Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

When I was younger and worked part-time, I would always start ‘Creating Christmas’ in July.

I made a lot of my gifts back then, and would start work on them and on planning food and decor, in Summer; and by the end of September almost everything except cooking and decorating the house was finished, and many recipes and notes were saved/jotted-down for cooking, decorating and shopping.

It made for much more leisurely holidays than I’ve enjoyed in recent years, and I’m trying this year to get back to handling things that way again.

A while back I bought a gadget that I’ve never used, but will include in my cookie-making this Christmas. It’s a little cutter that makes ‘pinwheel’ cookies (some people call them ‘windmill’ cookies) easy and very uniform:

But you can cut these on your own, without a gadget; here is Lazarus Lynch on ‘TasteMade’, showing how to make ‘Peach Pie Pinwheel Cookies:

My favorite gifts to make were always ornaments, and I went through a period where I made many of the beaded-and-jeweled ornaments similar to the ones sold in kits by 'The Cracker Box' in Pennsylvania, and for which you could also buy less expensive kits back in the '60s. But lately, I’ve become interested in more rustic decorations, and will be making some of these, this year:

They’re very easy to make, and require no sewing. There are lots of tutorials on the web, and this one comes from 'Shabby Fabrics':

I have two like that.. One for pinwheels and one for Kaiser rolls. I love the smell of these cooking during Christmas. They taste so good. This is a recipe most similar to the one I use. I use the liquor in my recipe.

Authentic Italian Anise Biscotti
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
4 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoon anise extract OR 2 teaspoons anise seed OR 2 teaspoons Anisette liqueur

Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Position rack in the center.
2.Grease and flour (or use non-stick spray) three 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pans. Alternately, prepare a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
3.In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4.In a large mixing bowl, or bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment beat the eggs on medium speed until light and frothy (about 2-3 minutes).
5.Add the sugar and whisk for another minute or so.
6.Add the oil and extracts. Whisk for another minute.
7.Incorporate the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
8.Pour mixture in the 3 prepared loaf pans. [If using a cookie sheet, pour ¼ of the batter down the middle. Will need to repeat this step. Word of caution: the batter will expand].
9.Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
10.Remove from loaf pans and let cool for a few minutes.
11.Transfer to cutting board.
12.Using a serrated knife, slice cookies about ¼ inch thick (or thicker).
13.Place slices flat down on parchment lined baking sheets, and bake for about another 5-8 minutes or longer, depending on your personnel preference and your oven (the longer they stay in the oven, the crispier they get). Make sure to turn the slices over to ensure even toasting.
14.Can be stored at room temperature for a few weeks...if they last that long.

Notes This is not your typical biscotti batter that you can roll into a "log" shape. The loaf pans help keep the batter confined. If using sheet pans, expect the batter to expand and the final shape of your biscotti will be longer and thinner, but just as tasty :) Enjoy!!!
Authentic Italian Anise Biscotti

Cup of cappuccino is a treat by itself......but somebody turned it into a cake. God bless Italians.

Cappuccino Ice Cream Cake

CAKE Mix 400 g grated almond paste, 4 eggs, 4 tbl cocoa, zested lemon.
Center-bake in buttered/parchmented springform 350 deg 20 min. Cool.
Remove/wash rim; replace.

ICE CREAM Whip 500 ml cream really thick. Add 2 1/2 tbl
Nestle espresso, 100 ml conf. Add 3 egg yolks, 3 tbl Baileys (or Amaretto).

ASSEMBLY Pour Ice Cream over Cake; saran pan/freeze. Remove 20
min before serving; blanket w/ grated white and dark chocolate. Carefully
hold bottom of pan under warm tap water a few sec. Transfer to cutting
board; remove paper. Cut triangular wedges. Let stand a few min.

SERVE napped with warm fudge sauce (to gild the lily).

There’s a Joann’s near me, and I’ve got coupons for 40-50% off :-)

Will look for it tomorrow. I’m thinking a row of little glass things on the mantle, with those battery flicker lights inside.

A really nice idea, Liz. Thanks!

-JT

The dollar store has odd glassware. And squat jam jars in the
supermarket-—w/ pressed glass fruit designs—look like antiques
when mercuried.

NOTE Many spray paint produts have been tried and failed-—silver,
chrome, nickle. Krylon Looking Glass paint works. Hard to find-—
but Hobby Lobby has it. Spray droplets of water inside the glass before
spray-painting——to get that antique mottled look after it dries.

Shop Hobby Lobby on-line.

Wait, so you spray water droplets INSIDE the jar, but you are spray-painting the outside of the jar?

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