High Altitude Cooking

Roasted Pears w/ Blood Orange & Pomegranates Recipe

2009-10-07T09:00:00.014-06:00

I am first and foremost a gardener ~ pleased as punch to say that after 7 years of tender loving care, I have a pear crop! (Find the yummy recipe at the bottom of this blog post.)

I also have a few plums, apples, cherries and crab apples. (Look out!) I planted these saplings to feed the birds. Feel sorry for them in this harsh, high plains desert. Though I also wonder about their intelligence. Since they can fly for free, why don't they go some place lush and lovely?

Because that's what I do. Every time I bank enough frequent flier miles to do so.

Anyhoo! Planting fruit trees has worked out better than I ever expected. The birds love 'em and so do my dinner guests. This autumn I'm cooking up all kinds of special goodies...

Did you know? Each Pomegranate contains about 800 seeds and they make a delightful sweet tart garnish for pretty much anything.

Roasted Pears with Blood Orange & Pomegranates Recipe

3/4 cup Red Zinfandel wine
3/4 cup Pomegranate juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon cloves
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 blood orange, peeled, sectioned

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Plus:

1/3 cup sugar

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Top with:

1/2 cup fresh Pomegranate seeds
Truly fabulous vanilla bean ice cream

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How to:
Combine top list of ingredients (everything except the sugar and pom seeds) in a sauce pan, over low heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add sugar, stir until dissolved.

Take 6 ripe, luscious pears and partially peel them ~ create stripes by peeling lengthwise, leaving a space and peel another strip. (Makes them look very pretty and unique.) Remove the core from the bottom of the pears. Leave the stems on.

Spritz a square glass baking dish with cooking spray. Pour sauce over the pears. Roast @ 350 for about an hour.

Dried Garden Tomatoes: Save A Fortune, Come Winter

2009-10-04T08:27:00.008-06:00

Took a walk through the Veggie Garden of Wunx last night. She had plenty of pretty flowers but what struck me when I rounded the garden corner were tomato vines, taller than me. She must have had 300 luscious tomatoes, ripening on the vine.

It got me thinking about how tricky tomato seedlings can be.

Sneaky, conniving little monsters. They act so sweet and innocent in the springtime. So tiny. There's room! Let's plant a few extras!

Twelve weeks later all hell breaks loose and, well, you can run but you can't hide.

So, it IS Labor Day weekend and these tomatoes SHOULD be red by now. They'll probably get there but how does one cope with a truckload of tomaters?

Never fear. Hazel is here. She dries tomatoes in her oven and Wunx can, too. :)

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Start with firm, ripe (not overly ripe) fresh-picked tomatoes.
Slice cherry tomatoes in half, slice larger tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces.
Sprinkle sea salt to improve flavor and speed up the drying process.
Set the oven to 175 - 200 degrees (F).
Place tomatoes, skin side down, on a baking sheet. Perforated pizza pans are great because they allow air circulation.
Slowly roast these babies. It could take anywhere from 3-12 hours (depending upon the size of the tomato slices.)

How to Know if You've Screwed Up:
√ Dried tomatoes are done when they feel pliable, kind of leathery.
√ If your tomatoes are brittle, they're over-done and you get an A for effort, nothing more.

To Rehydrate Dried Tomatoes:
Soak in water for 1-2 hours or toss directly into soups and stews.

You can dry green tomatoes. However, you might be a whole lot happier if you ripen them the old fashioned way and dry them when they're ready. That's why windowsills were invented, way back when.

Dolled Up Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ Recipe

2009-08-23T06:46:00.002-06:00

I live in a world class ski resort town, which means this joint is crawling with two types of year 'round residents. The obligatory ski bums plus an astonishing number of highly talented pastry chefs ~ because tourists love to eat almost as much as they love to ski.

It gets pretty intimidating showing up at parties when your friends are paid professionals but this dolled-up recipe of my Mom's get's them every time.

Mom used to make these with milk chocolate and peanut butter chips. (Personally, I think it tastes better that way.) But, these rich, dark chocolate chips, coupled with the sweet, smooth taste of white chocolate chips makes this look like one very cool cookie...

Dolled Up Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Better'n Eggs liquid eggs* or 2 large eggs
2+1/4 cups flour
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips

How to:
It's easier if you use 2 bowls: cream butter and sugars in one bowl. Combine dry ingredients in the other. Then stir it all up and make sure it tastes great by gobbling a good bit of the dough.

Bake @ 350 for about 10 minutes.

* Two traditional large eggs adds an extra 10 grams of fat to this recipe. I often use liquid eggs in decadent recipes because they are fat free. No one notices the difference since these recipes are so high in fat from other ingredients. Most liquid egg products contain onion powder. Better'n Eggs does not and so it doesn't mess with the flavor of my cookies. :)

Fresh-Picked Raspberry Muffin Recipe

2009-08-17T08:02:00.010-06:00

My hard gardening work is finally paying off. The raspberry bushes in my garden are producing enough fresh fruit that I can actually make something with them!

I've baked these muffins using blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. They're very tasty as a triple berry muffin but raspberries are my most favorite thing in the world.

We LOVE a big burst of raspberry flavor so instead of stirring the berries into the muffin mix I place them on top.

Raspberries are very fragile - this method keeps them intact while baking. The muffin mixture will rise up and gently cover the fresh berries as it bakes.

Fresh-Picked Raspberry Muffin Recipe

1 stick butter
3/4 cup milk
2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil

* PLUS! 1 cup fresh raspberries.

First:
Melt the butter.
Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Combine eggs, butter and milk, add to dry ingredients.

Next:
Use a non-stick cooking spray or line muffin tins with baking cups.
Fill the muffin cups to about 2/3 full.

Last but not least! Sprinkle fresh raspberries on top of the muffin mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

* Makes about a dozen muffins.

Medium Rare Aspirations

2009-03-15T10:52:00.001-06:00

Meet The Beast. Got this BBQ behemoth as a birthday present. Apparently, it's quite state o' the art.

The only real downside to The Beast is that I'm afraid to turn it on. (I'm more of a Weber girl.)

Scrap whatever you're planning to make for dinner. Get thee to the store and start shoppin' for Paprika. Yup. You read right. Paprika!

You can make your own Paprika, ya know. It's not that hard. All you need to do is... whoa! Who cares? Back to the matter at hand.

I've found a steak recipe that deserves mention in my will.

You're gonna need a whole bunch of these. To blend. To roast. And, to munch on while you're cooking up a storm.

It's a dry rub plus an amazing steak sauce after which you will very quickly discard any bottles of A1 that happen to be kicking around your frig:
Here's the rub recipe:
And, the steak sauce:

All created by Iron Chef extraordinaire, Bobby Flay.

I imagine I'm breaking all sorts of laws by posting his recipe in my blog. But, once again, who cares? He's cute! If I make him so mad he calls me up and hollers at me... well... that wouldn't be half bad.

Paprika is made from grinding the dried pods of mild pepper plants. Like most things American, the paprika we're familiar with is bland to the point of being tasteless. However! Spanish and Hungarian Paprikas impart great flavor to foods. You can grow these little goodies in your garden but then you already knew that, didn't you?

Sweet Tart Pomegranate Sauce

2008-11-24T12:39:00.008-07:00

I'm not a trend setter or a trend follower but I make an exception when it comes to the exotic fruits showing up in plentiful supply at my local supermarket. If you have not yet sprinkled a bunch of fresh Pomegranate seeds on your salad, give it a try! They are quite delightful.

And, so is the plant. Dwarf Pomegranate Trees grow happily in a sunny window. Laden with bright orange flowers, producing edible fruit about the size of a silver dollar.

Sweet Tart Pomegranate Sauce
Serve on chicken, turkey or pork.

1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chopped, fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
Salt to taste
Garnish with 1/2 cup Pomegranate seeds

Heat chicken broth, pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar in a skillet.

Add cornstarch, brown sugar and seasonings.

Bring to a boil; reduce and simmer until sauce thickens.

Garnish with Pomegrante seeds (officially called Arils.)

Breakfast Cookies

2008-11-22T15:14:00.017-07:00

For years, now, people have been preaching about how breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Especially if you're trying to manage your weight. I didn't understand this. Where I'm concerned, eating does not occur to me until later in the day. And, I'm talking real late. I can get up at 6 and not feel hungry until noon, or later. But, the thing is... once I start eating I don't stop nibbling until I go to bed.

Being the pseudo-scientist that I am, I decided to test this out. I forced myself to eat within 20 minutes after crawling out of bed. And, this is what I discovered: It works.

Dammit all! I'm thinner now than I was during the skipping breakfast years. Though the big problem is finding something palatable to eat first thing in the morning. Nibbling on a breakfast cookie generally does the trick.

Yummy Breakfast Cookies

Mix it up:

3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/3 tsp. Salt

Stir it in:

1/2 cup Butter
1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 Egg

Grab that wooden spoon & add...

1.5 cups Oatmeal (not cooked)
1/2 cup finely chopped Apples
3/4 cup Craisins
1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese*

Bake for 15 minutes @ 375 degrees.

Good to go. These work particularly well for me because I'm too impatient to make breakfast. I stick these in my pocket and gobble them up while I'm walking to the stables. Horses like 'em, too.
* I'm a cheese lover. Therefore I love this recipe. If you're not much of a cheesehead substitute nuts and favorite dried fruits for the Cheddar cheese.

Small Batch Raspberry Jam

2008-08-22T17:19:00.006-06:00

My first Raspberry harvest! Don't they look yummy?

Unfortunately, this is the ENTIRE raspberry harvest ~ 7 berries. Oh, well.

Flowers are my forte, they're so easy to grow. Fruits and veggies, I've discovered, are a much bigger challenge. This summer I've harvested 5 tomatoes, 3 zucchini and 1 lemon cucumber with a bug inside.

Plus 7 raspberries. So, things are looking up.

Are you a jam lover? I used to be. These days, I'm spoiled rotten by homemade spreadable fruit though I still call it jam. Sounds nicer.

Small Batch Raspberry Jam
* This recipe takes about 20 minutes, stays fresh in the frig for about 6 weeks.

Over low heat, dissolve 1 packet unflavored gelatin in 1/3 cup water.

Stir these goodies into the saucepan and bring to a boil:
3 cups fresh raspberries, 3 tbs honey, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp lime juice.

Hey! Nobody told you to stop stirring! Reduce heat, cook for 5 more minutes. Poor into jam jars and refrigerate.

* No pectin, all fruit, quite yummy, must be stored in the frig.
** Yes, you can use this recipe with other fruits, but why would you want to?

Mediterranean Garden Salad

2008-08-20T17:57:00.003-06:00

Big Bruiser Heirloom Tomato*
Feeds at least a dozen guests

I spoke excellent French the whole time I was taking French classes in South Dakota. Then I went to France, where people really speak French, and realized how badly I'd been taken on those tuition payments.

It was remarkable how consistently I screwed up deciphering the menus. One evening, my entree turned out to be a tomato the size of my head. Whenever I get together with old friends they tease me about my big tomato night. :)

I didn't know such great, big goodies were available here until I arm wrestled another shopper for this 3-pounder at the Farmer's Market.

* The actual name is the Marvel Stripe Heirloom Tomato, which generally tips the scales at 2-3 pounds.

How did this happen?
Garden zucchinis, apparently, are over-achievers no matter what kind I plant. This 1.5 pound giant was lurking under the vines in my (alleged) miniature veggie garden.

Mediterranean Garden Salad:

One big ass heirloom tomato
As much ripe zucchini as you need to get rid of.
Fresh Mozzarella and Feta cheeses
Balsamic vinegar
Sprinkle with fresh basil and mint leaves (chopped very fine.)

Lobster Bisque

2008-04-11T10:56:00.007-06:00

Make it pretty: Dollops of sour cream, snips of green onion tops and a drizzle of cocktail sauce.

This is the easiest dinner to cook for a girl's night! Soup, wine and crusty artisan bread for dipping.

Speaking of dipping... finish the meal with a gigantic bowl of strawberries and packaged chocolate fondue.

Lobster Bisque Recipe
Steam: As much lobster as you can afford. I used about 1 pound.
Simmer: 1 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion.
In separate pan:
Melt 2 tbsp. butter. Stir in 2 tbsp flour.
Add 2 cups milk, bring to boil (I use half and half which is why it tastes so yummy. You could go completely nuts and use heavy cream!)

Stir In: Chicken broth, onion, plus:

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp. Cocktail Sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

* This decadent mess can simmer or crockpot for however long you want. I usually add the lobster about 20 minutes before serving so it has a fresher flavor.

Lavender Cookies

2008-04-05T09:31:00.005-06:00

French Lavender (Lavender stoechas, zone 8) grows fast by seed in a sunny window, with true flowers vs. narrow sprigs.

All Lavender is edible but most of them don't taste that great. Grow English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) if you plan to cook with it.

Lavender Cookies
1.25 cups butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
4 tablespoons fresh lavender flowers, crushed

Cream together butter, sugar and eggs. Mix in the flour and lavender flowers. Spoon onto a cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes @ 350 degrees F. (You might as well double the batch right now because you know in your heart that you want to...)

Forced Tulips and French Lavender spend their days sunning themselves on my deck. Both warm their toes, indoors, at night.

Glazed Baby Vegetables

2008-03-23T09:37:00.004-06:00

I've been deputized, by Sandy, to host Easter dinner. Clearly I am slipping. For years, I've suckered her into doing all that hard work.

This, of course, has inspired a cleaning frenzy, indoors and out. It's also prompted me to stir up a few side dishes recipes that take no time at all.

Easter Side Dish: Sweet Baby Veggies
1/2 lb. miniature carrots
1/4 lb. miniature zucchini
1/4 lb. patty pan squash
3 tbs. butter
2 tbs. dark brown sugar
Sprinkle with lemon pepper and chopped fresh chives

Steam veggies to crisp-tender. Melt butter and brown sugar in a stir-fry pan. Toss baby vegetables for about 5 minutes, until warm and nicely glazed.

Cornbread Skillet Breakfast Recipe

2008-03-21T09:28:00.014-06:00

This oven-baked beauty is a real stick-to-your-ribs kind of breakfast. Great fuel for a full day of fun on the ski slopes. Works best with a heavy, cast iron skillet.

Cornbread Skillet Breakfast Recipe
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage
1 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped small
1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
6 farm fresh eggs
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 cup skim milk
12 oz. premixed cornbread, with 1 tablespoon flour

Cook bacon, sausage and onions. Toss in the peppers for the last few minutes of cooking time. Prepare cornbread mixture, adding 1 tbs. flour to adjust for high altitudes. Give cast iron skillet a good spritz of nonstick cooking spray. Pour half the cornbread batter into the skillet. Add the cooked meat and veggies. Whip the eggs, milk and cream cheese together. Pour over the meat and veggies. Cover with the Cheddar cheese. Top this delightful mess with the rest of the cornbread batter.

Bake @ 400 degrees (F) for about 30 minutes.

* In the mountains, cornbread and other quick breads can sometimes brown too quickly on top, before the batter underneath is completely done. Cover loosely with aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes.

Natchitoches Meat Pies

2008-03-13T06:25:00.009-06:00

I may live in the mountains, but I dream of the Deep South. I have family in New Orleans and I've spent a whole lotta time enjoying the downright crazy lifestyles of the folks who call Louisiana home.

So why would I bastaradize their time-honored tradition of the fried meat pie? I didn't! My aunt did.

For as long as I've known her, this life-long resident of Metairie, LA. has been trimming the fat off Louisiana cooking. (In this case, not much fat at all.)

Natchitoches Meat Pie
* The real Natchitoches meat pie is a hand-held, oil-fried masterpiece of flavors. Aunt Florence lightened this up with ground turkey vs. beef, baked vs. fried, pre-made puff pastry vs. homemade pie crust. So, I guess when you get right down to it, this thing tastes nothing at all like that famous pie. :)

1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped green onions
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1-2 tablespoons flour
Hot pepper sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Puff pastry sheets

Cook turkey, pork, yellow onions, with the garlic and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Half-way through this cooking process, toss in the peppers and green onions. Spice it up however you please. Stir in the flour.

Drain any excess liquid from skillet, allow mixture to cool. Spoon this delightful mess onto a puff pastry sheet, roll it up. (Or, use puff pastry squares to create individual pies.) Brush with a mixture of egg and water. Bake @ 375 (F) for approximately 35 minutes.

Until the real ones are available west of the Mississippi, this recipe will have to do.

Cool place to stay in Natchitoches.

High Altitude Yeast Bread

2008-03-07T09:49:00.010-07:00

Behold the fruits of my labor. 7 hours of labor, to be exact. Rocket science is child's play compared to baking yeast bread at high altitude.

Everything encourages yeast breads to fail at high altitudes. Yup, everything: dry air, thin air, aggressive kneading, water softeners... your apron is probably causing trouble, too. Yeast breads are just that temperamental high in the mountains.

Tips

The terms 'instant' and 'rapid rise' yeast are relevant to people who live at the bottom of the hill. High altitude baking requires patience. Let yeast percolate slowly in the 'frig for a few hours.
Use bread flour vs. all purpose flour.
Water softeners fiddle with yeast magic, try bottled water. (I use sparkling water since it's always in my 'frig.)
Terra cotta planters or terra cotta saucers make great bread pans.

Artisan Bread Recipe
1 pound bread flour
1 teaspoon instant rapid rise yeast
3 teaspoons honey
10 ounces bottled or filtered water
3 teaspoons salt

Create a liquid yeast mixture: Combine 1/4th of the flour and yeast with all of the honey and water. Refrigerate for a few hours.

Now the fun begins...
Mix the rest of the dry ingredients with the liquid yeast mixture. Let rise for 30 minutes. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Knead it by hand. It's great exercise. (Just try it on a timer, if you don't believe me. 10 min. is a long time!)

Create a humid environment:
Fill your largest casserole dish with hot water, stick it in the oven.
Put bread dough on upper oven rack, let rise for about 2 hours.
Humidity + clay baking pan = 1 perfect loaf of bread!

Knead gently, let dough rest for 15 minutes. Repeat. Give terra cotta pot or saucer a non-stick spray. Let dough rise about 1 hour.

Brush with egg white and water.
Bake @ 400 (F) for about 1 hour.

Chop Chop Salad Recipe

2008-03-03T21:02:00.017-07:00

I should have been born a man ~ my favorite meal is steak and fries.

So, I was pretty excited when we went to Ruth Chris Steakhouse last week.

If you've ever flown anywhere, you've probably spotted their ads in the flight magazines. Ruth Chris claims to serve the best steak you'll ever have the pleasure of eating.

They do! Though, it's a little anticlimactic.

They serve their steaks on a platter of sizzling butter. I mean... really... melted butter makes anything taste fabulous.

What truly impressed me was their signature Chop Salad. It was so delicious I begged and pleaded until the server literally threw up his hands, sat at our table and wrote out the recipe.

CHOP CHOP SALAD RECIPE
* The key to this yummy salad is to chop everything into tiny pieces. Refrigerate for about an hour after mixing with the dressing.
4 cups Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup radicchio
1/4 cup red onions
* Chop these ingredients into thin slices.

1 cup mushrooms
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 small can hearts of palm
* Chop these ingredients into small pieces.

Crumble:
1/4 pound crisp-fried bacon
1/2 cup blue cheese

Add:
1/2 cup plain croutons
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
Crispy fried onions

DRESSING:
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/8 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice

It is out of this world...

Red Wine Currant Sauce

2008-01-01T18:09:00.005-07:00

Currants are colorful, fast-growing, perennial shrubs.
They'll thrive in most gardens (zone 3)

Hmmm... I thought to myself ~ As I nervously stirred a tiny pot of sauce for the New Year's Eve dinner...

It didn't need to be stirred but doing so kept me from making small talk with a couple of strangers. (It also prevented me from strangling their 2 year old bratty boy!)

I used to be pretty good at small talk. I give it a shot but if the other person has taken on the role of part-time fencepost, I immediately switch gears and entertain myself. (Which is what I did last night and I had a marvelous time.)

My aha! moment came while stirring this Red Wine Currant Sauce and pondering how good it could be if currants were more popular. It's hard to find them fresh, though dried currants still make a very tasty sauce.

Currants are gorgeous, fast-growing, USDA zone 3 shrubs. They put forth bright beautiful tart red berries that hang from their branches like clusters of grapes.

If you don't have it in ya to become the farm girl that harvests these luscious berries for jams and pies, fear not.

Every bird in the county will thank you for adding this ornamental shrub to your garden! (They'll thank me, too, 'cause that's exactly what I intend to do!)

Red Wine Currant Sauce
Serve it on duck, pheasant, beef and pretty much anything else under the sun.
* Or, just stir up a pot for the hell of it! It's a great diversion if you're trying to get along with a woman who refuses to converse!

Create a stock by simmering these goodies for at least 30 minutes:
2 cups low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup red currant jelly
1/4 cup dry red currants (in stores, near the raisins, if you're lucky.)
* salt to taste

Use this combo to thicken your sauce:
Melt 1/3 cup butter
Mix in 1/3 cup flour
Add to the stock

* Currants are very popular in Europe - the secret ingredient in all sorts of decadent goodies, like this fabulous French Chocolate Cake.

Simple Sugar Cookies

2007-12-22T15:33:00.002-07:00

Back when I had a real job... whenever I wasn't doing a good enough job... my boss would crab at my lack of creativity and accuse me of taking a cookie cutter approach.

That was a confusing way to insult me because I've tried to make perfectly consistent cut out cookies since L was a baby and it's a whole lot harder than it looks.

This is my theory as to why most of us leave the creative cookie cutting to Pillsbury:

After we turn 40, we figure out that women's magazines are filled with re-touched photos of flawed people. Once we realize that Angelina Jolie could very well be fat and ugly in real life, we feel a whole lot better about ourselves.

For some odd reason, we haven't quite accepted the fact that food photography gets the same specialty treatment.

I can assure you it does. I once spent 16 hours at a photo shoot because an incredibly annoying art director needed the peas in the pasta salad to be placed in exactly the right spots.

Today, I'd like to encourage everyone to haul out the cookie cutters, roll up their sleeves and think... Picasso, Dali, and Pollock ~ definitely Jackson Pollock!

Because there are a whole lot of creative masters out there who happily failed Art Class 101.

Simple Sugar Cookies
No matter how they look, they all taste delightful. This recipe makes 3 dozen average size cookies or 1 gigantic cookie sculpture (in case you'd like to pay tribute to Gaudi!)

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1.25 teaspoons baking powder

How to:

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in egg and vanilla.
Add flour and baking powder in intervals. (Dough will seem too dry but it will improve when chilled.)
Divide dough into four equal parts and refrigerate about an hour.
Roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, 1/4 inch thick for crisp cookies or 1/3 inch thick for soft cookies.
Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and and bake for 7-8 minutes @ 375 F.

PS: Don't forget to eat lots of cookie dough. This dramatically reduces the amount of time you spend baking the cookies.

Russian Snowball Christmas Cookies

2007-12-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Moscow Basilica

Strange but true: I've worked full-time, for eight years, with a man I've never met or even spoken to. That's because he lives in Moscow and neither one of us feel like affording that long distance bill.

We freelance together. He's my designer/programmer. I email him junk, he emails me stuff, somehow we put it all together and make it look pretty. (Long live the internet.)

I've never met him, but I did meet one of his co-workers a few years back. Costya introduced us to the miracles of fine vodka. After a few hundred shots of that stuff, he taught us how to swear in Russian. Прокляните все это к черту!

Every year, I send Pasha a Christmas card. He never gets them but I keep sending them anyway. I figure, if Putin stays in office long enough he might figure out how to make his postal service work. Until then, I suppose the KGB is compiling a big secret file on my activities...

Russian Snowball Cookie Recipe - Makes 3 dozen
(Российский Рецепт Печенья Снежка)

1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts

How To:

Cream butter and vanilla until smooth.
Combine powdered sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture.
Mix in the chopped walnuts.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes @ 350 degrees F.
When cool, roll in a second dusting of powdered sugar.

* Dough will appear very dry. The warmth of your hands, as you form the snowballs, softens the butter and moistens the cookie dough.

This is my 3rd most favorite cookie in the whole wide world. Whenever I make them, I think of my buddy, P. They melt in your mouth, light as air. If I could stop eating them long enough to put them in a box, I'd probably send him some.

С Рождеством Христовым, Пол. Я даже не знаю, любите ли Вы это печенье!

Classic Spritz Christmas Cookie Recipe

2007-12-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

If you make 1 cookie this season,
make it a Spritz

I can't imagine Christmas without a tray of these tempting little treats. Though, I'll readily admit they're a lot more fun when someone else is baking them.

Spritz are made with a cookie press ~ if you're a perfectionist, that will give ya fits. It's not so bad for me because we generally eat all the dough before the oven is preheated.

For years I suspected my oven hated me. It would bake too hot, or broil too cold. Everyone accused me of being childish and immature for blaming the appliance.

Last year, that #!%*! oven decided to quit baking on December 23rd ~ so, we had to broil our Spritz Christmas Cookies! They weren't very pretty but they still tasted great.

Who's cryin now?
Sure, I could have recycled it. But, deep down, I knew it was possessed. So, I happily hauled that mean-spirited oven away to a place where it will never (ever!) be able to foil another baker's plans.

Classic Spritz Cookies
If you can refrain from eating the cookie dough, this recipe makes 4 dozen.
1 cup butter
3 egg yolks
2.5 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to:

Mix the butter, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla. Add the flour and mix by hand.
Spoon into cookie press and press onto cookie sheets.
Sprinkle with colored sugars. (Or, use red and green food coloring on smaller batches of the dough.)
Bake @ 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

* Cookies require no recipe adjustments, when baking at high altitude.

Crunchy Peppermint Cookie Recipe

2007-12-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Fire up the oven. Cookies require no tricky recipe adjustments when baking in high altitudes!

Crunchy Peppermint Christmas Cookies
* If you can refrain from eating the cookie dough, this recipe makes five dozen.

1.5 cups butter
2 eggs
1.5 tablespoons baking powder
6 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup crushed peppermint candy

How to:

Cream butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Add dry ingredients to the batter in two batches, alternating with milk.
Stir in crushed candy.
Spoon onto cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes @ 375 degrees.

This recipe is even better than that one!

Ultimate Green Bean Casserole Recipe

2007-11-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Update on Thanksgiving: My beans were a big hit. I can't bring myself to open a can of Campbell's soup on a holiday so this is a much fresher, from scratch version of that best-loved...

Ultimate Green Bean Casserole Recipe
(Feeds an army)

Snap 2 pounds of fresh green beans into bite-size pieces.
Drop them into a pot of boiling salt water (use a generous amount of sea salt.)
Cook for 5 or 6 minutes.
Drain beans in a colander, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. (They'll be bright green, crisp-crunchy and oh so delicious.)

Make Your Own Cream of Mushroom Soup

Remove the stems and slice up 1 lb. of white button mushrooms (tip: if you'd like to be extra hip and cool, use mini portobellos.)
Simmer shrooms in 3-4 tablespoons butter + 2 tablespoon fresh garlic.
Stir in 3 tablespoons flour.
Add 1.5 cups chicken broth + 1.5 cups cream
Salt & pepper to taste. (I use extra spicy Mrs. Dash.)
Once the sauce is thick and bubbly, stir in those precious beans.

Building the Ultimate Green Bean Casserole

Place a can of those yummy French fried onions in the bottom of a casserole.
Pour in the beans and 'shrooms.
Sprinkle another can of yummy French fried onions on top.
Up the fat content a bit more with dollops of butter.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Cranberry Apple Pie Recipe

2007-11-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

Fun Facts to Know & Tell:
I have never tried Pumpkin Pie.

Whenever I mention that at a holiday dinner, someone inevitably takes the fork that was recently inside their mouth and pokes it at me, hoping I'll try a bite. I don't like, or dislike, Pumpkin Pie.

I simple prefer pretty little cranberries to messy orange pumpkins, filled with slimey junk and ghostly white seeds. Once you try my pie, you will, too.

Cranberry Apple Pie

1.25 cups sugar
1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh, lovely, cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
5 sliced Granny Smith apples
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 Pillsbury pie shell (Don't bother making your own. Face it. They're better at this than we are.)

Luscious Topping
1 cup crushed Graham Crackers
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Create the Masterpiece:

In a saucepan, mix together sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and salt.
Stir in cranberries and maple syrup.
Cook over high heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a boil.
Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Stir in apples and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, add walnuts.
Pour apple mixture into pie shell; set aside.
Mix up Luscious Topping sprinkle over the pie filling.
Bake 30 minutes @ 375 degrees.

Serving Suggestion:
Cut yourself a big slice and wait for an idiot Pumpkin Pie fan to say something derogatory. Then slowly remove the fork from your mouth, scoop up a sample size piece from your plate and ask them to try a bite, germs and all. It's only fair.

Biodynamic Wine

2007-11-20T16:19:00.001-07:00

Growing up, we never celebrated Thanksgiving with wine, champagne or anything else really fun. There was no religious excuse surrounding this decision. We just didn't do it.

I always thought that was a huge mistake.

After all, we were living in this horrid little town in South Dakota. Just looking out the window could drive ya to drink!

If you ask me, we should have invented the concept of Bloody Marys with Breakfast. Talk about family tensions! Mom had 11 sisters and Dad had at least as many siblings. God forbid they could ever enjoy a big group hug. (Champagne Cocktails could have helped that cause, too.)

Everything is more palatable when we all get along. And, that's why I'm so fond of the concept of Biodynamic Wine.

It's a nice, fancy term for returning to our roots, finally listening to our elders and farming the good old fashioned way.

Organic is great but Biodynamic takes it to the next level by making the land self-sustaining.

√ Cover crops return nitrogen to the soil.
√ Trees, birds and bees all play a role.
√ Essentially, the acreage becomes a nature preserve surrounding the vines.

Thanksgiving is Thursday ~ and half the nation is expected to show up with a side dish and a bottle of wine.

In the spirit of getting along, bring one from a Biodynamic Vineyard.

Why? Because everybody's gonna be bitching about global warming when you get to the party.

You can show off your bottle, brag up biodynamics and act all smug.

I can actually afford this one: Frey Wine is around $12. (But, you could bring a super expensive bottle just to piss off your less successful siblings!) Here's a great big list of Biodynamic Wines.

PS: This might be a good day to visit Gardening While Intoxicated.

Roasted Squash with Sage Cream Recipe

2007-11-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

I am concomitantly blessed and cursed with a freelance job of writing for a number of food companies. The curse part is how they expect me to write all sorts of annoying health tips for the holidays. This is why I'm so over Thanksgiving it's not even funny.

Helloooo! The whole point of the holidays is NOT to be healthy. This is the most wonderful time of the year because we finally have a legitimate excuse to buy pounds and pounds of real butter, heavy whipping cream, and bacon galore!

Jumpstart the feeding frenzy with this little goodie:

Roasted Butternut Squash
With Maple Syrup & Sage Cream

2 pounds squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1.5 teaspoons pepper
1 cup heavy cream
8 fresh sprigs of sage
Little bit of maple syrup

Remove the icky junk inside and then slice the squash into 1-inch squares. Brush with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet @ 350 for about an hour. (Turn once to brown on both sides.)

Simmer heavy cream and sage sprigs in a saucepan over low heat for about 30 minutes. Remove the sage sprigs. Bring the cream to a boil and cook until this aromatic mess is reduced to about 2/3 cup. Place squash in a serving dish. Drizzle with maple syrup and sage cream.

Serves 8 polite guests or 4 ill-mannered friends.

Here is a handy chart so you know what to shop for!