Cthulhu Sticks

Every Halloween, my friend Ann and I throw a party, filled with candy, dry ice, costumes, pumpkins, and lots of good food. We always have a good time coming up with items that are both delicious and spooky. Last year, I came across an idea somewhere (probably in one of the many Halloween magazines we pore over) to make tentacle breadsticks. I used store-bought pizza dough and managed to make some vaguely squiggly breadsticks, which we immediately dubbed Cthulhu Sticks (what, we're not super geeky or anything).

I was pleased enough with my experiment last year to try making them again, but not pleased enough. Instead of going the pizza dough route, I found a recipe for grissini (those long, thin Italian breadsticks).  The dough is pretty simple to put together and is fairly forgiving of being worked, plus I found countless tips online about using a pasta machine to roll out and cut grissini so that they're uniform (and last year, the tentacles were anything but uniform).

I am so much happier with how the Cthulhu Sticks turned out this year. I opted to color half the dough black (I used gel food coloring, but you could use squid ink if you want something more natural), which I think gives them a spooky feel. Sea salt on the black ones and poppy seeds on the white ones add a look of suckers to the tentacles, but you can add whatever toppings (or even mix something into the dough) that you'd like.

Cthulhu Sticks

1/2 cup warm water

1 package dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 3/4 cup flour, divided

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

optional: chopped herbs, food coloring, poppy seeds

Combine water, yeast, sugar, and 1/2 cup flour in a large bowl. Rest 10 minutes. Add remaining flour, oil, and salt (also any herbs or spices you could like. If coloring the entire batch, add food coloring now. Otherwise, wait until dough is more solid before kneading it in). Knead about 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400° and move oven rack to the top position.

Divide dough into four pieces. Using pasta roller, roll into a roughly 9x4 rectangle on the thickest or second-to-thickest setting. Cut with fettuccine cutter. Arrange grissini on parchment-lined baking sheets, keeping one end straight (so they can stand in a vase) and one end tentacle-y. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle on salt or additional toppings. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden (well, at least for the ones that aren't black) and cool on a wire rack.

To serve, arrange in a vase to get the full tentacle effect.

Zombie Easter Bunny

Like any good geek, I enjoy perusing the ThinkGeek website. I could probably go to any page on that site and find something I want. (And any non-food website that has a category for bacon is fine by me.) Every April 1st, ThinkGeek comes up with a bunch of stuff that seems real enough, or at least, should be.

Enter this year's batch of April Fool's Day objects. I personally think the Star Wars lightsaber popsicle molds should be real. And when a friend mentioned wanting to buy one of these zombie Easter bunnies for another friend, I knew I could at least make that one happen.

I found a bunny mold that is, I think, even better than the original because he's holding a brain (ok, ok, an egg, but it works so well as a brain!). I colored white chocolate with gel food coloring to get that great zombie green tint and away we went! I had bought a bag of Nerds jelly beans to snack on and was pleasantly surprised to find that the pink ones looked a little bit like brains and would fit in the bunny's basket.

I don't make my own chocolates much, but when I do, I love putting a fun twist on it. Do you make your own chocolates?

A Little King Cake for Mardi Gras

I have never been to New Orleans, nor have I ever had a real king cake, but that didn't stop me from making one when asked. My friend Ann, who has lived in New Orleans, was the one asking, and since I was using her flour and butter, I was happy to oblige.

I bought Joanne Chang's Flour cookbook before Christmas like everyone else in Boston, but I didn't get a chance to make anything from it until well into the new year. For some reason, I decided to skip any of the easier recipes and jumped right to brioche. The recipe came together with no problems and couldn't have been easier to follow. However, the recipe makes enough dough for two loaves, so half went to make a regular loaf and the other half went to the king cake.

Ann started listing things that would be tasty - I don't think this is actually based on a cake that she has eaten. She wanted chocolate and orange and, of course, something to use as the baby (the small token that brings good luck to whoever gets the piece with it). I ended up dividing the dough into three parts, rolling them into logs, adding a filling, then braiding them together. Ann tells me it was just like king cakes she had in New Orleans (only better, I would assume, because it had both chocolate and orange in it), so I'll just have to take her word for it.

I'm not going to give you the recipe for the brioche, since I used the one out of the Flour cookbook, so feel free to use your favorite brioche recipe. My recipe starts after the dough has had its first rise, but before it has been shaped and given its second rise. Seriously, though, check out Flour - it leaves me wanting to lick the pages every time I look at it.

Braided King Cake
1 brioche dough, after its first rise (half a recipe if using the Flour cookbook)
3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
zest of 1 orange
1-2 Tbsp white sugar
1 large nut (almond, walnut, or pecan are good)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
milk (about 1 Tbsp)
colored sugars (purple, green, and yellow)

Combine orange zest and white sugar in a bowl and set aside.

Divide dough into three equal parts and roll each into a long rope. Flatten the ropes - lay chocolate down the middle of one, orange sugar down the middle of another, and the nut somewhere in the third. Pinch sides together to seal the fillings in, then reroll if needed back into a rope shape. Braid the three ropes together, then bring the ends together to form a circle. Pinch the ends together to form a seamless circle. Place the loaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, then let rise in a warm spot for 3-4 hours, until it has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350°. Brush loaf with egg. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until completely golden brown. Let cool before icing.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a splash of milk until smooth. Add a little bit of milk at a time until the glaze is just slightly runny (you don't want it too watery, so go slow!). Drizzle over the king cake, then sprinkle on colored sugars.

Holiday Castle Siege

What would Christmas be without creating something ridiculous out of cookie? A few years ago, there was the Great Gingerbread Massacre, and last year, my friends and I recreated the movie Zombieland with gingerbread. After "castle siege" was suggested this year, I knew I would have to attempt it. I immediately googled "gingerbread trebuchet" and got some great ideas. (Click the picture above to embiggen.)

(By the way, in my googling, I found the most amazing recreations of scenes from the Lord of the Rings, done entirely in candy. Check them out.)

My friend Melody was along for the whole ride, and many of her suggestions are what made this thing so awesome. While I was baking the pieces, she pulled out a toy horse cookie cutter and said that we had to make a Trojan horse. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE nerd about the Trojan war, so how could I not make one after she pointed it out? I put a little platform between the two horse cookies and loaded it up with little men. There's even a ladder on the back for them to climb.

There are just so many awesome things in this scene, and they make me laugh just thinking about them. There's a prisoner who's being set on fire, men on top of the wall with vats of hot pitch, a ladder thrown over the castle wall, a guy sneakily trying to set the castle on fire, and a few men impaled by thrown javelins.

And of course, there's the gingerbread trebuchet. The thing actually moves!! The counterweight is a little house-shaped box attached to a pretzel rod with a toothpick, and the basket is a mini cupcake wrapper attached to the pretzel with string licorice and loaded with Whoppers. The pretzel itself is attached to the base via a wooden skewer, and it moves up and down. The only thing missing is a mechanism to secure the basket pre-firing. Hey, I'm no engineer.

By the way, this whole thing was made with one batch of my favorite gingerbread and one batch of royal icing. It was all pretty easy (although I am aware that my definition of "easy" is a bit skewed.)

I love having fun with gingerbread. Have any good gingerbread creations to share?

Only on a New England Saint Patrick's Day

Sometimes things just work out well. Take, for example, last week - I was given the opportunity to meet the master distiller of Bushmills Irish Whiskey AND I was struck by an intense desire for Moxie. Normally, these two things would have nothing to do with each other. But I quickly remembered a drink I had had at Deep Ellum a few years ago - the Black Water - and the stars aligned.

The Black Water, named for the English translation of the Native American word "moxie," is a simple combination of whiskey and the almost-disgusting soda Moxie. I think Deep Ellum uses rye whiskey, whereas Bushmills is a blend of malt and grain whiskey. My palate isn't refined enough to tell the difference, I just drink what I like.

Now, if you didn't grow up in New England, you may never have heard of Moxie (in fact, there's no guarantee you've heard of it if you DID grow up here). Moxie originated, like most sodas, as a tonic meant to have health benefits. It was created in Lowell, MA in 1884 and named after a river near inventor Augustin Thompson's home in Maine. It was thanks to robust advertising that we now use the word moxie to mean that someone has vigor or guts - it didn't exist in the English language before this soda. And Moxie is one of the few sodas that actually taste like the tonic it came from - it's definitely an acquired taste. Imagine cola and root beer combined, only more bitter and less sweet. I can't drink the stuff straight, but I think it's amazing with whiskey.

Onto the Bushmills - I was invited to attend an event with Bushmills' master distiller, Colum Egan, who has been busy promoting the brand before St. Patrick's Day. I brought along a few fellow bloggers, and the evening ended up being Colum walking five women through all the different types of Bushmills (the tasting notes are here). It's amazing how the flavors can change so drastically between different blends of the same alcohol. I especially liked the Black Bush, which is aged in predominantly sherry barrels and has a little bit of a deeper, richer, sweeter taste than the original Bushmills, which is aged mostly in bourbon barrels and is a little lighter.

For a New England St. Patrick's Day, what better thing to do than blend a strictly New England soda with an Irish whiskey? Colum shared a number of Irish toasts with us, but my favorite is one I'll put to good use:

There are tall ships
and long ships
and ships that sail the sea,
but the best ships
are friendships
and may they always be.

Black Water
whiskey (I prefer Bushmills Black Bush, but only had original on hand)
Moxie
maraschino cherries

Fill a cocktail glass with crushed ice. Pour in a three-count of whiskey and top with Moxie. Add a cherry (and a dash of the cherry juice if you like).

Brownies with more than a touch o' the Irish

I read a lot of food blogs - probably too many. Often, I find myself skimming through my Google Reader without paying too much attention to details (sometimes even just looking at the pictures). When I'm in that kind of mood, it takes a special recipe to pull me out of my stupor.

And that's exactly what happened when I saw these Irish Cream Brownies on Baking Bites. I wasn't craving brownies until I saw the recipe, but as soon as I did, I HAD to have them. Luckily, I can just say the word brownie to my friend Ann and she's on board. We baked up a batch on Saturday night, to pair with Chipotle burritos, video games, and Caprica. Our group likes to talk, but we were silent as soon as these brownies came out.

I loved them so much, in fact, that I had to make them again a few nights later. We didn't have regular Baileys in the house, but we did have some of the mint Baileys. How awful could that end up, I wondered. How about even better? I'm sure the caramel Baileys would be amazing in these as well.

Man, are these tremendous brownies. Usually when something says it's Irish Cream (or Baileys) flavored, it means it has a hint of Irish Cream. Not these - these taste like the real thing (maybe because it uses the real thing?). Baking Bites included a glaze for the brownies, but I didn't feel it was needed (plus it didn't work for me). All on their own, the brownies form a crisp, thin crust while staying dense and fudge-like inside. I like these so much, they may become my default brownie recipe. What better thing to make for Saint Patrick's Day? My mother was asking for the recipe before she had finished her first bite...

Irish Cream Brownies (adapted from Baking Bites)
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Irish Cream liqueur (like Baileys) - the flavored Baileys work well too
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9x9 baking pan with tin foil and grease lightly; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, and cocoa powder. Add egg and vanilla and whisk until combined. Whisk in liqueur until smooth (this will take a minute). Add in baking soda and salt, then whisk to distribute. Add flour and whisk until there are no streaks of flour left. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out with only a few crumbs, no uncooked batter. Remove using the tin foil and let cool on a wire rack.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I've been spending the past week baking more cookies that I thought we could eat (although they've been slowly disappearing, so I may be wrong with my assessment). I had hoped to post some cookie recipes before Christmas, but the time got away from me. There will definitely be recipes before the new year, though!

Bloody Eyeball Caramels and Other Halloween Chocolates

When I was a kid, my mother and I would make chocolates about once a year, usually around Valentine's Day. She'd fill an electric skillet with water and we'd fill glass jars with different colors of chocolate buttons, rest them in the water, and watch them melt. I don't think I was very patient with the whole process of filling the molds, putting them in the freezer to harden, then shaking the finished chocolates out, because there was chocolate involved! What kind of kid is patient when there's a big vat of chocolate in front of them?!

I don't know where that electric skillet has gone, and I use all my glass jars for canning nowadays. It's only been in the past couple of years that I've gotten back to chocolate making. I still only do it once or twice a year, but I've found that I'm much more patient with the process. And I love the whapping sound the molds make as you hit them on the counter to release any air bubbles.

Last year, I made gravestones, spider webs, and pumpkin cups. I couldn't find my molds this year, so I had to go out and buy some more (I know, rough stuff). When I saw these eyeballs, I knew immediately what to do.

These probably took longer than they should have to make, but that was because I was pretty detailed in painting on the red. I think they look pretty damn creepy, and seeing a whole bowlful stare back at me makes my skin crawl. And I really like the effect of blood-red caramel in the middle (just add some red food coloring to melted caramels, then let harden to cut).

These chocolate-coated Oreos took much less time because they aren't so detailed, but the mold only made four at a time, so there was still a lot of waiting involved. They're a little happier and good for anyone who's too squeamish to eat a bloody eyeball.

Do you make chocolates? Any favorite shapes/holidays/occasions for them?

Mummy Pigs!

Ah, Halloween, the one time of year when you can serve gross-looking food and people won’t run away in horror (and if they do, that means you’ve done a good job, not ruined a recipe!). I also love how you can turn everyday foods into something fun and lighthearted, even if it’s just for one day.

This year, my sister-in-law is throwing a Halloween party for my nephew and nieces and their friends, and she asked if I had any savory, kid-friendly Halloween treats up my sleeve. Sweets are always easy to find, but recipes for themed savory foods can be much more difficult. I gave her a bunch of suggestions, but I thought I’d post my favorite – Mummy Pigs (ie Pigs in Blankets). (I’ve also been getting tons of hits on my photo of these on Flickr, so it seemed like a good thing to write about now.)

These are perfect because they combine a food that almost every kid will eat (hot dogs) with something that almost every kid gets interested in, even if only briefly (mummies). You can also make them ahead and just pop them in the oven at the last minute, making them perfect for any Halloween parties you might have planned. True, you can make them with full-sized hot dogs, but I like how the mini hot dogs come out looking more to scale – the regular ones look too skinny to me.

What’s your favorite savory Halloween dish?

Mummy Pigs
1 package (tube) refrigerated croissant dough
1 package tiny hot dogs (cocktail wieners, if you will)
Mustard

Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with tin foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.

Unroll croissant dough and cut in half. Cut thin (about ¼-inch wide) pieces, enough for one for each hot dog. Wrap each hot dog with a strip of dough – don’t wrap the dough too solidly (leave a few gaps here and there) or it won’t look too much like mummy wrappings once they’ve baked. Also leave a little room near the “head” for the eyes (but don’t leave enough room for a full face or it’ll look like they’re wearing hats once they’ve baked). Arrange wrapped hot dogs on the tray so that they are not touching.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the dough is puffed and golden. Cool slightly, then add dots of mustard for eyes.

Rainbow Colcannon

It's funny, but I feel like every Bostonian has a little bit o' Irish in them, regardless (or should I say irregardless?) of their actual heritage. Everyone celebrates St. Patrick's Day (to some degree), and Danny Boy seemed to make an appearance every year in my school choir's repertoire. And when I went to Ireland, I shouldn't have been so surprised to see badges from police and fire departments from almost every Massachusetts town hanging on the walls of the pubs I visited.

Which is why, every St. Patrick's Day, I find myself longing for a good ol' Irish meal. I've been craving corned beef for days, but I've had no time to cook it. I decided to go with the quick and easy dish of colcannon instead, just so St. Paddy's wouldn't go by without a heaping of root veggies.

Colcannon is basically mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale. My version is a little fancier, with parsnips and rainbow chard in the mix. For a more traditional version, trade out the parsnips for one more potato and the chard for kale or cabbage. It is also traditionally served on Halloween, with a coin or ring buried somewhere in the mix, but really, it's good at any time throughout the winter months, when you need a hearty side dish.

Rainbow Colcannon
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 3 or 4 large chunks
1 leek, finely chopped
1/2 pound rainbow chard, finely chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk (whatever you have around is fine, I used skim)
salt and pepper

In a large pot with salted, boiling water, cook potatoes and parsnips for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Strain with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl; put pot back on the pot and bring back to a boil. Add leek and chard to the boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the chard stalks are cooked through. While greens are cooking, add butter and milk to potatoes, and mash until the potatoes are creamy. Drain greens and rinse with cold water; squeeze dry before adding to mashed potatoes. Stir to combine, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Retro Chocolate Plate at Finale

Most people who really know food understand that holidays (especially ones like Valentine's Day) are not always the best time to go out to eat. It seems, though, that this won't be such a problem this year - Valentine's is a Saturday, and the following Monday is a holiday, meaning that the entire weekend is open for Valentine's-themed meals.

Finale has taken this into account, and is offering a special menu for the entire weekend, all focused around their Retro Chocolate Tasting Plate. They got in touch with me to come try it out, and who am I to say no?

I've had Finale's savory food before and enjoyed it, and I've had their sweets (although as take-out, not plated in the restaurant). The idea of a restaurant that focuses on dessert makes me think of absolute decadence, and the Retro Tasting Plate is exactly that (and isn't decadence a good thing for Valentine's Day?).

The plate is HUGE, and each of the six offerings is definitely decadent. And it's definitely retro, filled with old-school favorites like peanut butter and jelly, s'mores, and malted milk balls. With so many different things on one plate, you'd think all the flavors would get muddled, but the through-line of chocolate ties everything together.

To start, let me say that I'm not a fan of either bananas or the combination of peanut butter and jelly. That's why I was so surprised when I genuinely enjoyed both the milk chocolate banana pyramid and the peanut butter and jelly truffles. In the pyramid, the flavor of the sweetened banana puree was mild enough not to be offensive but flavorful enough to evoke the fruit - if all bananas actually tasted like this, I'd eat them all the time. And PB&J is apparently more pleasing to my palate in truffle form.

Also included on the plate are chocolate-covered pretzels, a molten chocolate cake with orange sauce, a giant s'more with a Tahitian vanilla marshmallow and salted graham crackers, and a white chocolate Florentine "love boat" filled with Ciao Bella malted milk ball gelato. This is a serious amount of chocolate, and I couldn't stop eating it. The low point, if there was one, was the molten chocolate cake - it has become such a common dessert at almost every restaurant that everything else stood out in their uniqueness.

So if you're still looking for someplace to eat for Valentine's Day, try giving Finale a call - the Retro Chocolate Plate is something you'll want to savor with your loved one.

- Downtown Boston
- Harvard Square
- Coolidge Corner

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, and happy eating! I hope your gingerbread houses are more edible than this one!

Christmas Presents

This year, more than past years, I tried to make a lot of my gifts for friends and family. Somehow, though, the month passed by without my getting that much done, so I only ended up making a few things. Recipes will follow in the coming days, once all the family events are done.

Tourshi - Armenian pickled vegetables - for my parents and brothers (and myself, of course)

Quince jam for my mother

Buddhacello (from my Buddha's hand) for my parents, my brother, and a friend

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a fun (and tasty) Halloween! If you're still looking for recipes, there are great things up on Tastespotting, or try these delicious Vampire Cookies from Baking Bites. They're easy to make but look very impressive (although Baking Bite's look much more impressive than mine).

Halloween Chocolates

I've decided that I shouldn't be allowed in craft stores. I walk in and instantly want everything I see. Only problem is that I never have enough time to actually make the crafts that I buy. When they're food-related, though, my chances are a little higher. When I walked into A.C.Moore a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't help but pick up materials for making Halloween chocolates. I mean, who doesn't want chocolate tombstones?!?

Or spiderweb lollipops?

It's been years since I've made chocolates, probably in middle school when my mother and I would use those horrible "chocolate" buttons in an assortment of colors to make candies for her favorite holiday, Valentine's Day. I had forgotten how much fun (and how easy) these are to make, and the results are always impressive. I opted for good dark chocolate this time (and yes, some crappy white chocolate for contrast). And there's something so satisfying about whacking those little plastic trays on the counter to get out all the air bubbles...

But my real achievement with my Halloween candies were the pumpkin cups I created. I wanted to create chocolate pumpkin truffles, but I just couldn't get the consistency right, so I opted for pumpkin cups instead (in mini black and orange paper cups, of course). They ended up working really well, like a little shot of pumpkin pie enrobed in chocolate. The filling was still a little loose, so they're best eaten in one bite to avoid a mess. And yes, the spices may seem strong when you're mixing them in, but the chocolate can be overpowering, so you need that much for the flavor to come out. (I also eyeballed the cream and chocolate, so while I provided measurements, they're not exact.)

Chocolate Pumpkin Cups

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup heavy cream
about 1/3 lb white chocolate
about 1 lb dark chocolate
mini paper cups

In a pan over medium heat, mix together pumpkin and spices. Cook pumpkin for 3-5 minutes or until it begins to condense and look dry. Whisk in cream and heat through, then remove from heat and whisk in white chocolate until melted. Transfer to a bowl and freeze for at least an hour.

Arrange paper cups on a tray that will fit in your freezer. In a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate. Add about a tablespoon of chocolate to each cup, and use a small kitchen brush (or a small, new painting brush) to bring the chocolate up along the sides of the cup. Freeze until chocolate is hardened. Add another layer of chocolate to the sides (not the bottom) of the cup with the brush to build stronger walls, then freeze until hardened. Add a small amount of the pumpkin filling (about a teaspoon), then cover with more chocolate. Freeze until hardened, then try not to eat them all at once.

Have a Gooey Easter!

Besides the religious meaning of the holiday, Easter is known for its candy. Peeps have unfortunately made the move to become year-round treats, while many other candies only dress up in pastel colors for the holiday. But Cadbury makes a whole line of egg-shaped goodies that are only available at this time of year. My personal favorite are the mini eggs with their sugary coating and velvety chocolate interior. I've never been a big fan of the Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Until now.


I'm still not interested in the too-sweet filling inside the eggs, but I think this marketing campaign is brilliant. YouTube is filled with videos of suicidal chocolate eggs coming up with new and creative ways to off themselves. The most dramatic, though, is the mass suicide finale:



But nothing made me laugh as hard as the alternate to that scene. I think it's the music that really makes it.



All of the videos, as well as games and some hilarious pictures, are available at the Creme Eggs website.

So Happy Easter, and try not to get too sick off all that candy.

My Kind of Conversation Hearts

Being a Boston girl, I have a fond place in my heart for NECCO (the New England Cofectionary Company, based in Revere) and their Conversation Hearts (and NECCO wafers, which have the same consistency, but better flavors, like chocolate). I am not, however, a fan of the chalky texture of the candy - it reminds me too much of Tums, but with less acid-reduction.

But what would Valentine's Day be without Conversation Hearts?

So I made my own (more-palatable) version.


I have crappy penmanship, and I had a hard time getting the frosting to the right consistancy, but they turned out ok. I used many of the same sayings that are on the candies. My favorite that I added myself, though, is "I Dig You," because I'll be taking these into work, and my office is filled with archaeologists.

Get it? "Dig"?

The cookies themselves are orange shortbread, adapted from a recipe in Elinor Klivans "Big Fat Cookies". Best cookbook name ever, right? I added the zest of one blood orange (for Valentine's irony) and about 2 Tbsp of juice from the orange, but Klivans offers other examples of ways to change up that recipe and many others.

Cookie Swap

Cookie Swap. Wouldn't that be a better show than Wife Swap? As much as I fear what TV will become with the continued writers' strike, I might actually watch "Cookie Swap."


Much thanks to my friend Denice for a wonderful cookie swap party. Remarkably, the only overlap in cookies was two sets of dreidel cookies... who would have thought?


There were some standards - sugar cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin. My tortured gingerbread men all found good homes deep within people's bellies. Denice tried her hand at a couple of my recipes and did an excellent job with them both. Some others that stood out for me were the chocolate "boot track" waffle cookies, the ginger blueberry white chocolate cookies, and the chocolate cookies with Andes mints bits.

There was also a great assortment of drinks - eggnog, hot cider and five different kinds of tea. Just perfect on a nasty, icy Boston night.

So thanks again, Denice. By the way, if we do have a Buffy night, we should have themed food, but what? All I can think of is "skeezy cheeses" and fake blood in a "Kiss the Librarian" mug.

Won't Anyone Think of the Cookies?

Every year as Christmas approaches, people are busy thinking about their friends and families. They gather for parties and enjoy delicious food that has a place as a family tradition or is so indulgent that it can only make an appearance once a year. Cookies in particular are something that are made in huge quantities to be given as gifts and enjoyed as dessert.

But please, this year, think twice about how you treat your cookies.









And for the love of God, don't leave stray glasses of milk around. It can only lead to disaster.

This PSA was brought to you by Take Back the Cookie Jar - Gingerbread Men Against Violence.

A Holiday Hack

What to do when you need to make cookies for class and you're too busy to even think about pulling out the jar of flour? Dress up an already-awesome cookie.


Trader Joe's Peppermint Jo-Jos are a holiday-only treat, and I can't stop eating them. They taste like Girl Scout Thin Mints, but they look like Oreos, and they have the perfect blend of chocolate and peppermint.

I didn't, however, just want to bring a box of them to class. I wanted it to look as if I at least gave a thought to what I was bringing.


So out came the semi-sweet chocolate and the candy canes. Each cookie got a little chocolate bath before a receiving a sprinkling of crushed red and white jewels. This couldn't have been easier (well, I could have done without burning my first batch of chocolate, but it was late, what do you want from me?) and they couldn't look prettier. Not too pretty to eat, though, believe me.

Update 12/7/07 - During class, my teacher picked one of these up and started to gesture with it as he spoke. He took a bite and then stopped talking. "I'm sorry," he said, looking at the cookie, "but I'm distracted by all this peppermint." Mine were the only treats to be finished off before the end of the night.