Springerle

4 1/2 eggs (beat one egg, pour half into bowl with the other 4)
1 pound powdered sugar (by weight)
1 pound cake flour (like Swan--the really white, fine stuff, and again, by weight)
1 fl oz flavoring (lemon, anise, almond, etc--the tiny bottles are the right size)

Whip eggs for about 6-8 minutes at a high speed if using an electric mixer, until they are soft and foamy. Use a whisk to sift through the powdered sugar to break up any lumps, or you can sift if you have a sifter. With mixer on low, add powdered sugar by half cups until well blended and airy. Add your teeny bottle of flavoring. Mix flavor in well, and then switch to the paddle attachment as the dough will get sticky and heavy. Add the flour in half-cups until mixed. Scrape the excess off of the paddle, cover bowl with a damp cloth and let dough rest for 10-15 minutes. Dough is STICKY--you will need more cake flour on your rolling surface, for your hands, your rolling pin, and your molds or your molded rolling pin. Brush flour into the surface of the mold or the pin. Use only about 1/4 of the dough at a time, and keep the damp towel covering the bowl. Use your hands to work the dough into a ball on the floured surface (like you would pie dough) and roll out to an even thickness. Press the mold into the dough, or roll the molded pin over the dough firmly enough to make an impression. Use a fluted pastry cutter or a pizza cutter to cut out the cookies. Dry on parchment paper for at least 12 hours. Bake at 300-325 degrees on the bottom rack of oven until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned. Small cookies can cook hotter and faster (300-325, 6-8 minutes) than large cookies (275 to 300, 12-15 minutes). Cookies should be crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. Don't brown the tops.


Comments: Wow, a two-day cookie. Anise flavor is very strong, but really good. They stay really white (if you don't over cook) and are fairly solid. Important Note: Anise oil can melt plastic. Stick to metal measuring spoons if you need to measure out a larger/smaller quantity. Some dried faster than others--I flipped the slower ones over at about 12 hours to dry the backs, as I discovered that the ones with the not-so-dry backs stuck to the parchment paper after baking. (So half the cookies are still drying as I type!) This made 4 sheets of about 1.5x1 cookies--that was the size of the patterns on my rollers. I used a pizza cutter to separate the cookies, although a pastry cutter with the ruffled/fluted edge would have been prettier. There are a few websites out there with high dollar springerle molds of all sizes that are really elaborate and beautiful, and some videos about baking and painting them with the edible food coloring/paint stuff. I'm totally not Martha Stewart, so no hand painting here. Boy is eating them as we speak, so they must be fairly decent.

Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk, Yogurt, and Raisins

4 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1 can coconut milk (unsweetened)
2 teaspoons turmeric
2-4 tablespoons golden raisins
3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

In heavy pan with a lid, saute butter, onions, and garlic until soft and lightly brown. Add spices and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Mix yogurt, coconut milk, and turmeric together and add to chicken. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 35-45 minutes until chicken is done and tender. Serve over rice.

Comments: This was really good!! It didn't have the heat that you would expect, but then I don't like hot-hot food anyway. The raisins added a little sweetness to it, and I would think you can also add chopped potatoes for a vegetable. Don't be afraid of the coconut milk! Sauce was creamy and flavorful, and I used the Uncle Ben's 90-second Jasmine rice because I'm a lazy, lazy cook. I used my large dutch oven on the stove top as it had a suitable lid, and I knew it would fit the three large pieces of chicken that I had. I used yellow curry powder, and didn't have any turmeric, so i mixed a little more curry powder into the yogurt instead. I left out the cayenne and let Boy season his own plate. The original does state that if you don't have curry powder you can use coriander, cumin, and cayenne in 1-teaspoon amounts instead. Not sure what the flavor would be like with a red or green curry. At any rate, Boy said I could make it again, so it must be a keeper.

New favorite website

Foodzie.com

I want one of everything.

Whoopie Pies

Cookies:

4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 cup Crisco
2 eggs
1 cup cocoa

Cream sugar, Crisco, and eggs. Add vanilla and the dry ingredients EXCEPT FOR BAKING SODA and alternate with buttermilk. When all is mixed, dissolve soda in the boiling water and add to dough. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until just set.

Traditional Filling:

2 egg whites
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup Crisco

Whip ingredients until fluffy. Put between cooled cookies to form sandwiches. Store in refrigerator.


Comments: Ok, well....I think the traditional frosting is gross. So, I used cream cheese frosting instead, and they were pretty spiffy. I also didn't have to store them in the fridge. I toyed with using the chocolate fudge buttercream that's in my cupboard, but I didn't want to over-do it :) Anyhoo, the dough is more like a cake batter, and these cookies bake like a cake. I had to pull them right at 8 minutes, before they started to crack. Allow them to cool a little first before taking them off the sheet or parchment paper--too hot and they will stick to the paper and you'll lose half the bottom of the cookie. This is a really chocolatey, moist, cake-like cookie that would work really well with any frosting and they're great by themselves. Boy really liked them and they were a hit at work as well. I halved the recipe and it turned out fine.

EDIT: just an fyi...if for some reason your flour ratio is off, and you discover that your batter is more like chocolate pudding, your cookies are going to bake completely flat. No poofy cookies! Made them again and had to add flour to get them to rise. Sigh.

Friendship Bread

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 cups white sugar, divided
• 3 cups milk

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.

1. On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon. Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 thru 9; stir only.
2. Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).

To freeze a starter for a single later use:

Place in freezer in 1-cup amounts. When ready to use, take one out and let sit for the 10 days. Do not add the extra 3 cups on the 5th or 10th day. Stir each day. On the 10th day, follow the rest of the recipe and the bread should turn out just fine, and you don't have to find 3 people to give the starter to.

• 1 cup starter
  
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.


Comments: The last time I did this, I put the stuff in freezer bags, so I could just mush them around instead of stirring with a spoon. I found a lot of variation in what you can add to the bread--nuts, chips, etc--so I think that pretty much whatever you want to do with it would be fine. In fact, THIS WEBSITE has plenty of options.

Great-Grandma's Cornbread

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar


Combine sugar, butter, and eggs. Mix well. Add dry ingredients, alternate with buttermilk. Makes about 2 round pans. Bake at 350 until pick comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes, less for thin cakes. Do not over-bake!


Comments: The buttermilk and that little scoop of brown sugar makes all the difference. This is my favorite kind of cornbread. I need to get my hands on some roasted cornmeal and try it. I made the last batch with half milk and half buttermilk (from my butter-making) and it wasn't the same. Need to have the full-fat buttermilk!

Mom's Date Pudding

1 cup chopped dates
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water

Combine, stir, and allow to cool.

1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix above ingredients, then add cooled date mixture. Pour into a 9 inch square or 9 x 13 pan. bake at 350 until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Thinner cakes (larger pans) will take a shorter amount of time. When cooled, cut into cubes or crumble. Layer in trifle bowl with whipped cream and sliced bananas, or add a vanilla pudding layer.


Comments: I don't particularly like dates, but Boy thinks this is just awesome, and so does everyone else.

Fantastic Soup!

Boy got this recipe out of my Runner's World magazine--we made it last night for some friends and it vanished! Really great tasting and filling. High in protein, fiber, vitamin C and phytonutrients too. We used Great Northern beans and white kidney beans, and added more broth and beans to make a larger pot. Nearly 22 grams of protein per serving and only 6 grams of fat.

Hearty Ham and White Bean Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 large carrots peeled,halved, and sliced
1/2 cabbage cored and shredded
12 oz lean ham steak diced
1 quart chicken broth
1 15 oz diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans white beans, undrained
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Heat the oil over medium high heat in soup kettle. Add onion and saute until soft and golden, about five minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and saute until fragrant, about one minute. Add remaining ingredients (except the parsley) and bring to a full simmer, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently partially covered until the vegetables are just cooked and flavors blended, about 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley, cover, and let stand five minutes.

Comment: This works equally well with vegetable broth instead of chicken!!