Author Archives: Patti

ITALIAN DRIED CHERRY AND ALMOND CHRISTMAS COOKIES

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OK, I renamed these wonderful cookies, recipe compliments of Giada de Laurentiis, because they definitely smack of all things Italian, and in my estimation, are the perfect cookie to include in a gift box of Christmas goodies. (Giada named them – Dried Cherry and Almond Cookies with Vanilla Icing.) But whatever name you choose to use to pay tribute to these amazing cookies, you are sure to bring smiles to anyone who is lucky enough to bite into one of these babies. They are not only beautiful to look at, they’re absolutely delicious with their hint of amaretto flavor in every bite. (Amaretto is an Italian liqueur with a sweet almond/cherry flavor with just a touch of agreeable bitterness.)

Another wonderful thing about these cookies is that they have a different consistency than many of the “shortbread” style cookies many of us make for the holidays. Instead of being crisp like a fine shortbread cookie should be, they are more dense and chewier. So, very pleasing not only for their fabulous flavor but also for the textural variety they bring to any array of holiday cookies, sweet breads, and confections.

So, do I like these cookies? Absolutely not! I LOVE these cookies! And I can’t wait to share them with my kids this year through the magic of UPS.

Every year I make a different selection of fun things to include in my kid’s goodie packages. Everything from a variety of cookies and candy, maybe a fruit cake, sometimes party mix or flavored nuts, etc. etc. Then I place small packages of everything I bake or build in boxes I have saved from the many deliveries we get throughout the year. Then when all the boxes are wrapped up tight enough to withstand a flood, hurricane, major earthquake, or swarm of locusts, using more packing tape then is required by the FAA to hold an airplane wing in place, either Mr. C. or I take the packages to our local UPS store. Then of course we have to say goodbye to the packages, and trust that the capable hands of the UPS will take extra-special-care with our packages. (Hey, they have in the past, so I’m hoping the same is true this year!) (And yes, I still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny, too.)

Anyway, I suppose I should close for now and get back to the kitchen. Not that I’m not excited about building all these fun things for my kids. I am. Because I know how much they look forward to this tradition. As do I. I figure, if we can’t all be together for the holidays, we can all still be enjoying the same holiday treats.

So, I encourage you to start or continue your own traditions. There is just something really comfortable about tradition. And to my thinking, food traditions are the best.

Peace and love to all.

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1¼ c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. + 1 drop pure vanilla extract, divided*

1 tsp. almond extract*

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. fine sea salt

2 lg. eggs

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ c. coarsely chopped dried tart cherries   

1 c. slivered almonds, toasted** and coarsely chopped   

¾ c. powdered sugar, or more as needed

2-3 tsp. water, or more as needed

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, and salt together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Next, beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Add the flour and beat on the lowest speed until just blended. Using a regular table knife, stir in the dried cherries and almonds. Transfer the dough to sheets of plastic wrap and shape the dough into logs about 12-inches long and 1½-inches in diameter.

Then wrap the dough logs in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and held in your refrigerator. If you make it well in advance, freeze the logs. When you are ready to bake the cookies, defrost the logs before cutting into slices.)

Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 350-degrees. Line 2 large heavy baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the log crosswise into ½-inch thick slices. Transfer the dough slices to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart.

Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges and slightly puffed, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

While the cookies cool, whisk the powdered sugar, remaining drop of vanilla or almond extract, and water together, 1 teaspoon of water at a time, until the mixture becomes drizzling consistency.

Place the cooled cookies on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or a fork, drizzle the cookies with the icing. Allow the frosting to set completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

*If you prefer, use a drop of almond extract in the icing rather than a drop of vanilla.

**To toast the almonds, place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 6-8 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool completely before using.

  

GROUND BEEF AND BLACK BEAN CHILI

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OK, I know, everyone already has their favorite recipe for chili, and I actually already have several recipes on this site that I dearly love too. So, what made me go online and look for another chili recipe is anyone’s guess. And why black beans? Well, that’s easy. I was too lazy to cook kidney beans from scratch and all I had in the pantry was a lone can of black beans. So, I thought – what the heck. Go online and see how other cooks make their chili using black beans. And I stumbled on to the juliasalbum.com site. As I perused the ingredients, it looked like the perfect chili recipe to me. Of course, I added a couple of ingredients and played fast and loose with some of the spice amounts, but other than that, this fabulous and easy to prepare chili recipe is compliments of Julia.

So, what makes this chili special? Well for one thing, it contains more vegetables than you usually find in chili. (That’s a plus BTW.) And 5 cloves of garlic. That’s more garlic than you find in most chili recipes. The spices are not uncommon, but the cup of beef broth is. And beef broth is such a wonderful ingredient to bring extra richness to any dish. So, basically, this is just a good basic recipe for a fabulous bowl of chili. And in my book, there is just nothing finer. Served with a nice cornbread muffin, life is good.

As always, have fun in your kitchen. And remember, some of the best food in the world is often very simple to prepare and has been a family favorite for decades. But that doesn’t mean the dish can’t be “revised” periodically. Hope you enjoy this “revision”.

Peace and love to all.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 med. carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely diced

¼ c. chopped Hatch chili or ½ c. chopped green bell pepper

5 garlic cloves, chopped

3 T. chili powder

4 tsp. paprika

4 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 (28-oz) can whole or diced tomatoes, plus juice (Italian tomatoes, if possible) 

1 c. beef broth

1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

grated sharp cheddar cheese, garnish

thinly sliced green onions, garnish

sour cream, garnish

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy covered pan. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add the onion, carrot, Hatch chili or bell pepper, and celery; stir well and continue cooking for about 2 more minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Stir in the chili powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Add the canned tomatoes with juices and the beef broth. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Add the black beans and cook for another 20 minutes or so.

To serve, pass the grated cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, and sour cream.

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER, CARROT, AND CELERY SOUP WITH OVEN BAKED GARLIC CROUTONS

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About a week before Thanksgiving, our neighbors and dear friends Mark and Vicki had us over for dinner. And Mark served this soup as the first course. His soup was chunky, and I loved the taste and texture from first bite. So, when it came to planning what soup to serve as a first course for Thanksgiving, I decided to prepare the same soup, but use my immersion blender to make the soup creamy rather than chunky. And to offset the creamy, I decided homemade croutons would provide the texture that was missing from not serving the soupy chunky. So, I messed with the recipe Mark found on the tasteofhome.com site to what you find below. But, if you don’t care for smooth soup, just leave your immersion blender in its hiding place, and serve the soup chunky. But, no matter how you decide to serve this soup, you are in for a treat.

Now, if you are only into soups that pack a lot of flavor, this may not suit your taste. It absolutely does not provide an “in your face” flavor punch. It’s more of a subtle and unpretentious little soup with hints of class and refinement. And perfect when the rest of the meal is going to be a full-blown taste bud extravaganza!

So, I hope you give this charming soup a try. It really is delicious. And ever so easy to prepare. And the croutons ain’t bad either!

As always, continue to prepare and eat delicious food. Life is short and one of life’s greatest pleasures, at least for me, comes from sitting down to a truly wonderful meal with family and/or friends. So, make it happen. Even if you live alone, call a friend or two and invite them for dinner. They will love being entertained and you will have a great meal to share and maybe even some delightful leftovers you can treat yourself to the next evening. And always keep in mind that what we are experiencing right now is not a dress rehearsal for our lives. We are living the main and only event. So, don’t skimp on the quality of food you feed yourself or your family and friends.

And sorry for no picture. But by the time I was dishing up soup on Thanksgiving, I was already thinking fondly of my pillow and taking a picture for my blog didn’t even enter my mind. What blog???

So, from one recovering Thanksgiving cook to all of you out there – peace, love, and endless days of joy.

1 med. head cauliflower, cut into small pieces

1 med. carrot, shredded

¼ c. finely chopped celery

2½ c. water

2-3 tsp. chicken or vegetable bouillon

3 T. unsalted butter

3 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 c. whole milk

1½ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

dash hot pepper sauce, opt. (I use Frank’s RedHot sauce)

Combine the cauliflower, carrot, celery, water, and bouillon in a heavy soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender (do not drain). Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. (If there are a few chunks, that’s just fine!

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in the cheese until melted, adding hot pepper sauce if desired. Stir into the cauliflower mixture.

Serve in small bowls or small coffee cups garnished with Oven Baked Garlic Croutons.

OVEN BAKED GARLIC CROUTONS

1 T. unsalted butter

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely minced

½ tsp. dried parsley

Pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 c. bread cubes

Heat the butter, olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium sized frying pan. When starting to burble, remove from heat and stir in the bread cubes. Transfer to a small low sided baking pan and bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 15 minutes, or until the bread cubes are crisp and starting to brown. Turn the cubes once during the baking time.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before using or storing in an airtight container.

KALAMATA OLIVE SPREAD

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OK, I’ll just say this once. I am an olive lover. And have been ever since as a 7- or 8-year-old, I ate most of a can of black olives and drank some of the juice while “helping” my mother prepare a relish tray for Thanksgiving dinner. Granted I didn’t feel real swell after drinking the olive brine, but it didn’t leave me hating olives either.

And oh, how I loved those relish trays. Cut up carrots and celery, black olives, and home-made dill pickle spears. I can still see myself gently setting my mother’s rectangular cut glass dish full of tasty treats on the table just before company arrived.

After black olives, the next kind of olive I fell in love with were those salty, briny pimento stuffed Spanish olives. (A must for use in a perfect Tanqueray martini.) And then I found kalamata olives. OMG. How did I ever exist before kalamata olives!?!?

But then during our last visit to Italy, we spent a few days at a small hotel in Rome. When I asked for a pre-dinner martini in the hotel’s very small bar, the owner/bartender had to ask me how to build a martini, to which of course I dutifully acquiesced. I gave him my recipe and asked for the requisite number of olives. Now please note, I don’t speak Italian and our dear bartender only spoke limited English. He appeared very puzzled when I asked for olives in my drink. When the drink arrived, it was huge. And as for the olives, he brought us a whole bowl of olives. But olives the likes of which we had never tasted. They were Castelvetrano olives. And oh my, they were the best tasting olives we had ever encountered. So, you might ask, Patti, which is now your favorite kind of olive. And my response would have to be – whichever is in front of me at the time.

But, enough about me and back to the real reason for this post – this delicious and easy to prepare spread recipe. I found it on the sweetcaramelsunday.com. site. And I can’t begin to praise this spread enough. And the ease of preparation makes it every busy cook’s dream come true. Just blitz all the ingredients together in your food processor, scoop into a pretty bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Serve with crackers and stand back.

So, if you too are an olive lover and like to prepare dishes ahead of time, this is the appetizer spread for you. And as for me, I couldn’t be more delighted that there is still some left in our refrigerator.  

As always, peace and love to all.

1½ c. pitted kalamata olives

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature

1 T. olive brine

1 T. dehydrated onion

1 tsp. granulated garlic

freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the kalamata olives in your food processor. Add the cream cheese, olive brine, dehydrated onion, granulated garlic, and black pepper and whirl until well combined.

Scoop into a pretty bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving. Remove from fridge at least an hour before serving with crackers.

LEFTOVER TURKEY À LA KING

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Let me begin by saying that Mr. C. loves leftovers. So, one of the benefits of cooking too much food for Thanksgiving is having just what he loves at his disposal. (Remember that word – disposal, because it’s going to be used again in this post, but in a very different context!)

But after the first meal of all things leftover, and even a second attempt to present him with yet another opportunity to enjoy all the delicious flavors that make Thanksgiving such a special occasion, his desire to eat anymore of the leftovers began to wane. And I could hardly stand to open the refrigerator. So, that meant that I had to figure out a better way to use up the leftovers. Thus, this recipe.

So, with 3 cups of shredded turkey to use in a dish that would hopefully be welcome, even if the name included “leftover turkey”, I came up with this recipe. But what to serve it over? That part came next.

So, I went online to find a drop biscuit recipe that didn’t require getting out the food processor or my stand mixer. (I’m still recovering from all the cooking I did for Thanksgiving, so the simpler the food prep for now, the better.) I found this recipe on the cookingclassy.com site and the biscuits turned out perfect for the intended purpose. Split in two, they weren’t smooth surfaced like so many of my biscuit recipes produce. (Which is perfect in most cases.) However, these biscuits had the perfect crumb to absorb the lovely gravy base that makes this àla King so delicious. And, best of all, the drop biscuits had been super easy to prepare.   

As for the leftover mashed potatoes, dressing, and corn pudding, well you remember that word I used above – disposal, that’s exactly where they ended up. Sometimes you just have to do what’s best for everyone concerned. And for my own sanity, not having the leftovers stare me down every time I opened the refrigerator, was a prudent move towards keeping me mentally healthy. Of course, the guilt is still there, but then, that’s another story for another time.

As always, keep staying healthy, keep making decisions that benefit not only yourself but those around you, and stay positive. Your positive outlook on life can be contagious. You never know who might need positive inspiration from time to time.

Peace and love to all.

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter

½ c. minced onion  

¼ c. shredded carrot

¼ c. finely diced celery

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp. poultry seasoning 

1/8 tsp. dried thyme

¼ c. dry sherry

1½ c. turkey or chicken broth, or more as needed   

¾ c. whole milk

¼ c. heavy cream

2-3 c. diced turkey (and yes of course, you can used cooked chicken in place of turkey)

1 sm. (4-oz.) jar sliced pimento, well drained

½ c. frozen petite peas                                                

2 T. freshly chopped parsley

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and sauté onion, carrot, and celery until tender, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour, seasoned salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and thyme and cook a minute or two. Add the dry sherry and let it evaporate for about 30 seconds.

Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, milk, and heavy cream. Cook until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. If too thick, add a bit more broth. Add the cooked turkey, drained pimento, frozen peas, and fresh parsley. Cook only until the chicken is hot. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve over halved biscuits, steamed rice, or mashed potatoes.

See recipe below for quick and easy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits.

BUTTERMILK DROP BISCUITS  

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. granulated sugar

¾ tsp. kosher salt

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 c. buttermilk

In a small mixing bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt together.  

Place the butter in a medium sized microwave safe dish and heat until about ¾ of the way melted. Remove and stir to melt fully.

Pour the buttermilk in with the butter and whisk until mixture appears lumpy.

Pour the flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture and stir gently just until all the flour is incorporated.

Using a #16 ice cream scoop that has been coated with cooking spray, scoop the dough onto a parchment paper lined baking pan at least 1½-inches apart. If you don’t own a #16 ice cream scoop, spray a quarter cup round measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray. 

Bake in a pre-heated 475-degree oven until tops are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 205 to 210-degrees, about 12 – 14 minutes. Remove from oven, split, and serve topped with plenty of the à la King.

DRIED CRANBERRY AND PECAN CREAM CHEESE SPREAD

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Well, for those of you who have been to this site before, I have a huge confession to make. (Those of you who are new to this blog, ignore my following comments. I don’t want you to shy away from this site because I went crazy this Thanksgiving and prepared way too much food!)

Anyway, I always considered myself a good judge of how much food to prepare for the size of any given group I planned to feed. But this year, I over-achieved in every single dish I prepared. Every – single – one! (Well except for the turkey gravy. No matter how much gravy I prepare, there is never any left.)   

Anyway, I should have known better than to fix so darn much food. We can’t eat like we did when we were, say, 25. So, what made me think that 12 adults between 65 and 80, 3 adults in their 50s, and 2 guests in their late teenage years were likely to put away a full complement of appetizers, a first course soup,  a 20 pound turkey, plus an extra turkey breast and 6 drumsticks (for the dark meat), 10 pounds of mashed potatoes, enough dressing to feed a small cavalry, and a huge casserole dish containing corn pudding! Not to mention all the lovely appetizers, side dishes, salads, and desserts brought by our guests. OMG. If I was ever in doubt that my brain was aging right along with my body, this Thanksgiving proved that my brain was totally in step with the rest of this old gal’s declining body parts! So, lesson learned. Next year, half as much as I think I need, and everything should come out just about right! And speaking of something that is right, this spread I found on the food.com site is absolutely, right on! The flavor is amazing, the prep time so short as to be almost nonexistent, and best of all – the spread must be made ahead of time. And I can’t think of a better spread to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Festive looking and incredibly delicious.  Just like the other spread I made – Kalamata Olive Spread – to be published in the near future. Both absolutely perfect for any appetizer spread. So, do make these 2 spreads in the near future. They are simply yum!

So now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s time to think about Christmas. And this year I’m even more excited about baking cookies and putting up our holiday decorations. After not being able to spend the holidays with our family and dearest friends last year, I can hardly wait to sit in front of our Christmas tree with a Speculaas (Dutch Ginger Cookie) in one hand and a warm cup of Glögg in the other. (And yes, both recipes are on this site.)

So, have fun in your kitchen. Consider baking extra cookies this year and gift them to a friend or neighbor who might profit from a little extra Christmas cheer. Or invite them over for a special dinner or present them with cinnamon rolls to make their Christmas morning special. It’s the little things that remind people how much we care about them.

And as always, peace and love to all.

1 pkg. (8-oz.) cream cheese, room temp.

¼ c. orange juice concentrate

½ c. chopped dried cranberries

½ c. chopped toasted pecans, plus more for garnish

Beat the cream cheese until soft. Slowly add in the concentrate until creamy and completely smooth. Add the chopped cranberries and pecans.

Mound the spread on a small plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least overnight. Remove from fridge an hour before you plan to serve. Just before serving, decorate with a few chopped pecans.

Serve with crackers.

 

ROASTED GARLIC, CHIVES, AND HERB BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

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Some days are better than others. Because some days I have leftovers from the previous evenings dinner and only need to fix a little “something” new to make the second dinner a pleasure rather than a chore. So, the other evening I was thinking what would go nicely with leftover pot roast, veggies (plenty of veggies) and of course, pot roast gravy. (For my recipe, search under Pot Roast with Potatoes, Onions, and Carrots.) I decided some kind of herby buttermilk biscuit would be perfect. So, using a recipe I found on the justalittlebitofbacon.com site, with the addition of roasted garlic that really needed to be used up, I baked up a batch of these amazing biscuits. So, so delicious. And as tender as any biscuits I have ever had the pleasure of eating. And for those of you for whom turkey dressing/stuffing is a waste of ingredients (all 2 of you), these biscuits would make a perfect alternative for a “bready side” on your Thanksgiving table.

I think the secret to these savory biscuits lies in the fact that the recipe calls for all fresh vegetative ingredients. And because I happen to grow Italian parsley, chives, and rosemary it made using these terrific ingredients a snap. And thyme, well I’ve tried growing it, but for some unknown reason, I’ve had no luck with this herb. So, I always have one of those small plastic containers of thyme in my fridge. So, for me it was no problem to follow the instruction as written. But if you don’t happen to have all the fresh ingredients on hand, I would say use dried. But of course, only about a third as much since the flavor of dried herbs is so much more concentrated. And if you do use dried chives and herbs, and the biscuits come out perfect, please let me know so I can pass on your comments to anyone reading this recipe. But for now, I’m going to stick with fresh chives and herbs.

Well, that’s it for today. We are expecting at least 15 guests for Thanksgiving dinner, so I am busy strategizing for the event. Even though others are bringing a dish or 2 I still feel compelled to make sure everyone ends up with at least one of the dishes they hold sacred on any Thanksgiving table so that we can send everyone out the door, full and happy. At least, that’s my plan.

This feels like such a special Thanksgiving to me. We have received our covid-19 booster shots and will be with a good portion of our extended family for this day of thanks. And everything else in our lives seems to be happily perking along. So, we have a lot of positive in our lives to be extremely thankful for. May you be as similarly blessed.

Again, Happy Thanksgiving to all. And of course, peace and love.

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. fine sea salt

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

2 T. chopped fresh chives

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

½ tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

4 cloves roasted garlic

8 T. (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, (can even be frozen butter), cut into small pieces

¾ c. buttermilk

Pulse the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Add the parsley, chives, thyme, and rosemary and pulse a few more times to distribute through the mix.

Add the roasted garlic and butter; process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal and there are no large lumps of butter left.

Add the buttermilk and pulse a few times, until the dough gathers into clumps. Scrape the biscuit dough out onto a lightly floured board.

Pat the dough into an oblong shape at an even 1-inch height. (This will give you 8 good sized biscuits.) Cut with a floured bench scraper or large butcher knife. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake in a pre-heated 450-degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned and puffed. Serve warm or toast for a wonderful breakfast bread.

DATE-NUT BREAD WITH COFFEE AND JACK DANIELS

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So, our good friend Rudi sent me this recipe. We didn’t happen to have any Jack Daniels on hand, so Mr. C. and I had a deep and informative (at least for me) discussion regarding the relative merits of Jack over Jim (Jim Beam that is!) (Both being bourbon whiskey, or so I was informed.) And whether it would be true enough to the recipe if I used Jim instead of Jack. We came to the conclusion that Jim could stand in for Jack this time, so, to the kitchen I proceeded.

Now one thing you should know. I have my own stash of liquor and liqueurs readily at hand in the pantry when a dish I am preparing requires a bit of booze. So, in my haste to prepare this bread, I grabbed the cognac bottle rather than the bottle of Jim Beam. So, not only did my mistake ignore all the fine facts I had learned regarding bourbon, my haste changed the flavor of the bread.

But, regardless of my error, the bread was delicious. Absolutely delicious! And knowing that the flavor of bourbon is fabulous in all kinds of dishes, I have no qualms about suggesting that you use Jack Daniels when you make this recipe. But of course, if all you have is cognac, go for it. Just make this bread. You will be so glad you did. And thank you so much Rudi for this awesome recipe. And Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Speaking of giving thanks, every year at this time I remember to be thankful for the many blessings I have received over the years. My husband, my family, my friends, the fact that I have a roof over my head, and more than enough to eat. But this year, I am especially aware of how lucky I am. I didn’t get covid-19, I haven’t lost a family member to this horrid virus, and we are still friends with people who have differing opinions from ours. And that isn’t easy. I tend to get on my high horse and think I am the one in the right. (And of course, that’s mainly true!) But I haven’t walked in the other person’s shoes, and they haven’t walked in mine. The very fact that we are still respectful of each other makes me thankful. And hopeful that we can all get through this dreadful time if we continue to think of the greater good for everyone.

So, as always – peace and love to all. And again, HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

1½ – 2 c. chopped Medjool dates

4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temp., sliced into 4 pieces

1 tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. kosher salt

¾ c. brown sugar, packed

1 c. hot brewed coffee or 1 c. hot water and 1 tsp. espresso powder

1 lg. egg

1 tsp. vanilla  

2 T. Jack Daniels or other bourbon or cognac

½ tsp. baking powder

1¾ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 c. coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Lightly grease an 8.5-inch x 4.5-inch or 5 x 9-inch loaf pan. Then line the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the chopped dates, butter, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot coffee into the bowl, stirring to combine. Allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes.

Add the egg, vanilla, liquor, baking powder, and flour, beating gently until smooth. Stir in the pecans.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, gently tapping the pan on the counter to settle the batter.

Bake the bread for 50 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 200-degrees. (If you don’t own an instant-read thermometer, now is the time to get one! Just sayin’!) If the bread starts to get too brown, loosely cover with aluminum foil.

Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before gently turning the bread out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Store in an airtight container or storage bag.

MOCHA CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CARAMEL CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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So, what kind of a cake do you build for someone’s birthday who loves both chocolate and caramel? Well, this conundrum took me all of 60 seconds to resolve. You build a chocolate cake, and slather it with caramel frosting. Done deal!

The chocolate cake part was easy, except I needed to bake a smaller cake than I usually produce. So, I halved my trusty, well tested recipe (Mocha Chocolate Cake), which BTW produces one of the tastiest and moist cakes you could ever hope to eat. That done, I needed to figure out how to build a rich caramel frosting worthy of being paired with this delicious chocolate cake. But still have a presence of its own. So, the first ingredient had to be cream cheese, and the second ingredient had to be butter. No brainer! Then of course a bit of vanilla, a pinch of salt, caramel sauce, and powdered sugar. And there you go – caramel frosting.

Now I was lucky. Mr. C. always has Dilettante Caramel Sauce and Dilettante Semisweet Chocolate Sauce on hand for doctoring his coffee. So, I asked permission to use a bit for the frosting and to decorate the cake and he was all over that. (The man has many more than just one sweet tooth!) So, I didn’t have to make my own caramel sauce. (I usually make Bourbon Caramel Sauce anyway, so that might not have been the best choice for this frosting.)

Anyway, the result was just fine. Nice tender cake with a lovely soft caramel frosting. And it had been quite easy to prepare. And not too much left over for us 4 older people to handle.

So, next time you want to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or even that you made it through another week, this would be a good choice for a celebratory offering.

So, again, happy birthday Mark, and here’s to many more birthday cakes for the 4 of us to enjoy together.

Peace and love to all.

For the cake:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ c. packed brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

6 T. good cocoa powder

1½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. instant espresso powder (I use Medaglia D’Oro Italian Roast Espresso Style Ground Coffee)

¾ c. water

½ c. + 3 T. sour cream

chocolate sauce, for drizzle, opt.

Cream the butter and brown sugar together until very soft. (This takes at least 5 minutes.) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder together. Add to butter mixture alternately with water and sour cream, beating well after each addition. Pour into 2 9-inch parchment paper and greased round cake pans.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (Don’t over-bake!) Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely before frosting. (I plopped one of the cakes directly on to my cake plate. The other got plopped on the cooling rack parchment paper side down.)

Cool completely before frosting. (I used half of the frosting to glue the 2 layers together. Then the rest was spread on top. To make things pretty, I drizzled a bit of caramel sauce and chocolate sauce on top. I didn’t frost the sides because I wanted to see the dark chocolate color of the cake in contrast to the light tan colored frosting.)    

For the frosting:

8 oz. (1 pkg.) cream cheese, room temperature

4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

pinch kosher salt

generous ¼ c. caramel sauce, plus more for drizzle  

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ c. powdered sugar, or more as needed

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the salt, caramel sauce, and vanilla. Beat until well blended.

HAM, CARAMELIZED ONION, AND SWISS CHEESE QUICHE IN A WHOLE WHEAT CRUST

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I added a bit of kale and chopped green onion to garnish the quiche before baking. Wasn’t necessary. Won’t do it again.

And yes, we love quiche. And that’s why there are already several quiche recipes on this site. Now, one of the things I like most about quiches is their versatility. I can put pretty much any ingredient in a pie shell, pour eggs and milk over the top, and bake until the filling is set. Voila! Egg pie!

So, the other evening, quiche was on our dinner table. And yes, quiche is also perfect for breakfast or lunch. That’s another versatile thing that I love about this dish. But mainly it’s about how wonderful this dish tastes. And how the creamy rich filling is offset by the crispy pie crust. (I don’t use this simple pie crust recipe for regular pies because it isn’t a flaky crust. But for quiche, it’s perfect!) And very easy to make. And at this stage in my life, I support easy.

So, if you too would enjoy a quiche that has all the requisite elements of a successful dish that includes, easy to prepare, delicious, not too expensive, and everyone at table will love, then this is the recipe for you. Make it “quiche night” at your house in the near future. Your family will love you even more than they already do!

And isn’t that what it’s all about anyway. Love and family and understanding and forgiveness and respect.

In these trying days when there is almost a civil war happening between the people who are vaccinated and those who aren’t, please don’t forget that everyone is doing their best. (Except for certain politicians who are trying to kill Democracy. But that’s another story!)

But for those of us who simply can’t understand why anyone would hesitate to get vaccinated, it seems like such a simple thing to just do it. (I fall in that camp BTW.) But I don’t live in another person’s head. I don’t know their fears or misgivings or past experiences. And I definitely don’t know what it’s like to be unable to make a decision. But from the few I know who haven’t been vaccinated, inertia seems to be the biggest reason to remain unvaccinated. So, be kind to these people and try to understand that life may not be as easy for them as it is for you. Love them, treat them with respect, and above all, don’t give up on them. Not everyone was lucky enough to be born with what I consider to be “a good tool belt”. A tool belt containing a goodly amount of intelligence, an inherent sense of self-worth, imagination, empathy, understanding, energy, and various other attributes that help most of us become happy, caring, and successful adults. If you were born with a good tool belt, you were just plain lucky. Not everyone was similarly blessed. So, be patient and kind. Don’t burn bridges that might never have been built if not for covid-19. And no, it’s not easy. I have a couple relatives I would like to shake by the shoulders, throw them in the back of my car, and drive them to get vaccinated. But I don’t walk in their shoes, and no one (yet) has put me in charge. Until then, I do the best I can. I’m not perfect and I get pretty darned frustrated. But I have yet to lose a friendship because we have differing opinions about being vaccinated. (OK, maybe one. But he isn’t family, and we have history anyway!) So, like I said, it’s not easy to safely maneuver the vaccination minefield. But definitely worth the effort.  

And as always, peace and love to all.

8-inch pie crust (see recipe below) 

2 T. unsalted butter

1½ c. diced ham

½ med. onion, chopped

2½ c. grated Swiss, Gruyère, Emmental, or Jarlsberg cheese (or combination)

1½ c. whole milk (part half & half is great)

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

freshly ground black pepper

5 lg. eggs

ground nutmeg

Heat the butter in a small frying pan. Sauté the ham pieces until browned. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the ham to a small bowl. Set aside.

Add onion and cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and starts to become a light golden brown, 20 – 30 minutes.

Scatter ham pieces over the partially baked pie crust. Layer cheese on top of ham. Scatter cooked onions evenly over the cheese.

Whisk together the milk/half & half, Dijon mustard, black pepper, and eggs. Pour liquid mixture in pie pan. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Hint: to keep your pie crust edge from getting too brown while baking, cover with thin strips of aluminum foil.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven until the filling is set, about 45-55 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour   

heaping ½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

¼ tsp. baking powder

7 T. vegetable or canola oil

5 T. cold water  

Whisk the flours, salt, sugar, and baking powder together. Pour the oil and water over the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened. Pat the dough across the bottom of a fairly deep pie pan, then up to the rim.  

Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until you are ready to assemble the quiche. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.