Russian Teacakes...

... or Mexican Wedding Cookies, the two names that come to mind for the same cookie.  The little bits of shortbread dough mixed with finely chopped nuts, rolled into balls and baked.  Rolling the still warm little cookies into enough powdered sugar so that they're completely covered (and you have to be careful not to breathe in at the wrong moment when you're about to eat them... )  I remember making these little treats in Home Economics class in junior high school.  Because of their simplicity and flavor, they have long since been a favorite of mine.  Getting ready for company, I decided this was a good time to break out the recipe and share these little spheres of buttery sweetness with my guests.  I hope they like them as much as I do!!

Russian Teacakes

2/3 cups toasted nuts (hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts are all good choices - I used walnuts this time)
2 cups of flour, divided
1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup confectioners' sugar to roll baked cookies in

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Toast the nuts in a dry skillet on top of the stove over low heat, stirring frequently.  (This should take about 5 - 8 minutes.)  Cool.

Place cooled, toasted nuts and 2 tablespoons of the flour in a food processor, and finely chop the nuts, being careful not to over-process the nuts to a paste.  Set aside.

In bowl of mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 - 2 minutes.  Beat in vanilla.  Add remaining flour and salt, and beat until well-combined.  Stir in nuts.  Cover and refrigerate dough for about 1 hour or until dough is firm.

Form the dough into walnut-sized balls, and place them 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.Bake 12 - 15 minutes, until the edges of the cookies start to turn golden.  Remove from oven and place on cooling rack for about 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, sift remaining powdered sugar.  Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar until well-covered.

Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

For Printable Recipe, Click Here

Coconut Macaroons

I love coconut.  I really do.  I think my favorite candy bar is Almond Joy.  Lots and lots of coconut.  My sister-in-law, Amy, made a wonderful coconut cream pie last week.  And that put me in the mood for coconut macaroons.  It's a relatively easy cookie to make.  And, probably fortunately for my hips and thighs, the recipe makes relatively few cookies!  ;-D

To change it up just a little, I melted some chocolate chips with just a tiny bit of shortening, and dipped the bottom of half of the macaroons in the chocolate, placing them chocolate side down on waxed paper til the chocolate cooled and hardened.  I think those were my favorite!

Don't forget to check out Food With Style for some more inspiration.  Jain compiles a day's worth of great food photos and other stylish food-related vignettes from foodie blogs all over the 'net.  It's a real treat!

Coconut Macaroons

14 ounces sweetened coconut

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flaked coconut, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in medium bowl to medium-firm peaks. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into coconut mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining egg whites. Drop half of coconut mixture by level tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Top each with a second level tablespoonful coconut mixture.  (I used a 2-tablespoon disher, using one scoop per cookie.)

Bake until golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool macaroons on parchment paper. Slide metal spatula under macaroons to remove. (Macaroons can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.)

Yield:  about 22 cookies

Source:  Bon Appetit, August 2000

Tablescape Thursday - Icy Blue & White

Now that the temperatures have started dropping, and some of us have seen snow (!), I was in the mood for an ice blue & white-themed tablescape this week.

The wine glasses are Crystal d'Arques.  My Grandma Jane gave them to me as a wedding gift over 30 years ago.  Grandma J. is 94 years old and just had a stroke that she's actually recovering from!  She always had one of the best senses of humor of anyone I've ever known!  She's strong - the oldest of her 5 other brothers and sisters, and the only surviving sibling.  I wanted to use this beautiful glassware she gave me so many years ago since she's on my mind so much these days as she recovers.

Isn't this the perfect tablecloth for this setting?  I love the silver strands running through it:

Between what I found around the house, Tuesday Morning, and Marshall's, I came up with the following 'centerpiece'.  I love candlelight, even during the day...

When it's chilly, you have to do something to keep warm, right?!  Another opportunity to pull out some of the afghans I've made:

Blue glass plates and bowls:  Tuesday Morning

White salad plates:  Macy's

Flatware:  Pottery Barn

Tablecloth, runners, and napkins:  Tuesday Morning

Silver bowl, glass & silver dome:  Marshall's

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thank you to Susan of Between Naps on the Porch for hosting another Tablescape Thursday.  Please check out her site to see the many beautiful tablescapes created by all the participants!

Mushroom Ragu on Crostini

I made bread today (Ann's French bread recipe, as usual).  It seemed to turn out even better than usual, so I wanted to use it in my dinner tonight.  I was stumped for awhile until I remembered a recipe I wanted to try from the the cookbook my sister bought for me, Hudson Valley Mediterranean - The Gigi Good Food Cookbook.  I love this cookbook - so many wonderful recipes.  One of the ones that really appealed to me was the Mushroom Ragu.  I unfortunately didn't have the variety suggested in the recipe (different oyster mushrooms) - I only had button mushrooms, but the sauce adds so many wonderful flavor elements that marry so well together.  There's a mellow yet brightness to the flavors.

I sliced thin slices off of a baguette I had just made and toasted them under the broiler before topping with the mushroom ragout.  A little extra Parmigiana-Reggiano over that, a couple of minutes under the broiler, and the real tasting began... I was in heaven!  So good.  The warm, delicious creamy sauce and mushrooms were exactly what I needed for this chilly day.  You could also use grilled polenta rounds or softer bruschetta bread slices.  You won't be sorry!

Mushroom Ragu

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots (about 4)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chopped blue oyster mushrooms (about 6 ounces, trimmed; 8 ounces, untrimmed)
2 cups chopped orange oyster mushrooms (about 6 ounces, trimmed; 8 ounces, untrimmed)
2 cups chopped shiitake mushrooms (about 6 ounces, trimmed; 8 ounces, untrimmed)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup grated Fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in the largest skillet you have over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is just starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.  Increase the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms, a little at a time, adding more as they cook down and start to shrink.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, and keep stirring until the mushrooms begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.  Then deglaze the skillet with the white wine, and cook until the liquid has reduced to a few glossy tablespoons, 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in the cream, rosemary, and lemon zest.  Remove the skillet from the heat, mix in both cheeses, and taste again for salt and pepper.  Serve immediately or refrigerate the mushroom ragu for a few days and reheat it over a gentle flame with a touch of broth or cream.

Source:   Hudson Valley Mediterranean, The Gigi Good Food Cookbook, copyright 2009

For Printable Recipe, Click Here

Chicken Marsala

I love Chicken Marsala.  I would order it at good Italian restaurants often but was always afraid I'd never be able to replicate one of my favorite chicken dishes.  Then I cam across Tyler Florence's recipe.  So easy that I can put it together quickly without even referring to the recipe any more.  Just delicious.

Now my favorite way to serve Chicken Marsala is not over the traditional pasta but over mashed potatoes.  I had it that way at an Italian restaurant one time and have been hooked on potatoes as my side of choice for this dish ever since.  The marsala sauce is  wonderful over potatoes.  *sigh*  Pure Italian comfort food!

Chicken Marsala

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

For Printable Recipe, Click Here

Toffee Crunch Muffins

It seems I'm on a muffin kick these days!  They're so easy to mix together and bake without much clean-up, it's a great answer to my everyday question of  "What shall I make today?"

I came across these muffins on Recipesource.com.  It's a brown sugar muffin with crushed, chocolate-covered toffee bars mixed into the batter and sprinkled over the top prior to baking.  Doesn't that sound amazing?!  My kitchen was emitting heavenly aromas as these little things baked their way into my heart.  They are at once tender with a bit of crunch, sweet but not too sweet, and have become one of my favorite muffins.  The only slight change I made was to make them in a traditional-sized muffin pan, rendering only 9 muffins (though I may have slightly overfilled the cups).  Minis or conventional-sized muffins, you'll definitely be happy with these little gems!

Toffee Crunch Muffins
Makes 36 mini-muffins, or 9 - 12 regular-sized muffins

1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 (1.4 ounces each) chocolate-covered toffee bars (such as Skor or Heath bars), divided

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line muffin tin cups with muffin/ cupcake papers.

Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, mix milk, sour cream, melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract.  Stir liquid ingredients into dry mixture, just until moistened.  Fold in 2 of the crushed toffee bars.  Spoon batter into muffin liners.  (I find an ice cream scoop works wonderfully for this procedure.)  Sprinkle remaining crushed candy bar over each unbaked muffin.

For Printable Recipe, Click Here

Chocolate Muffins with Mini-Chocolate Chips

Today was a perfect day for baking.  It was chilly and cloudy early this morning.  Then it started raining.  THEN it started snowing!  This is Dallas, Texas, for goodness sakes.  We don't have snow on December 2!  And the wind started howling...  Time to turn the oven on!  Though the snow only lasted about an hour or so, a little of it did stick to the ground, dusting my yard with a minimal covering of white.  So pretty!

I was going to be a visiting a friend late this morning, so I decided to make a batch of muffins.  Ann of Thibeault's Table had made these chocolate chip muffins and said they were wonderful.  They looked so good, and who would turn down chocolate??  So, off I went to make these wonderful muffins.  The recipe was quick and easy to mix together.  I always line cupcakes and muffin tins with papers - so much easier than greasing and flouring the tins.  And I always use an ice cream scoop to ration out the batter into the papers. 

The aroma of chocolate baking is so heady.  As I've mentioned before, I'm not a chocoholic.  I can generally take it or leave it.  But I do love the smell of chocolate being heated up.  Makes me woozy!  And these muffins were no exception.  Between the cocoa and those little chocolate chips, my kitchen felt warm and cozy.  What a payoff!

Chocolate Muffins with Mini-Chocolate Chips
Source:  Nigella Lawson/ The Food Network

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
3/4 cup superfine sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini-chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment needed:  12-muffin muffin tin, lined with muffin papers

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 3/4 cup of mini-chocolate chips.  Mix all liquid ingredients into another bowl, then mix into dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix.  Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pans.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup mini-chocolate chips on top of each muffin.  Bake for 20 minutes or until skewer inserted into muffin comes out clean.

Let pan cool on rack for 10 minutes.  Remove muffins from pan and continue cooling them on rack.

For Printable Recipe, Click Here