Cookie Making Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

Okay, so it has been a very, very long time since I have posted anything. Blame it on multiple schools for the kiddos, work, or the new dog, but whatever the reason I have been remiss. So please excuse me as I start to write like crazy. I have tons of recipes to get out of my system.

Yesterday, I embarked on a semi-impossible mission - to make 6 dozen cookies for our annual cookie exchange. You see, every year I come up with something so freakin' complicated that at most, I am able to eek out about 3 dozen. So yesterday, I went simple. Okay, well simple for me. The cookie I did end up making took 4, yes four types of chocolate. And I think at least $36 was spent on the ingredients that I did not have on hand.

Want to know the real kicker? By the end of the whole baking fiasco, I think I have pulled a hip. Yep, I wasn't sure you could even do that. But I am now walking with a limp and my jeans seem to be inexplicably tight today.

Feeling brave? Feeling risky? Then make these for yourself. They are ooey, gooey good and worth ALMOST any injury.

Dark Chocolate Fudgies with Dried Cherries

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons buttermilk

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup natural cocoa powder, such as Hershey's or Scharffen Berger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

½ tsp. baking powder

11 ounces (1 bag) semisweet chocolate chunks

1 – 1 ½ cups dried cherries. Optional

Directions

Position racks in the lower and upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (If you don't have 3 pans, simply cool the pan between batches.)

Put the butter and the unsweetened and semisweet chocolates in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 75 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 2 minutes. Stir and heat again until melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, put the chocolates and butter in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

Stir the light brown and granulated sugars and vanilla into the chocolate mixture with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat vigorously until thick and glossy.

In another bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, cinnamon and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks and dried cherries, if using.

Drop the batter in heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets--a small ice cream scoop is ideal for this. Space the cookies about 2-inches apart. Bake until the cookies set but are soft and fudgy on the inside, 11-13 minutes.

Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 – 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Serve.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to a week.

Drowning Our Sorrows In Butter. Lots & Lots of Butter.

So this weekend, we were supposed to join an army of college friends and drive up the coast. And stop at Pismo Beach. And eat chowder. And cinnamon buns.

But someone's boss went out of town and rained on our sunny day plans, so we stayed home.

Instead of moaning and groaning- we cooked. A lot.

We stopped at our local grocer and picked up four lobsters. My 3 year old likes to push her own cart at this store, but after taking one look at these insect-like waving creatures, she muttered "No one is putting that in MY cart."

But she did eat it. Oh yes, indeedy.

We steamed the lobsters and served them with butter. Pretty straightforward, really. (Um, I won't mention that yours truly was "conveniently busy" when it was time to put them in the water).

We soaked corn on the cob, and then buttered them up, sprinkled on a new chili-lime rub we bought and wrapped them in foil. Popped them on the grill for 30 minutes, and they were really, really (messy) good.

My Dad made his famous coleslaw, but left it at home. He ran out to pick some up, and while tasty, no where near as good as what he can do all by himself.

But the clincher? Home made Blueberry pie. I've never eaten blueberry pie, but since I got a barrel full of blueberries at Costco for something like $2.00, it seemed like a good idea. Here's what it looked like in the oven:



I will post my pie crust recipe for you tomorrow. It's an old family favorite that I've adapted for the food processor, and it's ridiculously easy, fatty, fatty, fatty and oh, so tasty.

Scotch Eggs or Birds' Nests?

Okay, so I've already grossed Kirsten out enough this evening by telling her all about our family's recent culinary expedition to try Chicken Fried Lobster. Yeah, it was worth it. So, I figure now will be a good time to go ahead and post the recipe that I have for Scotch Eggs that K. mentioned. I'll try to redeem myself in our fit and healthy friend's eyes later. Umm . . . once I can think of something healthy to post.

Oh, and not only am I not sure what to call these, but I have not tested this recipe -- at all. Thought about it for years, but never got around to it. Very scary. May the force be with you.

Scotch Eggs

12 hardboiled eggs, shells removed

1 pound pork sausage

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

All purpose flour for coating

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (or maybe even try Italian Style breadcrumbs for this)

Vegetable oil for deep frying

In a bowl, gently mix together sausage, chives an any additional salt and pepper that may be desired. Divide into 12 equal portions. On a floured surface, flatten each piece into a 2-inch circle.

Roll eggs lightly eggs in the flour. Put the beaten eggs in one dish and bread crumbs in another. Place each egg on a circle of sausage. Mold sausage around each egg, sealing the seams well.

Roll each sausage-covered egg in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs. Carefully fill a large fry-safe pan 1/3 to 1/2 way up the sides (making sure that the oil is deep enough to cover the eggs while frying. Heat the oil up to 360F. Working in batches, carefully put eggs into oil a few inches apart and deep fry 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain well on paper towels until cool.

Might be super yummy served with horseradish mustard (if made with plain bread crumbs).

Birds nest

As you all know, I've moved to New Hampshire (see earlier posts about Maple Syrup, etc.). From a culinary perspective, Hanover is a healthy chef's paradise; it is the land of organic vegetables from the farm stand, locally-raised meat from the farm in the next town, and fresh-baked bread from one of several local bakeries. A few of our friends raise their own animals for eggs and meat, and absolutely everyone has a vegetable garden. It is a place filled with wholesome, fresh, healthy goodness everywhere you look.

So... imagine my surprise when I encountered THIS at the Hanover Street Fest:

This is a Bird's Nest. It is a hard-poached egg in a nest of greasy sausage. It was so horrifying and yet so alluring... and it smelled *great*, especially after all that healthy organic tree-hugger food I've been forced to eat lately.

Kerry ate four.

So here's the challenge for Dietz (or any of my fellow grease-loving foodie friends): make this at home. The sausage was NOT just a patty shaped around an egg. Rather, someone had painstakingly molded sausage into a hollowed-out egg shape, then filled the center with an egg. The egg was cooked perfectly. You could pick the whole half-egg shape up and eat it by hand... sort of like a deviled egg. Except... more devilish. I challenge anyone to try this at home and post the recipe.... cause I can't figure out how to make it.

Of course, this doesn't quite live up to the bacon-woven pig-fest that Dietz created back in May, but.. it seems easier, and still wicked unhealthy (as we say up here). I might even send it to thisiswhyyouarefat.com.

I am now back on my rigorous diet of mulch and dried leaves - oops, I mean Healthy Local New England Food. *sigh*

I Scream, You Scream

I blame the other 3 forks. They have all left me. One, went off and moved to California and now another moved to New Hampshire just before the real Texas heat. And now the third has gone with her family on a whirlwind trip with her Professor husband (who apparently actually takes vacations) and two kiddos, undoubtedly visiting only the colder states of this lovely continent. And they have left me here, in the heat to battle some innocuous problem with my AC where, unless it rains, keeps my house at a blistering 84 degrees, INSIDE. And our once fabulous playgroup, which kept me semi-sane, sometimes drunk, but always happy, is now taking a hiatus. Since . . . I am the only idiot left here in the heat.

So, what have I done in response? I have taken it upon myself to start learning to cook everything cold. Preferably in ways that allow me to open my freezer continuously, for a nice blast of cold air. Seriously who in their right mind would of settled here before air conditioning?

What is the best thing made in the freezer? Well, ice cream of course -- allowing me to finally test out that Ice Cream Mixer attachment for my Kitchen Aid that I just had to have 2 Christmases ago, but have failed to use for lack of freezer space.

Now you can consider the other 3 forks saved from my wrath. For it may be hot, but I now have made the most unbelievable Marionberry Cheesecake Icecream. Or better yet, we can consider ourselves all saved, because this is so freakin' good that it must somehow be linked to an ethereal spirit. At bare minimum, it has saved my marriage -- because I am nothing less than an angry growling, sweaty bear these days. And as soon as my husband thinks of kicking me to the curb, I make another batch of ice cream (chocolate creme fraiche, anyone?), and he once again becomes a very happy man.

It's Hotter than Hedes Here - Marionberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons granulated sugar for crust + 2 tablespoons for ice cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups buttermilk

1 (8 oz. package) cream cheese, softened

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup marionberry (or seedless blackberry) preserves

Note: Unless you have that fancy Cuisinart model that requires no pre-freezing, you will need to stick your ice cream mixing bowl in the freezer overnight (mine says 15 hours, but I think the longest I have actually made it was 12 and it worked out fine). It is also wise to chill your ice cream mixture, once made, in the refrigerator over night. This may not totally be the case for this one, since most of the ingredients are all cold, but after a sad attempt at making chocolate creme fraiche ice cream sans pre-chill last week, I am too scared to try otherwise. Just chill it, and you don't have to deal with any anxiety while it churns.

1. Place ice cream mixing bowl in freezer overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a pie plate sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over the bottom. Pour melted butter on top ad then follow with sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to incorporate all of the ingredients a bit and then press firmly into the pan (like you would if you were making a graham cracker crust for a key lime pie). Place in oven and bake for 17 minutes, or until golden brown and firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Break into small pieces and place into a ziplock bag to be used the next day (or you can make this an hour or so before you plan on placing your ice cream mixture into the ice cream bowl).

3. Combine buttermilk, sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, lemon juice, zest, and salt in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Taste and add up to 2 tablespoons of sugar, or to your liking (you will want the mixture to be just on the underside of sweet, the graham crackers make it more sweet when added). Pour into a container with a lid and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

4. On the next day, pour into your ice cream maker, and follow your manufacturer's directions to turn into ice cream. Once done, gently mix in your graham crackers. Then, using a small spoon, make even dollops of the preserves along the top of the surface. Then using your spatula, gently fold in the preserves to create a ribbon effect. Transfer into a covered container and place in freezer for at least 4 hours (or overnight, again) to harden.

They Say It's Your Birthday....

Last night, we celebrated my husband's birthday.
With way too much sangria, but that's a story for another day.
And the reason why I'm a bit grumpy today, but you didn't hear that from me.

We're not big into the whole gift giving, hubby and I. Well, I like gifts, but have given up hope of ever receiving one so we've now resorted to cooking for each other on our respective holidays.

Originally, he requested that I make spaghetti and meatballs. Which is good, but not if you have fifteen people coming over to celebrate and it's hotter than an inferno outside.

So, we changed the menu. To a man's meal- steak and potatoes. But, I did manage to modify it slightly to satisfy the ladies that would be attending. (Not that there was any ladylike behavior after the large amounts of sangria, but that's a story for another day).

I settled on Bistro Steaks with a Provencal butter- from Ina Garten's latest cookbook. I couldn't find the cut of steak she recommended, but did get some gorgeous strips of tri-tip from Costco. Basically, you put an obscene amount of butter in your food processor with chives, thyme, garlic, lemon zest, pepper, capers and anchovies. Process it all up, form it into a log, try to not make poopie jokes, and pop it into the fridge.

Douse your steaks with olive oil, and then rub kosher salt and herbs de provence all over them. Grill them for about 4 minutes on each side, and serve em' on up with some poopie herb butter dolloped on top.

I roasted some asparagus and baked some potatoes (sour cream and chives! Pedestrian, but oh so good) and attempted to make this:. Which was a disaster. Because the frosting wouldn't set, and my house was hot, and the whole dang cake slid around more than I do when I've been drinking glog and ice skating.

So I dumped it into a bowl. And named it, "The Birthday Bowl."(original! I know!) It tasted good. And after all that sangria, no one really noticed.

Maybe he'll go back to getting me presents again. You never know.

Casseroleiffic

Ladies, a quick and easy weeknight meal - and a quick and easy post!

This is from my sister-in-law, an excellent chef - she makes it for "babysitter nights" and any other occasion when a make-ahead kid-friendly casserole is in order (playgroup, anyone?).

2/3 pkg of egg noodles (or regular pasta if you prefer) - broad width
1 can of tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 lb of ground beef (if you like more beef - and we do! - use 1 1/2 lbs of meat and add anther can of tomato sauce above)
1 tub (8 oz) cream cheese
10-12 oz cottage cheese

Cook the noodles - use enough to fill the bottom of a deep casserole dish to about three inches.

Mix the entire tub of cream cheese with 2/3 of the tub of cottage cheese until mixture is well blended.

Brown the beef on teh stove and drain the fat. Add the can of tomato sauce to the beef and bring to a boil.

Dump the drained cooked noodles into the bottom of the casserole. Layer/spread the cheese mixture over the top of the noodles. Pour the beef and sauce mixture on top fo the cheese so that the beef is spread evenly over the top.

Cover and bake a 350 degrees until the sides of the casserole boil (approx. 25 -30 mins).
Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings.