Butter Cookies from Baking Illustrated

2 1/2 cups flour (all purpose, unbleached)

3/4 cup superfine sugar (if not available, process granulated sugar in food processor for 30 sec)

1/4 teaspoon salt

16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into 16 1/2 inch pieces

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature

For the cookies

in the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the four, sugar and salt for 5 sec.

with mixer running on low, add butter 1 piece at a time and continue to mix until the mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet. Add the vanilla and cream cheese and mix on low until the dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.

Knead the dough by hand for 2 or 3 turns to til it comes together into a mass.

Place dough on countertop and split in half. Form each half into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 20 30 minutes until firm.

Preheat the oen to 375.

Roll one disk between parchment to 1/8 inch thickness, slide onto baking sheet and refrigerate 10 minutes. Repeat with other dough.

Cut dough into desired shapes and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time.

Cool to room temperature and frost.

Awesome Salad Dressing

Salad of the Week!

I am in a creamy dressing phase but as we all know Ranch, blue cheese and their ilk do us no favors . And don't get me started on the grossness of the bottled kind! Being mindful that swimsuit season is around the corner and looking to quell my craving, I came up with the following. Lets call it:

What the Fage??? I can't believe it's not fattening!

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil

3/4 fat free greek yogurt (I used Fage total 0%)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 clove garlic, grated

salt and pepper

Whisk together ingredients, using salt and pepper to taste. It should be creamy from the yogurt, tangy from the lemon and spicy from the garlic. And low fat!

In the photo is the salad I made - arugula, rashishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers and fresh baby mint from the jardin all chopped in large chunks. Toss in a bowl with the dreamily delectable dressing

As a side note, I used my faorite new kitchen gadget - the salad chef from Bonjour that I picked up at WS...it is a cruet that has recipes for basic dressings on the side and a hand held blender that fits right inside, so once you have assembled your ingredients, you simply whizz it all together. Then, pop on the handy lid and keep your dressing in the fridge! I am a big believer in only buying gadgets that do more than one thing soooo...I use the hand held blender for all sorts of things - foaming milk for quick lattes, blending sauces, hot chocolate for the kids. Love it!!

Recipe for FUN or how I spent my Tuesday!

Here goes...not too much cooking involved but there is a recipe for you fun lovers out there!





1) Let your husband/partner/other half order an entertainment center(EC) online.





2) In the middle of a crazy day preparing to cater a party and desperately searching for a ripe avocado, receive phone call from better half demanding you be home to receive said shipment immediately.





3) While preparing food for a catering for 40, swear when weird looking guy rings the doorbell and remember that you are indeed "expecting" him.





4) Vaguely point to the place in the living room in the vincinity where said EC is going to be b/c you don't have time to break down and and dissassemble current EC.





5) Pick up kids from school, send to neighbors, deliver catering, text neighbor that you desperately need wine.





6) Return home, scootch around behemoth new EC that has been "delivered" smack in the middle of living room/dining room and open wine.





7) Send children outside and watch them cruise up and down on scooters while finishing wine with neighbor.





8) Open another bottle of wine and decide to cook dinner for kids, neighbor and neighbors kids...


"Noodles with sauce, no, a quesadilla, no, a hot dog, and for the grown ups, spaghetti w/ broccoli rabe (recipe to follow)





9) Feed kids and start "dusting" back of current EC in preparation for the transition. Decide dust buster won't cut it, bring out the big guns.... vacuum and dust.





10) Welcome home husband to chaos with a robust (big) glass of red wine.





11) Feed husband, send kids out to play, snicker with neighbor about how wasted husband is after "after work" drinks.





12) Send neighbors home, race through bedtime stories and start moving everything. Don't notice that husband has randomly begun to pull wires out...without any kind of system....





13) Watch husband begin to play with wires....lose interest....start cleaning up kitchen and decide to bake chocolate chip cookies.





14) Respond to husband's stern tone to stop f'ing around in the kitchen and come help.





15) Try really hard to put the wires in the right place - so very many..





18) Enjoy seeing the beads of sweat on husband's brow - really....





19) Triumphant chest bump when everything switches on FIRST TRY.





20) Realize everything has to be moved to conceal outlet/wires etc.



21) Go to bed.





GOOD TIMES!!!!!





Mark Bittman's Broccoli Rabe (Or Rapini) and breadcrumb Pasta



1 lb spaghetti

1 bunch rapini

2 cloves garlic

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

olive oil

red pepper flakes

1 cup grape tomatoes

squeeze of lemon juice





Boil water for pasta, add spaghetti and cook according to box directions.



Blanch rapini in boiling pasta water.



In large saute pan, heat garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil

Add bread crumbs and cook until all is brown and crunchy.

Remove from pan.

Add blanched rapini to pan and saute

Add grape tomatoes

Add cooked spaghetti and a little pasta cooking water.

Add 1/2 breadcrumb mixture and stir together.

Place in pasta bowls and sprinkle remaining breadcrumbs on top.



(After watching the fabulous PBS show "Spain, On the road again" Mark Bittman shall forever be "Bitty" to me!)

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Wild Mushroom Risotto

I found a giant container of wild mushrooms at Costco....here's what I did with them.

Place 2 cups dried mushrooms in 6 cups water in a saucepan and heat gently to soften mushrooms.

In a medium saucepan, saute 1 chopped onion, 2 cl garlic until soft on medium high heat. Add 1 cup arborio rice. Saute another 3 minutes, lightly coating the rice with the butter.

Add 1 cup white wine and stir until liquid is absorbed.

Take mushrooms out of broth with slotted spoon and use the broth (soaking liquid) for the risotto, adding it to the rice one ladle full at a time, stirring gently until liquid is absorbed each time. It will take about 20-25 minutes....until risotto is soft all the way through.

Stir in minced garlic (2 cl) and chopped fresh parsley, season with salt and pepper.

YUM! Such good comfort food.

I did not add parmesan cheese due to my guests dietary restrictions but feel free to stir in fresh parm reg at the end!

Cleaning out the kitchen sauce

You can use this for pasta, over chicken or fish.



I am cooking dinner for a gluten free friend who just had a baby, and I decided to clean out the fridge/pantry.



Ingredients



1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1/4 cup capers, drained

1 can artichoke quarters

1/2 cup basil leaves, chiffonade (roll up leaves into a cigar and thinly slice)

2 cans crushed tomatoes in tomato puree

s&P

1/2 lemon



Method



Heat a little Olive oil in pan and saute onions, garlic and peppers until soft and translucent.

(Once soft, you could add red or white wine for more flavor but I didn't have any open and its only 9:30!)



Add capers, artichokes, basil and tomatoes, bring to simmer.



Season with salt and pepper and squeeze in 1/2 lemon juice.



I plan to serve the sauce over chicken with steamed broccoli and brown rice. Yummy and healthy!!

Thanksgiving Retro

The best view from the kitchen. Ocean on two sides, decorated in peaceful, calming sea greens and blues with luminescent tiles on the back splash that glimmer in the sunlight like the inside of a shell.

Our feast

Watercress salad with pommegranate, goat cheese and blush vinaigrette

Roasted Turkey with California Citrus Rub (from Savory)

Stuffed Turkey breast with figs, apples and onions, rubbed with Forester Rub (Savory) and grilled

Traditional Sage Dressing

Fig and Apple Stuffing

Creamed Spinach w/ Gruyere

Braised Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

3 root mash - potato, sweet potato and parsnip

Pumpkin yeast rolls



Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie



Urp....

Butternut Squash - mmm, mmm, good

Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash (to get to the flesh, I like to chop it in half, steam in the microwave for 10 minutes and peel off the tough skin, and then chop into cubes)

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp tarragon
8 cups chicken stock

Heat onions in a little olive oil in a large pan until soft. Stir in tarragon and let aromas release a minute or two before adding squash and stock. Simmer about 20 minutes. Puree with a stick blender in the pot or transfer to a blender and puree. Add salt and pepper to taste.



Butternut Squash Phyllo Triangles

A riff on Spanikopita...

1 Butternut squash (as above)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tsp fresh sage chopped
4 oz cream cheese
phyllo sheets
1 stick butter melted

Heat onion in a little olive oil and cook until soft. Add sage.
Combine squash, cooked onion and cream cheese in a food processor and process until smoth.
Cool filling mixture

Cut 3 inch strips of phyllo.
Take 2 sheets of phyllo strips (cover the remaining with a damp paper towl) and brush with butter.
Place 1 tsp filling on bottom right corner of stip. Fold in a triangle, like a flag to the top of the sheet. Place on baking sheet and brush with butter.
Make as many as you have time/patience for...
Cook at 400 for 10 minutes until golden.
Uncooked triangles can be frozen.


Butternut Squash Risotto -
This is a recipe from the barefoot contessa and is the ultimate winter comfort food. Use the pancetta!!!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/butternut-squash-risotto-recipe/index.html