's original recipe. I added some cinnamon to the crumb topping. It just seemed wrong to leave it out.

Cran-Apple Crocked Chicken

When my husband and I got married, we received a wonderful recipe album set created by some of the scrapbook industry's most talented artists. (I was an editor at Creating Keepsakes.) Approximately 20 women created at least 40 6x6 scrapbook pages of their favorite recipes. The pages were combined into three small albums. The gift rendered me speechless and teary-eyed, which is quite the feat. It was one of the most thoughful gifts I have ever received.
I have turned to that album again and again. My husband loves Allison's chicken logs in cheese sauce. I fell in love with Beth's cranberry-sauced pork tenderloin, which I've made at least a dozen times. I wanted to take the idea of that recipe and create my own version. That brings me to this recipe, which was an absolute success, according to my husband. Enjoy!

Cran-Apple Crocked Chicken

4 chicken breasts, trimmed
1 can cranberry sauce
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 small apple, peeled and diced (about 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup onion, diced
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp sherry
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chipotle powder

1. Combine all ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked and begins to fall apart in the sauce.
2. Just before serving, spoon about 2 cups of the sauce into a saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and simmer until sauce begins to reduce and thicken, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Serve sauce on the side or over potatoes.

Substitution Suggestions: This recipe will work equally well with a pork tenderloin. If you don't have chipotle powder, ground black pepper will work equally well. I just prefer chipotle.

Lessons Learned: This recipe really is as straight-forward as it sounds. If I had an emulsion blender (which I'm hoping to get for Christmas!), I would puree the sauce before I reduced it. Leave it chunky if you prefer a more rustic "gravy." If you don't have an emulsion blender, you can use a regular blender.
The canned cranberry sauce can be whole berry or smooth depending on your personal preference. And, you can leave the skin on the apple if you're not in the mood to peel it.
The recipe from which I drew my inspiration did not have apple sauce, sherry or garlic, but did include dried apricots, ginger, shallots and orange juice. If you didn't want to use apples, you could use a peach puree and dried peaches. Pears might also work.