Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Jingle Bells! Christmas is on the way and I want to share some of my favorite holiday recipes with all of you. I'm going to start with the cookie for the season...pumpkin spice cookies like no other. It's really hard not to gobble them all up before you serve them to guests or send them out as gifts. They are little pillows of spicy goodness encompassing all the lovely, warm, wintery spices we associate with Christmas. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger..oh my! Full of plump raisins, dates and pecans. So satisfying. You might want to leave a few out for Santa. I'm sure he'll leave a thank you note.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin, no spices added
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp. mapolene flavoring

Cream butter and sugar on medium high in mixer until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, egg, and mapolene and mix until completely blended.

2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and with mixer on low speed, gradually add to the creamed butter mixture. Mix on low speed until completely combined, scraping down the bowl of the mixer several times.

Add:

1 cup golden raisins
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 cup pecans, toasted (spread on cookie sheet and toast in a 350* oven for 10 minutes - let cool)

Preheat oven to 375*

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Use a large cookie scoop (or 1/4 cup measuring cup) and drop dough 3-4" apart on sheets. Gently pat dough down to a 3" disc. Bake one sheet at a time in the lower middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes.The bottom of the cookies should be golden, not brown. Repeat with rest of dough. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Frosting

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
6 Tbls. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. mapolene flavoring
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

In a heavy pot, over a medium low flame, combine butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil, lower flame to gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Take off flame, add vanilla, mapolene, and confectioners sugar. Whisk until smooth. Scrape frosting into large measuring cup and pour over cookies on racks, reheating frosting in micro wave if mixture gets too thick. Let frosted cookies dry on racks and then store in air tight containers using waxed paper between layers. Try not to eat too many :)

Au Gratin Potatoes

While we're talking about yummy potatoes, I have to include my all time favorite, although I have never met a potato I didn't like! But, these are special - tender, cheesy, crusty brown top...sigh. Complete comfort food. The friend who gave me this recipe was as crazy about potatoes as I am. We used to joke and say we were going to have a seven course potato dinner party and we would be the only two guests. Fun!! Now don't faint when I tell you the ingredients. You won't be making them every week (I hope) just when you want something special and completely nuturing. Again, this is a recipe I will have to walk you through - it's simple (only 3 ingredients) but the procedure needs to be precise. So here goes...

Au Gratin Potatoes

3-4 large Idaho baking potatoes; thinly sliced
1 large carton of whipping cream (!!) don't worry - you're not going to use it all
3-4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
s & p

Preheat oven to 325*

Layer thinly sliced potatoes in a shallow (rather than deep - you want lots of crusty brown surface...trust me) baking dish alternating with shredded cheese. So in other words... a layer of overlapping potatoe slices, lightly salt and pepper them, cover liberally with shredded cheddar cheese and repeat until you have used all the potato slices. You should have 3 layers maybe more. Then slowly pour the whipping cream over the potatoes. Give the cream time to settle. Ideally the cream should settle in at 3/4 of the way up the baking dish. You don't want the potatoes submerged.

Put the casserole in the preheated oven on the middle rack. This is the important part...check to see how they are doing after 15 minutes. The cream should just be slowly plopping, not rapidly bubbling - if it is, turn the oven down to 300* and check again in 15 minutes. The reason for this is simple...the cheese and cream will end up curdling, which you don't want. Now, it will take 1 1/2 - 2 hours for the potatoes to absorb the cream and become browned and crusty, so plan accordingly. I know it seems like a long time to wait, but you will be well rewarded for your patience. Wait til you see them..gorgeous! Wait til you taste them..delicious! I feel like running into the kitchen and whipping up a batch right now!

Roasted Potatoes and Onions

You can serve these potatoes with almost any main course. They are so flavorful! I think they go especially well with the Parmesan chicken breasts in the previous post. They couldn't be easier to prepare, but remember...allow them about an hour and 45 minutes to roast. So start them an hour before you put the chicken breasts in.

Roasted Potatoes and Onions

6 large Idaho baking potatoes; washed, dried, cut into small chunks
2 large onions, quartered and sliced
good quality olive oil
s & p to taste
**note: the potatoes and onions cook down - so you don't end up with as much as it looks before roasting

Preheat oven to 400*

In a large bowl, combine potatoes and onions. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Spread evenly across a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 1 hr. 45 minutes or until tender and browned. Both the potatoes and onions are crispy and carmelized. Heaven!

Chicken Breasts - Not the Usual Yawn

These chicken breasts are so yum and easy. I used to make them often when my kids were growing up, and they were a fave. Since this is all about the chicken, I recommend going to Harrison's Poultry in Glenview. They have the freshest most wonderful poultry around. If you are not inclined to seek out Harrison's due to distance proximity, at least go to your local butcher and buy good quality - they may even carry Harrison's as they supply many shops and restaurants in the Chicago area. Quality is important. I don't care what you put on it or in it, if you have tough, stringy chicken...well, what's the point of wasting your other ingredients?

Chicken Breasts - Breaded and Baked

4 -5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved - rinsed and dried
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup Durkee fried onions - crumbled
1 stick of butter (or oil if you don't want to use butter - but, ya know? butter's better!)

Melt butter and place in a shallow bowl. In a plastic zip lock bag, add the parmesan, bread crumbs, and crumbled onions. Shake up to distribute evenly. Take each breast, roll in melted butter, and shake in crumb mixture. Place on a rimmed cookie sheet, sprayed with cooking spray, or in a shallow casserole dish large enough to hold all of them. Drizzle any remaining butter over all. Sprinkle with paprika for color. Bake at 400* for 40 minutes, or until cooked through and browned. Carefully turn once during baking time. I serve them with roasted potatoes and onions or au gratin potatoes (recipe in future post).

Sweet and Sour Beef and Cabbage Soup

Now that Fall is rapidly approaching Winter, my thoughts are turning to comfort foods. Dishes warm and nuturing to satisfy our souls on cold, dreary days. This recipe for beef and cabbage soup meets that criteria. It's a meal in a pot - very hearty and satisfying. All you need to add is some warm, crusty bread, and you're good to go.

Sweet and Sour Beef and Cabbage Soup

2 Tbls. butter or vegetable oil
2 lbs. lean beef stew meat, well trimmed
1 small head of green cabbage
2 cups coarsly grated carrots
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. caraway seeds
salt and pepper, to taste
1 large can tomato sauce or puree
1 Tbls. tomato paste
3 Tbls. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. sour salt (citric acid)
7 cups of water

Melt butter or oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add meat and brown. Add onions, saute briefly until soft. Add water, bring to a boil, skim any foam off top. Add tomato sauce and paste, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add rest of vegetables, caraway seeds, s & p, brown sugar, and sour salt, cover and simmer 1 hour. Enjoy!

Potato and Dill Crusted Salmon

If you want to impress your guests, look no further...this is your recipe. It sounds and looks diabolically hard to do, but I promise you it is easy. The question I am most often asked is "how do the potatoes stay on the fish? Don't they stick to the pan and make a mess?" The answer to that question is no they do not! They stay right where they are supposed to stay...on the fish. And, it is a beautiful presentation. You have the golden brown of the potatoes, and through that you see the leafy green sprigs of dill, and then the pink of the salmon. Beautiful! Delicious!

This is another recipe I will have to talk you through, as it is more procedure than anything else. So, here goes...

Potato and Dill Crusted Salmon

Center cut salmon filets however many you need. Remove the skin from the back of the filets and then butterfly them (cut through horizontally) but don't slice all the way through.

Idaho potatoes - 1-2 should be more than enough. Slice long, thin slices from the potatoes with a vegetable peeler. Soak the slices in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Fresh dill sprigs

Procedure:

Take each butterflied filet (leave open) and pat with a little vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a few dill sprigs across each filet. Then overlap thinly sliced potatoes across the entire filet. Add enough of the vegetable oil to a large fry pan to coat the bottom and heat on a medium flame. When the oil is hot, add the filets potato side down. Then pat a little oil on the top side, add the dill sprigs, and the overlapping potato slices. Continue sauteing the filets on the first side until the potatoes are crisp and golden brown. Gently, with a spatula, flip the filets (no, the potatoes won't fall off) to the other side. Continue sauteing the second side until the potatoes on that side are golden brown. And viola! The fish is cooked through, the potatoes are crisp and golden, the dill sprigs are peeking through and you are a genius! Really, it is such a pretty dish to serve and truly delicious. I hope you will try it and report back.

P.S. Depending on the size of your pan, don't saute more than 2-3 filets at a time - you don't want to crowd them.

Faux Fried Chicken Wings

Since I am making these as we speak, for part of my son's birthday dinner tomorrow, I decided to post about them. First, let me say, the dilemma in our house is always "are they better hot from the oven, or are they better cold the next day"? The answer is...we can't decide. We love them hot and we love them cold. Maybe we lean a teensy bit toward cold which is good news for any of you who decide to make them - you can do them the day before and clean up the mess in advance.

These little babies are addictive. Crispy, flavorful, just plain yummy. You can serve them as the main meal or as an appetizer. If serving as a main meal, we like to add twice baked potatoes with cheddar cheese and corn on the cob to complete the menu. Mmmm.. you are going to love these!

Now, the hard part...telling you how to make them, because it's not one of those measure the ingredients kind of recipe.
I will do my best...here goes...I'm just going to talk it out:

Our Favorite Chicken Wings

8-10 lbs. of chicken wings, disjointed, tips discarded (or freeze and use to make chicken stock)
Rinse chicken off and let drain in a colander.

Mazola oil

Flour - fill a quart size zip lock bag about 1/3 full of flour or Wondra - season the flour liberally with Lawry's Seasoned Salt, garlic powder, and pepper. You want to put enough seasoning in so you can smell it.

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375*

Line cookie sheets, with sides, with heavy duty aluminum foil

Pour oil in a shallow bowl. Shake 5-6 wings in the bag of seasoned flour, then roll in the oil (yes, I know the opposite of what you would normally do) let some of the oil drain off the wing and place on the foil lined cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the wings, adding more oil to the bowl as needed - taking care not to crowd the wings too tightly together on the cookie sheets. Depending on how many wings you make, you will need 2-3 large cookie sheets.

Bake in oven for 1 1/2 hours, turning once, or until both sides of the wing are deep golden brown. (when you turn be careful to go underneath the wing and loosen it from the foil without leaving the skin stuck to the foil - that's where all your flavor is).

When they are done, remove to a platter or bowl lined with paper towels and drain. Then dig in! Hee hee hee...I can almost hear the moaning going on :) Please let me know your verdict...better hot or cold??