mexican wedding cookies

I like cookies.  I can be happy with many, many different types.  Absolutely no complaints.  But I do have two favorites:  molasses crinckles and mexican wedding cookies.   If those two are part of the offerings, even as much as I like chocolate, those are the ones I go for.  Molasses crinckles I have made for years.  My best friend used to make me the mexican wedding cookies as presents.  But life has gotten in the way.

I decided it was time for me to make them myself.  Actually, with my helper.  They are very simple.  The biggest issue is just getting fresh walnuts and chopping them all up.  I have been enjoying my cookies this week.  My helper likes them too.

mexican wedding cookies

1 cup butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped finely

powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream butter and sugar together fluffy.  Mix in vanilla.  Mix in flour and salt.  Mix in the walnuts.

Roll in small balls and place on cookie sheets.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.

Let cool until warm and roll in powdered sugar.

Tea.  Cookies.  Rocking chair.  Life is good.

mussels with a blue cheese dressing

I have had mussells a couple times recently and come to realize that I really like them.  I want to be able to have them more often then going to a resturant so I decided to figure them out at home.  I tried mussells cooked with wine and decided I really need a wine that I liked to cook them in.  I just cooked them in a wine we had.  

We had mussells with a blue cheese dressing out so I decided to try something like that.  Once I got the cooking time down, these were quite good.  I served them with roasted potatoes and broccoli.  We enjoyed them very much.  The Tall Short Person is still not sure of them but it does mean more for my Beloved and myself.  I will be making these again and trying variations!

mussels with blue cheese dressing

2 pounds mussels, cleaned, debearded, and soaked in water for at least 20 minutes, wash clean

1 large handful of chives, cleaned and chopped fine

About 1/4 cup of minced garlic 

Juice of 2 lemons

5 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 cup of good blue cheese salad dressing

1/2 cup of crumbled blue cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farhenheit

In a large pan (mine is cast iron), put the drained mussells.   Sprinkle with chives, garlic, the juice of the lemons, and the olive oil.  Cover.  Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes.  I stirred at the 10 minute mark and the 20 minute mark.  You want the mussells to have opened and cooked.

Mix the blue cheese dressing and the blue cheese together.

Put in the middle of the table, uncovered.  If you have people who like mussells, remove your self.  If not, you get all the mussells to yourself.

sourdough english muffins

This weekend seemed full of bread and Small Mister helping me.  I got the new King Arthur catalog in the mail (the one they send EVERYONE at Christmas).  It is a lovely catalog to flip through but I never buy anything.  I did see a recipe for baked English muffins.  Usually, I do not try their recipes either.  Too many speciality items but that is what they sell.  My thought seeing this recipe was, "this way I could cook them all at once and not two at a time."  That is how small my griddle really is.  Just two at a time.  So Small Mister and I made it one of my bread projects.

Now, I love English muffins but I have not had them in the house for years.  It comes with making my own bread and that very small griddle.  I am now going to have English muffins again in the house.  I was wondering how this might work with crumpets.  Something to try when a dozen English muffins are eaten!

sourdough english muffins

Note:  adapted from King Arthur flour recipe

sourdough starter

1 cup flour

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

The night before, mix the starter with 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water in a large bowl.  Cover.  Let sit at least 8 hours or until bubbly.

Before you start mixing the dough, remove a couple tablespoons of starter and put in the refrigerator for next time.

Mix all the other ingredients into the starter.  Cover.  Let sit until puffy.  My kitchen was very cold so it was a couple three hours.

Grease 12 English muffin rings.  Put parchment paper on two baking sheets.  Place six rings on each sheet.  Divide the dough into 12 bits and put in the rings.  Smear around.  Cover.  If you wish both sides to be smooth and not domed, cover this side with parchment paper and another baking sheet.  That means four baking sheets total.  I only have two so I have domed English muffins.  

Let rise 60 to 90 minutes, or until puffy.  Again, my kitchen was cold so it took longer.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put the muffins in.  Bake for ten minutes.  Turn over and bake for another 5 minutes.  If you are using the two baking sheet method, flip with both sheets.  Use hot mitts!  They will be lightly golden.

I forgot to take the picture of the split, toasted English muffin dripping with melted butter and homemade jam.  Just know, my breakfast has now changed to that and tea.  Life is sooooo good!

harvest crostada

It has been a week.  The quick trip to Florida and the celebration of the wedding really took it out of me.  I feel like I am still recovering.  Add a computer upgrade to it....  I feel like there could really be a do over going on here.  But I told my Beloved on the way home from work today that I was antsy.  I do enjoy the traveling even when it exhausts me. 

We had a simple meal today, nachos.  But then I wanted a little something sweet.  I made a crostada with pears, apples, dried cherries, and pecans in it.  There have been a lot of stuffed apple recipes floating around the web in recent weeks.  This is close as I get.  I do find that I prefer the simpler combinations of just pear or apple and pear but this is nice.  It has a very harvest type flavor and a little dressier if you wish to impress.  It is just as easy as an only fruit crostada.  I have been keeping a bit of dough in the refrigerator for the crust.  Easy peasy.

harvest crostada

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and sliced into small bits

2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into small bits

1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped fine

1/4 cup pecans, chopped fine

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter 

1/4 to 1/3 recipe of pizza dough  (mine had been in the refrigerator for over a week)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out the pizza dough until very thin.  Place the apples and pears on top of the dough.  Sprinkle the cherries and pecans on top.  Mix the cinnamon and brown sugar together in a small ball.  Sprinkle on top of the fruit.  Dollop the butter over the top in small bits.

Fold the sides of the dough up and over the fruit.  Put on a baking sheet or a shallow pan with sides.

Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until the fruit is soft and the dough is golden.

A lovely finish an evening.

clam and crab chowder

My Beloved asked for clam chowder recently.  Since he was helping me with the shopping, we picked up some crab too.  Both in cans so we could make our lives easy.  We like a cream based chowder but with a thin broth.  I think he was trying to pretend it was autumn here.  It is autumn here but there is nothing cool about it.  Sweaters and coats still are not needed.  It was actually cooler at the beach in Florida then it is here.  It just makes me sigh.  But the chowder lets me pretend it is cooler.  I also like soup.  We were talking tonight we need to make this again soon.

crab and clam chowder

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 ounces bacon or ham (our bacon is much more like ham), chopped fine

1/2 onion, chopped fine

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 to 2 pounds red potatoes, quartered if small, cubed if large

2 cans clams

1 can crab

1/2 to 1 cup whipping cream (I used the smaller amount, really just a large dollop)

salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pan, put the olive oil, butter, and bacon.  Heat over medium heat.  Brown the bacon.  Add the onion and cook slowly until golden.  Add the garlic.  Let get brown.  Add the potatoes and enough water to just cover the potatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down, cover and let cook until the potatoes are cooked through.

Add the clams and crab.  Stir well.  Mix in the heavy whipping cream.  Add about a teaspoon ground pepper and taste.  Add more salt and pepper if needed.