Checkerboard Cookies

I just bought my Girl Scout cookies for the year, and made Hamantaschen for Purim (poppyseed this year), but I've got a blog to write.  That means baking lots of teatime sweets.  Fortunately, most cookies freeze very well for up to six months.  Pull them out an hour to a day before you intend to have them, and you're good to go.

This recipe from the Afternoon Tea book was unnecessarily complicated and made four dozen.  It required you to do a lot of math (half of 3/4 cup?) and to make two batches of dough.  I've scaled it down to the one-egg version, done all the math for you - hence measuring by tablespoons - and simplified it so you only have to make one batch of dough.

They did come out a bit more, um, solid than I was expecting.  Them's dunkin' cookies.  Cup of hot coffee or cocoa, there's nothing to complain about.  Considering how hard Girl Scout cookies are, no one's going to notice before May.

6 Tb butter
6 Tb sugar (1/4 C + 2 Tb)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2-1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp milk
1 Tb cocoa powder

1.  Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and egg.  Add flour and baking powder and beat until combined.

2.  Weigh the dough on a food scale.  Set half by weight (my batch weighed 17 oz, so I kept out 9 oz) on a work space and put the rest back in the bowl.  Beat in cocoa powder and milk.  The milk offsets any dryness introduced by the cooca.  Place chocolate dough on work surface.

3.  Get the scale back out.  Divide each flavor of dough in half, so you have a total of four pieces of dough.  Roll each piece out into a rope 12" long.  Lay a chocolate rope next to a vanilla one.  Place a vanilla on top of the chocolate and vice versa with the last rope.  Wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and press the ropes together a little.  Refrigerate about 1 hour, until firm.

4.  Preheat oven to 350º and grease two cookie sheets.  Cut log into 24 1/2" slices and place cut side up on the sheets.  The cookies do not spread out much, so you may be able to get all of them on one large sheet.  I was limited by the size of my silpat.  Bake for 20 minutes, until bottoms are browned and tops are starting to brown lightly.  Remove to wire rack to cool.

Makes 2 dozen

Difficulty rating  π

Part VII: Meals on a Budget

I got gas today.  The cheapest place I know was $4.24/gal.  And gas prices affect more than just what you put in your tank.  Every item you buy in a store got there on a vehicle that consumes gas.  That is often charged per case as a surcharge from the supplier, usually around 5¢.  That small fee adds up quickly, and is commonly passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices.  It's only good business sense.   What I don't understand is that the last time oil was $110 a barrel - just a few years ago - gas was around $3.50.  It didn't get to $4.50 until oil hit $149.  How come they get to charge more now?

Anyway, where was I?  I already covered a lot of ways to buy food at lower prices in the post Shopping Smart.  Now, I'm going to find ways to make lower-priced meals using those and other tactics which don't look like I was consciously trying to save money.

Purim Feast

Tradition holds that Queen Esther was either vegetarian or vegan.  They didn't exactly have a kosher butcher in Persia back then.  For Purim, it is customary to have a meatless feast.  I couldn't resist putting a cheese dip in there, but that's the only reason it isn't vegan.  Oh, and the cookies.

Even if you're not into vegetarian dinners, this makes a great crudité plate.  It's also a good teatime selection or veggie-heavy lunch.

Dips

• Bleu Cheese Mousse
• White-Bean Hummus

Dippers

• Carrots
• Celery
• Roma Tomatoes
• Green Onions
• Endive
• Cucumbers
• Whole-wheat Pita

Dessert

• Poppyseed Hamantaschen

Difficulty level  :)

White Bean Hummus

I've decided I don't really like hummus made with garbanzo beans.  I like the flavor of tahini and garlic.  Whatever I blend with it, like eggplant or beans, defines the flavor profile of the dip.

Using Navy or Great Northern beans also ups the fiber and protein content of the dip.  Can't do anything about the fat; that's in the sesame paste.

When Techie Smurf was visiting, I realized one thing I do different in this house as opposed to my old apartment: I don't buy lemon juice.  He was looking for some, so I just went out back and got a lemon off the tree.

If you don't like soaking beans, just buy canned and rinse them very well.  I couldn't find any canned white beans that hadn't been turned into BBQ baked beans.

3/4 C dry white beans like Navy or Great Northern
1/4 C tahini paste
4 cloves garlic
1/4 C lemon juice
salt to taste
olive oil as needed
paprika for garnish

1.  In a saucepan, cover dry beans with 2" of water.  Allow to soak 8 hours or overnight.

2.  Drain water from beans and add fresh.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until beans are very tender.  Drain.

3.  Place beans in food processor with tahini, garlic and lemon juice.  Pulse to combine, then run on full until smooth.  Taste and add salt if necessary.  If too thick, drizzle in olive oil while processor is running.

4.  Chill before serving.  Place in serving bowl and dust with paprika, if desired.

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

Difficulty rating  :)

Crab and Rice Salad

Honesty time: it's not real crab.  Surimi treated to taste like crab tastes pretty much like the real thing. The texture is different.  Just like Turkey Ham doesn't taste like real ham, but close enough.

The seasoning for the rice is almost the same as for sushi rice.  You could easily add avocado and roll this salad in seaweed to make California rolls.

I used regular long-grain rice this time.  Short-grain Calrose (sushi) rice makes it a bit creamier, for those who thought I was going to be using mayo in this salad. I don't really like mayo.  It has its place, but nothing should ever go for a swim in it.

1 lb cooked crab (or krab) meat
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 C finely chopped green onion
2 C cooked white rice
3 Tb seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar

1.  Stir vinegar and sugar into rice while still warm.  Let cool to room temperature.  If rice starts to get hard, add more vinegar.

2.  Stir in carrots, green onion, and crab meat.  Chill until ready to serve.

Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side

Difficulty rating  π

Houseguest Leftovers

Techie, Writer, and Melody Smurf spent the week here.  I stocked up on meat, fish, fresh fruits, veggies, and other healthy meal-making items.  Except for Fondue night and one chicken dinner, we ate out.

I did end up throwing out some of the Chinese we brought home because it had been close to a week, but I'm determined to eat the rest in some fashion.  The fondue leftovers made a stir-fry that tasted almost exactly like a Benihana dinner.  The fondue cheese is tonight's shells & cheese dinner.  We were sensible when ordering Cuban take-out, but there was still enough left for me to have three small lunches.  I did get to use most of the last loaf of Stollen on French toast one morning.

And then there's the bag of corn chips.  I don't buy chips, other than the occasional Veggie chips.  They're just sitting on the counter, daring me to dig in.  They're marginally better for me than the cakes I've been making for tea.

As soon as the leftovers are gone, I'll make the crab salad that I was originally going to post today.

Carrot and Coconut Soup

Let's face it, I've been eating crap for the past month.  Yummy, cake-filled crap.  I haven't put on any weight because I adhere to portion control, but the nutritional value of the food has been lacking.

So I decided to use some leftover carrots to make a carrot soup.  But what kind of carrot soup?  Orange, ginger, hearty vegetable, mint, chicken, creamy, broth-based... the list keeps going.  I strolled the aisles of the supermarket, and decided to use a can of coconut milk instead of half-and-half in a ginger-orange recipe.

OK, remember that part about eating crap?  Coconut milk has so much saturated fat in it, I might as well have used lard.  Actually, lard probably has less fat in it.  But I love the taste of coconut.

When served hot, this soup tastes strongly of creamy carrot.  I tried it chilled, and the coconut and orange flavors dominated.  Either way, it's silky smooth and filling.

*1 lb fresh carrots
Juice of 1 orange (about 1/2 C)
1 Tb ginger
1 can coconut milk

1.  Chop carrots into bite-sized pieces.  In a large saucepan, combine carrots, ginger, juice, coconut milk, and 2 C water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Cook until carrots are soft, about 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally, or the coconut will cook weird.

2.  In a blender or food processor, purée carrots and about 1 cup of liquid until very smooth.  Return to soup pot and stir in.  Serve either hot or chilled.  Suggested garnishes: carrot curls, orange zest, or coconut flakes.

Difficulty rating  π

Mocha Cupcakes

I should have changed the chapter title a while ago.  Seems like I'm making a cake a week.  Part of it is to use the cake flour, but I'm also enjoying the challenge of creating recipes in a field I don't know well, rather than blindly following a cookbook.

While researching various recipes for mocha cakes, I found the common complaint that you couldn't taste the coffee.  I have the same issue with many hot mocha drinks.  The flavor should be mostly coffee, with the chocolate as an enhancement.

This recipe started in the Afternoon Tea book as a coffee-flavored cake.  Then I added as little cocoa powder as I thought you could taste.  I also experimented with flavoring the icing.  Basically, in both the cake and icing recipes, coffee replaces the milk.  You lose the fat content of milk, but get flavor in return.

Cake
*2 C cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
3 Tb cocoa powder
3/4 C butter
3/4 C sugar
3 eggs
3/4 C strongly brewed coffee

1.  Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder.

2.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Preheat oven to 350º and line two muffin pans.  (Recipe also makes one slightly anemic 8" layer cake.)

3.  Beat eggs into butter mix.  Beat in coffee and flour in two or three stages.  Beat batter for 2 minutes.

4.  Fill lined muffin cups 2/3 full of batter.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely.


Icing
1/4 C butter (not margarine)
1/4 C shortening
3 C powdered sugar
several tablespoons of coffee

1.  Cream together butter and shortening.

2.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar.  Add enough coffee to make the icing easy to spread.  It should have a faint, not overpowering, coffee aroma.

3.  Decorate cooled cupcakes.

Makes about 18 cupcakes

Difficulty rating  :)

Chicken Tagine with Israeli Couscous

I've never tried Israeli (pearl) couscous before.  I'm indifferent to regular, grainy couscous, and thought I'd give it a try.  Mmmm, spherical pasta.  Can someone invent the Pasta Brick?  It comes in regular, wheat, and tri-color.  Like any pasta, it relies on a sauce or accompaniment for its flavor.  I opted for a heavily-seasoned chicken tagine with vegetables.  Sorry, Wendy, there's eggplant in it.  You can sub in something else.  I liked the color combination, and the opportunity to use the mandoline.

1-1/2 lb chicken pieces, skin on
2 carrots
1 Japanese eggplant
1/2 lb asparagus
1/2 C minced onion
1 Tb olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of saffron
1 C dry Israeli couscous

1.  In a stew pot, sauté onion in oil.  When somewhat translucent, add chicken, skin-side down.  Sprinkle with seasonings, turn over chicken, and add 2 C water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover.  Cook for 30 minutes.

2.  Cut vegetables into similar-sized pieces and add to pot.  Simmer until carrots are soft, about 15 minutes.  While simmering, prepare couscous according to package directions.

3.  Serve tagine over or beside couscous.

Difficulty rating  π

Chocolate Layer Cake

I admit, I was actually making another half-batch of Red Velvet cupcakes when I got out the ingredients for this.  Then I got tired and lazy, doubled the cocoa powder, skipped the red, added enough milk to make up the difference, and poured it in the 6" cake pan.

We eat with our eyes as much as our taste buds.  I think my problem with Red Velvet is not that it's trendy. The visual experience of red makes the chocolate less pronounced.  I did use the other half of the cream cheese icing, but I usually make a chocolate icing for chocolate cake.  Again, tired.  The reason I had time before to have tea every day quit a couple of weeks ago, and I've been working long hours ever since.  Still, I do get tea time three or four days a week, and I thought a cake would be a nice change from cookies.

*2-1/2 C cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C cocoa powder
1/2 C butter
1-1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/3 C milk
2 tsp baking soda

1.  Sift together flour, salt, and cocoa powder.  Set aside.

2.  Cream together butter and sugar until a sugary paste forms.  Beat in eggs one at a time.

3.  Preheat oven to 350º and grease two 8" cake pans.  Line pans with waxed paper for extra-easy removal.

4.  Beat in milk and flour in stages.  Add vanilla and beat on medium for 2 minutes.  Stir in baking soda.

5.  Split batter between the two cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the toothpick test comes out clean.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out on to wire racks, remove waxed paper, and let cool completely before decorating or freezing.

Difficulty rating  π