Pretty, Pretty Christmas Cookies

Aren't they lovely?

'Tis the season for baking.  Especially Christmas baking.  Especially Christmas cookies.  And I made the most BEAUTIFUL Christmas cookies yesterday.  I can't help it.  I love the way these look.  And taste, of course.

They are very simple, as simple as peanut blossoms.  Actually, they were inspired by peanut blossoms, but instead of chocolate kisses, they are made with peppermint kisses.  And since peanut butter and mint are just weird together, I had to use a different cookie.  We used snickerdoodles last year, and they were very good.  But this year I was flipping through my Taste of Home cookbooks and came across the recipe for Chocolate Crackle cookies.  Perfect!  They are nice and chocolatey, and easy to make.  Excellent compliment to the peppermint kisses.  And this combination is not only great for eating, it is also very pleasing to the eye.  At least, I think they are.  So without further ado, I give you my Pretty Peppermint Kiss Cookies.

Pretty Peppermint Kiss Cookies
Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar6 Tablespoons oil (I used coconut)2 eggs6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon saltpowdered sugar36 Peppermint kisses

In a large bowl, beat sugar, cocoa, and oil until blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until chilled - at least 2 hours or overnight.  I didn't take it out until right before scooping and I didn't have any trouble.


Shape dough into 1-in. balls - I used my small cookie scoop, so about 1 Tablespoon size. Roll in powdered sugar. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks. Immediately press one peppermint kiss in each cookie. They do tend to puddle a little, but if you don't jostle them and have the kitchen cool enough, they should hold their shape. Makes about 3 dozen.

Here's the original Chocolate Crackle Cookie recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Old-Fashioned-Crackle-Cookies 

Beer Can Chicken

  Yes, it is Friday.  Why am I posting a chicken recipe on a Friday?  Actually, more of you are probably wondering why I wouldn’t be posting a chicken recipe on a Friday, since abstaining from meat on Fridays outside of lent is now optional for Catholics.  So we’ll make that another post.  For those of you who, like my family, choose to keep meat as our Friday sacrifice, I will answer the question.  I am posting this recipe on a Friday because 1) We butchered Wednesday, therefore giving me the push to post this, but I had yesterdays post for yesterday so I had to wait for today.  And 2) If you are like us on any other week of the year, you need to take the chicken out of the freezer if you want to cook it.  Or you need to buy it.  Either way, now you have some time to prepare for the weekend.  Don’t forget the charcoal!  Or, if you want to get really fancy and delicious, the hickory.  Don’t worry, a gas grill works great, too.  In fact, we have excellent results in the oven all year long, too.
Okay, to the recipe.  We were taught how to make beer can chicken by a neighbor, but the seasoning recipe was all mine.  And I will keep it that way, thank you very much, unless you subscribe to my blog.  Oh, never mind....
Beer Can Chicken
Seasoning: (Makes enough for 4 chickens)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
(The last four ingredients can be replaced with any salt-free blend of your choice.  Penzey’s Bangkok Blend is awesome! Or, if you use a blend with salt, reduce the salt)
Other Ingredients:
Whole chickens, about 3-4 pounds each.  You want them to be able stand up on your grill on top of a beer or pop can, so make sure they are big enough, but not too big.  
Olive oil for massaging chickens
1 can of beer for each chicken. Juice, wine, or pop (soda to you ;) ) works too, but you will need a beer or pop can to stand the chicken on.  
Directions: 

1) Combine all seasoning ingredients.  Set aside. Drink some beer. 

2) Start the grill, or the oven.  If you are grilling you want it about medium heat, and if you are roasting you want your oven to be at 425º.  If you are using charcoal or hardwood, you want enough to have a medium hot fire for about an hour to an hour and a half.  You will find better grilling advice somewhere else on the internet.

3) Rinse your chickens.  Make sure there aren't any lungs or anything stuck inside.  If I butchered them, there won't be any - but you may not be so fortunate in your source.  Drink a little more beer.

4)Massage each chicken with olive oil. We used a yummy roasted red pepper olive oil in the photos. Having an assistant is very helpful in these steps - one to pour and sprinkle, one to massage. 

5) Rub the chickens generously with the seasonings.  Use your fingers to create pockets under the skin on the breasts and have your assistant pour a tablespoon in each side. You can do the same thing to the thighs. Put a little in the cavity.  Drink a bit more beer.

6) By now your can should be about 1/2 - 2/3 full, er, I mean 1/3 to 1/2 empty.  If there is too much, drink a little more.  Or pour it into a glass.  If not enough - go grab another can.  

7)You can find can racks like this one around -- I think we paid $3-$4 at Menards.  If you don't have one, no problem.  They just steady the cans in case your chickens get a bit tipsy...Put your can in the can holder, or in a roasting pan or on your prepared grill.  

7) If you are grilling, wrap the legs with foil to keep them from getting too dark.  Then stand the chickens up on the cans.  Again, an assistant is very helpful.  Bend the wingtips behind the chicken.  Just 'cause it looks so cute. It does help things to cook, too, I suppose.

8) If you are grilling, it will probably take about an hour to an hour and half for the chicken to cook.  Every bird and fire is a little different.  It's the weekend.  Kick back and enjoy the sun.  Grab an extra beer or two for flair ups.  If you can push the coals aside so you can have indirect heat, that's great.  If you can't, well, that's why we use foil.  Cover the grill.  Keep an eye on it, but don't worry too much.  If you are baking the chicken, don't cover it.  Just put the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes.  Yes, I am just pulling times out of my hat.  You could refer to a cookbook to see how many minutes per pound at that temperature.  Or you could sit down, sip the rest of the beer, and finish your book.  Or read old Rambling Amateur posts. Or peel potatoes.  Your choice.  The chicken is done when the thighs and breast are 180º or the juices run clear.  The wings may be done a little sooner - feel free to tear them off and eat them while you are waiting.

9) Eat.  But you figured that out already.  Remember, chicken skin has many healthy vitamins, like E, D, and K.  Enjoy!    

P.S. 

I should probably mention WHY you should try this recipe.  Simple - There is no better way to cook chicken.  None.  Zip.  It comes out tender and juicy and flavorful and delicious.  It is the ONLY way to grill.  Like your grilled chicken with BBQ sauce?  No problem.  Just brush it on the chickens like you normally would - and then smile when you realize that the sauce is sticking to the chickens, not the grill.  Don't like beer?  No problem.  Use Lemon Lime Soda.  Or juice.  Or wine.  The other day, my dad forgot the cans and just stood the chickens on the can racks on the grill and it STILL turned out good (although the hickory wood he was cooking probably helped.)  In the oven, these come out like rotisserie chicken.  You can mix up the spices, too.  I highly recommend Penzey's salt free blends, like Jerk or Bangkok.  Do try the original recipe, though.  The sugar-salt-spice mix is pretty awesome on the grill.  Or in the oven.  Seriously.   

Best-Ever Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Okay!  I give up! I shall surrender my recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  You may recall that I was holding it for ransom last spring, in hopes of gaining a few more followers.  No such luck.  Ah well, that's what I get for such underhanded schemes.
I really have no right to say that this is the best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie recipe ever, because I invented it, therefor I am extremely biased.  But tell me, do you really get all the strawberry-goodness you want when you cook strawberries?  I didn't think so.  Strawberries are best fresh.  The fresher the better.  So in my pie, I do not cook them, I use them in their fresh, natural state as a sweet and juicy topping to a delicious rhubarb pie.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Rhubarb Layer:

3/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. flour

1/8 tsp. salt

4 c. diced rhubarb

1 9” deep dish or 10” unbaked pie crust

1/2 c. cream

Preheat oven to 425º F.  Combine sugar, flour, and salt.  Add rhubarb and stir to coat evenly.  Pour into pie crust. Pour cream on top.  Bake for 10 minutes at 435º.  Reduce heat to 375º and bake for 35 minutes longer or until crust is done and rhubarb is tender.  Cool. Chill if not serving same day.

Strawberry Glaze:

2 1/2 c. fresh strawberries, cleaned and halved divided

1/3 c. water

1/3 c. sugar

1 T. cornstarch

Combine 1/2 c. strawberries and water in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Add water if needed to make 3/4 c. total puree.  Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan.  Add in pureed berries and cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Cool without stirring.  Add to remaining 2 cups of berries.  Chill. Arrange strawberries over cooled rhubarb pie, preferably just before serving. Chill leftovers.   

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

We took a bowl of these yummy pickles to a dance last night, and I got lots of recipe requests.  I told everyone I'd post the recipe on my blog, so here it is!

Refrigerator Dills

1 gallon Cucumbers, cut into chunks

4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced (you can use any hot pepper you like, just be reasonable.  You could      also skip this ingredient for a milder pickle.)

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin

2 1/2 Tbl. dried dill weed (good)
or
5-6 heads of fresh dill (better)

2 red onions, sliced (I don't add them, because I think they loose the "classic" dill pickle taste, but some may like them)

Brine
1 cup Cider Vinegar

1/3 cup pickling salt

4 cups water

1. Pack vegetables into a gallon (or two half gallon, or whatever) jar in layers with the dill and garlic.
2. Bring the brine ingredients to a boil and pour over the veggies in the jar (make sure it covers all of the cukes!)
3. Let stand at room temperature until cool, then refrigerate for at least 24 hours (48 is better, but who can wait!)  Store refrigerated.

These are the best homemade dill pickles EVER.  They are crunchy, and sour, and not too salty.  People say they remind them of Claussen Dill Pickles.  Enjoy!

National Ice Cream Day!

  I just found out that today is National Ice Cream Day!  So I have decided to take a break from chronicling my travels to post a couple of our favorite ice cream recipes, and to finally post a review on our AWESOME ice cream maker.
  Since the birth of our sweet little heifer, Eulalia, we have had lots of milk and cream to enjoy.  And what better treat to make with cream than ice cream?  Especially in this soupy weather we're having right now.  It's 91º outside, but with the humidity it feels like 105º!
  We bought our ice cream maker just before Easter, and absolutely LOVE it.  It is a Cuisinart ICE-30BC, and makes about 2 qts. of ice cream per batch.  We also bought an extra freeze bowl, so we can make more than one batch of ice cream at a time.

Chocolate Ice Cream
  The book that came with the ice cream maker has some really great recipes, including this super simple chocolate ice cream.  I have been looking for YEARS to find a chocolate ice cream recipe that didn't taste bland or burnt.  This is it.  

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2/3 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
dash of salt
1 1/2 c. whole milk
3 1/4 c. heavy cream
1 T. vanilla

Mix cocoa powder, sugars, and salt until well combined (no cocoa lumps.)  Add milk, cream, and vanilla.  Freeze in ice cream maker 25-35 minutes.  Ripen 2 hours in freezer, if desired (keeps it from melting so fast.)


Surprise Sandwich Ice Cream
For those a little more adventurous, and who love peanut butter as much as I do, there is this recipe.  You can leave out the marshmallows and chocolate, and just have peanut butter ice cream, but what's the fun in that?  The name comes from the yummy "Surprise sandwiches" my mom used to make when I was little.  She would take and spread peanut butter on bread, sprinkle it with chocolate chips and marshmallows, and put the sandwich in the oven until the marshmallows toasted.  Yum!  I recommend letting this recipe freeze a couple of days to let the marshmallows soften.  Just make sure you take it out about 15 minutes before serving to make it easier to scoop!


Ice Cream:
2 c. heavy cream
2 c. milk
1 c. white sugar
1/2 T. vanilla
dash of salt
1 c. creamy peanut butter

Additional ingredients:
1 1/12 c. mini marshmallows
Chocolate Swirl (recipe below)

Mix cream, milk, and sugar until sugar dissolves.  In a separate bowl, mix vanilla, salt, and peanut butter.  Add cream mixture into peanut butter a little at a time, until well combined (or use an electric mixer.)  Freeze in ice cream maker for about 25 minutes, or until done. Add additional ingredients and allow ice cream maker to mix them for a couple of minutes to combine.

Chocolate swirl:
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 regular size hershey's milk chocolate bar
1/4 c. cream
dash of salt

In a double boiler, melt the chocolates without stirring until they are shiny.  Stir and add cream and salt.  Drop by tablespoons full when ice cream is done, but while ice cream maker is still running.  Don't over mix!

P.S.
The Chocolate Swirl tastes very much like the chocolate in moose tracks ice cream :)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Photo taken by "Rita" at fromyesterdaystomorrow.blogspot.com 

  I don't seem to have a schedule anymore.  Not good.  I'll figure something out, I'm sure.  Of course, a little outside encouragement would help ;)  Hmmmm....I have an idea.  Today, I shall post pictures of my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. 

 It is super yummy, if I do say so myself.  It is also my own recipe :D  So I think I will hold that currently super-secret recipe hostage until I have 12 followers.  I know, that's only 4 more than I have right now, but I really hate to wait to share this recipe!  But I have to do SOMETHING to get more readers!  What?  I'm not worth reading?  Sigh.  I know I can do better.  I have a million things I want to write, just no time.  Where the time is, I don't know.  I had it when I was in school, and I should have gained more since then, but other matters keep popping up - like gardening.  And cleaning.  And trip planning.  Sigh.  But I solemnly promise to post at least TWICE a week once I have a dozen followers.  AND I will post the recipe (never before published) for my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  It has the perfect blend of sweet and tart, of fresh and creamy, of strawberry and rhubarb.  Oh, and if I get 15 followers, I will even throw in the recipe for my piecrust, plus some tips to make it even easier to make ;).  

Unmasking Girl Scouts

    For most of us, the first thing we probably think when we hear “Girl Scouts” is “COOKIES!”  After all, who can resist those yummy thin mints?  Of course, over the years you have probably noticed how the cookies - and boxes - get smaller every year, even as the price goes up.  After all, it’s for the community, right?  Sure, the cookies aren’t as good as you remembered (or as big.) Sure you know they are full of non-nutritious yumminess. So we shell out, to feed our yearly craving, telling ourselves we are supporting our communities and the girls.  

    Because of the feminist agenda I know Girl Scouts supports, I don’t support their cause, but I admit to buying the cookies from friends and family when they come around every year.  But no more.  After reading through a site set up by two brave young women, I don’t think I will ever be able to stomach another girl scout cookie unless I have made it myself (more on that in a moment.)

    SpeakNowGirlScouts.com is a site set up by two Texas teens, both longtime scouts.  They quit the organization after discovering that what the Girl Scout organization supported, they could not.  They took a stand, and are now sharing what they have found with others.  

    I think it is important to note that the problem with Girl Scouts, as with many organizations, does not necessarily lie in the troupes, rather it is a problem with corporate.  Unfortunately, the negatives will undoubtably trickle down, and supporting one means supporting the other.  Which brings us back to the cookies.  

    If you hold the same views that I do, that it is better for women to be feminine than feminist, and that it is impossible for the world see find women equal to men when all they want to do is appear the same as men - in other words, a women’s role in the world is as important as a man’s, and that makes her equal, not her ability to fulfill his role - if you agree, you may realize that you can no longer stomach shelling out exorbitant amounts of money for an increasingly poor, yet nonetheless addicting box of cookies.  Never fear, there is a homemade and evermore delicious option available!!!  And you don’t have to wait for the next cookie season!  

    Sorry, I don’t have my own recipe for any girl scout cookies, but I have tested the Homemade and All-natural Thin Mint Recipe from 101 Cookbooks.  Everyone who tried them, loved them. They were sweet, crispy, chocolatey, minty, deliciousness.  I did coat them with chocolate chips - generally not considered good quality semi-sweet chocolate, but will work in a pinch. I think better chocolate would have added a lot, possibly something just a little sweeter.  I made these for Christmas, and the hidden tin in the fridge stayed fresh nicely.  Another note- they break easily, so do not try to cut them with a fun note-shaped cookie cutter!  

I plan on testing some other “girl scout” cookie recipes soon, and will be sure to share the results!  One site in particular that looks good is Baking Bites blog.  There is even a recipe for tagalongs!  Can’t wait to get baking!  The thin mint recipe are slice and bake, so I will definitely have to try those as well.  If you have your own recipe, or if you try one of these, let me know!  I'd love to compare notes  :)  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello!  I hope everyone has a nice long list of things to be thankful for this year!
I was asked to email this recipe to my sister this morning, so I thought that since I had it on the computer, I would share it with the rest of the world.  I cannot take credit for this recipe, although I slightly modified the amounts to fit into a larger pan.  It is a Taste of Home Recipe, originally titled "Mom's Sweet Potato Bake." I don't know what year it came out, but it has been a favorite at our house since we first made it.  It is good hot, cold, and in between.  It is an excellent side dish, and also a good desert.  I think I've had the leftovers for breakfast a few times, too.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Bake

Ingredients

• 4 cups cold mashed sweet potatoes (40 oz. can or cooked prepared without milk or butter)
• 1 ⅓ cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 
  TOPPING:
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 teaspoons cold butter (2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, salt and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a greased 9”x13” baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160º or a knife comes out clean;.

The original recipe can be found here: Mom's Sweet Potato Bake Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes