Blue Cheese Cookies?!

I know, I know---I sort of cringed when I saw the name of this recipe.
'Blue cheese' and 'cookie' have never been used in the same sentence before,
at least not in JaneWorld. And they should not.

Except for these flavorful morsels.
These little rounds would make a great cocktail...um, cookie?
They are savory, I promise, and would complement the taste of
just about any mixed drink or beer very well.

But no matter what else you choose to serve with these cookies,
they are a great appetizer and are very easy and quick to throw together.

How can they be quick, you ask, when they need to be rolled and cut out?

I'm so happy that you asked. These can be rapidly rolling-pinned (I think I just
coined another JaneWorld vocabulary word here) and cut out with a biscuit cutter or drinking glass, if need be; the beautiful thing is that they don't need to be perfect because
they rely on a great blue-cheese taste. And everyone knows that at parties,
people are not as picky, perhaps because of the alcohol, but at any rate, if
they're not precisely even or not exactly round, who cares?
Not all those half-soused guests of yours. They're just thrilled to get something
to gobble up so the booze doesn't go to their head too fast.

I threw about half the batch into a ziploc bag and bunged it into the
freezer so that at those holiday gatherings I'll have something to grab and share
when I've forgotten to prepare something, as I often do.

Blue Cheese Cookies
(adapted from pastry studio)

Ingredients:

6 oz blue cheese, softened
4 oz butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup flour

Method:

Blend blue cheese, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor until creamy. Add flour and pulse until mixture just starts to come together and forms a clump. Gather dough and place on a piece of waxed paper. Flatten into a disk and place another piece of waxed paper over the top. Roll out the dough between the two sheets of waxed paper to about 1/4 inch thickness. Slide the dough, still between the paper, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and gently lift off the top sheet of waxed paper. Use a 2 inch cookie cutter or a sharp knife to cut out cookies. Transfer to the baking sheets. You want the dough to remain cold, so work quickly.

Bake for about 15-18 minutes* or until the edges just start to turn golden, rotating baking pans halfway through.** Cool on a wire rack. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.


I came up 2 oz. short on the blue cheese (forgot the golden rule of double-checking the recipe and noting the amounts needed before going to the grocery store) so made up the difference with already shredded Colby-Jack cheese. This gave the cookies miniscule orange flecks that were quite attractive but didn't really show up after baking.






* Mine were done just before 15 minutes had elapsed so watch them carefully.

**I did not bother with rotating pans, etc. I just baked them one sheet at a time and they came out fine.

It's Good For What Ails You

I call these the Good For What Ails You cookies.

To explain that, I need to find a way to word this- well - how can I put this delicately?

They have lots of oatmeal.
Oatmeal is full of fiber.
Fiber is good for...well, you know what.
Facilitating the intricate workings of a human's
physiological inner workings.
Am I being too obtuse?

After all, it happens to the best of us.
And you also have to admit: it's probably the strangest pitch
for a cookie recipe that you've ever come across.

But these cookies have so much going for them, even if you don't have
any trouble "that way".
Oatmeal, white chocolate slivers, and wholesome, energy-packed dried
Michigan cherries.*

It's a win-win situation!

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries*


Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, cranberries and white chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 1-2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Forgive this slightly out of focus picture. I wanted to show you all the
goodness up close and personal, but my own focus was a little off today, let alone
the camera's.

*I used closer to 2 cups of dried cranberries. You could also sub in dried cherries or blueberries.

Another Lame Post Without Photos

Big Pasta with Mushroom, Parsley, Garlic and Thyme


Let me begin by saying, "Whoo, Doggies!" This was
a g-r-r-r-eat recipe!

I had to make a few concessions on ingredients which
actually worked out. Can you believe it?!?!
(See previous post for context)

This is the first Nigella recipe I tried and I was a
little sceptical. She makes everything look so-o-o
effortless. I happened to catch the Food Network
episode where she made this. I found it attractive
because 1) my family will enthusiastically eat
casseroles (which this dish is, basically) and 2) because
it makes a bloody great roaster-pan full,
another plus when you can count on at least two to three
extra mouths to feed along with the usual four in the family.
You see, I have three sons with big appetites and they have lots of
friends with same. Ours is The Kool-aid house. You
know the one: that certain house where all the neighborhood
kids congregate to hang out, swimming in the pool or
staring glassy-eyed at video games on the TV.
I've come to the conclusion that no one in this community
bakes anymore, least of all from scratch, judging by
their kids' reactions to the cookies, cupcakes,
and other goodies I set out for them.
It's really a subtle form of bribery: as long as the Mongol
Horde is chillin' here, I don't have to wonder where my kids are,
what they're doing, and who they're with.
Chocolate chip cookies ensure that they make our house their
headquarters. The price of cokes and baked goods
are cheap in exchange for the peace of mind.

But back to The Domestic Goddess. I have two of her cookbooks
and I must admit I love reading them. She's a terrific writer-her prose
is wonderful, very appealing to the senses.
And of course the food is sublime.

Big Pasta with Mushrooms, Parsley, Garlic, and Thyme

Ingredients:

Bechamel-

1 stick butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg

Mushroom mixture-

2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 stick
1 tablespoon oil
3 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 2 cups boiling water*
1 pound, 8 oz. mixed mushrooms, chopped
3/4 cups fresh parsley leaves, chopped, plus 3/4 cup, plus 1/4 cup more for garnish
1 teaspoon dried thyme or fresh thyme leaves
3 fat garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup amontillado sherry**
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus 1 cup
Salt
3 pounds rigatoni or other big pasta of choice
few sprigs fresh thyme for garnish

Special equipment: large roasting pan, approx. 12 3/4 by 16 1/2 inches***.


Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a saucepan, melt the butter for the bechamel, and add the flour, stirring gently to make a smooth paste. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the milk. Turn the heat back on to medium, and stir the bechamel until it begins to thicken and come to the boil. Let it bubble for about 5 minutes to get rid of the floury taste. Take off the heat and season w ith salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and the oil in a large wide pan. Drain the porcini, reserving the liquid, and chop before adding to the pan with 3/4 cup chopped parsley, the dried or fresh thyme, and garlic. Stir for a couple of minutes then melt the remaining 1 stick of butter in the same pan and add the chopped mushrooms, stirring for about 5 minutes. The mushrooms will appear dry at first but will eventually start to give off some liquid.
Add the porcini soaking liquid, which the mushrooms will largely absorb, but keep stirring and add the sherry and let it bubble away. Turn off the heat when you have a bronzed, syrupy stew.

Stir the mushroom mixture into the bechamel and add 1 cup of the Parmesan and the other 3/4 cup of the chopped parsley. Put a big pan of water on for the pasta, and when it boils, salt it well. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and add to the mushroomy white sauce, stirring it the best you can to get the pasta covered.

Turn into the large roasting pan and sprinkle over the remaining 1 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top begins to turn golden in places.
When the pan comes out of the oven, decorate with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped parsley and some springs of fresh thyme.



*Instead of dried porcinis, I used readily available buttons, sliced, and compensated with a little extra chicken broth I had on hand.

**I couldn't find amontillado sherry to save my life. In the end I had to substitute some white wine I had on hand and it was marvelous.

***I used my bigass turkey roasting pan, holds a 24#er every November.

My Own Little Hand-off of Power

The New Sheriff In Town

After a much too long absence, I am back,
new laptop in place, with a new post.
Finally.
And I'm rarin' to go.

If you knew me at all, you would know that I rail against Big Business,
with all their soul-destroying marketing. For instance, don't get me started
on Disneywhore.

But...I must sing the praises of a product that has really delivered for me over
the years:

Sunbeam.

I was given a yard sale stand mixer the first year of my first marriage.
For twenty-five dollars, I got 16 years of excellent service,
glitch-free.
About the time that Sunbeam was slowing down, someone gave me
yet another Sunbeam, again used, and again, an outstanding product.

As I grew into the obsessed foodie that I now am, I realized that
I was baking way too much for the old small one to handle.
Doubling batches of cookie dough (does anyone really make
a single batch anymore? They must live alone) was
becoming a health risk: I was breathing in copious amounts
of all-purpose flour every time I mixed up dough.

After reading and researching, I decided to ask Santa for the
Holy Grail: Kitchenaid.

Did I mention that I have a very enabling husband?
He fed the obsession this past Christmas and delivered unto me
a pristine egg-shell-colored Kitchenaid.

And not just any KA. It's a Professional 600 and it's sitting
on my counter as we type, purring like our new kitten Cleo.
A very special chocolate cake was his christening task,
and he was certainly up to the challenge.
Smooth as buttah.

I've named my new love Mighty Mac, which will most likely
only make sense to fellow Michiganians, but that's okay.

He's a hottie, isn't he?
Mighty Mac in profile--this is his best side.


And check out the power of this baby-he can handle the stiffest-errm-toughest
jobs I throw at him, six cups of flour or more, with no air pollution whatever.
My lungs have been giving thanks ever since he arrived.

So to the makers of Sunbeam stand mixers: I salute you! You make a
quality product. I'm a little sad that I've outgrown you.

And to Mighty Mac: I think it's the beginning of a
beautiful friendship.

These Are Great Cookies, Y'All!

(Is everyone getting tired of the leaves in the background yet? I think I am, but I'm taking advantage of natural lighting, and that's what it happens to look like beyond my front porch. Soon enough it will be a blur of white...snow, that is, snow, which rhymes with blow, which is what the wind does at fierce speeds around these parts...but I'm rambling. Again.)

Today's recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen. Say what you will about the woman's butter fetish, or her dra-w-l, or that cackling laugh of hers, she can cook like nobody's business. And that ebullient spirit of hers-how can anyone watch a session of Paula in the kitchen and not come away with a renewed love of life? The woman oozes joy from every pore. A friend got me Paula's book for Christmas last year. What a story she has to tell. She has overcome such adversity, so many roadblocks, and it hasn't brought her down. She's a survivor and she has all my respect. Can't say fairer than that.

That being said, here are...

Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 pkg (6 oz) raspberry creme filled dark chocolate baking pieces
(recommended: Hershey's Premier Dark Chocolate Baking Pieces Filled With Raspberry Creme)
Raspberry Icing (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars together at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and b aking powder; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in baking pieces. Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes.

Remove to wire racks to cool. Once cool, drizzle with Raspberry Icing.


Raspberry Icing:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. seedless raspberry preserves

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until smooth.

I love the way this pic shows the ooey, gooey chocolate piece, fresh and still warm. Yummmm

I used a small-sized ice cream scoop for these and it worked quite well.
These cookies are terrific iced or plain.
Do not overbake; let me repeat that: do not overbake. They will become chunks of concrete-don't ask me how I know.

The Second Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Around

Today's recipe, boys and girls, is adapted from The New York Times, July 9, 2008.

This is--ta da...

Grand Marnier Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This is a good cookie recipe. It's not a great recipe, but it's a good one.
I wish I could remember where I found it. Friends, family, and ex-boyfriends all know that
my memory is by now like Swiss cheese: full of holes. I throw that out at the beginning of our relationship because it's only fair that you read this blog fully informed.

It's really not much different than various and sundry other recipes I've tried over the course of my baking life, except for the Grand Marnier.
I was so hoping that the addition of this gorgeous liquid would elevate this recipe
to the level of unusual and unique, bringing me accolades and ticker tape parade status.

But no.

Truth to tell, I (with my highly trained and discerning taste buds) couldn't even detect the Marnier in it. And that lovely stuff is too expensive to use in anything where it doesn't shine through.

That said, here is the recipe. Let me know what you think of it. Can you taste this?


Grand Marnier Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

2 C. minus 2 Tbsp. cake flour
1 2/3C. bread flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 C. light brown sugar
1 C. plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Zest of one orange
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. Grand Marnier orange liqueur
1 1/4 lbs. bittersweet chocolate, 60% cocao content, chopped into chunks. **


Method:

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars, and zest togeether until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir inthe vanilla and Grand Marnier. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5-10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them into the dough. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 12-36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerate for up to 72 hours.




When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non -stick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop six 3 1/2 oz mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls: about a 1/3 of a cup***) onto each baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving. Yield: over 2 dozen, depending on size of dough mounds.




** Of course, I used more than the stated 1 1/4# of chocolate (it's a sickness, I tell you.)

*** I used a standard-sized ice cream scoop to make the dough mounds and it worked well.

One day very, very soon, I will deliver what I (and the unwashed hordes that I call 'family') consider The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.

You don't expect me to give away all my best secrets right away, do you? Then you'd have no incentive to keep coming back! Ta!