Ribeye and Asparagus

Tonight we had a very impressive, yet very easy dinner to start off our holidays. We had a ribeye roast with asparagus and new potatoes. I coated the roast in Chicago Steak Seasoning that I get from Penzey's - it really is the best steak seasoning we've tasted. The roast, potatoes, and onions were all tossed in an oven-proof dish and roasted for an hour at 350 degrees - or until the internal temp of the meat read about 130 degrees for medium-rare.
The asparagus was set under the broiler for about ten minutes once it was peel and tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once out from under the heat I grated a little parmesan cheese on top.

Mamool

My mother-in-law generally makes these middle eastern cookies around Christmas each year. They are interesting because they are made using a special wooden mold and they are filled with a nut mixture.  It is a great cookie to have with a cup of coffee or tea.

Mamool
Adapted from the Syrian-Lebanese Cook Book

1 lb unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp whiskey
1 egg
1 tsp. ground mahlab (middle eastern cookie spice)
1 cup farina
4-5 cups flour

Filling
1 1/4 lbs. walnuts, ground
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. mazahar (orange flower water)

Mix the 3 filling ingredients well and set aside.

Whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar, whiskey, egg, mahlab, and farina while mixing. Gradually add flour while mixing and kneading until enough has been added to make good dough, not too soft, not too firm.  Take a walnut-sized piece of dough and flatten in the palm of your hand.  Add a teaspoon of dough to the center and wrap the dough around it and roll in your hands to seal.  Press ball into mold gently.  Firmly whack the mold on a cutting board or sheet pan had enough to get the cookie to fall out.  Repeat with additional cookies.  Bake at 350 degrees until bottom is light brown.  Sprinkle cooled cookies with powdered sugar before serving.

If not using a mold, pinch off small balls of dough (walnut size). In the palm of your hand make a hollow in the ball. Place 1 tsp of the nut filling in the hollow and close opening. Use a fork to decorate much like a peanut butter cookie. Bake at 350 degrees until bottom is light brown. Sprinkle tops with powdered sugar before serving.

A Family Tradition - Filled Cookies

There are a few cookies that grace our holiday table each and every year. This particular one holds a special place in my heart since this is one that my Grandmother always brings to our Christmas get togethers. We can't wait for her to bring in her cookie tins filled with filled cookies and her amazing date cookies.  My brothers and I greet her with hugs and kisses and then snatch up a couple of cookies which always makes her smile.They are the very best cookies, mainly because they are with lots and lots of love.

Filled Cookies

2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shortening/butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Enough flour to roll it out.

This is actually a very old recipe so it comes with no more direction than this. What I do is cream the butter and sugar and then add in the rest of the wet ingredients. Then I add the dry ingredients to about 1 cup of flour. Mix the wet and dry together. Then I gradually add flour by the 1/2 cup until the dough is not too wet and not too dry. It should be quite soft though. I place it in the refrigerator for an hour or two so that it firms up enough to roll out. Once I have it rolled out I cut circles out using one of my big wine glasses. Place a spoonful of your favorite jam or preserve (our favorites include raspberry, strawberry, and apricot) in the middle. Wet the edges of the cookie and place another cookie on the top and seal the edges. Bake at 350 degrees until the edges just start to brown. They will be quite pale in color...but oh so tasty.

Holiday Chocolate #2 - Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

After the Holiday Chocolate Workshop fiasco at Sur La Table a couple of weeks ago I've been anxious to give chocolates another shot. I figured I had a better chance of success without the chocolate police breathing down my neck.
The dipped pretzels from class actually looked nice enough when we made them but the chocolates used were not very tasty. So this time I used a block of Ghiradellhi chocolates which I knew I liked. I only made a dozen of these and I now know that was not enough. However, they are so easy that it literally would only take 20 minutes to make another large batch.
The second thing I made was a small batch of truffles. I've seen so many posts on truffles from the last SHF roundup that I couldn't take it anymore. I crumpled. I decided I just had to try making my own little batch of smooth velvety bites of goodness. I made a milk chocolate ganache and then I dipped them in the leftover pretzel chocolates and finally rolled them in walnuts. Mmmmm. Wow, what greatness. I only made 8 and they are all gone. I shouldn't make anymore...but I might. I just might make some and surprise Joseph later this week. He thought they were the most wonderful things ever. (Then again he could have been making up for his less-than-glowing review of the crepes earlier this week!)

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

1/3 lb of your favorite chocolates (I would not suggest chocolate chips, since they have stabilizers that don't allow the chocolates to melt correctly.)
1 bag Pretzel rods
Decorations:
White Chocolate
Chopped Nuts
Sprinkles

Bring water to a simmer in a double boiler or a small pot with a glass bowl on top. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Place chocolates in the bowl and wait until melted and smooth. Hold one end of the pretzel and set the other end in the chocolate. Use a spatula to coat the rod. Tap the end of the rod against the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Set on parchment paper until set or decorate.

Milk Chocolate Walnut Truffles
1/3 pound milk chocolate
1/4 cup cream
1/4 pound dark chocolate
1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat chocolate and cream in a double boiler. After the chocolate starts to melt, stir until combined and smooth. Cool and then set in fridge for about 1 hour. Use a small ice cream scoop to make balls. Roll each ball in your hand and dip in melted dark chocolate. (I used a fork.) Then roll each ball in walnuts.

A Quick-ish Dinner

This dish was inspired by a dish that I've eaten at my middle eastern mother-in-law's house. It is a good way to make something out of nothing since just about any meat can be substituted and the add-ins can be as varied as you allow them to be. I've had this with pine nuts, raisins, lamb, beef, chicken, carrots, etc. It also makes a good side dish as well as main dish. Tonight I chose almonds, peas, and dried cranberries to go along with the chicken. It was a big winner with both my husband and my son.

Middle Eastern Inspired Rice

3 cups water
1 1/2 cups rice
1 TCP salt
2 TCP chicken bouillon
a dash of turmeric
2 TCP cinnamon
1-2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup slivered blanched almonds
1/2 cup (frozen)peas
3 T ghee(clarified butter) or butter
salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil. Add rice, salt, bouillon, and turmeric. Cook rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon of the ghee in a separate pan on medium-high. Add almonds and cook until lightly browned. Remove the almonds and set aside - leave remaining ghee in pan. Add 2 more tablespoons of ghee, chicken, and spices/seasonings. Cook until heated through and just browned. Lower heat and add the peas. Remove from heat just as peas are thawed out. Add the cranberries and half of the almonds. Mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Mix finished fluffed rice with chicken mixture and top with additional almonds. (A dusting of cinnamon is also common for this dish.)

Currants and Crepes

I bought these beautiful currants at the grocery store the other day and knew that I wanted to make a pretty crepe to go with them.  So, I scoured around for a new recipe to try and I came up with Clotilde's version.  It turned out fantastic and I improvised and made a quick currant filling that I mixed with whipped cream.  It was a delight.

Red Currant Filling

6 oz. fresh currants
4 T sugar
4 T water

Bring all ingredients to a simmer. Leave at a low simmer for about 5 minutes or until currants have popped and sauce has thickened. Cool.

Happy 1st Birthday, Baby!

My son, Gabriel, turns one tomorrow!!!! Here is a sneak peek at his cake. I'm making another one for the big party on Saturday. This one is a super mini-version since I'm going to let him eat it all by himself...it should be interesting.

Baking and Decorating the Monkey Cake:
For the monkey cake I used a boxed cake mix and baked it in an oven-safe glass bowl. (That took about half of the mix.) The rest of the batter was poured into a cupcake tin. I'm not sure about times...I just kept testing with toothpicks until they came out clean. Obviously, the cupcakes took much less time than the bowl did, so I had to be careful.
I used one cupcake split down the middle for the ears. It worked out perfectly...plus we had extra cupcakes to munch on during the day. Oh, and the chocolate coloring was just cocoa added to the frosting.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Off to do the dishes. I'll be back later to share the menu from today.

Okay, so it's been a couple of days since Thanksgiving and we have recovered enough to write about it. The actual preparation was much easier than I had anticipated. My 11 month old actually cooperated enough for me to get many things prepped the day before so Thanksgiving morning was very smooth. We even made it to the gym and back with plenty of time to spare. Our menu was: Herb Roasted Turkey with Sausage Stuffing (inside and out), mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, acorn squash, peas, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, and chocolate covered peanut clusters.

A day ahead I was able to toast the bread cubes and cook the sausage/vegetable mixture for the stuffing. Make the pies and chocolate covered peanuts. I also made the cranberry sauce as well as made stock for gravy from purchased turkey wings. Finally I mixed a stick of butter with some sage, rosemary, and thyme for the turkey. The day of Thanksgiving, I stuffed the bird and inserted the herb butter between the skin and on the outside. I also made the mashed potatoes, as well as baked the squash and the stuffing. We had a very nice meal...of all the things on the table, Gabriel liked the peas the best. Wouldn't you know it...the only thing that didn't take any effort at all! We did end up with lots of leftovers since there were just the three of us so I made turkey paninis the next day.

Pesto Bruschetta II

I know, I know, this is my second pesto bruschetta post in a very short time. However, I had to share this version I made today because it was so yummy. Today was my day to host our playgroup friends. We usually get together and have a light kid-friendly lunch consisting of crackers, cheese, fruit, and meats. Today I made those trays and I also added a couple of things for the adults and this bruschetta was a hit. Tonight I'm going to make a smaller version of today's lunch. I know Joseph is going to love the bruschetta as well.
Pesto Bruschetta

1 french baguette
olive oil
4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
¼ cup onion
½ cup fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
salt
pepper
1 cup fresh basil pesto

Cut tomatoes into 1/3 inch slices and then run your finger around each piece to remove the seeds and extra juices. Continue to dice tomatoes and place in a medium sized bowl. Add minced garlic, diced onion, and basil chiffonade (Remove basil from stems, roll like a cigarette, and slice into very thin strands.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. This can be done 10 minutes to 1 day in advance.


Cut the baguette into ¼ inch slices. Place on a sheet pan and brush with a light coating of olive oil. Broil on high for 3-4 minutes or until lightly brown . Remove from oven and let cool. Spread a layer of pesto on each piece of bread. Place a heaping spoonful of the tomato mixture on top and finish with a layer of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Eating Fall...that is what this dish is like. I really can't think of anything else that tastes more like fall than these squash ravioli. The flavors of the squash, sage, cinnamon, and nutmeg all combine to make up the taste of autumn.
We really enjoyed these... although I'd like to cut the sweetness of the filling the next time I make these. Maybe a little more balsamic and little or no molasses.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with a Brown Butter Sage Sauce

1 small to medium butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons dark molasses
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Ravioli dough or purchased wonton wrappers
Flour, for dusting board (if using fresh dough)
2 tablespoons sweet butter
8 fresh sage leaves
2 ounces Parmesan, for grating

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut squash in 1/2 and scrape out seeds. Spread 1 tablespoon molasses on each cut side. Season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a roasting pan. Cook in the oven until very soft, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature and scoop out flesh into a food processor.
Puree squash until smooth, then spread on a baking sheet and return to the 375 degree oven to dry, about 10 minutes. The consistency will be like mashed potatoes.
Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it begins to brown. Immediately remove from heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon molasses and all the vinegar. Add to squash with mascarpone, Parmesan, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and mix well.
To fill the raviolis: Lay out a sheet of pasta dough or wonton wrappers on a lightly floured board. Put 1 tablespoon squash filling in the center of dough using a small spoon. Moisten borders with water and top with another piece of dough. Press all the air out and seal firmly by pressing all around with fingertips. Lay raviolis out to dry on a lightly floured board or baking sheet and lightly flour the tops. Repeat until you run out of dough and/or filling. To cook, boil in lightly salted water until tender, about 3 minutes.
For the Sage Brown Butter: While raviolis are cooking, in a large saute pan, melt the butter with the sage and a pinch of salt and pepper until it foams and becomes light brown. Add ravioli and gently saute for about 30 seconds and then transfer to a serving platter or dishes. Finish with a generous grating of Parmesan