Roasted Salmon, Vegetables, and bacon-wrapped jalapenos with cheese

Roasted golden beets, kolrabi, carrots, and leeks plated with

bacon-wrapped jalapenos and roasted salmon with sliced almonds

Bacon-wrapped jalapenos:

jalepenos, stemmed, seeds removed, sliced in half lengthwise

pork sausage

bacon

cream cheese

Put small, quarter-size round of sausage in jalapeno half, top with cream cheese, wrap with half-slice of bacon.

Place on roasting pan.

Roast at 425 degrees for 20-35 minutes, depending on how crisp you want the bacon.

Vegetables:

Scrub and slice beets and leeks, using care to assure there is no dirt in the center of the leeks.

Scrub the exterior of the carrots and leave small ones whole.  I remove the top of the beets.

Toss in olive oil and spread on roasting pan.

Roast at 350 for 35-40 minutes, check for tenderness. 

Roast Salmon filet (skin on) with sliced almonds

Choose a filet of salmon, preferably wild-caught, that is firm, deep pink in color and smells like the sea.

Place on roasting pan, skin down.  

Use a dry rub, or simply salt and pepper.  Drizzle a small amount of olive or grapeseed oil down the center of the filet.  Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Roast at 350 for approximately 12-14 minutes, depending on size.  Salmon should be just barely cooked through for best flavor.  Avoid the temptation to over-cook!

Remove from oven and serve immediately.  

Central Market Spice Shopping

I'm so fortunate to be living near a Central Market!  Central Markets are the high-end, gourmet versions of the HEB market chain in South-Central Texas.  Anyone who has been in a CM knows what I'm talking about:  wide varieties of fresh everything!
I made a trip this afternoon when I was preparing to make a large batch of curry powder and discovered I was out of cumin seed.  An inventory of my spice cabinet informed me that I needed to toss a number of things and obtain fresh.  I love going to Central Market because most any spice you need is in bulk.  I like this because it is always fresh, I can buy a small amount, and replace outdated spice regularly without a grain of guilt.

a lovely selection of heirloom tomatoes

my curry mix being toasted in a pan prior to grinding in a mini food processor

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!