snickerdoodles | spicy thai peanut noodles | chili | crunchy green beans | caramel pecan pie | apple & brie crostini | kung fu cheese puffs | tomato spinach soup | thai chicken |

[top] snickerdoodles

A funny name for a tasty cookie. In this case (unlike the unfortunate story of the Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N' Fruity Breakfast at IHOP) the silly name is actually worth the resulting food product. These are delightful and sweet and cinnamon-ey. Here's what you need.

- 3.5 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup butter (that's two sticks) - @ room temperature for ease...
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup (or if you're fresh out, about half a tablespoon granulated sugar mixed with about a teaspoon of water)

In a small bowl for the topping combine:
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Start by mixing the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl: that's going to be your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

If you're blessed enough (as I am) to have a KitchenAid mixer with a paddle attachment, break out that heavy mo-fo now so you can cream the butter without creating tricep definition in one arm. Otherwise, place the butter in a large bowl and mix it nicely until it's smooth and creamy.

Add the sugar gradually until it's well incorporated. Then add the eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Mix thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed - whether you're doing it by hand or with the mixer.

Slowly add the dry ingredient mixture and keep mixing until everything is well blended. If the dough is very runny and sticky at this point, place it in the fridge and chill it for a while - between 15 minutes and an hour.

Preheat the over to 375 degrees F, and begin rolling the dough into little balls each about the size of a dollar coin (approx. a teaspoon worth of dough). Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture you've prepared in the small bowl.

Place each dough ball on a lightly sprayed/greased cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies look pillowy and the surfaces are a bit crackley-lookin'.

Eat them and smile.

[top]  spicy thai peanut noodles, etc.

I use the word "Etc." because you can make it with or without meat and choose from a variety of vegetables and greens to make it your own dish. I'm offering a guideline for you. Despite the peanut sauce, it ends up being relatively healthy since you're not using any other massive source of oil or fat - even if you're using white meat. The shrimp is a nice indulgence. This will serve four people generously. Your ingredients are:

- 1 package of udon noodles or fettucine

For veggies, feel free to use all or some of the veggies below. You can try your other favorites, but these all work with the sauce, so I recommend these to start. Note: Yes, these do not get steamed or cooked. The crunchiness of the fresh veggies works really well in this dish, plus you're not cooking out any of the nutrients. If you have problems with eating raw veggies, steam them and you'll be close enough.

- 1 red or yellow pepper, sliced into thin strips
- 2 scallions, sliced diagonally into lots of little rings - you can include the white part
- 1 medium tomato, diced into 1/2" pieces
- 1 small cucumber, diced as small as possible
- 1/2 cup of broccoli florets cut into small pieces
- 1 small red onion, diced

- mild to spicy peanut sauce (you can buy the dry mix by Thai Chef or Annie Chun and add light-style coconut milk, or you can buy the bottled variety by San-J or anyone else)
- 1.5 to 2 pounds of uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined OR boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into thin strips OR pork loin, sliced into thin strips
- dash of olive oil or cooking spray for cooking meat

1. Boil water and throw in the noodles. They take a few minutes to cook up especially if they're udon and a little more dense. You want to cook them pretty darn al dente - but not so they're gummy inside. Cook for 8 minutes and start checking. When they're done, drain and rinse with cool water.

2. Meanwhile, get out your cutting board and start chopping up your vegetables. Throw them all in a large bowl where you can add the rinsed noodles when they're ready.

3. Heat up your cooking spray or oil in a frying pan and then add the meat. With the shrimp, cook until they're cooked thoroughly - totally pink and curled up tight. This should take about 5 minutes over medium/high heat. If you're using pork or chicken strips, they'll need a little extra time - until they're no longer pink inside and starting to brown a bit. This will take about 8-10 minutes on medium heat.

4. In a large bowl, you should have your veggies, noodles and then add your meat. Pour about 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce over the mixture and toss it to cover everything evenly. At this point, try a noodle. Add some more sauce if you want to, but it should be OK. If your nose begins to run a little after a few forkfuls, you've done it right ;)

[top] chili con all kinds of frijoles

This chili is all kinds of fun. You can spice it up, you can play it down. Well, that's any chili really. This one is nice and chunky and tasty. Plus, the addition of some chocolate (yes, chocolate) counteracts the acidity of the tomatoes. So if your friends have sensitive stomachs, it's all good. I can't do anything about the beans, though. You will need:

- 2 pounds 80% lean ground beef (or ground turkey, but beef tastes better)
- 1 large red onion
- fresh garlic - How many cloves is up to you. I use 4, and that's relatively mild.
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can whole plum tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 1 tablespoon Adobo seasoning
- 1 can each of kidney beans, pink beans, black beans, and garbanzo beans (chick peas)
- 1 square of semi-sweet baking chocolate. (If all you have are some Hershey kisses left over from the last holiday, throw those in. It won't kill anyone.)
- extra virgin olive oil

1. Heat up about two tablespoons of olive oil in a nice nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dice up the onion and crush or chop the garlic and throw them in the oil. Sautee until the garlic is getting golden and the onion is starting to become transparent. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Get a 4 quart (or more) capacity nonstick pot. Place it over medium heat and add the ground beef. Do not add oil - it's got more than enough already. Using a wooden spoon, stir and break up the big pieces until the beef is entirely browned.

3. See all the fun juices and fat which have been released? You can either pour this off into a glass bowl and them skim off the fat and retain the juices, or you discard it entirely.

4. With the meat still over medium heat, add the onion and garlic from before, the can of crushed tomatoes, the basil and adobo.

5. Next, open the can of plum tomatoes and using your clean hands, take a tomato in your hand, make a fist and then release the tomato mush into the pot. Do this with the entire can and then pour in the tomato juice.

6. Open all your cans of beans. Drain and rinse them, then add them all to the pot. Once this starts to bubble a little, put the heat on low.

7. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Check it for taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

This tastes best the next day or at night - if you make it in the morning. Everything soaks up flavor from everything else, and it's lovely. High in protein, high in fiber, relatively low in fat. Get some toasty crusty bread for dipping, and you're golden. Serves many people for many days.

 

[top] crunchy blackened green beans

This is a great appetizer, hot or cold, and a great side-dish to boot. I must admit that I had a deep-seated hatred of green beans until I tried this out. Serves about 6 as a side dish, more as an appetizer. You need:

- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup hoison sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- toasted sesame seeds

1. Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and onion. Cook, stirring once in a while, until the beans begin to blacken in spots. This will take from 5 to 10 minutes depending on the bean's thickness. Remove beans from heat.

2. Whisk together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and pepper flakes.

3. Add the sauce to the beans and toss or stir them in the wok to evenly distribute the sauce.

4. Place the beans in a bowl and top with toasted sesame seeds. Eat them with a fork or with your fingers.

[top] caramel pecan pie

This is my favorite. Last winter, I baked seven of these to give to various friends and two for my family. It's somewhat labor intensive because you're making the caramel, but so worth it. Besides, if you slack off and buy a premade crust (I've done it!) it's not that much work.

For the filling, you need:

- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1/3 cups water
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

For the crust, you need:

- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoom sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons ice water

CRUST:

1. Stir flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a mixing bowl until blended. Add butter. Combine with hands or pastry cutter until it resembles coarse oatmeal.

2. Mix in enough ice water by tablespoons to form clumps. Gather into a ball, flatten, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour. It's good for a day.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the dough to form a 14 inch round.

4. Place dough into an 11 inch diameter pan. Fold over excess dough to form double-thick sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

5. Line the crust with foil and throw in pie weights or dried beans. Bake until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove to cool and lower oven temp to 350 degrees F.

FILLING:

1. Combine sugar and water in a heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves.

2. Increase heat. Boil without stirring until caramel is a deep amber color. Occasionally brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush and swirl the pan to gauge the color. This process should take about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

HINT: When the caramel is apple juice yellow in color, you're almost there. At this point, watch over it carefully because one minute too long and it will burn. You want a deep honey, amber or caramel color.

3. Slowly add the cream. The mixture will bubble and hiss. Stir until caramel is smooth. If a clump forms, place over LOW heat until it smoothes out. Mix in vanilla and salt. Cool caramel for at least 30 minutes.

4. Whisk eggs in a bowl to blend. Add caramel mixture. Sprinkle pecans over the crust. Slowly pour the caramel over the nuts. It will have to find room in all the spaces between nuts.

5. Bake until the caramel sets which will take about 35-45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Serve this with rum-laced whipped cream or, better yet, with a scoop of real vanilla ice cream on the side - with the pie warmed up, of course.

[top] apple & brie crostini

For some reason, fruit and cheese go together. OK, I know the reasons - one is light and refreshing, the other is rich and creamy. It's all about the contrast. That's why those fruit and cheese platters are so popular in continental breakfasts and during luncheons. Anyway, I was inspired by a salad I had at the Suzette's in Millburn. It was mixed greens with ham, Brie cheese and slices of green apple, in addition to other yummies. I, in turn, had leftover French bread and some brie cheese (but not enough to fondue), so I decided to try something new... this is technically an apple salsa, but I thought that would scare people. I made this for a cocktail party once and it was a hit. Trust me. I always have a nice spread :)

Apple Salsa (for 12 crostini)
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of honey
• a little salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced into the tiniest pieces possible (should yield approx. 2 cups of apple chunks)
• 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons minced FRESH cilantro (SOOOO good!)

Crostini
• loaf of French or Italian bread, sliced by 1/2 inch (this recipe is for 12 slices, so make more salsa as you see fit)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Dash of salt and pepper

• 1/2 cup Brie cheese, rind removed

- To make the crostini, heat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Set out the slices of bread on a baking pan and brush each slice with the olive oil mixture. Place pan in the oven and bake bread between 5 and 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of your slices) or until the bread is beginning to brown on the tops.
- Remove the bread from the oven.
- Preheat your oven's broiler.

- To make the salsa, stir together the vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Add the apple bits, bell pepper pieces, onion and cilantro. Mix 'em all together.
- Check it out and salt and pepper additionally to taste.

- Finally, place 1 tablespoon of the apple salsa on each piece of bread on the baking sheet.
- Place about 2 teaspoons (one thick slice - 1" by 2" by about 1/4" thick) of the Brie cheese on top of each scoop of salsa.
- Place the tray in the oven, about 5 inches below the broiler, for about 1 minute or until your Brie cheese is nice and melty.

Serve these nice and warm and toasty. If you like, you can make a lot of the salsa and keep it in a bowl on the side with some tortilla chips for dipping. Otherwise, make a few and keep 'em begging for more. Or for the recipe.

[top] kung-fu cheese puffs
(with a kick, get it?)

I celebrate the return of the cocktail party to American culture. OK, maybe they include beer sometimes and people don't get as schnazzed up as before, but it's still a good good thing. This is a recipe I like very much and which has gone over well at several cocktail shindigs. Most recently last night. In any event, here's the recipe for my cheese puffs. I hate Swiss cheese, but it's somehow manageable in this form. Maybe it's the onions and chives breathing new life into them, but whatever. It works.

You will need:

• 1 loaf of challah bread (16 oz.)- try to get an unbraided one. It's easier.

Cut the challah into 3/4" cubes. You can leave the crusts on or off. Off will allow for more uniform cubes. On makes it easier for you.

• 4 oz. of cream cheese (half a package)
• 1 stick of butter (separated into 1 tbsp and 7 tbsp pieces)
• 1/3 cup of grated Jarlsberg swiss cheese
• 2 teaspoons dehydrated onion powder
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion (that's basically on small onion)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 egg whites @ room temp.

1. Take 1 tablespoon of butter and melt it in a small saucepan along with the onion powder. Once the butter is melted, add the chopped onion and sautee it for about 4 minutes - until it gets a little golden and softened. Remove from heat.

2. Prepare a double boiler. If you don't have one, grab two saucepans of fairly equal size. Put about an inch of water in one saucepan and set it to boil. Once the water is steaming, place the second saucepan on top. Voila! You have a double boiler.

3. Into the top of the double boiler, place the cream cheese, Jarlsberg cheese and remaining 7 tbsp of butter. Stir constantly until the whole thing is nicely melted together. Add the onions from the other pan. Remove from heat and add the chopped chives.

4. In a small mixer bowl, beat the two egg whites until stiff peaks form.

5. Fold in about one third of the egg white mixture into the cheese and combine it nicely. Add the rest of the egg whites and mix it all up.

6. Finally, take the challah cubes and dip them each into the cheese mixture. Coat all side fairly evenly, and let the excess drip off. Place them on a baking sheet covered in either foil or waxed paper.

7. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake those bad boys for about 15 minutes or until they're kind of golden and pretty. Serve 'em up while they're hot and tasty.