9th Day of Christmas

"On the 9th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... 9 ladies dancing, 10 lords a-leaping, 11 pipers piping, 12 drummers drumming... and a partridge in a pear tree!"

Okay, my lofty goal of making cookies every day for 12 days was just that: lofty. Technically, today would be the 9th day of Christmas... :-/
I am too busy & too unfocused to do anything like that for that long, ever again. I am proud of myself though! I did four days in a row. That's nearly a work week. I deserve... a cookie...


Today's cookies are not going to be cookies. They are going to be doughnuts! The sweet, deep-fried, circular pieces of dough that have as much controversy surrounding them as Lexington and Eastern barbecue or Pepsi & Coke.

Office fights have broke out over Krispy Kremes and Dunkin' Donuts. Families have been divided over doughnut holes or Munchkins. Best friends have declared war over fried vs. cake.... it's crazy!

Since I am from Winston-Salem, we're going to talk about Krispy Kreme. KK sent 2 dozen boxes to the newsroom last week. I ate one of the ones at the top: chocolate cake doughnuts with glaze and peppermint bark. Bark is just crushed up candy. Bark is also only available during the holiday season. I bet if I crushed up some Life Savers and put it on a doughnut and called it "bark" in April, I'd get funny looks.

Fortunately (or unfortunately at times) the table where food is usually displayed is less than 10 feet away from my desk. I can't see the table, but I can hear packages rattling, popcorn popping, coffee percolating, jars opening, crackers crunching... it's distracting sometimes. I put my headphones on to drown out the noise only for my efforts to be thwarted by an interoffice email!

Okay... this email is from me to the entire newsroom, but this is an anomaly. I promise. I really don't send out many emails like this.

This little guy is smiling, happy...oblivious to the fact that 5 of his friends have just been picked up and munched on.

These little ditties are a healthier version of a baked doughnut. Pretty, aren't they?

10th Day of Christmas

"On the 10th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...10 lords a-leaping, 11 pipers piping, 12 drummers drumming... and a partridge in a pear tree"

This 10th day of Christmas, I am giving you sugar cookies. I was inspired by this:


Via New York Times illustrator, Christophe Niemann. <<<<(click on it, it's hilarious)

I recently acquired a cat from one of my co-workers & although she hasn't scratched up any furniture, she scratches up the door frames in every. Single. Room. And it drives me up the wall. I foresee some wrath, but I'd never hurt my kitty. She's adorable (even while using the door frame as a scratching post).

This is Tchibo (pronounced Chee-Bo)

Back to the 10 lords a-leaping cookies!

Sugar cookies are like the rice of the confectionery world. You can fix it in different shapes (circles, squares, boots, etc), add colors, decorations, candies, and the list could go on!

I made some sugar cookies and added leftover white chocolate chips from yesterday.



I also added some color to make some red elf boots (to be decorated at a later time).


Sugar cookies Makes 18 cookies
adapted from Alton Brown, Good Eats

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl and cream together until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Gradually add flour mixture to bowl, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap or airtight container, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shapes, place at least 1-inch apart on a greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack.

*BAKER'S NOTE:
To make colored sugar cookies, add 1 Tbsp cocoa powder with the flour, baking soda, and salt and add 1 oz. liquid food coloring (or equivalent gel food coloring) with the egg and milk.

11th Day of Christmas

"On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me... 11 pipers piping..."

My (non-existent) true love would love our tree skirt, I'm sure.

It's day 2 of my personal cookie challenge and I've managed to forge ahead. To forgo the unwanted gift of noisy pipes, I'm giving double chocolate chunk cookies instead.

These cookies are very easy and take no more than 30 minutes to scale and bake. I like them because usually when you get a "chunk" cookie, it it laden with nuts and other junk. Since I'm allergic to nuts, the white chocolate pieces give plenty of texture and flavor.

This recipe came about after some test kitchen witchcraft back when I used to be a baker. I've been baking and making cookies a long time so I can pretty much eyeball ingredients and the end result is favorable. I don't recommend doing that, but it's always fun to experiment once in a while. I also like this recipe because there are viable substitutions (which I will enumerate below the recipe) that work just as well.





Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies Makes 24

12 oz (1.5 cups) Semisweet chocolate
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 oz (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 oz (2 Tbsp) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt semisweet chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Mix in sugar, eggs, and salt until well blended. Do not whip eggs.
Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and fold into chocolate mixture. Fold in white chocolate chips.
Use a scoop or spoon to drop cookies onto a prepared baking sheet. Flatten to desired thickness. These cookies won't spread much during baking. Do this as soon as possible; the dough hardens as it sits.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on size.

BAKER'S NOTES:

Instead of semisweet chocolate, you can use 4 oz unsweetened chocolate squares and increase the granulated sugar to 3/4 cups.

No butter in the pantry? Use 1/2 cup shortening, canola or vegetable oil.

No all-purpose flour? Use self-rising flour, omit salt and baking powder.

Want a little nutty crunch? Add 2oz roasted peanuts or chopped macadamia nuts.

Review: Wendy's Natural-Cut French Fries

Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program sent me two Wendy's gift cards to treat myself and a few friends to the New Natural-Cut French Fries with Sea Salt.

I was excited to do something with my friends and provide free fries for everyone! [insert fanfare and flourish here] I invited everyone the best way I know how, via Facebook and within seconds of posting the word "FREE" critics my friends started weighing in on the new fries:



"I was not impressed."

"New Wendy's fries are exactly like old Wendy's fries, only good when hot and way too easy to mess up. Thus if you order them on four separate occasions, you'll get four different experiences."

"I don't like them. Theirs were my favorite fast food fries. Reminds me of when Coke tried New Coke. I hope they change back!"

"I tried them twice and Kyle and I don't really care for them :( and we love sea salt!"

"So that's what was wrong with them. I got some the other night and they were not good. I thought maybe they had ran out of the regular ones and were borrowing them from Mc'D. Yep, I'd say go back to the old ones."

I was not going to be deterred by these naysayers friends and I was going to gather a group together and forge ahead to Wendy's!
I was going to purchase the new fries!
Dunk them in ketchup!
Swirl them in a Frosty!
Accompany them with hot, crispy nuggets, chicken sandwiches, and freshly prepared burgers!

And what I got was this:

The looked like real fries, smelled like real fries (with a little skin on), but upon tasting them for the first time--I was nonplussed. The new Wendy's fries taste awful. They're dry, mealy, and could best be strung together used as shoelaces for Doc Martens (Not unlike the old Wendy's fries of yore) The only difference seems to be in... well... I'm not sure.

In an attempt to be fair, I went to four different Wendy's locations and asked for fresh fries. It doesn't matter if they're 1 min old, 1 hour old or 1 day old...these fries are generally not delicious. The last place I went to get fries, they actually tasted a little bit like the old fries.

*Each batch of fries generated a different experience. While all of the fries were hot, some were very salty, some were a little greasy, some had a weird aftertaste, some were very crispy, some were very limp. Wendy's has schizophrenic fries. That's what I think.

Old fries.

In conclusion, I'm glad that Wendy's has the option of changing your sides to something else. I will eat the fries, but not without extensive reconstruction (think: Texas Pete, mayonnaise, truffle salt)

Other reviews around the Web:

Serious Eats

Slashfood

12th day of Christmas

Today is the 12th day of Christmas (well, the countdown to the day is beginning) and I've challenged myself to make 12 days' worth of cookies to share with my friends and family.

In the original song, "on the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... twelve drummers drumming..."

And instead of all that noise, I'm opting to give gingerbread biscotti instead. I've based the flavors off the classic German pfeffernüsse, which means "pepper nuts". The traditional cookie is made with a series of spices, including pepper, and is dusted with confectioner's sugar. They look similar to Mexican wedding cookies, but are more flavorful and traditionally served during the holiday season.

This biscotti is a tried and true recipe. Typically, I do not use molasses as an ingredient, to make sure the batter does not have too much moisture. The core of the cookie is its spicy pepperyness, which is a great foil to a glass of milk, egg nog, or even a steaming cup of coffee.



Gingerbread Biscotti Makes 20 pieces

1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp cardamom
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place butter, sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. It a paddle attachment or hand mixer, cream these ingredients together at a low speed. Blend to a smooth paste.
Add eggs, vanilla extract and blend at a low speed.
Sift in the flour and baking powder. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Shape into 2 longs about 2 inches thick. The dough will be sticky and a little difficult to handle. Do not press dough down.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until light golden brown.
Let cool slightly, 10-12 minutes, and slice diagonally in 1/2 inch pieces. Place cut side down on sheet to bake an additional 20 minutes until toasted and dry.
Remove from oven. Biscotti will harden upon cooling.

Pace Yourself Some More

Yesterday, I told you how I felt about Pace Picante Sauce.

Today, I still feel the same--but I had a whole jar of sauce left, so the following were just an attempt to see to what I could add it.

Chili Cheese Fries

Chili Cheese & Bacon Fries Serves 4
1/2 pound 90/10 ground chuck
1/2 jar (8 ounces) Pace® Picante Sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Chopped bacon
Chopped green onion
Oven-baked fries


Cook the beef in a 2-quart saucepot over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Stir the picante sauce in the saucepot and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Pour over oven-baked fries and garnish with cheese, chili, bacon and green onion.

Chicken Chili Cheese Turnovers

Chicken Chili Cheese Empanadas
1/4 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/3 cup chopped chicken
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated pie crust dough (2 crusts)
Directions:

Thaw the pie crusts according to the package directions. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the picante sauce, cumin, chicken and cheese in a medium bowl.

Unfold 1 pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Use a cookie cutter or drinking class dipped in flour to cut the crust into 10 round circles. Top half of each round with 2 teaspoons chicken mixture. Brush the edges of the rounds with water. Fold the crust over the filling. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining pie crust and cheese mixture. Place the empanadas onto a baking sheet.

OPTIONAL: beat one egg with 2 Tablespoons of water to make an egg wash and wash each empanada before baking

Bake for 20 minutes or until the empanadas are golden. Serve with additional picante sauce for dipping.

Mexican-Style Pizza

Mexican-Style Pizza

1/2 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 prepared pizza crust (10-inch)
1/2 cup sliced chorizo
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 bell pepper, sliced
2 cups Monterrey jack cheese
2 cups Pepper jack cheese

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spread the picante and tomato sauces onto the pizza crust to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Top with the chorizo, olives, bell pepper, and cheeses.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheeses are hot and bubbling.

Pace Yourself

If you haven't exhausted all of your Thanksgiving leftovers, you've probably got frozen turkey carcasses, breads, desserts, and maybe even some mashed potatoes and gravy hanging out in Ziploc bags.

My Thanksgiving turkey, getting carved.

Christmas is down the street on the right, and I'm sure you'll have leftovers from your feast. Lots of families make the same recipes year after year (gumbo, soups, stews, sandwiches, casseroles, mayo-based salads, congeals, etc.) I am one of those people, too. But not this year.

Foodbuzz allowed me participate in another Tastemaker opportunity and sent me two jars of Medium Pace Picante Sauce to try. I've always thought of picante sauce as watery salsa. I don't understand how it's different from salsa. The texture is different, but I can achieve that with a little whirl of the food processor. I don't want to show a negative light on Pace or picante sauce in general, but I really don't see the point in purchasing picante sauce. I can say, it's nice to add to recipes to kick them up or give them a different flavor. I did just that with the following leftover recipes.

Italian Chimichangas Serves 6
Ingredients
2 cups mixed vegetables (green beans, corn, halfed brussel spouts, collard greens, etc.)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons basil, dried
3/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 cup mashed potatoes
6 flour tortillas (8-inch), warmed
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan Jack cheese
Parsley and Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is tender stirring occasionally. Stir in the vegetables, picante sauce, basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and sage. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture is thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the mashed potatoes.
Spoon 1/2 cup vegetable mixture down the center of each tortilla. Fold the sides of the tortilla over the filling. Fold up the ends to enclose the filling and secure with toothpicks.

Pour additional oil into a deep-fryer or 4-quart saucepan to a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Add the filled tortillas to the the fryer in batches and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain the chimichangas on paper towels. Sprinkle each chimichanga with 2 tablespoons cheese and parsley. Serve immediately with additional picante sauce, if desired.

Taco Pockets Serves 4
Ingredients
3/4 cup vidalia onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp oil
1 pound shredded turkey
1 jar (16 ounces) Pace® Picante Sauce
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 packages (about 10 ounces each) refrigerated pizza crusts
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (about 6 ounces)

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add vidalia onions and bell peppers and cook until onions are translucent. Add turkey, stir the picante sauce in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.

Unroll ONE pizza crust on a lightly floured surface. Roll the crust into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Cut the crust into FOUR rectangles. With the short side facing you, spoon about 1/3 cup beef mixture lengthwise down the center of each rectangle. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons cheese. Fold the sides of the crust over the filling. Tuck the ends under to seal. Place the pillows onto a baking sheet. Brush the pillows with the egg mixture and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese. Repeat with the remaining pizza crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pillows are golden brown. Serve with additional picante sauce.

Check back tomorrow for more recipes using Pace Picante sauce!