MOM'S SUGAR COOKIES

My mom baking with the kids

Christmas at our house is not complete without our favorite frosted sugar cookies.  The smell! The taste!  They bring me back to happy childhood memories in an instant!  I crave these cookies and because of that I do not make them very often.  I have absolutely no will-power or common sense when it comes to eating them.  If you leave them on the counter unattended they will be eaten.  In mass quantity.  I absolve myself of all blame.   They are the crack cocaine of Cookiedom and I am a Christmas cookie addict.

These cookies are mildly labor intensive what with all the chilling, rolling, cutting, baking & frosting, but do not be discouraged!  They are so worth it!  I hope you give them a try, give them to your friends & neighbors & bake them with your children.  I have such fond memories of making these with my Mom & sister at Christmastime.  I hope that you too will find a new Christmas tradition in making these with your loved ones.

MOM'S SUGAR COOKIES

Sift the following:

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

In another bowl cream together:

3/4 c. Crisco or butter

1 c. sugar

Add to Crisco & sugar:

2 eggs

2 T. milk

1 tsp. lemon extract

1 tsp. almond extract

Add flour mixture other ingredients, mix, 

cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap & 

chill 30 min to several hours

Roll thin & cut with cookie cutters

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 min.

FROSTING:

Powdered sugar

add almond & lemon extracts (about a capful of each - to taste)

Add milk & mix to desired consistency

Divide frosting into small bowls.  Add food coloring.  Frost.  Embellish with sprinkles, red hots, dragees (silver & gold balls), etc...

I HIGHLY SUGGEST DOUBLING OR TRIPLING THIS RECIPE AS THE COOKIES WILL NOT LAST LONG!

Frosted cookies can also be frozen to give you the illusion that you are not eating them as quickly as you actually are.

Guten Apetit & Merry Christmas!

Gemma

Fish Tacos, and more!

Sorry for the delay in adding new posts...Gemma and I were together for Thanksgiving with our families and had a wonderful time! My husband went hunting for the first time with Gemma's parents and husband, Jay. What an adventure! We brought home a buck and have already started experimenting with all kinds of new recipes for venison! Pictures haven't been downloaded yet, so stay tuned for those yummy creations.

With Christmas greatness and food all around, I decided to post a meal that is truly a breeze and a refreshing break from all the other rich foods we eat this time of year. Instead of using the tilapia called for in this recipe, I cheat and use Trident's Ultimate Fish Stick. I find them at Costco. If you see them, grab them, you won't be sorry! I prepare the rest of the ingredients the same way. The next day, we usually have a fish taco salad with the leftovers. Feel free to improvise with your favorite taco ingredients. In my household, we always add avocado. Sweet potato fries are a great side. Enjoy!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/fish-tacos-with-cabbage-and-lime

Perfect Pumpkin Bake

Looking for fitting meals to pair with the season? One of our favorite comfort flavors is pumpkin. The good news is that many autumn squashes are equal substitutes in recipes. The best tip I have for all seasons is to get to know the produce staff at your grocery store. They can really help you out if your looking for an ingredient or even prep. My produce manager will even cut butternut, acorn, spaghetti squash and pumpkin if asked on the spot!

If after you've cubed your squash you have extra, you can use the extra in soups or even risotto. Stay tuned for those recipes to come!

Here's what you need:

one pumpkin cubed (butternut squash will also work) - approx. 4 cups

3 potatoes cubed

one red onion wedged

one summer sausage roll cubed

one bunch of fresh sage chopped

rosemary (1 T. dried or 1/4 c. fresh)

a drizzle of oil

salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a 9" x 13" dish and drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 1.5 hours on 350 F until all the ingredients are tender. Eat and Enjoy!

What to do with that leftover cubed pumpkin...

My husband's hometown pays homage to the pumpkin every year with a festival called the Pumpkin Show. I have learned to absolutely delight in every part of autumn, especially the pumpkin. Several years ago I attended a cooking demonstration by Marilou Suszko at the pumpkin show and got these great recipes that have now become part of our family tradition every year at this time. Despite the usual pumpkin flavors and spice pairings, I find these refreshing and comforting. I hope you enjoy them and that they become staples in your autumn fare!

A few editorial notes...these recipes are shallot heavy. I highly recommend using them! You can usually find them next to the regular onions in the produce department. This soup recipe introduced me to fish sauce. Do not be afraid! However, if your aversion to fish sauce is like Gemma's, her tip is to use soy sauce as a substitute:-)

Pumpkin Risotto

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1 T. olive oil

8 shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1.5 cups risotto rice, or long grain rice

1/2 c. white wine

2 c. diced pumpkin

1/4 c. flat leaf parsley, chopped

1.5 c. grated parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Put the stock in a saucepan. Heat until almost boiling then reduce heat and keep liquid at a simmer.

Heat the butter and oil in a deep skillet or heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook the shallots for 1-2 minutes until softened, but not browned. Add garlic.

Add rice and stir until all the grains are coated and glistening, about 1 minute. Pour the wine and stir until completely absorbed.

Add 1 ladle of hot stock, pumpkin and parsely. Simmer, stirring until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue to add the stock at intervals and cook as before, until the liquid is absorbed, the pumpkin cooked, and the rice al dente., about 20 minutes.

Add final ladle of stock, parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix well. Remove from heat and let sit for at least 2 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Silky Pumpkin Soup

3-4 shallots, unpeeled

3-4 c. diced pumpkin

2 c. canned coconut milk

2 c. chicken broth

1 c. loosely packed fresh cilantro

1/2 t. salt

2 T. fish sauce

pepper to taste

1/2 c. minced scallion

In a heavy skillet, dry roast the shallots turning occasionally until softened and blackened. Peel, cut lengthwise in half and set aside.

Place coconut milk, broth, pumpkin cubes, shallots, cilantro, salt and pepper in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until the pumpkin is tender.

Stir in fish sauce and cook for another 3 minutes.

Serve with minced scallion sprinkled on top.

Bake Sale Cookies

If you need to make cookies for a bake sale, or your kid's class or a potluck, these are some seriously impressive cookies to make.  Maybe you've just moved to a new neighborhood & want to make a good impression on your new neighbors.  Or maybe you've never befriended your neighbors and are feeling a little lonely.  Or maybe you're having a rotten day & your husband is driving you crazy & your to-do list is a mile long & school called & your kid just threw up...on the school nurse.  Whatever the case may be, these cookies are sure to brighten anyone's day.  Hand over a little plate of these discs of perfection to your co-workers, to your neighbors, to the school nurse and - voila! - you've got an instant friend!  Maybe we should call them Best Friend Cookies.  Here's how to make them:


Bake Sale Cookies*
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat together:
2 sticks unsalted butter - melted & cooled
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated white sugar
2 eggs + 2 yolks
1 T. vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients & add to the wet:
3 1/3 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Add 1 12 oz. bag of chocolate chunks (or chips).

Scoop by 1/4 c. onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 17-19 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through.

Guten Appetit!
Gemma

*Recipe from American Test Kitchen: Big & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Basila

This is a comfort food from childhood and a staple in my kitchen. The authentic dish is precise, however, in efforts to simplify my cooking, I found I can take liberties and not substitute on flavor or texture. If your family isn't keen on green peas, you can use any other vegetable.

1 lb. ground sirloin beef

1 onion sliced or chopped

1 T. cinnamon

1/2 T. all-spice

salt and pepper to taste

1 can of your favorite tomato product (diced, sauce, etc.), my favorite are diced tomatoes

1 16 oz. bag of frozen green peas (or green beans, or baby frozen okra, etc)

1.5 cups rice (Gemma loves Jasmin rice!)

Cook the rice while making the basila.

Brown the ground beef on medium high in a skillet. As the meat is browning, you can add the onions, cinnamon, all-spice, salt and pepper. Once all the meat is browned, onions softened and juices somewhat evaporated, add the diced tomatoes and stir to incorporate. Add the green peas and bring the basila to a boil. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Guten Appetit!
Jasmin

A note from Gemma: My 5 year-old Josh walked in the house after riding his bike one afternoon last week & exclaimed "Mmmm! That smells like my favorite dinner!"  I was cooking Basila!  He & his sister loved it!  I will say that my kids are not fond of chunks of tomatoes, so I use tomato sauce or a small can of tomato paste with some water added.  They are also not crazy about peas - which is too bad because they add such a lovely bright, green color!  I used canned green beans the last time I made it & the whole family chowed down.  Also, as Jasmin says "Don't be afraid of the cinnamon & allspice!"  It sounded weird to me at first - meat with these spices - but, let me tell you; It is amazingly delicious!!  Try it tonight!

The Best Blueberry Muffins. Ever.

Earlier this summer I went blueberry picking at a local farm.  It was so much fun & the berries were delicious.  When we got home I was excited to whip up some pancakes & bake muffins.  I searched online for a good recipe & finally found one that got rave reviews: #51997 on recipezaar.com. 

They were not kidding when they called them Awesome Blueberry Muffins!  I've made these muffins 4-5 times since July & will be making them again next week for a brunch.  When it was my son's turn to bring snacks, I baked them for his kindergarten class.  He reported back that his classmates said "they were the best muffins in the whole world ever!!!" (Three exclamation points to show just how excited he was!) ! Whether you use fresh picked, organic blueberries or grab a bag from the frozen aisle; this is a go-to recipe!

You will need:

Muffins:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. white sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

optional: cinnamon!

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 c. milk

1 c. fresh blueberries

Crumb topping:

1/2 c. white sugar

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. butter, cubed

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners
3. Combine dry muffin ingredients
4. Place oil into a 1 cup measuring cup, add the egg & enough milk to fill up the cup (1/3 c.)
5. Add to dry muffin ingredients
6. Fold in blueberries
7. Fill muffin cups right to the top and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
8. Mix crumb topping ingredients with a pastry cutter/two knives/food processor  (This makes a lot of topping!  I keep the extra in a ziploc freezer bag & save for my next batch of muffins!)
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven or until done. (Mine only took 18 minutes)

I strongly recommend that you double this recipe; one batch will simply not be enough!  Give this recipe a try & report back here.  Tell me if you don't think these muffins rock.

Guten Apetit!
Gemma

Spanikopita anyone?

Flaky, buttery, exotic and delicious. The key ingredient: phyllo dough. The good news is that you can find phyllo dough in your local market in the frozen section near desserts. The even better news is that phyllo dough is easy to work with and yields delicious results with minimal effort. There are a few things to keep in mind that will ensure success: make sure dough is completely defrosted before you begin working with it and keep a damp towel on hand to cover unused portions so the sheets don’t dry out. Most packages separate the phyllo dough into two portions. For this recipe we will use the entire box with one half on the bottom and the other on top.

If you do have an ethnic market nearby, set a time to venture in. You will find a lot of popular ingredients that are pricy at local markets to be sold in bulk and fractions of the cost. For example, 2 lbs. of Bulgarian feta cheese usually run around $10.

Ingredients:

1 package Phyllo Dough sheets

1 lb. melted butter

3 10 oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of access juices

1 lb. feta cheese crumbled

3 leeks, chopped, washed and sautéed until wilted

6 eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg,

dill, chopped if fresh or 1 tablespoon dried,

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine the spinach, feta cheese, leeks, eggs, nutmeg, dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.

To assemble the spanikopita brush the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass dish with two tablespoons melted butter. Put 10 sheets on top. Brush with two tablespoons of butter. Continue until the first half of the phyllo dough is used.

Evenly spread the spinach mixture.

Working with the second half of the phyllo dough, put 10 sheets on top of the spinach mixture. Spread with 2 tablespoons butter and continue until all the sheets are used.

Super important! Before applying butter on top, pre cut the spanikopita with a sharp knife to desired servings sizes (12-16)….THEN, pour the rest of the butter on top. The final butter will seep in the cracks and ensure a crispy bottom!

Bake in your preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. My mom always knew when it was about done when her kitchen smelled of buttery goodness!

Guten Appetit!

Pork and green bean stir-fry

Look at this picture.  Are you salivating?  You should be!  This is one delicious stir-fry!  This Everyday Food recipe is one that I had filed under my favorites but hadn't made in awhile.  It uses unexpected ingredients to the most delicious degree.   Everything is  bursting with flavor - from the sweetness of the sugar to the saltiness of the peanuts & soy sauce to the zing of the fresh ginger.  This is a great recipe to make for your family & guests alike.  Easy.  Colorful.  Delicious.  Do it!

pork and green bean stir-fry, Everyday Food, June 2005, p.68
Serves 4
Time: 45 minutes

You will need:

• 1 pork tenderloin (about 3/4 lb.) trimmed of excess fat.  (my grocery store only sells behemoth tenderloins, so I cut mine into three hunks & froze the other two)
• coarse salt
• 2 T. soy sauce (you can double the soy sauce, vinegar & sugar for more sauce)
• 1 T. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 T. minced peeled fresh ginger 
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (I just used black pepper)
• 1 lb. green beans, trimmed & cut crosswise into 2 inch pieces (uncut is fine too)
• 1 red bell pepper, ribs & seeds removed, cut into thin strips (so bright & pretty!)
• 1/3 c. dry roasted peanuts, chopped.
• cooked white rice for serving (I personally believe Jasmin rice is the best)

What to do:

1. Cut pork diagonally into 1/4 inch-thick slices. (You're then supposed to cut each slice in half lengthwise but, I think it makes more sense to cut into small bite-size pieces)  Season with 1/2 tsp. salt.  
2. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, vinegar & sugar.  Set aside.  (I highly suggest doubling the amount of sauce.  It's yummy!  Any extra can be drizzled over your rice)
3. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high.  Add half the ginger, pepper flakes & pork & cook until pork is no longer pink.  Transfer to a plate & repeat with other half of pork, pepper flakes & ginger.  Transfer that batch to the plate.
4. Meanwhile, cook green beans in a medium pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes (set your timer!) Drain on paper towels.
5. Add remaining oil to the skillet.  Add beans, bell pepper & 2 T. of water; cook over high heat, stirring often, until peppers are tender, about 2 minutes.
6. Add peanuts, pork & sauce.  Cook, stirring, until pork is coated, about 1 minute.  Serve immediately over rice, if desired.

This is so delicious!  I hope you give it a try.  I'm starving, so I'm going to go heat up the leftovers for lunch.

Guten Appetit!

-Gemma

Cafe Rio Pork

Cafe Rio Pork came into our lives while on vacation in Utah at Janalen and Rocky's home. This was an immediate family favorite, and has pleased many of our friends since! A sure crowd pleaser, this slow cooked dish has minimal prep time, and can be served a number of ways. With added shredded cheese have a taco bar, exotic salad or just serve with rice and meat. Added benefits are that young and old alike always ask for the leftovers.

Pork Recipe

3 lb pork

16 oz. chunky salsa

1 can Dr. Pepper

1 c. brown sugar

Put pork in crock-pot and fill half way with water. Cook 4 hours on high. Drain water and cut the pork in thirds. Add other ingredients and add on top of pork. Cook 4 more hours. Shred the pork.

Cilantro Rice

3 cups white rice

4 cups water

4 tsp. chicken bouillon

1 tbsp. butter

½ chopped onion

4 tsp. minced garlic

½ bunch cilantro chopped

1 can diced chilies

½ tsp. salt

Easiest tip: Mix all ingredients in a rice cooker!

Conventional method: Saute onion and garlic. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover, simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Creamy Cilantro Tomatillo Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 cup cilantro

2 cloves garlic

3 tomatillos (skins removed)

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

Put all ingredients into a blender. Chill before serving so it will thicken.

Pasta with Lentils and Arugula

Going through a vegetarian phase? Just wanting to add new flavors that are a sure family favorite? This recipe is just what you need. Hearty and delicious, Everyday Food's Pasta with Lentils and Arugula has the necessary "dish appeal" to satisfy your family and guests. My favorite part of this dish is the slow cooked onions. They provide a rich, smokey flavor that will have everyone coming back for more and not asking, "Where's the beef?"

Tips for ingredient list:

Instead of using fresh tomatoes, I use a can of diced tomatoes.

If you don't have arugula at your grocery store, fresh spinach is an excellent substitute.

You can use a variety of short pastas, but the orecchiette will be the heartiest.

I usually prep all the ingredients and complete steps 1-3 up to three days ahead. Just before dinner I complete steps 4-5.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pasta-with-lentils-and-arugula

Everyday Food, March 2005 p. 134

When feeding a crowd, garlic bread is the perfect pairing.

Guten Appetit!

Egg & toast cups

Egg & toast cups

This is my idea of a perfect, easy, guest-worthy breakfast!  It looks a little fancy & it tastes a lot delicious.  Plus, you probably have all the ingredients in your fridge anyway!  I've made it three times so far.  It is my new favorite egg breakfast dish.

This Everyday Food recipe (Sep. 2010, p. 83) calls for bacon, but I find it easier to use a piece of thin-sliced smoked deli ham.  I'm sure any deli meat would do.  As you can see in the following photo, I opted for no meat. This is a great recipe to have kids help with.  My 5 year old loved rolling out the bread & tearing it into circles.

bacon, egg and toast cups
Everyday Food Sep, 2010 p.82-3
Serves 6

You need:
3 T. unsalted butter, melted (I used Brummel & Brown spread melted for the tops & Pam non-stick spray for the bottoms)

6 slices sandwich bread
6 slices bacon (I prefer deli ham as you get one less pan dirty - Amen!)
6 eggs

coarse salt & pepper
*I also add a little shredded cheese

What to do:

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Lightly butter 6 muffin cups (or spray with Pam).  Flatten bread with a rolling pin & cut into round pieces - I used my butter tub lid as a template.  Press the 2 halves into the muffin tin, overlapping slightly.  I used a small cup to smoosh the bread into the cup.  Use any extra bread to patch the gaps.  Brush the bread with the melted butter - especially the top edges.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over med. until almost crisp.  Lay one bacon slice in each bread cup (or deli meat!).  I like to throw in a little shredded cheese at this point.  Then crack an egg over each.  Season with salt & pepper.  Pop into the oven & bake until whites are just set - 20 to 25 minutes.  Run a small knife around cups to loosen toasts.  Serve immediately.  If you're being polite, serve with silverware.  My five year old thought it was great fun to just pick it up!

*You could also use crumbled sausage, sauteed spinach, basil & Parmesan cheese in the cups.  I've thought about using tortillas & topping with salsa & avocado.  He-llo!  I'll post them if I make them!  Also, I serve these with some bright seasonal fruit & especially with avocado if I have any.  Avocado makes everything better.  My sister told me so.

Guten Appetit!

one-pot chicken with sausage and potatoes

Tonight I tried this recipe from the September 2010 issue of Everyday Food.  People, it was ridiculously good!  It includes chicken, sweet Italian sausage, onion, potato, celery & oregano.  It was hearty & saucy & would be perfect on a chilly, fall night.  It was pretty quick to make, although I would chop & prep all the ingredients before I started next time - just for a smoother process.  There wasn't enough liquid at the end for a separate gravy, but that was fine.  My husband & I loved it & while I did have to bribe my small children with mini-marshmallows after sitting at the dinner table for a long while without eating, they did finish their plates!  They especially loved the sausage.  I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

one-pot chicken with sausage and potatoes
Everyday Food, Sep. 2010, p. 14
Serves 4

Ingredients: 
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage (casings removed & broken into small pieces)
2 chicken breasts, skin removed, halved
coarse salt & ground pepper
1 yellow onion, diced
1 lb. new potatoes, halved
3 stalks celery, cut into 1 1/2" pieces, plus leaves for garnish
2 T. red-wine vinegar
1 T. fresh oregano leaves

What to do:
1) In a large heavy pot, heat oil over med-high.  Add sausage & cook, stirring occasionally until brown - about 4 minutes.  Transfer sausage to a dish.  Season chicken on both sides with salt & pepper & add to pan.  Cook until golden brown on both sides - about 10 minutes.  Transfer chicken to dish with sausage.
2) Add onions, potatoes & celery & season with s&p.  Stir until onion is soft - 3-5 min.  Return meat to pot & add 1 c. water.  Bring to a boil, then cover & reduce heat to low.  Simmer until potatoes are tender & chicken is cooked through - about 20 min.
3) Remove lid & increase heat to high; boil until liquid is reduced to 1/2c - 5 min.  I've simplified this next step:  Add vinegar & oregano & stir to combine.  Transfer to a pretty serving dish & top with celery leaves.  Yum!  Try to eat only one portion.

And so it begins....

My best friend & I call ourselves the Freakish Food Cult.  Why freakish?  Because we LOVE food.  Eating it, discussing it, making it....perhaps to a freakish degree.  We are two ordinary mothers, wives & women.  We have no culinary training other than what we've learned from our families, cookbooks & from each other.  We are learning to cook. We enjoy cooking new and fabulous meals & we love sharing our successes, tips & favorite recipes with whomever will listen.  We are huge fans of Everyday Food Magazine & have gotten several friends to subscribe - without any sort of commission mind you!  We also cook from family recipes (which include Lebanese & Filipino foods), cookbooks, magazines, on-line sites & recipes passed on from friends.

This blog serves to document our efforts, highlight our highest rated recipes & serve as inspiration for the culinarily uninspired.  The recipes we love the most are easy, quick & yield delicious results.  We are two busy moms for Heaven's sake!  We don't have time to slave away in the kitchen!  We hope you enjoy our posts & give one of our favorite recipes a try.

Guten Appetit!