blue artichoke

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Mine was awesome. Christmas is usually a very rushed and stressful holiday for me, as GC and I try to squeeze in visits with everyone, but end up spending more time in the car than actually seeing our families. We're still working out the details of which family gets custody of us for the holidays, and this year worked out splendidly. We stopped at GC's parents for an early Christmas with his whole family, then headed on to my mom's for Christmas with my family and friends. We ate a whole lot of great food and spent a lot of time sitting around chit-chatting and opening presents (both of our families kind of go overboard with the gift-giving).

I hope everyone else had a pleasant Christmas.

Getting to Know All About You: What's the best/worst/strangest gift you received?

Also: Happy New Year!

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I've just been going crazy this week, doing all sorts of new things. Do you want to know why? It's because, for the first time, I've had a very relaxed and stress-free holiday season. Our Christmas travel schedule is quite hectic, true, but that's because GC and I are getting to see both of our families, plus spending a few days in Las Vegas. How awesome is that? (Answer: very!) Because we're flying all over the place, I tried to do the bulk of my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving, so I could take the gifts with us then and leave them at GC's parents house. I still had a few things to buy after Thanksgiving, but most things I was able to order and have shipped. 99% of my Christmas shopping was finished, wrapped and delivered by December 1, leaving me in the unusual circumstance of having time to relax and enjoy the season. That's the first part of this New Thing, finishing shopping early and taking time to relax and enjoy the end of the year.

The second part is using some of this newfound free time to watch Christmas movies. I've never been one for sappy or sentimental movies, which most holiday movies are, so I've never bothered to watch most traditional Christmas movies. I do watch A Christmas Story every year, but I'd never seen It's a Wonderful Life and had only seen bits and pieces of Miracle on 34th Street. I watched It's a Wonderful Life this morning and will watch Miracle now. I'm still not much of a fan of the traditional, sentimental Christmas movie, but I'm glad that finally I will have seen them both. And I'm really glad that I had time to spend watching Christmas movies all morning, instead of running around crazy trying to finish shopping, wrapping and packing before GC and I leave tonight.

30 New Things Recap:

1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Make ice cream
10. Eat lunch with a down's syndrome guy
11. Learn to post pictures on my blog
12. Wear shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public
13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League
14. Begin Muay Thai lessons
15. Visit a Spa and Got a Foot Massage
16. Pedicure
17. Cookie Press
18. Text Message
19. Christmas Spirit

Merry Christmas!

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite holiday-themed movie?

Update: I can't actually watch Miracle on 34th Street today because something is wrong with our OnDemand cable. It won't play any movies. I will watch it, though, just as soon as I can. In the meantime, I think I'll take this opportunity to exercise a bit, before the holiday feasting begins in earnest.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Nothing makes me feel quite as old as I do when I have to respond to an email and ask what LMAO or IMHO means, not even shopping the sale rack in the geriatric section of Dillard's. At least then I can convince myself that the other old birds fighting over the same pair of slacks have a surprisingly modern sense of style. But the new vernacular made up of acronyms and shortened words are just beyond me. And so far, I've fought it. This language is fine for kids who sit in class and text message their friends instead of passing notes, but what use do I have for it? So, I let myself become a 30-year-old Luddite. Not only did I not embrace this new technology, but I went to the Sprint store and asked to have a text block placed on my phone line! Talk about a miserly old woman! I didn't want to have to pay 20 cents to receive a text when someone could just call me.

But, I started to feel left out. And I began noticing a few opportunities when I wished I could send a text to someone, when I had a quick question or reminder but didn't have time for a full conversation, when I wanted to tell something funny about someone in the room but didn't want to be overheard, or when I was stuck in a very slow-moving line and was bored. Maybe someone like me did have cause for texting. So, earlier this week, I went back to Sprint and had the text block removed from my phone and added a text message package to my line and to GC's line. Now we can sit on the couch and text each other! I sent out a few messages. The first one took 7 minutes to figure out how to navigate through the phone menu and type out a message with 11 characters. The next one was easier and faster. Turns out I have nimble fingers. Anyway, each text I sent was immediately followed by a message saying that the recipient chose not to accept my message. What!? I didn't think all my friends were similar crotchety old ladies who took the time to put a block on their phones, and I knew for sure that I'd seen Blue Grilled Cheese text, so I emailed her to find out why she blocked my message. She never got it. I went back to Sprint, who said the network had been down, and I tried again. With success. So, now, at age 30, I have sent 3 text messages and received 2. That's a start!

Getting to Know All About You: What's your position on text messaging?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Delicate or specialty-shaped cookies intimidate me. It seems like a lot of effort goes into hand-crafting perfectly shaped cookies, especially considering that the cookies will last a few days at best, before ending up in a grateful belly. Who has the time or patience?

Well, I thought I might. I liked every aspect of food preparation in cooking school - chopping, grating, blanching, sauteing, cooking, grilling, mashing, baking, frosting, and so on - but I really loved plating, garnishing and presentation. The squeeze bottles full of reductions and coulis that we used to draw designs on the plates or food, the arrangement of dried vegetables into sails or petals and the artful combination of colors and textures on the plate, those were the parts I looked forward to the most. So, I suspected that I would also like making artful cookies. I wanted to try using a cookie press. It didn't seem like it required a whole lot of talent or training, and, once I got the hang of it, I would be able to churn out dozens of beautiful cookies, assembly-line style. Still, I was a bit hesitant to use one. What if I sucked at the cookie press? My dreams would be dashed. I had no excuse for avoiding the press; I have had my grandmother's for years. It's old, considered vintage on eBay, and hails from the days when cookie was spelled cooky.

No excuses. I'm 30. Time to man up and face the cookie press. I had a few stinkers at first, as I learned how much I had to turn the cookie press screw to push out dough, but I quickly got the hang of it and pressed out row after row of beautiful Christmas trees. The recipe is a basic shortbread butter cookie, simple but really delicious. I sprinkled the trees with red, green and white mint sprinkles for some extra flair. The recipe called for a few drops of green food coloring, but I learned in the great Key Lime Pie debacle that I don't handle food coloring well, so I opted to omit this step.

Here's the recipe, for all those who have conquered their fear of the cookie press:

Christmas Trees

1 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2-1/4 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder
1 t. almond extract (I used butter flavoring and vanilla extract instead, 1 t. of each)
Green vegetable coloring

Cream shortening, adding sugar gradually.

Add unbeaten egg, sifted dry ingredients, flavoring and a few drops of vegetable coloring. Mix well.

Fill a MIRRO cooky press. Form cookies on ungreased aluminum cooky sheets, using the tree plate. Decorate with tiny candies.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Yield: 6 dozen.

Yum!

I'm a convert. I love the cookie press! I feel like I'm ready for an even greater cookie press challenge, such as layered cookies, lady fingers or éclairs.

30 New Things Recap:

1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Make ice cream
10. Eat lunch with a down's syndrome guy
11. Learn to post pictures on my blog
12. Wear shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public
13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League
14. Begin Muay Thai lessons
15. Visit a Spa and Got a Foot Massage
16. Pedicure
17. Cookie Press

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

GC and I are flying home for the holidays this year, so my whirlwind holiday baking is somewhat diminished. I won't be giving many baked goodies as gifts because delicate cookie trays are no match for TSA baggage handlers. Still, I wasn't about to let that stifle my holiday baking urges, so I made cookie trays for my neighbors. If you keep in mind that I have only two intended recipients (though those neighbors will undoubtedly share with their friends and families), you will grasp the ridiculous magnitude of these cookie trays. I like to include five selections in a cookie tray. One selection doesn't make a tray. Two says I couldn't decide which to make, so I made both. Three is OK, but provides many cookies in few varieties, so if someone doesn't like one selection they're stuck with 1/3 of a cookie tray to dispose of. Four may be the perfect number, but it's even and therefore results in a too-symmetrical arrangement. Five says I like you and want to make everything for you, but I must restrain my goodwill; these are the recipes I just could not bear for you to miss. Plus, five selections give plenty of options for flavors and textures and are aesthetically pleasing.

On the cookie tray this year: gingersnaps, mini-chocolate chip snowballs, white-chocolate cranberry-orange fudge, peppermint brownies, Christmas tree butter cookies and peanut butter cookies. Ooops. That's six. The peanut butter cookies are the anomaly here, not very Christmasy and probably should have been left out. But I was in the mood for peanut butter cookies, so I made them. Back off.

Each recipe made 2-4 dozen cookies. Remember that I had two intended recipients and note that there are about six of each cookie on the tray. It doesn't take a mathlete to figure out that we have dozens of cookies tempting us at the Blue Artichoke headquarters.

The three best cookies are, in no particular order, the gingersnaps, the Christmas tree butter cookies and the mini-chocolate chip snowballs. Recipes follow. The peanut butter cookies are good, but are nothing special compared to all the other holiday superstars. The peppermint brownies are also good, but if you're going to make a chocolate-peppermint treat, the cookies that I made for GC's office party are far superior to these brownies. The white-chocolate cranberry-orange fudge is excellent, but I won't give the recipe because my mom and I usually make it as gifts. We'd have to find another super awesome treat to give if everyone we know already has the recipe for this fudge. Until that happens, consider this a secret family recipe.

Mini Chip Snowball Cookies

1-½ cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels
½ cup finely chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1 sprinkle of powdered sugar

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

BEAT butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour; stir in morsels and nuts. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Sift powdered sugar over hot cookies on baking sheets. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar if desired. Store in airtight containers.

These made ~ 2 1/2 dozen awesome cookies.
Nestle: www.verybestbaking.com

Somebody Named Beth's Gingersnaps

¾ cup butter or shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground allspice
sugar to roll the balls in

1. Beat shortening or butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well.
2. Add the egg and molasses.
3. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to molasses/shortening mixture.
4. Chill the dough. Beth says she often skips this step. Blue Artichoke chilled the dough for a few hours.
5. Roll into 1" balls, then roll the balls in sugar.
6. Place the balls on cookie sheets, then bake at 375° for about 10 minutes.

The recipe makes two to three dozen cookies, which will be delicious and soft. They'll remain delicious but slowly get crunchier as time goes by, assuming you can restrain yourself. And they're wonderful with vanilla ice cream!

This recipe made ~3 dozen gingersnaps.
http://www.stuttercut.org/hungry/archives/recipes/000101.html

The recipe for the Christmas tree butter cookies deserves an entry of its own, so look for that recipe later this afternoon.

Getting to Know All About You: Holiday shopping: done, in progress, or not yet begun?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

First of all, let me tell you why there were no Sunday Muffins this week. Friday and Saturday, but mostly Saturday, I dove into holiday baking and baked up a storm. When the flour settled, I was too tuckered out to break another egg or measure another teaspoon of baking soda. No muffins. I do, however, have a beautiful cookie tray. More on that tomorrow, when I have pictures of my glorious creations.

Last night's Wandering Gullet dinner was selected with the baking frenzy in mind. I knew I wouldn't be up for anything overly complicated or time-consuming, so I chose a slow-cooker meal: Russian Red Lentil Soup. I assembled the ingredients and started it cooking at 4:00 yesterday afternoon. Though the recipe said to cook on low for 3 hours, I started it on high (because I like to heat things quickly to minimize time spent in the danger zone of 40-140F). I intended to turn down the heat after an hour, but I got sidetracked with other things and left it on high for all three hours. Somehow, I think it was still a bit undercooked. The lentils were slightly crunchy and the onions were definitely crunchy. Maybe that's how Russians like their lentils and onions. I prefer them a bit softer. GC liked the soup well enough; I did not. I'm not convinced this is typical Russian fare, but if it is, I can understand why they waited for hours in lines for bread. I ate my popovers but decided the soup was not good enough to eat, so I fried a couple of eggs for my dinner. I'll not share the recipe with you.

Finally, happy birthday to Purple Fried Okra!

Getting to Know All About You: What food do you think it would be worth spending hours waiting in line for?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

GC is an ideal husband in many ways, but it's his culinary adventurousness that makes him a pleasure to cook for. He'll try anything I set before him. He doesn't always like everything, but never one to waste food, he rushes through the parts he doesn't like to get them out of the way, then enjoys the rest of his meal. For example, GC doesn't particularly like cooked carrots. He doesn't insist that I omit carrots from recipes, though, he'll just pick through the soup (or whatever), eat all the carrots first, then continue on as if they were never there.

I take his food dislikes as a challenge. How can I prepare carrots so that GC will like them? One reason I got interested in cooking was to find a way to make gross foods palatable to me. (Roasting Brussels sprouts works for me!) That challenge has extended to GC. Here's an answer to the carrot conundrum:

Sugar-Glazed Roasted Carrots

1 1/2# medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2 by 1/2" pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Heat rimmed baking sheet in oven for 10 minutes.

2. Toss carrots, melted butter, sugar, salt, and pepper in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Remove pan from oven and place carrots in single layer on hot baking sheet. Roast until carrots are beginning to brown on bottom, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove pan from oven, toss carrots to redistribute, and continue to roast until tender and deep amber in color, about 3 minutes. Serve.

Serves 4 to 6

Cook’s Country, 2/2006

Roasting is one of the best approaches to maximize the sweet, earthy flavor of carrots. The high heat caramelizes the vegetable’s natural sugars and browns the exterior, leaving the interior tender and moist. The narrow tips of the carrot slices will scorch, so trim them or learn to love blackened carrot tips (as I do).

Getting to Know All About You: What's your least-liked vegetable?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Although I'm not Jewish, I do like the food, so I celebrate Jewish holidays when it suits me. Hanukkah officially began at sundown last Tuesday, but it lasts eight days, so my Sunday holiday dinner was timely.

Hanukkah is the festival of lights, and celebrates "miracle of the container of oil" which had only enough consecrated oil to fuel the eternal flame for one day at the re-dedication of the Temple after the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, but miraculously burned for eight, giving them time to harvest and press more olive oil. As such a miraculous oil, the holiday is celebrated by guzzling as much olive oil as possible in eight days.

Now, if you're going to drink your body weight in oil, olive oil is the healthiest way to go, as monounsaturated fats have been linked to a reduction in the risk of developing coronary heart disease. As wise as those second-century Jews were, though, I'm pretty sure that olive oil is one of those good-in-moderation, more-does-not-equal-better health elixirs.

Our celebratory oil-consumption came via traditional potato latkes (shredded potatoes formed into patties and fried in, what else, olive oil), and a roast chicken rubbed with olive oil. The latkes were OK, but not special enough to share with you. I've made better. The chicken, though, was so simple and delicious that I'll definitely share. The skin was golden brown and crispy and the meat was tender and so juicy. Roasting a chicken is one of the easiest meals, but mine often come out somehow both dry and undercooked (thanks to an oven door that doesn't actually close all the way). This one was perfect.

Roast Chicken

2 3-4-pound chickens
3 lemons, cut into 1” chunks
1 head of garlic, separated into cloves
Olive oil
½ t. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs
½ c. white wine or dry vermouth

Rinse chicken; pat dry. Heat oven to 375.

Place the lemon and garlic in the chickens’ cavities. Tie the legs together. Rub the birds with some oil; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper. Tuck some thyme sprigs between the breast and the thighs and wings. Put the remaining sprigs in the roasting pan and place the chickens on top. Roast for 1-½ h or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reads 180°F. Remove the chickens to a platter. Pour any juices that accumulate back into the pan. Discard the thyme. Place the pan over med heat, add the wine; bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits in the bottom of the pan.

Pour the pan juices into a cup and place in the freezer for ~10m to hasten the separation of the fat. Discard the fat and heat the remaining juices in a saucepan or in the microwave. Serve with one of the chickens. Wrap and refrigerate the other chicken for another meal.

Serves 4 with leftovers.

Real Simple, February 2004.

I halved the recipe, cooking only one chicken, and still had plenty of leftovers. We picked at the bird for a few meals, then today I stripped the old carcass of its meat and shredded it to use in a chicken casserole later this week. See, you don't have to be Jewish to be industrious. The oil might have lasted eight days, but this bird will last nine. At least.

Getting to Know All About You: Excluding Rudolph, who's your favorite reindeer? And why?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 07:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Snow! Wintry mix! Freezing rain! Ice pellets! Thunder-snow! All these words and phrases have been used to describe what it is that has been falling from the sky for the past few days. I don't like cold weather, but it's awesome outside. Slick like a skating rink. In fact, I saw three people ice skating down my road this afternoon. I'm a big fan of extreme weather, because there's nothing you can do but hunker down and ride it out.

I thought I'd be bored, stuck inside all weekend, so I thought of fun activities to keep occupied, such as going through my cabinets and reading food labels to see how many trans-fat items I have in the house right now. Sadly, I never made it to this game because I got too wrapped up in other fun projects, like wrapping Christmas presents, watching movies and taped television shows, baking muffins and doing laundry. Oh, well, that's a game for another snowy day.

The muffins I chose, in keeping with the cranberry theme for December, were pumpkin-cranberry. I was skeptical at first. I like pumpkin muffins and cranberry muffins, and I know that those flavors go together, but I expected to throw out this recipe. But no, they're good. Not excellent or better than each one separately, but far better than I anticipated. This recipe is a keeper! They were really moist, with a dark and rich flavor punctuated with the chewy sweet and sour dried cranberries. A real crowd pleaser, I'm sure.

Pumpkin-Cranberry Muffins

This recipe doubles easily to feed a crowd. These are best warm, but you can make ahead to jump-start holiday cooking. Bake up to one month in advance, and place in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Let the muffins thaw at room temperature, and then microwave at MEDIUM-HIGH about 30 seconds to heat through.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
2/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped (such as Craisins) [I didn't bother chopping them. They're small enough - BA]
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and next 5 ingredients (though cloves); stir well with a whisk.

Combine granulated sugar and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until combined. Fold in cranberries.

Place 12 paper muffin cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Spoon batter into prepared cups. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.

Yield: 1 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)

CALORIES 199 (14% from fat); FAT 3.2g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 2.8g; CHOLESTEROL 18mg; CALCIUM 38mg; SODIUM 195mg; FIBER 1.5g; IRON 1.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 41.1g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Yesterday was our first snow day of the winter, beginning around noon and tapering off by 5:00pm. It started in spurts, but turned into a beautiful wintry day, with big flakes and maybe an inch or two of accumulation. I opened up the blinds in the living room and watched our quiet neighborhood become blanketed in white. That is, until a huge white bakery truck parked right in front of the house, totally blocking my view. Argh.

For dinner, I made spicy shrimp and grits, which somehow seemed fitting for the first snow. If you can't warm up by a roaring fire, try this dish. Hot and spicy, indeed. GC liked it so much, he wanted to send the recipe to the food editor of the local newspaper...

Spicy Shrimp And Grits

Bon Appétit | November 2007

6 cups water
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (do not use fat-free)
1-½ cups quick-cooking grits
1- ½ cups (packed) coarsely grated sharp white cheddar cheese

5 bacon slices, chopped
2 cups sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms (4 to 5 ounces)
1 cup chopped onion
¾ cup chopped green bell pepper
2-¼ cups chopped plum tomatoes, divided
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

Bring water and milk to boil in large saucepan. Gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer until grits are thick, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Mix in cheese; season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, sauté bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels. Add mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and 1-½ cups tomatoes to drippings in skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté over medium-high heat until vegetables are tender and sauce is thick, about 12 minutes. Add shrimp, hot sauce, and ¾ cup tomatoes to skillet. Sauté until shrimp are just opaque in center, about 4 minutes.

Spoon hot grits onto plates; top with shrimp and sauce.

Makes 4 servings

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 09:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And... we're off! Holiday baking has officially begun. Yesterday I got an email from GC asking if I could bake some sort of treat for him to contribute to his office holiday party. Sure, I said, when? Oh, tomorrow. So, after work, I pawed through my baking supplies to see what I had to work with. A bag of Andes Peppermint Crunch looked good, but I didn't have the rest of the ingredients to make either of the recipes on the back of the bag. I turned to my vast collection of cookie recipes and found one that would work. The original recipe called for a bag of chocolate chips and some crushed up candy canes to be added to a chocolate cookie batter. Out with the chips and canes, in with the peppermint crunch. Done!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa
1 bag Andes Peppermint Crunch

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla and mint extract.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, beating until blended.

Fold in peppermint crunch; drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 3 inches apart, onto lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 12 to 14 minutes (do not overbake). Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Yield: 2-1/2 dozen
Adapted from Southern Living, DECEMBER 1997

I also changed the fat in these cookies. The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of butter plus 1/4 c. of shortening. I no longer keep shortening around, so I just doubled the butter. This caused the cookies to spread out more, producing a thinner, crisper cookie. If you want big, fluffy cookies, then use half butter and half shortening. Shortening helps the cookie to keeps it's shape when baking.

These cookies were really good, with a nice mint flavor that wasn't overpowering or astringent, as some mint cookies seem to be. I'm not doing a whole lot of holiday baking this year because I'm flying home for the holidays and don't want to stuff my suitcase with fragile cookies, but the next time I go to a cookie swap or design a holiday cookie tray, these cookies will be included. For sure.

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite holiday treat?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I didn't make Sunday muffins last weekend, because GC was out of town and a dozen muffins is a lot for just one artichoke. I did, however, bake a loaf of quick bread for GC to breakfast on at work this week. If October = German food and November = pumpkin, then December = cranberries. I made cranberry quick bread with raisins and hazelnuts. My recommendation? Make this bread, but throw out the raisins, they're rubbish, and increase the hazelnuts.

Cranberry Quick Bread with Raisins and Hazelnuts

The batter is a pale tan, but the finished bread is a rich golden brown. The fruit in this easy quick bread helps it stay moist. You can use walnuts in place of the hazelnuts, though I don't know why you'd want to. The hazelnuts make this bread totally awesome. With walnuts, it will just be good.

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup apple juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups chopped fresh cranberries
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 4 ingredients (flours through salt) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine juice, oil, rind, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in cranberries, raisins, and hazelnuts.

Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

CALORIES 162(23% from fat); FAT 4.2g (sat 0.6g,mono 1.6g,poly 1.8g); PROTEIN 2.6g; CHOLESTEROL 13mg; CALCIUM 27mg; SODIUM 112mg; FIBER 1.6g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.6g
Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2002

Seriously, this is one of the better quick breads I've had, and I've made a lot of quick breads. The bread is moist and tender, and simply sweet balanced with a deep nuttiness. I made it for GC, but ended up eating three rather large slices before I was able to wrap it up. If you can, wait until the loaf is fully cooled before slicing into it. I didn't wait long enough, so it didn't slice easily. No matter, it made it to my belly all the same.

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite Christmas carol?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 08:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Last night I watched two episodes of Dexter, another dark tv show, and dreamed about a group of guys I hung out with in college and one guy I've known since we rode the bus together in middle school. Weird.

Anyway, GC has returned from San Antonio, so I got back into the kitchen to cook a real dinner, Portuguese-style. Yesterday morning was stormy, and after the rain passed, was just cold. A hot soup was in order, and this one, full of sausage, sweet potatoes, beans and kale warmed us up nicely. Using sweet potatoes instead of regular white potatoes and sweet turkey Italian sausage made the soup surprisingly sweet, in a good way. I halved the recipe, but we still have plenty of leftovers to be enjoyed on another cold and blustery day.

Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Kale Soup

This version of a traditional Portuguese soup uses sweet potatoes in place of white potatoes. For a thicker consistency, coarsely mash some of the beans before adding them to the soup.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound sweet turkey Italian sausage
8 cups coarsely chopped peeled sweet potato (about 2 1/4 pounds)
5 cups water
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package prewashed torn kale or 2 bunches kale, ribs removed, thoroughly washed and coarsely chopped
1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Remove casings from sausage; add sausage to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add potato, 5 cups water, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Gradually add kale; cook 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and beans; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cups)

CALORIES 254 (29% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 2.1g,mono 3.4g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 14.2g; CHOLESTEROL 27mg; CALCIUM 132mg; SODIUM 797mg; FIBER 6.9g; IRON 2.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.8g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2007

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I watched two more episodes of Carnivale last night, right before going to bed, and woke up dreaming about Las Vegas.

Before I watched Carnivale, however, I watched the Big 12 championship game and decorated for Christmas. I have mixed feelings about Christmas. As a holiday, it's OK. It's not my favorite because it is just too stressful trying to find the perfect present for everyone on my list and spending almost as much time in transit as visiting our families. But mainly I don't like it because it just starts too early. Christmas songs are playing in stores after Halloween and holiday decorations are up even before Thanksgiving. By the time December 25th actually rolls around, I'm sick of it and glad for it to be over. Bah humbug, I know, but it's difficult to find or maintain the spirit through all the stress, shopping and endless repetitions of Amy Grant's Christmas songs.

Last year was the first year I put up a tree, and that was at GC's request. It seems silly for me to do much holiday decorating because we're never at home for the holidays. I get all the work of decorating and undecorating, with not much time for enjoyment in between. But now that I'm married and actually have a "household," it seems appropriate to be festive. In December. So, while waiting for the Big 12 kickoff, I brought up our tree and decorations from the basement and decorated the living room. Fat Larry caught the Christmas spirit and helped me arrange ornaments on the tree, when he wasn't otherwise occupied by attacking the tree skirt.

We have a fake tree, white with prestrung lights. I bought it for $7 at an after-Christmas sale, and I really like it. We have just enough ornaments to look nice without being crowded. Our ornaments are meaningful. Most are mine, because my mom gave me a new ornament every year to reflect my interests. I have ornaments of my childhood friends: Eeyore, Paddington and Bert (no Ernie). I have musical ones, from when I took piano lessons and joined the middle school orchestra (violin). I have food and baking-related ornaments from when I went to cooking school and worked in a restaurant. I have lots of mouse-related ornaments from when I was a quiet, mousy little girl and my dad called me "Miss Mouse." I have elephant ornaments from my young Republican days (haha, that's a joke. After we lived in Africa, I was waaaay into elephants), and some Arabian ornaments from when we lived in Saudi Arabia. Since our marriage, GC's mom gives me a Gorham snowflake ornament every year at Thanksgiving, a tradition I very much enjoy. The tree isn't all me, though. I don't have any of GC's childhood ornaments, but my mom has been including him in the ornament tradition for several years. He has skiing, poker and music ornaments to reflect his interests, and tiny Mason jars from his family reunion. Maybe you can see some of the ornaments on this picture (and yes, that is an ornament of the leg lamp from A Christmas Story, the best Christmas movie ever):

The rest of my holiday decorations include candles and a few knickknacks. No big whoop.

By the way, Missouri lost the Big 12. So disappointing.

Getting to Know All About You: Christmas: For It or Against It?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

GC is in San Antonio covering the Big 12 championship game, and I'm taking this opportunity to mess up the house. Yesterday I decided to work on a sewing project, so I draped fabric all over the living room and set up my sewing machine. I did make progress on the project, but am lacking a few key elements so I'll have to finish it later this week.

I stayed up late working on this project, then for some stupid reason, decided to get in bed and watch an episode of Carnivale. If you haven't seen it, it's a really dark and creepy show. I had weird dreams, but the only one I could remember this morning was the dream about how I should probably dust the lampshades in the living room. What? Who dreams about cleaning? Anyway, this morning, after the bump on the head, I looked at the lampshades and was grossed out at how dusty they were. This spurred a down-and-dirty top-to-bottom cleaning of the living room, including vacuuming the baseboards, dusting the curtain rods, washing the inside of the windows, polishing wood tables, cleaning out GC's junk drawer (which is no longer in use. I avoided his junk table), vacuuming underneath furniture and, of course, dusting the lampshades. I'm not sure what got in to me, but the living room is sparkling clean and well-ordered, except for the corner where I corralled my sewing project.

In the process of cleaning the living room, I was amazed at how dirty and cluttered the room had to get in order to get clean. This is something that I warn my clients about, so they don't freak out when they look around in the midst of sorting through their things, only to see an even bigger mess than when they started. I see it as just part of the process, but it is different when it's your own room that just gets messier the longer you work. By the end, though, if we've worked well, the whole room is put back together, clean, tidy and organized, and in just a few minutes.

But back to my dusting dream. Dreams are so weird, and kind of scary because we have no idea what our brains are up to when we're asleep. Had I subconsciously noticed the dusty lampshades and repressed the thoughts of cleaning them because I'm lazy or have higher priorities, only to have my dreaming mind bring out those thoughts and demand I do something about it? I think the brain does sift through information and reveal repressed thoughts through dreams, so I guess I've got a sparkling clean conscience if my only repressed thoughts are about cleaning. Or perhaps dusty lampshades are a symbol for something more meaningful. It's possible. Who knows? All I know is that I have clean lampshades.

Getting to Know All About You: Tell us about one of your weird dreams.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I walked into a door this morning. That's what happens when I try to take multitasking to a new level, singing along to a song, admiring myself in the mirror and carrying stuff from one room to another. With so much going on, I forgot there's a doorstop to keep the door ajar enough to let the cat get in but not enough to let all of the heat get out, so when I nudged the door with my foot, it didn't move, but I did. And now I have the beginning of a knot on my forehead.

Happy December!

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)