Bark Candy

When we lived in the Boston area, I worked for Jordan Marsh department store as a bridal consultant. I worked at the Burlington and Peabody (pronounced PEE-ba-dee) malls.

It was a tumultuous time for the store, as well as the retail world. Federated Department Stores finally bought out May Company, their long-time rivals, and in the coming years closed many stores. It seemed as though they turned nearly every major department store into a Macy's. Jordan Marsh was one of the first stores to change to a Macy's and it was a BIG TO-DO.

The Jordan Marsh folks were loyal and proud. Jordan Marsh was founded in Boston in 1841, and though it was part of Federated Department Stores when I went to work there, it had always been Jordan Marsh. In 1996, all the Jordan Marsh stores changed to Macy's. It was a gradual change that had customers and employees up in arms. They did not want Macy's...not one bit. The day that the "MACY'S" lettering went up on the stores was a somber day. I'd only lived in the area for 18 months at the time, but I knew how the locals felt.

I really loved this job and worked with some interesting personalities. There was L*** (ya know...it's a small world, and you never know who's reading your blogs!), a tough older woman who thought she was the boss of everybody. She did her best not to lift a finger, to make others (me) do her work and take credit for things she did not accomplish. There was Marsha, an older Jewish woman who was like a grandma to me. She was fabulous and a dear, dear woman who had been in the business for years and taught me everything she knew. Barry was a large, gruff, outspoken man who was exactly what you'd think of when you thought of a stereotypical Boston area local. With Barry the customer was never right, and he wasn't afraid to tell it like it was. (He was usually spot on...but in the mid-west where I'd just come from, no employee would dare say the things he did to a customer!!)

Then there was Susan who was a quiet, shy, and kind woman. We weren't friends outside of work, so I was especially surprised when she threw a surprise going-away party for me when I left (to move to Myrtle Beach). Honestly, in all the places that I've lived or worked at, no one has treated me nicer than Susan did. At my going away party she decorated the office, had a cake made, and presented me with a huge basket of gifts from my co-workers. I was blown away by their thoughtfulness. As an outsider coming to work with long-time locals, they truly included me in my short time there. One of the gifts in the basket was a handmade recipe book, with their favorite recipes. It's the only part of the gift I still have. My favorite recipe from that book is a simple one that Susan used to bring into work: Bark Candy.

Bark Candy

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and butter it.* Line it with saltine crackers.

In a small pot, boil for one minute:
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)
1 C sugar

Pour over the saltines.

Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips.** Let sit until soft and then spread the chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed nuts. Refrigerate one hour. Break into pieces and peel off foil.

*I made it this way for years. Now that I have a well-seasoned, dark brown stoneware bar pan from Pampered Chef, I skip the buttered foil, and place the crackers right on the bar pan.

**When I went to make this recently, I found myself without chocolate chips. Instead I melted 4 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate in a double boiler. I added about 1 cup of sugar to the squares. If doing this, I'd recommend putting 3/4 cup in, then adding a little sugar at a time, until it's to your liking. The chocolate was kind of grainy, so at my 11 year old daughter's recommendation (she's gonna' be a great cook someday!!) I added a bit of milk to the mixture...probably about 1-2 TB. That made it a bit creamier and helped with the texture. Once it was all melted, I poured it onto the butter/sugar crackers and spread it around. I liked doing it this way, as I had more control over the sweetness of the chocolate.

These are great little treats to bring to any event. As Susan said in her notes to me, they're "very easy and so good"!

Cilantro Dip

I discovered this dip at the Meads' Civil War party. The Beavers (their team) may have lost , but I found this winning dip that was brought by their neighbor, Shannon. Shannon made two new dips for the first time, the recipes coming from a friend of hers. This friend told her that of the two dips, the cilantro one would be gobbled. The friend was right. The other one would have fared well on its own...but sitting next to the cilantro one, it never stood a chance! The dip has a bit of sweet and sour, with a little kick of spiciness that hits you toward the end of your bite.

So for our annual "Stragglers" Christmas Night party, I decided early on to make the dip. It's a definite keeper as it's so simple, and has proven to be a crowd pleaser at two events. Last night, the first brick of cream cheese was quickly eaten, but there was still enough "gunk" left to scoop over a second brick. So mid-party, I placed a second one on the platter, and spooned the dip over the cream cheese. What I'm getting at, is that there is definitely enough dip for two bricks of cream cheese.

Cilantro Dip

Mix together:
3/4 bunch of chopped cilantro
1 bunch of chopped green onions
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped*
3/4 C dried cranberries**
2 tsp sugar
1/4 C balsamic vinegar***
1/8 C olive oil***

Let the mixture sit for a couple of hours. Then pour over a brick of cream cheese and serve with crackers.

*I like things a bit spicy, so I did not seed my pepper. Friends who were at both events stated they liked the spicier version better. So, if you like a bit more heat (still mild enough for kiddos), leave in the seeds.

**I chopped the cranberries so they were smaller. Not a big change, but thought I'd mention it...

***The friend of Shannon's doubles the given amount of oil and vinegar as she likes more juice. So, you can play around with that as well!

Lauren's Norwegian Pancakes

Because of our snowfall this week, Katie's friend, Alaina was *stuck* here overnight. The roads were just too slippery last night, so doggone it....they had to have a sleepover! This morning, when thinking about what to make them for breakfast, I thought back to when I was in sixth grade. I had lots of sleepovers at my friend, Lauren's house in Tucson. What I remember most (other than that she always had to practice piano before we could play!) was that we would make Norwegian Pancakes for breakfast. It was a family recipe, and I still have it 30 years later.

Lauren’s Norwegian Pancakes

3 eggs
½ C milk
2 TB sugar
½ tsp vanilla
½ C flour

Mix ingredients. Pour a couple spoonfuls onto a heated non-stick pan. Pick up pan & swirl batter around in a circular motion. Turn over. Top with butter, brown sugar or powdered sugar. Fold in half, then roll. Serve immediately.

When making these, they are best eaten immediately. Not soon after...immediately...while they're piping hot! It works best to have one cook making them quickly with a few eaters ready with their plates.

As soon as the pancake comes onto the plate, spread a little butter on it. Then add a little brown sugar, and spread. Fold the pancake in half, and roll. Eat! This is how she taught me to make them, though you could add other yummies to the center...fruit or jam. I bet those would be good too!

My favorite pan in the whole wide world is this Magnalite Professional anodized aluminum frying pan. My mom gave it to us as part of a wedding gift. Sadly, they are no longer made, but are easily found on ebay (they've held their value and bring a good price) as there are lots of Magnalite fans out there. It is not a non-stick pan, but nothing sticks to it. It browns so nicely too. It's just a dream to cook with. All of their pans are! The pancakes swirl nicely in this pan!

For this recipe, I also love a newer gadget...this slim little flipper from Oxo. It's a flimsy, thin little thing that easily wedges under delicate items like these pancakes, crepes, cookies, etc. Definitley handy!

The Perfect Appetizer: Herbed Puffs

These babies are pure appetizer heaven.

What makes them so perfect?

1. FAST.
2. and EASY to make.
3. Can be made well ahead of event.
4. Freezer Friendly!
5. They are DELICIOUS little morsels!

Cooking tip: Have all your ingredients measured out, ready to go. Once you start dumping it in the pot, you need to work fast!

I've made these several times. They are always a hit. Next time I will probably triple the recipe, and flash-freeze them so they are ready to go when we have guests.

Something else to try with them: slicing them in half and adding a slice of thin cheese and prusciotto or salami. I got this from my friends, Nikki & John, who made a similar appetizer. Their recipe called for the slicing and addition of the meat and cheese inside. They were tasty!

Herbed Puffs (San Francisco Encore)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine in a saucepan, and bring to a boil.
2/3 C water
1/3 C + 2 TB milk
1 stick (4 oz) butter
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

As soon as it boils, remove from heat and immediately pour in (all at once):
1 C flour

Using a wooden spoon, stir rapidly until all of the flour is incorporated and the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Return to a low heat and cook for an additional minute.

Beat in, until the mixture is thick and smooth:
4 eggs, one at a time

Add in:
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
2 green onions, minced
1 TB minced parsley
1 tsp dried dill

Spoon the batter into 1 ½” mounds onto the prepared baking sheets.

Beat together:
1 egg
pinch of salt
and brush over the tops of the puffs.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from the baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

These freeze well and can be reheated. (Since we had freezing temps, I did my flash freezing on the patio!)

Icebox Butter Cookies

We've had snow in McMinnville for the past few days. Snow isn't all that unusual, but snow that sticks for days is. And, boy, do we take advantage of it! We've been sledding (right down the driveway! Living on a hill has its perks at times....), making snow angels, and doing a bunch of holiday cooking...including baking.

The other day Katie chose this recipe to make, Icebox Butter Cookies from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food booklet. It's 2007's Holiday Baking Edition, and this is the first (though not the last!) that we'll make from this collection of recipes.

Icebox Butter Cookies

In a bowl of a food processor, pulse until it resembles course meal:
3 C all purpose flour
1 C powdered sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp salt

In a small bowl, lightly beat
4 large egg yolks (reserve one egg white for later)
1 tsp vanilla

With motor running, add the egg mixture to the dough. Process just until dough forms.

Divide the dough in half; form two 2-inch square log, each approximately 5 1/2 inches long. Wrap the logs in waxed paper; refrigerate until firm, at least two hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice dough crosswise; 3/16" thick, carefully transfer slices to baking sheets.

If decorating with sugar, brush each slice with an egg wash (listed below), then sprinkle with sugar. Martha recommends sanding sugar. We did not have this, and instead used colored decorating sugar. Bake until edges are firm, but not brown, about 10 - 15 minutes. We had to go the whole 15 minutes. Cool 1-2 minutes on baking sheets. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Egg Wash
1 large egg white, beaten
2 tsp. water

Reindeer Cookies

Upon looking at the picture, you may wonder why in the world these are called Reindeer Cookies. There is nothing to suggest reindeer, not even the shape of the cookies. Years ago, I think when we were living in Indiana (so 15-18 years ago), I received this little gift bag of spices, a recipe, and a reindeer cookie cutter. The cookie cutter is long gone, but I saved the recipe, as it's my absolute favorite spice cookie. I have no clue what they were actually called, but for the last 15-18 years, we've called them Reindeer Cookies!

Reindeer Cookies

Cream:
½ C butter
1 C brown sugar

Add:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together and add to creamy mixture:
1 ½ C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Chill one hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough to 1/8-1/4" thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour and cut cookies. Bake 8-10minutes.

When we were first married, Brian and I used to make these with a little hole in the top (made with a straw). We'd hang them on the Christmas tree and the house smelled wonderful all season long. I'd love to do that now, but I fear (rightfully so!) that this sweet thing would trample the tree to get at each and every hanging cookie decoration....

I'm not a big gingerbread fan, and I truly think you could substitute this recipe for a gingerbread house or any other gingerbread type creation. It's a pretty sturdy dough, as long as it's not cut into thin, intricate shapes. Someday I will try it as a gingerbread house. As I'm typing this out, I'm thinking I have enough in the fridge to make a small cottage. As tomorrow is a snow day, I will attempt it. Should be fun! Stay tuned....