Menu Plans

Menu Plan

Sarah

Happy 2012! I’ve been taking a break from blogging to spend time over Christmas and New Years’ with Ben and my family, travel, and just relax. Now that the new year is here, I’m starting to get back into somewhat of a routine again–but will definitely be enjoying this last week of break before the new semester starts on January 9th. I’m looking forward to it as it is my last semester of graduate school. 🙂

One of my projects over this break has been to organize my recipe collection. I use a binder system to organize recipes not online or in cookbooks, i.e. those torn from magazines, print outs from friends/family, etc. In order to use these more [because let’s face it: the internet is sometimes more convenient], I’ve decided to only cook and bake from my cookbooks, binders, and recipes I’ve already made before in the month of January. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m sure it’ll be a delicious experiment! Hope your 2012 has been wonderful so far!

Week of January 2

Monday: Ellie Krieger’s Tuna Noodle Casserole [who am I?]

Tuesday: Asian Peanut Butter Pork

Wednesday: Lentil Soup with Spinach and Tomatoes

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Sweet Potato Waffles

Saturday: Roasted Chicken

Sunday: Spicy Sausage, Chicken, and Beans

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Cookie Days #3: Classic Sugar Cookies

Sarah

I firmly believe that every baker should have at least one classic sugar cookie recipe up their apron sleeve. Sugar cookies are a perfect palate for any occasion, suitable to be cut out in any shape imaginable, topped with any kind of design and embellishment imaginable. Though I don’t make these cookies very often, every time I do I realize how amazing they are in their simplicity, and their tradition. They have so much potential–so much to offer.

That being said… these cookies aren’t fancy. They aren’t beautifully decorated, at least not in a bakery-approved sort of fashion. They are decorated with fun and family in mind. These sugar cookies are my family’s annual foray into decorating, and for that, I love them. Making them every year–in my grandparents’ kitchen, at my mom’s side, or now, with my husband, allows me to step back in time and [as cheesy as it sounds] taste the memories of the holiday season.

This Christmas, as you spend time with your family and friends, I pray that you will take the time to enjoy one another’s company and pursue Jesus together, the real reason for the season. Without Him, there would be none of this. Even if you are not caught up in the commercial “me-me-me”-ness of Christmas time, there is usually something that takes you away. Perhaps it’s the perfect menu for Christmas dinner, or the scrambling to please everyone with your time. Whatever it is, take a moment to step back and breathe, thanking God for all He has given you, even in the midst of the stress. I know I have to do that, many times a day, but that is okay. He’s there. He’s here. He has come.

Though my sentimental Christmas cookies I’ve shared today and this week have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, they bring me back to family, back home, back to the well-worn yellow recipe card and afternoons of my youth and beyond spent baking up a storm. I’m not sure what my blogging will look like over the next week as I’ll be spending time with my family and my Ben, celebrating the season but I hope that you enjoy it as much as I am planning to!

Classic Sugar Cookies [from Mom]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Mix together flour, sugar, and baking powder. Cut in softened butter until mixture crumbles, then mix in whipping cream, egg, and vanilla until a soft dough forms. Add more cream if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough on a well floured surface, incorporating more flour into dough if necessary to roll out well. Cut into shapes and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and then frost.

Frosting [from Mom]

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream
  • optional: food coloring, sprinkles, etc. for tinting frosting and topping

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Swirl in whipping cream, beating until frosting reaches a spreading consistency. Add more whipping cream to thin out if necessary.

Time: 4 hours.

Yield: Varies based on size of cookie cutters, but about 2 good sized Tupperwares.

Cookies, Desserts

Cookie Days #2: Pfeffernusse

Sarah

Yesterday, we went with a new twist on a traditional Christmas munchie; today, we are going way, way back. Back to to old Germany, in fact!I was first introduced to the Pfeffernusse [rhymes with beetlejuice] by Ben. Apparently they are a Christmas tradition in his family. I had never heard of these peppery, licorice-y, spicy hard cookie treats before the first Christmas we were married and when I tried it, I spit it out–I hated it. It was the most disgusting cookie ever!

Or so I thought. Turns out there’s more than a few ways to make a Pfeffernusse [as with most old recipes, the “original” tends to vary by region/family/etc.], and when I realized this, I promptly found a version without anise extract to make with Ben. Surprisingly, as I researched recipes, I realized that it probably wasn’t the pepper flavor that turned me off [literally Pfeffernusse means “pepper nut”], but it was the anise–licorice. My most dreaded flavor ever!

If licorice is your thing, feel free to stir in a teaspoon or so–I won’t tell! Ben would have been thrilled to have that flavor party with the gingerbread-y spices too, but we didn’t have any at home [I wonder why, licorice-hater that I am] and we were too lazy unwilling to let that scent/taste in my kitchen to run to the store to get some. So, this Pfeffernusse must sadly go without–but you don’t have to be sad like the Pfeffernusse because these cookies are made up of pretty simple, classic ingredients that I bet you have in your pantry right at this very moment. Enjoy! One more cookie recipe to come tomorrow!

P.S.  My apologies for the photo repeat… the light is not my friend this time of year!

Pfeffernusse Cookies [from Comfortably Domestic]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom [I substituted allspice]
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper [white is preferred, but black works too]
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • powdered sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and pepper. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add molasses and beat well, then add egg and do the same. Next, fold in flour mixture gradually and beat until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and cover, placing in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2-3 hours [or up to one week].

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or a silpat. Roll dough into one inch balls and place about 1-2 inches apart, spacing evenly.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes [cookies will continue to cook a little, and will become harder as they cool, so don’t bake too long]. Remove to wire rack and immediately roll in powdered sugar. If you like a lot of powdered sugar, roll again after cookies have cooled completely. Store in an airtight container.

Time: 4 hours.

Yield: 5 dozen.

Notes: Original recipe advises that cookies can be frozen, just roll in powdered sugar again after they are thawed.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Cookie Days #1: Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Sarah

Yesterday I referenced some cookies that were getting in the way of real meals around my house. I’d like to take the rest of this week to tell you all about them! How does that sound? Well, if it doesn’t sound good, then click away because that is the plan, Stan.

So, anyways. Cookies.

About a month ago, right before Thanksgiving, I received a holiday mailer from Sam’s Club. We’re members, so it wasn’t too big of a surprise. I normally toss that sort of thing, but for some reason decided to flip through the ads just to see what kind of goodies they were trying to sell me today. I mean, I already buy my carrots in 5 pound bags and can get enough oats to last a year [for real]. But lo and behold, from the pages of a Sam’s Club advertisement, a recipe caught my eye. A cookie recipe, to be exact, one that would have been the bane of my third grade school Christmas gift exchange: Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies.

See, as a third grader, I hated those little fake-sweet things with a passion, and arrived home in tears right before Christmas break because my Secret Santa got me a fancy box of them tied with a bow. This was devastating to the girl who only wanted a troll or a Barbie or whatever was in in third grade. Devastating, I say. Just ask my mom.

Now, many moons later, I can’t say that I adore chocolate covered cherries… but as I saw that recipe, memories of third grade abounding, I knew I just had to try them. The icing on the cake [or perhaps, the cherry on top?] was that the recipe submitter was none other than one Sarah Y. Before I got married, I was Sarah Y. Now I am Sarah K., but as a tribute to my third grade and maiden self, these Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies earned themselves a spot on my Christmas cookie plate. On their own merit, they have earned themselves a tasty award thanks to the abundance of soft, luscious chocolate coupled with the sweet satisfaction of a maraschino cherry. They are delicious, and just a smidgen different from your average Christmas cookie, so I hope you give them a try and come back the rest of this week for more cookie magic.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies [from Sarah Y. via Sam’s Club, also online at BHG]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 10-ounce jar undrained maraschino cherries
  • 6 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate pieces
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

First, in a small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. Then, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well, then fold in dry ingredients.

Next, drain cherries, reserving juice. Shape dough into one inch balls and press down in the center of each ball with thumb, placing balls on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Place a cherry in each indentation.

Lastly, heat chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan, stirring constantly until chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and stir in 4 tablespoons reserved cherry juice.

Working quickly, spread about 1 teaspoon frosting over top each cherry. Bake for 10 minutes then cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Time: 45 minutes.

Yield: about 36.

Notes: The original recipe claimed a yield of 48, but even if I had gotten that, my jar of cherries only contained 30 so I had to replace a few with dried cranberries instead… just as a fair warning!

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Baby Bella, Spinach, and Bacon Frittata

Sarah

It’s Christmas week. And we all know what that means. Lots and lots and lots of cookies. And I’ve been cookie baking up a storm lately. So… yeah. I’ve been enjoying a few too many cookies as of late. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And snacks. And desserts. Basically, all the time. However–yes, there’s a however, even with cookies involved–real meals are still important. Real quick meals so there’s more time for making cookies. Yep, that’s how I’m thinking nowadays.

My favorite quick meal of the year 2011 has been the frittata. Therefore, I thought a frittata was a relevant and delicious meal for this busy time. This frittata is a little fancy and rich tasting, with gooey cheese, special mushrooms [not that kind of special], and bacon yet still healthy enough thanks to an abundance of spinach to count as a real meal during cookie season. Yes! Win-win. Everybody [and every meal, and cookie] is happy and a winner. Enjoy!

Baby Bella, Spinach, and Bacon Frittata [inspired by Life’s Ambrosia with technique from my Kale Frittata for Two]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 cup Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 cup spinach, tightly packed, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • scant 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded or torn [I used one thick slice of deli Swiss cheese and tore it up]

Directions:

Cook bacon to desired crispness on a skillet over medium heat. Set aside to degrease between paper towels on a plate. Reserve 1-2 teaspoons bacon grease.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add bacon grease to a small (8 inch) oven proof skillet set over medium heat. Cook mushrooms for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until spinach just begins to wilt.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together eggs, water, and rosemary. Season with black pepper as desired [I like a lot of black pepper, but do what you like best]. When spinach has wilted a bit, add bacon to pan and then pour egg mixture over top and gently stir to incorporate eggs with mushrooms, spinach, and bacon. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom of the frittata begins to set, then use a thin spatula to lift the edge of the frittata. This allows the uncooked egg to transfer below to cook. When eggs are almost set, top with cheese and place in the oven to cook for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the center is set. Cool briefly before cutting, then serve warm.