A Cookie Baking Tradition

Brown Sugar Christmas Tree

My friend Billie has been part of a trio of women that gather once a year in December to bake and share cookies.  This month they celebrated the 25th year of this tradition!  

Last year the local paper wrote a story about their gathering.  This year, Billie created a self-pubished book with selected photos and their recipes.  Here is an excerpt from the book:

"As the years rolled on there was marriage, divorce, careers, children, adult children, grandchildren, parents, siblings and friends. But on cookie day, time was still as we baked, laughed and at times, felt sad for the challenges that life brings. Through snowstorms, fires, spiders and tipsy work colleagues, we produced every year.  As the day would end, we sorted by three's and began to take our share. At that moment, it seemed like those thousands of cookies we had baked all day had somehow diminished... but home they went to eager families."

"Oh, how we tried to watch over our cookies and save them for ourselves; but, alas, the joy of the Christmas Cookie was shared by all ..."

On the last page is a photo that says… May your cookies last until Christmas!  

I asked her to share their favorite recipes, and she generously offered the following selections.

She notes, "We also use the Joy of Cooking “Rich Roll Cookies” – using freshly grated lemon is our secret!"

Brown Sugar Cookies

1 1-pound package brown sugar

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

4 ½ cups unsifted flour

(pinch of salt)

1.     Cream sugar and butter together until fluffy; add vanilla.  Mix in flour.

(Or place all ingredients in bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade

and process until dough forms a ball.)  Shape into a smooth ball, cover

and chill.  (May be stored up to a week.)

2.     Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

3.     Pinch off about 1/6 of dough at a time; flatten and roll out on a floured

surface to 1/8-inch thickness.  Cut with cookie-cutters of desired shapes.  

4.     Place on ungreased baking sheet or use parchment baking paper.  Bake approximately 12 to 15 minutes.  

5.     Remove to wire rack and cool.

           

Makes 6 dozen

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Gingerbread Cookies (Ladies Home Journal 1972)

One cup butter or margarine (1/2 c. each best)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 large egg

2 Tablespoons dark corn syrup

3 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

(1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg) recent addition

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg; beat till light and fluffy. Add corn

syrup, mixing well. Sift remaining ingredients together; stir into creamed mixture.  Chill dough well..  Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface (pastry cloths advised) Cut shapes.; place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees, for 8-10 minutes, cool 1 minute before removing to cooling racks.

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Last, but not least:  their favorite cookie-baking song (sung to the tune of "Winter Wonderland")

Cookie Press Holiday Song (Winter Wonderland)

Doorbells ring, are you listenin'?

In the kitchen, sugar's glistenin',

The dough is well chilled,

The coffee pot's filled.

Cookie baking day is almost here.

For today, we'll be cheery,

As we bake, 'till we're weary.

So cookies we'll make,

With joy decorate.

Cookie baking day is almost here.

In the kitchen we will bake our dozens,

Decorate them with some colors bright.

They'll say, "Are you finished?" we'll say, "Never!"

And please don't eat a one 'till Christmas night.

As we bake, we'll swap stories,

Of the year's pain and glories.

The laughter we'll share,

The friendship is there.

Cookie baking day is almost here!

You Can Do a Lot with some Dough...

December 16, 2010, 8:30 PM

Let It Dough!

A Holiday Consideration

I've been very lax in posting about cooking, of late.  I have been cooking, just not anything very interesting.  December, typically a month where I do a lot of exotic food preparation, has been spent primarily in my studio.  That's what multiple deadlines at the end of December (?) will do for you.
I'm not good without a healthy deadline, so needless to say I've been spending a lot of hours working with fiber of the cloth variety.
I've had a lot of time to think about things that matter to me.  I like to take stock of my life this time of year. I'm sure a lot of people do.  I'm fortunate to have wonderful health, a loving family and wonderful friends.
I have a home.
I have food security.
It absolutely kills me that food security is an issue for a lot of people.  Food insecurity is an issue for 49 million Americans.  Of those, 17 million are children and 5 million are seniors.  Last year over 37 million people accessed a food bank for emergency food assistance.
 A few years ago, my good friend Frances Holliday Alford spent a year working on something she called "The Hunger Project".  She sent blank checks to many of her friends for a set amount and asked us to research our local resources and make a contribution to one we were interested in funding.  I thought this was brilliant:  a perfect way to get others to look into local organizations and educate ourselves about them.  I learned about our local food bank:  the San Antonio Food Bank.  I learned that, for every dollar given, the SA Food Bank can stretch it to the equivalent of $15.  I was impressed!
Every year, rather than exchanging gifts with extended family members, each family unit makes a charitable contribution.  I always give to the local food bank.
I know each of us has a pet project.  Some of us cannot afford to give beyond what we can do for our immediate family members.
I'm really not trying to be preachy (I detest that!):  I'm simply planting a seed of an idea.  I encourage you to look into the possibility of contributing to a local food bank.  They are really good at stretching a food dollar.  Thank you for your consideration.  Have a wonderful holiday season.

I promise to start cooking some interesting food.  Soon!

The Best Pumpkin Bread

The Best Pumpkin Bread and the easiest to make, especially with kids, because all of the ingredients go into one mixing bowl.
2 cups cooked pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup of water
3-1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoon each salt and baking soda
1 teaspoon each of ground cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice

Throw all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir.  You can also use an electric mixer if you prefer.  Pour into 3-well greased 8x5 loaf pans.  Bake 325 for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool, cut and eat.  Yummy goodness.

Cranberry Cordial for the Holidays

Jamie’s Cranberry Cordial

2 cups sugar
2 cups of inexpensive Vodka
4 cups of fresh cranberries
6 whole cloves
1 strip of orange peel

Mix sugar and vodka in a non-metallic container - add cloves and orange peel and stir together. 

Chop cranberries in a food processor and mix into sugar mixture.  Makes 1 quart.  I usually triple the recipe to make a large batch.  Cover and let it sit on the kitchen counter for a few weeks, stirring it occasionally, every few days.

When finished soaking together, strain through a sieve and pour into bottles or jars and give as gifts to friends and family.  It is a very festive hostess gift.  The cordial can be added to champagne for a colorful holiday cocktail, or you can make martinis with it.  I think it’s delightful in a cup of peppermint tea to warm you up on a cold night.

Okay, now you’re looking at those leftovers, the cranberries soaked in vodka - what to do with them.  I’ve used them in a cake or cranberry bread.  Cheers!  I haven't bottled this patch yet, so there is no picture of the end result.  Should be good for at least 6 months, and just leave it on the counter, but not in direct sunlight.  Cheers to you!

Roast Chicken with Blood Oranges and pan-reduction

I'm so happy that I have, at least in my kitchen, perfected the art of a perfectly roasted chicken.  To me, a perfectly roasted chicken is crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.  In my convection oven, it means staging the temperature throughout the cooking time.
I divide the temperature in equal increments, depending on the weight of the bird.  For this bird, which weighed a bit over 4 pounds, I did the following:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Take the bird out of the refrigerator and allow it to warm up slightly.
Place the prepared bird in oven, roast at 500 (on convect) for 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature, still convection-mode, to 350.  Roast another 20 minutes.
Turn off convection and continue roasting for another 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 300-325, roast another 20 minutes.
Turn oven off, leave bird in for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Remove from oven.
Allow bird to rest for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.  Remove a portion of pan drippings and add to pan for reduction.

If you go by the 20 minutes per pound rule, this works better than any other method I have tried.  Much longer at the high temp and the bird gets over-cooked on the outside, but inadequately cooked in the interior.  This method seems to solve all these issues.  Try it and see if you find you get a better bird.  If no convection, simply add a bit longer at the higher temp, then leave the majority of the cooking time @ 350.  Watch the bird but resist the temptation to puncture the skin for internal temperature until you get close to the end.  If still unsure, an internal temp of at least 165 degrees F is done, and another way to know is to slice between the leg and thigh.  The juice should run clear if cooked through.

the beautiful color of a blood orange.

The tart flavor of these is a perfect accompaniment to chicken.

The chicken is prepped in the following way:  

Remove giblets, rinse exterior and cavity with water & pat dry with paper towel.

Rub exterior of bird with oil.  I prefer grapeseed oil because it has a high flashpoint.

Season with herbs, if desired.

I thinly sliced several cross-sections of the blood orange, along with several thinly sliced sections of garlic clove, and slipped them between the skin and breast of the bird (see above).

I placed 2-3 whole garlic cloves, and half onion cut into large chunks, inside the cavity to add flavor during roasting.

I roasted the chicken in an enamel-coated cast iron roasting pan.  Any deep-sided pan will do.

I love this product!  A bit pricier than other brands, but worth it if you don't have your own stock.

I added this to a cup of water, 1/4 cup white wine (optional), and about 1/4-1/2 cup pan drippings.

Place in skillet or saucepan on medium-high, and cook until the ingredients reduce in volume and become slightly thickened.

I added zest from the blood orange, and about 4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed juice.

The pan reduction goes from this (above) to this (below).  Do not add salt.  

Slices of roast chicken (above) served with fall vegetable medley of golden beets, eggplant, and onion.

The next day you can make yummy chicken salad with the leftover meat:

chicken meat, chopped or shredded

mayonnaise 

craisins

sliced almonds

In bowl, combine chicken with enough mayo to coat.  Add craisins, sliced almonds, and season with salt & pepper.  I like to use a "Creole" seasoning.  Toss.  Serve as a sandwich, or over a bed of lettuce.

"Day After Quilt Festival" Fall Frittata

A frittata is basically a baked egg casserole.  I love making them.  I enjoy the consistency of the eggs in the dish, and find that combining unusual ingredients will often generate pleasant-tasting results.

Ingredients (serves 2):

4 eggs, beaten

fresh arugula, coarsely chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

1/2-2/3 cup fresh baked pumpkin, mashed and at room temperature

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Manchego)

1-2 T grapeseed or olive oil 

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Chop arugula and onion.  Set aside in separate containers.  Shred cheese.

Heat a non-stick pan to medium.  Add oil.  Saute onion until aromatic and slightly brown.  Add arugula and toss until wilted.  Remove from pan.  Add pumpkin and sautee until warmed through.  Remove from pan.

Prepare individual casserole dishes by spraying with a release agent and place on a baking sheet with a non-stick liner.  Pour equal amounts of egg into casseroles.  Distribute onion/arugula mixture in each; repeat with pumpkin.  Salt and pepper, then sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top.  Place in oven and bake for approximately 18-20 minutes, or until center is firm.  Remove from oven and serve immediately.