Snacember 13

Remember back around Thanksgiving, when I told you that Mrs. Charming had taught me the secrets of her magical yeast rolls?

thanks cookingbytheseatofmypants.com

I promised to share the recipe in time for the holidays, and I am only as good as my word. The only tricky part here is that they do their rise in the fridge overnight, so you can't just spontaneously decide to make them.  The upside, is that the slow cold rise makes them super tender.  Fear not the amount of butter and shortening here, it is the holidays after all...



Charming Family Yeast Rolls

2 pkg dry yeast dissolved in 1 c warm water
1 c shortening
1 c boiling water
¾ c sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 sticks butter, melted
1 ½ t salt
6 c all purpose flour

Put shortening in a large bowl and pour over boiling water to dissolve. Add sugar, salt, eggs, flour, and dissolved yeast. Mix well, put in a lightly greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

On a lightly floured board, roll the dough 1/2 “ thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter. At this point, you need to decide what kind of bread you desire.... 

For basic rolls, pour half of the melted butter in the bottom of two roasting pans, place the cut rolls on top and then paint the tops with the remaining butter.  Let rise 2-3 hours at room temp and then bake at 350 for 18-24 minutes until golden brown.

For fun Cloverleaf style rolls, use a smaller biscuit cutter, dip two or three rolls in melted butter and stack, then place the stacks on their sides in buttered muffin tins, let rise 2-3 hours and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. (For Parker House style, make the dough into small balls, three per cup, rest of instructions the same)

For lovely rings of break-away bread, dip each piece in melted butter and stack sort of willy nilly in 2 greased bundt pans. Let rise 2-3 hours till doubled. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until browned.

My fave bundt pan...


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath

Snacember 12

Having a party?  Want to figure out how to deal with the beverage situation, so that you don't need to hock a kidney to give your pals a little tipple? 

How about punch?

No, I'm not talking Nog, you can do that on your own.

No, I'm not talking about that garbage can crap you made in college with the grape Kool Aid and everclear.

I'm talking about elegant, delicious punch. 

The kind of punch that means that you don't have to set up a whole bar.

This one is my fave, you can do it with Vodka if you really hate Gin, but I think the Gin is snazzier...

Gin Punch


Simple Syrup:

1 lb sugar
1 c water

Heat over medium heat till dissolved.  Add 1 T orange flower water if you have it.
2 lemons, peeled, peels reserved, sliced into rounds
1 bottle good gin (I love Northshore #11)
1 c Lillet or White Vermouth
1 c fresh lemon juice
2 liters sparkling water or club soda

Put lemon peels in a large bowl and mash with a muddler or spoon to release the oils.  Pour over the gin and Lillet or vermouthand let steep for an hour.  Add the rest of the ingredients along with 2/3 c of the simple syrup.  Taste, if you want it sweeter, add more syrup, more tart, add more lemon juice.

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath

Snacember 11

Enough with the cooking at home!  At this time of year, by the time I am done baking for presents and cooking for pot lucks and prepping for parties, frankly, the idea of getting dinner on the table just sends me into chaos.

And I don't know about you, but my next travel vacation isn't scheduled until summer.  Most of the people I know aren't traveling right now, and if they are, it is to visit family.

So here is my recommendation for the kitchen-weary among you, who might be pining for a little vacation.

Go on a culinary adventure.  Find the cool out of the way place specializing in Polish delicacies and taste every varitety of pierogi they sell.  Hit Chinatown and eat at the little place around the corner from the famous place, and commit to at least half of the things you order being things you've never tasted before.  Hit an Ethiopian place and eat with your hands, head to Greektown and try the grilled octopus, or find out what all the Cuban Sandwich fuss is about. 

And if the weather is evil and leaving the house unthinkable?  There is nothing wrong with popcorn for dinner.  Pop an extra-large batch, grab something to drink, and settle in with a movie or your favorite television shows. 

How do you battle the dinner rut?

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath

Snacember 10

I might be a gourmet, but that doesn't mean that everything I cook or eat has to be some kind of foofy fancy expensive nibble.  I have tremendous fondness for some of the more low-brow retro stuff from my youth, and I love giving a little tweak to update things.

thanks comfort-recipes.com

Case in point?  The traditional mini hotdogs you usually find swimming in a pool of BBQ sauce next to a cup of toothpicks with frilly tops.  I love hot dogs.  And I love them in little mini sizes.  And there is not one thing wrong with the BBQ sauce treatment.  But try this one for a little update!  (but definitely serve with the frilly toothpicks!)

Ginger Mustard Mini Sausages

1 lb mini hot dogs
1/4 c ginger preserves (I like Dundee)
1 T whole grain mustard
1 T soy sauce
1 T honey
1/4 t ground ginger
Salt and White Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450. Mix sauce ingredients together and taste.  If you want it more gingery, add more ground ginger.  Spicier? More white pepper.  Sweeter?  More honey.  You get the picture.  When you like the way it tastes, spread the sausages on a foil lined tray, and spread the sausages out.  Drizzle the glaze over.  Bake for 10 minutes, until sausages are hot and the glaze has gotten a little sticky.  Serve warm.

Snacember 9

Need a new place to visit to find cool gifts for those people on your list that are hard to buy for?  I have just the solution:

http://store.kaufmann-mercantile.com/

They have a small hand-selected group of really wonderful gifts, especially for cooks and gardeners.

Some of my faves?

Chemex coffepot for the coffeelover in your life.  This and a bag of premium beans will get you a permanent invite for breakfast.

Yes, its a hammer.  But it is a really beautiful hammer, and sends the message that you are so appreciative of their skills around the house.  Bonus?  I bet those projects you've been waiting to get completed will magically become a priority.

This glass measuring cup is great for the cook in your life, I love that it has both oz and ml, and its generous cup and a half capacity.

The best stocking stuffer for the baker in your life.  This small cup measures from 1-5 tablespoons, I've never seen one anywhere else, and it is a gamechanger.

These deerskin gardening/work gloves are soft but strong, will last forever, and are surprisingly stylish and affordable.  I recommend buying before someone has to lug a tree out of the living room.

They also carry some beeswax tealights that I love!  Pop on over and check them out...

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath

Snacember 8

First off...

Congrats to DENNY144 for winning the Tradition contest!  I love that you are starting a new tradition in your family to help accomodate the needs of sharing your kids with their in-laws.  I think it really shows the spirit of the season, and hope that everyone will take a page from your book and know that the holidays are the holidays because we are together, not because of some accident of the calendar.  Anytime we can gather to celebrate together it is a holiday!  DENNY144, please e-mail me with your address at staceyballisinfo (at) gmail (dot) com and I will send you out your fabulous William Bounds Electric Peppermill ASAP.

Don't forget, if you buy any of my books as a gift for yourself or anyone, you can e-mail me the receipt and your address and I will do a personalized bookplate sticker so that you can give the gift of autographed books!  Get me those receipts to staceyballisinfo (at) gmail (dot) com by Dec. 15 and you'll have your shiny sticker in time for the holidays. 

And now, darling Chickens, a small query....

Anyone else in need of a new side dish?

At this time of year, there is no shortage of casseroles, stuffings and dressings, roasted root veg and endless potatoes.

But at the fifth holiday buffet, don't you wish there was something a little new?  A little sparkly?

Your Polymath to the rescue!

I love this rice dish.  The wild rice mix is toothsome and flavorful.  The pistachios add crunch and subtle richness.  The dried currants are a welcome break from endless dried cranberries.  And the fresh mint makes everything pop with vegetal freshness.

Goes beautifully with every meat in God's creation.  Especially easy to make if you have a rice cooker, like this one...















Travels easily for pot luck parties, or is just a lovely new partner for your regular Tuesday dinner.  Excellent hot, or at room temp, just don't do it cold or the butter goes all squidgy in a greasy way.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Wild Rice Pilaf with Pistchios, Currants, and Mint


2 c wild rice blend (I like the ones that have at least 3-4 different rices in it)
2/3 c toasted pistachios, chopped
2/3 c dried currants
1/2 c wine
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
4 T butter, melted
S&P to taste


Cook rice in rice cooker or according to package directions. Heat wine (whatever you have, red or white even sherry) and currants until currants plump, about 4-5 minutes, and discard liquid.

Mix cooked rice with melted butter, pistachios, currants and mint with two large forks (a spoon will break up grains and make the pilaf mushy). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Some other good combos:  walnuts and chopped figs, pine nuts and dried cherries, pecans and golden raisins, hazelnuts and chopped dates.  If you hate mint, you can swap it out for flat leaf parsley, but I think the mint makes it.  Chives are also good.

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath

Snacember 6

Snack #6:  Tradition

The season is all about tradition.  Traditional foods, traditional events, annual showings of specials and movies on television, we are surrounded by all sorts of traditions.

Which doesn't mean there isn't room for more.

I love creating new traditions with friends and family.  This will be the third consecutive year I will be celebrating Christmas day with my brother from another mother Officer K and his family.  I love that they have included me, and now Charming Suitor, in their family traditions.

It will be the fifth year my gang of pals will spend New Year's Day together, this year in town instead of the country, but still together and celebrating.

Whether it is a martini party with my girlfriends pre-holidays, latkes with the family for Hanukah, or a quiet bottle of champagne, just me and Charming Suitor, to celebrate the season, I highly recommend increasing your traditions where and when you can.

Some ideas:

Cookie swap party.  Everyone makes 2-4 dozen cookies.  Everyone leaves with 2-4 dozen cookies.  But they leave with a mixed batch, samples of everyone else's goodies, and a stack of cookie recipes to boot.  Helps everyone get through holiday buffets without having to make 8 different types of cookies.  Genius.

Book Fair.  Have everyone bring 5-10 books they enjoyed but don't want to keep, and everyone can pick up a stack of new books without hitting the library or bookstore.  Also works with CDs, board games, kitchen gadgets...

Soup party.  Everyone makes a batch of their signature soup, the host provides bread and bowls, and be sure to have lots of tubs for people to take the leftovers!  Recipes to share always appreciated at this one too....especially good for dead of winter.

Fakesgiving.  (or Fauxnakah, or Falsemas)  Essentially the traditional holiday meal, done at a very non-holiday time, and often with family who couldn't be there for the real holiday, or friends who might not have had a great time at their own celebrations.  I love these in late January thru February on a random Saturday, when everyone can gather and watch movies in sweatpants all day and eat all the best holiday foods. 

I throw it out to the class...who has some new tradition ideas to share?  Best one gets a snazzy new William Bounds peppermill with gourmet peppercorns.  Its a snack, so contest ends Dec. 7 at 11:59 pm!

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath

Snacember 5

Snack #5- Gifting

Gifts can break you at this time of year, even if you don't spend much on any one item.

But how to still have presents?

A white elephant party is a fun way to regift items you already have and don't use. Everyone wraps an item from their home, pulls numbers from a hat, and then chooses gifts in numerical order. Everyone can either steal a gift from someone else, or open a new one. The person who had to choose first gets to go again at the end to choose whatever gift they like from the whole game. As host, wrap a couple of extra items in case someone forgets to bring something so that everyone can still play.

For gift giving, especially if you have a lot of friends and colleagues you feel compelled to honor, make a donation to a local charity with a list of their names attached, and send everyone cards that says that this year you gave money in their honor. No one can be disappointed to know that you are helping others at this festive time. My personal recommendation is to be sure to not accidentally choose a divisive charity, so stay away from anything with religious or political overtones. I always like any organization that feeds the hungry, provides clothes or shelter to those without, honors the families of fallen police officers or firefighters, or supports children. I tend to think local instead of global on this one, something that your friends will recognize as being present in your community, like a local shelter or soup kitchen.

Cards and postage can get expensive, so go e-card this year...there are plenty of places to do it for free, and it is very eco-savvy.  If you have kids, have a card making day for the special people who should get something for the mantel...plenty of crayons and glitter will make it fun for them and much more meaningful than regular store-bought cards.

Mix CDs are easy to create with current iTunes and other software, and you can print custom labels pretty quickly.  Blank CDs a pretty inexpensive, as are simple sleeves to put them in.  Make a CD of fun tunes, label it with a clever picture or title, and give the gift of personalized music to your pals.

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath

Snacember 4

Snack #4:  C is for Cookie, that's good enough for meeeee........

Oh holiday cookies, I just can't quit you.

So I thought for today's snack I would share one of my favorites.

Spicy and grown-up, these are gingery molassesy goodness.

Can't take credit, these are stolen from one of my extra Moms, Carol of the fiery red hair and the even more fiery cookies.  Totally addictive.

Spicy Ginger Molasses Cookies


12 T unsalted butter
1 c dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 c molasses (robust or full flavor style)

Cream until blended.

Add:
1 T lemon zest
2 t baking soda
½ t salt
½ t ground white pepper
2 t cinnamon
1 T plus 1 t ground ginger

Blend well.

Sift 2 ¼ c flour and blend into mixture, which should make a fairly stiff dough. Roll balls of 1-2 T and roll in granulated sugar (cane sugar or raw sugar preferred for crunch).

Chill balls for 30 minutes.

Bake on parchment or silpat sheets on cookie sheets at 350 for 10-12 minutes…they will not look done, but should be slightly cracked, important to not overbake, or you will lose the wonderful chewy factor.


I love these as is, but over the years have come up with a few ways to gild the lily...

Stir in 1/4 c chopped crystallized ginger to up the ginger ante.
Frost with cream cheese, vanilla, or caramel frosting.  Sprinkle with chopped toasted walnuts or pecans.

Dip halfway or drizzle with melted dark or white chocolate.

Make sandwiches with marshmallow fluff, dulce de leche or peanut butter.

Make ice cream sandwiches with caramel, vanilla, or toffee chip ice cream.

Use as the base of individual chesecakes, by putting one cookie in the bottom of each cup in a muffin tin, and then pouring the cheesecake blend of your choice on top....I like vanilla, pumpkin, or coffee cheesecake flavors for this.

Yours in Spicy Cookie Good Taste,
The Polymath

Snacember 2

Here is a quick and easy recipe for a festive holiday nibble...

Snack #2

This is an old-school recipe that stands the test of time.  A twist on the usual "cheese ball", this Stuffed Edam is a great addition to a buffet, and a perfectly portable delectable to bring to a party.  And at this time of year, everyone seems to be carrying these round red wax covered cheeses...I even spotted them at Costco last week!

STUFFED EDAM


1 large 2 lb. round Edam cheese ball (they also make a 4 lb for larger parties, just double the rest of the ingredients!)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. mustard powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 T minced scallions
1 tbsp. cream
dusting of smoked paprika (opt.)

Slice about 1 inch off of the top of the cheese. Hollow out the Edam leaving about a ½ inch thick shell, using a spoon or melon baller, placing the cheese in your food processor. DO NOT REMOVE THE RED WAX! The wax helps hold it together, and looks pretty. Add other ingredients to the cheese, and process until smooth. Stuff back into Edam, sprinkle with smoked paprika if you like, and serve with crackers or cocktail rye bread.

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath