Beer Bread

     After having made beer bread from a package last year (see my blog Cheesy potato soup http://insearchoftheperfectmacaroniandcheese.blogspot.com/2012/01/potato-cheese-soup-and-beer-bread.html), I quickly looked up homemade versions.  I came across this version from food.com, but, for one reason or another, never used it.  Until a few days ago.

Beer Bread (from food.com http://www.food.com/recipe/beer-bread-73440#ixzz1inb7dUlG)

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (sifted)
3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) can beer
1/2 cup melted butter (1/4 cup will do just fine)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) Mix dry ingredients and beer.

3) Pour into a greased loaf pan.

4) Pour melted butter over mixture.

5) Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

Notes from the author (Gerald Norman):
This recipe makes a very hearty bread with a crunchy, buttery crust. If you prefer a softer crust (like a traditional bread) mix the butter into the batter instead of pouring it over the top.Sifting flour for bread recipes is a must-do. Most people just scoop the 1 cup measure in the flour canister and level it off. That compacts the flour and will turn your bread into a "hard biscuit" as some have described. That's because they aren't sifting their flour! If you do not have a sifter, use a spoon to spoon the flour into the 1 cup measure. Try it once the "correct" way and you will see an amazing difference in the end product.
I have had many email from you kind folks about using non-alcoholic beverages instead of beer. That is fine to do but I highly recommend adding a packet of Dry Active Yeast or 2 teaspoons of Bread (Machine) Yeast so that you get a proper rise.
The final result should be a thick, hearty and very tasteful bread, NOT A BRICK! ;).
Thank you all for the incredibly nice comments and those of you who left a bad review - learn to sift sift SIFT! You will be amazed at the results you get.

     As you can see, he places a great emphasis on sifting the flour.  Well, as you can probably guess, I didn't sift the flour.  Now, mind you, when I measure flour I do the "scoop and level" method: scoop flour out with measuring cup and then use a knife (or somesuch instrument) and level it off.  I made sure that I wasn't packing in the flour, but I didn't want to get all anal about it either.  And my beer bread came out just fine.  I used beer that was at room temperature, and made sure not to overmix the batter since I didn't want any of that lovely effervescence to break.  This meant that my dough was not 100% mixed in, but it came out just fine.  A little burnt on the bottom, but that's because I left it in for too long.  Very good.  And now the husband wants me to make it again, soon.  I think next time I'll add some cheese to the batter...

Of course, I forgot to take a picture of the final product until after
I had eaten part of it...

Beer bread

Which we had, once again, with cheesy potato soup

Beans 'n Greens Burritos part 2

In Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cook Book, he lists variations to try for Beans 'n Greens burritos.  One of them was chard, chickpeas and pimenton instead of kale, black beans and chile powder.  I've always been intrigued by this variation and finally decided to try it.  So, here you go.  See my original post at http://insearchoftheperfectmacaroniandcheese.blogspot.com/2012/02/beans-n-greens-burritos.html

Beans ‘n Greens Burritos (chard variety)

Ingredients:

-4 large or 8 small whole wheat flour tortillas 
-2 tbsp. olive oil
-1 onion, chopped
-1 tbsp. minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
-1 tbsp. pimenton
-salt and black pepper
-1 bunch of chard (about 1 pound), roughly chopped
-2 cups cooked or canned garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
-1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese, optional

Procedure:

1)Preheat oven 300F. Stack tortillas and roll them up in a sheet of aluminum foil. Place them in the oven to warm while you cook the filling.
2)Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to color, 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with pimenton and salt and pepper. Add the chard and cook, stirring occasionally, until leaves wilt and release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, and mash them with a fork or potato masher, adding a spoonful of the reserved liquid if the mixture seems dry.
3) To roll each burrito, lay a tortilla on a flat surface and put 1/4 of mixture (or 1/8 if using the small tortillas) on the third closest to you.  Sprinkle with some of the cheese.  Fold the tortilla over from the bottom to cover the beans and greens, then fold in the 2 sides to fully enclose them finish rolling and put the burrito seam side down on a plate.

Note: These freeze well.  Just wrap them individually in foil or wax paper and freeze in a tightly sealed container.  Reheat in the microwave or oven.

A couple of notes and one tangent:

a) Pimenton is smoked paprika.  I do not have pimenton, so I used regular paprika and cayenne pepper.  It worked.
b) I used brown rice instead of tortillas.  I've done this several times for the kale and black bean mixture, and it works equally well with the chard and chickpeas mixture.  This has definitely become one of my "go to" meals.
c) I love that Mark Bittman gives variations on his recipes.  So awesome to be able to make several things off of one recipe!  Julia Child does this as well.

Overall, I enjoyed it although perhaps not as much as the original kale and black bean mixture.  I am finding that I am liking kale more and chard less.  It used to be the opposite.  Not saying that there is anything wrong with chard, just that my tastes have changed.  However, I definitely enjoyed the taste of a flavored chickpea with brown rice.  Now that was a combo I could've eaten all day...

Beans 'n Greens chard variation

It tastes quite good on top of brown rice.

"The best Tuscan Pork Roast Dinner" (a.k.a. Christmas dinner)

Scott and  I spent a quiet Christmas house-sitting at Lynnelle and Derek's house (see Christmas cookies, part 2).  Since I had access to a full-sized kitchen, and since Lynnelle and Derek gave us a very generous gift certificate to a local grocery store called Staff of Life, I decided to cook a fancy Christmas dinner.  Looking at the cover of Cuisine at Home's Nov/Dec issue with "The Best Tuscan Pork Roast Dinner," I thought that I'd give it a try. 



Tuscan Pork roast dinner

Here is the description:

If you're looking for something out of the ordinary this holiday, take a Tuscan approach.  Start by swapping turkey for this classic stuffed and rolled arista pork roast with pan sauce.  The word arista comes from the Greek work aristos, meaning "the best," and refers to the quality of ingredients used to stuff the pork.  Use the roll cutting method, to "unroll" the pork loin, then stuff it with golden raisins and fresh herbs for the best pork you'll ever eat.
Instead of mashed potatoes, try piped savory Duchess Sweet Potatoes.  Not only are they loaded with pecorino and mascarpone, egg yolks firm them up during baking for an impressive presentation.
For a touch of green, go with wilted kale enhanced with garlic and prosciutto- it's the prefect veggie to round out the plate.

Tuscan pork roast out of the oven

Cut open so you can see the layers of deliciousness


Tuscan Pork Loin Roast from Cuisine at Home issue no. 96 November/December 2012

Note: Try to find a roast right at 3 1/4 pounds.  A little less is fine, but any larger and the roast will be too big to fit into your saute pan.

Makes 8 servings
Total time: about 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

Combine:

4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fennel seed, ground
minced zest of 1 orange

Prepare:

1 boneless pork loin roast (3 1/4 lb)
1/2 cup golden raisins, plumped
salt and black pepper

Procedure:

1) Preheat oven to 425.

2) Combine 2 tbsp. oil,rosemary, parsley, garlic, fennel and zest.

3) Prepare the loin (see further instructions below).  Drizzle 1 tbsp. of water over pork, then cover with plastic wrap.  Pound pork with the flat side of a meat mallet to 1/2 inch thick. 

4) Spread herb mixture over pork, sprinkle raisins over herbs, and season with salt and pepper.

5) Tightly roll pork into a log and snugly tie kitchen string around it at 1 1/2 inch intervals.  Season outside of roast with salt and pepper.

6) Sear roast in remaining 2 tbsp. oil in a large ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat until browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes.  Cover pain with foil and transfer to oven.

7) Roast the pork roast 20 minutes, carefully remove foil, and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145, about 20 minutes more.  Remove pan from oven.  transfer roast to a cutting board and tent with foil while preparing sauce.  Drain excess oil from pan and prepare white pan sauce in the same pan.

8) To serve, remove string from roast.  Thinly slice roast and serve with white pan sauce.



I apologize for the quality of this picture, but it at least
gives you a better idea about what I'm talking about

Directions for prepping the roll:

Note: The roll cut is the easiest way to get a pork loin thin enough to stuff and roll with a minimal amount of pounding. All you need is a sharp boning knife.  Before you start the roll cut, be sure to remove the silver skin- it's a membrane found under the fat that's too tough to chew through.

Trimming: Lay loin parallel to table's edge and create a flap of silverskin to hold on to.  Grasp the flap in your hand, placing the knife between the meat and the skin.  With knife angled up toward skin, slice across the length of the loin to remove a whole strip of silverskin.  Repeat until all silverskin and fat are removed.

Roll cutting: With loin perpendicular to table's edge and knife parallel to the cutting board, slice into right side of roast about 1/2 inch from the bottom.  Continue slicing and unrolling the pork until the pork is flat and "unrolled." Take your time and keep your knife parallel to the board to maintain an even thickness and prevent cutting through the roast.

White wine pan sauce with orange and honey.  Sheer deliciousness.

White wine pan sauce with orange and honey

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. minced shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp. honey
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp. AP flour
salt and black pepper to taste

Procedure:

1) Melt 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat in pan used to sear the roast.  Stir in shallots; cook 30 seconds.

2) De-glaze pan with wine, scraping up browned bits.  Reduce wine until nearly evaporated, 7-8 minutes.  Whisk in broth, orange juice, and honey; bring to a simmer.

3) Combine softened butter and flour to form a paste, then whisk into sauce.  Simmer sauce until thickened, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper.

Wilted Garlicky kale (crispy prosciutto is on the side, waiting to be served)

Wilted Garlicky Kale with crispy prosciutto

Ingredients:

4 oz. prosciutto, cut into thin strips
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup water
1 lb kale, stems and ribs removed, leaves chopped (16 cups packed)
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt to taste

Procedure:

1) Cook prosciutto in 1 tbsp. oil in  large pot over medium heat until crisp.  Transfer prosciutto to a paper-towel-lined plate.  Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to the pot.

2) Sweat garlic, pepper flakes, and nutmeg in oil over medium-low heat, 1 minute.  Stir in water and kale; cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.

3) Stir in vinegar, season with salt, and garnish with prosciutto.

Big piles of dog sh#@.  Erm... Duchess Sweet potatoes with
 pecorino and orange.

Seriously though, we started calling them "pootatoes."  Fortunately,
they tasted delicious (although Scott had to smash them before
he could eat them).

Duchess Sweet potatoes with pecorino and orange

Ingredients:

Toss:
3 lb. peeled, diced sweet potatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and black pepper

Puree:

1 cup grated pecorino
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp. minced toasted walnuts
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
minced zest of 2 oranges
2 tbsp. fresh parsley

Procedure:

1) Preheat oven to 425.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2) Toss sweet potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper, then transfer to a prepared baking sheet.  Roast sweet potatoes until fork-tender, 30 minutes; let cool 10 minutes.

3) Puree pecorino, mascarpone, egg yolks, walnuts, garlic, nutmeg, and zest in a food processor until smooth.  Add sweet potatoes and continue pureeing until smooth; transfer to a bowl.  Stir in parsley, then season with salt and pepper.

4) Transfer potatoes to a large piping bag fitted with a 1 1/2 inch star tip.  Pipe eight mounds onto remaining prepared baking sheet; bake until tops are lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

First of all, I think this was the hardest meal that I've ever made (and I've made quite a few hard meals).  I would highly highly highly recommend that, if you ever do decide to make this meal, you try to see if you can get your local butcher to "unroll" your pork roast for you.  I had Scott do this part, and it must have taken him well over an hour, if not 2-3 hours!  Mind you, we have very little experience butchering meat, and we didn't have the right tools, and we might not have had a "proper" pork roast at all (Scott said that the butcher had to put a pork roast together for him)... but still!  It was very hard. 
As for the meal itself, I figured I must have spent well over five and a half hours cooking this meal; what with all the things to coordinate and all the prepping that needed to be done ahead of time.  Jeez!  I'd judge this as more work than even thanksgiving, where at least I know ahead of time how much work is going into it.  That being said, the meal is totally worth it.  It is amazing!  Amazing!  Amazing!  Okay, I think you get my point.  One bite of the pork loin on its own convinced me of that fact.  And then, when I tried it with the heavenly pan sauce, I was transported to another world.  A world of sheer deliciousness. 

A couple of notes on the sides:

1) I didn't really care for the kale that much.  Steamed kale is not my favorite and it was a bit too garlicky for me.  It was rather amusing that the garlic turned purple since I used purple kale. 
2)  When buying kale, know that I ended up using most of, but not quite all, of two bunches.
3) The Duchess sweet potatoes.  Oh my....Where to start?  Well, as you can see from the picture, they came out looking like giant piles of dog poop.  Disgustingly and amusingly so.  I think that this happened because of two reasons:
    a) Although the recipe calls for sweet potatoes, I think Cuisine at home really used yams.  Scott went out of his way to find actual sweet potatoes.  Alas, sweet potatoes are much more brown in color than yams.  The pictures that they show in the magazine show beautiful piped mounds of orange potatoes. 
     b) However, I didn't have a decorating tip, so I used a bag that I cut a corner out of.  Thus, what could have been nicely decorated with ridges instead came out as solid piles.  Once cooked, well, you see how they came out.  We started calling them "pootatoes."  Fortunately, they taste absolutely amazing (although Scott had to smush them a bit before he could eat them).  They also have a great texture: hot crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside.  I used parmesan cheese instead of pecorino as that was what I had around.  Oh, and I used tangerine zest instead of orange peel in this (and all the other recipes) for the same reason.

All in all, even though it was a lot of work, I would definitely recommend setting aside some time and making this.  It is amazing.  Yum!  But, unless you are a really good butcher, try to see if you can get someone else to do the butchering part for you.  Yikes!

Another view of our Christmas dinner with a nice display of "pootatoes."

Me enjoying the delicious meal.

Christmas cookies, part 2

Okay, I had to wait a while to write this post as some of my cookies were Christmas gifts and some didn't get finished until later (right now, in fact).  So, here are my last three Christmas "cookies" recipes.

Biscotti from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

Biscotti after the first baking

After the second baking

Notes: makes 3-4 dozen

Time: about 1 1/4 hours

Ingredients: 
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the baking sheets
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract (I used almond)
2 1/4 cups AP flour, plus more for dusting the baking sheets
2 tsp baking powder 
Pinch salt

Procedure:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy; beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla or almond extract.
2) Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and add it to the batter a little at a time.
3) Butter two baking sheets (or use parchment paper if you are like me) and dust them with flour; invert the sheets and tap them to remove excess flour.  Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 2-inch-wide log.  Place each log onto one of the baking sheets.
4) Bake until the loaves are golden and beginning to crack on top, about 30 minutes; remove the logs from the oven.  Lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees.
5) When the loaves are cool enough to handle, cut each on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices, using a serrated knife.  Place the slices on the sheets, return to the oven, and leave them until they dry out, about 15 to 20 minutes; turn once.  Cool on wire racks.  These will keep in an airtight container for several days.

Variations: 

Add one cup chopped nuts into dough before baking
Mix one tsp minced lemon or orange zest into dry ingredients
Dip baked biscotti in melted chocolate
Mix about 1/2 cup dried fruit into dough before baking
Mix about 3/4 cup chocolate chips into dough before baking

I made these quite a while ago, but didn't want to blog about them as they were one of my Christmas gifts to people this year.  Because the biscotti were going to travel a long way, I didn't want to put any dried fruits or nuts into them that could have gone bad.  Some of my shipments took a looonnng time to arrive, but, from what I understand, they still came out delicious.  When I made the recipe, I used parchment paper so didn't have to worry about that whole greasing and flouring step.  I love parchment paper!  God bless whoever invented the stuff.  Also, I don't know if it was the way I shaped the dough or what, but it made way less than 3-4 dozen.  I made two batches and don't feel like I got that much out of it.  But, what I did get was delicious!

Homemade marshmallows from Alton Brown's Good Eats
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-marshmallows-recipe/index.html

How the marshmallows looked right as I was cutting them.
This was taken after I let them dry overnight.

I just love the light and shadows on this picture.

Homemade marshmallows

Total Time:

4 hr 45 min

Prep

35 min

Inactive

4 hr 0 min

Cook

10 min

Yield:

approximately 9 dozen marshmallows or 1 1/2 pounds miniature

Level:

Intermediate

Ingredients:

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup ice cold water, divided
• 12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Nonstick spray

Directions:

1) Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

2) In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

3) Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

For regular marshmallows:

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Check out the website.  Alton Brown has a clip of him making the marshmallows which is really helpful to watch. Another thing to note is that you have to have a standing mixer to make this recipe.  A hand mixer just isn't powerful enough (plus, who would want to sit there holding the silly mixer for 15 minutes anyways?).  The marshmallows came out delicious.  I used a coconut spray as my nonstick spray so the marshmallows have a slight hint of coconut.  Mmmm...  Now I have a whole container of them and am trying to decide how to use all of their deliciousness.  I would definitely like to make this recipe again with, say, a mint extract or some other extract.  How fun!

Christmas Sugar Cookies from Cooking Club of America http://www.cookingclub.com/Recipes/ArticleType/ArticleView/ArticleID/9740

My cookies before decorating

I decided to go with the frosting option

With sprinkles!

I really thought the center star cookie came out beautifully

BY: Lisa Saltzman

Transform classic sugar cookies into holiday superstars. These cutout cookies can be decorated in an endless variety of ways. Using simple egg yolk paint, decorating is easy for young and old, or get creative with a delicious butter frosting and an assortment of sprinkles and sparkles.

COOKIES
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GLAZE, if desired
2 egg yolks
Assortment of food coloring

FROSTING, if desired
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Assorted sprinkles

1. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Beat 1 cup butter and sugar in large bowl at medium speed 3 to 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla until blended and smooth. At low speed, beat in flour mixture, just until combined. Shape into 2 flat rounds. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

2. Heat oven to 350°F. On lightly floured surface, roll 1 dough round to 1/4-inch thickness. (Let dough stand 15 minutes at room temperature to soften before rolling, if necessary.) With cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Place 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate while making glaze.

3. To paint cookies, whisk egg yolks in small bowl until smooth. Divide into 4 or 5 small cups. Stir 1/8 teaspoon food coloring into each cup to tint yolks to desired color. With small paint brushes, paint cookies with glaze before baking.

4. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool completely on wire rack.

5. Meanwhile, to make frosting, beat 3 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and 1/2 cup butter in large bowl at medium speed 2 to 3 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla until blended, adding additional powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time to desired frosting consistency. Divide into 4 small cups. Add small drops of food coloring to each cup to tint to desired color. Frost cookies; decorate with sprinkles. Let stand until frosting is set.

3 dozen (3-inch) cookies

PER COOKIE: 180 calories, 8 g total fat (5 g saturated fat), 1.5 g protein, 25.5 g carbohydrate, 35 mg cholesterol, 30 mg sodium, .5 g fiber

These were cookies I meant to make before/around Christmas time but for some reason never got around to it.  Finally, on my last day (New Year's day) of house-sitting at my friends Lynnelle and Derek's house (yes, the same people we house-sat for on Thanksgiving), I decided to bake a batch of these Christmas cookies and another batch of gingerbread men.  Of course, after we moved out, we were too busy unpacking here at home for me to decorate the cookies I had just baked.  So, two days later (today), I finally got the chance to decorate 45(!) cookies as a reward for cleaning and unpacking everything.  I decided to go with the frosting decoration item and used sprinkles I had bought for this occasion.  I don't usually like to use food dye, but I thought I could make an exception for Christmas cookies.  They just look so much more colorful that way!  I had fun decorating all those cookies, but I will say that I got really sick of eating all that frosting.  I never thought I would get sick of frosting, but oh boy does it get tiresome when you're constantly sampling it (how can one resist?).  Now I'm so sick of frosting that I don't want to eat it for quite a while.  Which is rather ironic with 24 fully-frosted Christmas cookies waiting for me to eat.  Anyways, the Christmas cookies came out like a super good version of Christmas cookies that I have bought in the store.  

All the cookies I decorated today

My much more nicely decorated gingerbread men.  In the lower
right corner is Robin Hood (see the arrow).  In the upper left
is an upside-down Ginger bread man.  To the left of Robin
Hood is a flower growing towards the sun.

Gingerbread men coming together for world peace.  Or maybe
they're all in a hot tub.

Update on gingerbread men: As you can see from the above decorations, I tried making the gingerbread men again.  This time, I refrigerated the dough overnight and baked them the next day.  What a difference that made!  I actually had to let the dough sit out for a little while (about 5-10 minutes or so) until it was pliable enough to roll.  I also bought an icing decorating kit (and made sure my icing was at the right consistency) so the decorations were much more controlled.  Of course, I let the cookies cool down completely before decorating (two days is enough, right?).

Risotto alla Milanese

So one of the problems about writing blogposts after the fact is that you don't always really remember what dishes were like.  Right now, my mind is on the 45 cookies that I just decorated (another blogpost on that later), so it is hard to think back to eating risotto about a month or so ago.  So, I'll type up the recipe and see if that rings any bells:

Risotto alla Milanese from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

Ingredients: 

4-6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or water
1/2 tsp saffron threads (optional)
2 tbsp. butter or extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. butter, softened (optional)
1 medium onion, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio or other short- or medium-grain rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Procedure:

1) Warm the liquid in a medium saucepan over medium heat, crumble the saffron into it, and leave the heat on.
2) Place the butter or oil in  a large saucepan or skillet, preferably non-stick, and turn the heat to medium. When it's hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes.
3) Add the rice and stir until it is coated with butter.  Add a little salt and pepper, then the white wine.  Stir and let the liquid bubble away.
4) Begin to add the warmed stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring after each addition and every minute or so.  When the stock is just about evaporated, add more.  The mixture should be neither soupy nor dry.  Keep the heat medium to medium-high, and stir frequently (constant stirring is not necessary).
5) Begin tasting the rice 20 mints after you add it; you want it to be tender but with still a tiny bit of crunch.  It could take as long as 30 minutes to reach this stage.  When it does, add the softened butter and Parmesan. Check the seasoning, adjust if necessary, and serve immediately.

I remember that we used leftover champagne from Thanksgiving as we had it around instead of the white rice.  I also used my homemade chicken stock, so the rice ended up tasting very chicken-y until we added in the Parmesan.  I liked it; but I remember thinking that I added in a bit too much parmesan.  Anyways, risotto was fun to make and something I will definitely make again.  Thanks to my friend Keri who originally sent me on the risotto path.

Risotto alla Milanese