Peanut Butter Cookies

Trick-or-treating was different back in the day when I was a kid, so long ago, in a time when no one was afraid that someone would give us poison candy or fruit with shards of glass in it.

Most often we celebrated Hallowe’en at home by bobbing for apples and roasting marshmallows and playing games wih my mother and dad.

If we did go out, it was to our neighbors, who gave us homemade cookies, maybe some apples. If we got candy it was always either candy corn, licorice or lollypops. 

Sounds naive probably. Maybe even hokey. 

It’s what we knew. And the first year after I was married I made cookies for the trick-or-treaters who came to our door and saw the look on the horrified faces of the parents who were there with their children. Times had changed and I was completely clueless about it then.

I never did that again. Only packages now, from certified candy manufacturers. 

I suppose it’s good for the economy, including for the dentists.

But these cookies are the ones I made that October day. The recipe is from my mother’s trove of absolutely fabulous cookie recipes. So whether or not you do anything special on Halloween, make these. Anytime. They freeze well and they are just as good straight from the freezer and dunked into milk or hot chocolate.

Peanut Butter Cookies

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup peanut butter

• 1 cup shortening

• 2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the flour, baking soda, salt, white sugar and brown sugar. Mix at medium speed until the ingredients are well combined and evenly distributed. Add the peanut butter, shortening and eggs and mix at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until well combined and thoroughly blended into a soft dough. Take off pieces of dough and shape them into balls about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Flatten the balls between you palms. Place the circles on the cookie sheet, leaving some space between the cookies for them to expand. Press each cookie 2 times with the back of the tines of a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.

Makes about 100

Rice Krispy Crusted Macaroni and Cheese

Mac and Cheese

"What are you going to be for Hallowe’en?"

It’s the question my granddaughter Nina asked recently as we were walking down the street.

So I said “I’m going as a grandma. And Grandpa is going as a grandpa.”

She thought that answer was so funny she stopped to laugh out loud for a long time. And said “but you are already grandma!”

So I told her that I was going to buy a gray-haired wig and a cane and go trick-or-treating looking like an old, bent-over woman. And I showed her how I would do it and what I would sound like when I said “trick or treat” with my best old-person voice.

But of course I am not going trick or treating because I am in Egypt. Yes, that’s right. Egypt. Cairo. Tahrir Square, the Pyramids, Sphinx and the whole bit. That’s why I haven’t been blogging as much as usual.

But I also just learned that our group, which has 9 women, will be having an early Halloween and we will be wearing gulabyas (Egyptian dresses) so I guess I will be in costume after all.

When my neighbors at home come to my door on the real Halloween and they realize I am not home I hope they don’t vandalize the place too much. One year our doors got sprayed with that stuff that comes flying out of a can like neon colored string and we had to have everything painted because the string didn’t come off.

It’s been years since I went trick-or-treating with my children. They are grown and go trick-or-treating with their own kids now. But I remember that Halloween night was always the turning point for the weather. It was always cold and frequently rainy on that night (why couldn’t nature wait one more day???)

So there was always something warm and delicious when we got home. Like soup or Mac and Cheese and certainly hot chocolate with marshmallows.

If you go trick-or-treating and need some warm nourishment afterwards, before the candy gobbling, try Macaroni and Cheese. I would give a nourishing and warm Egyptian recipe but —- more on that some other day. Here’s a good recipe for Macaroni and Cheese.

Macaroni and Cheese

• 8 ounces elbow macaroni

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• few grindings of nutmeg

• 4 ounces American cheese, cut into small pieces

• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated or chopped

• 1 cup Rice Krispies cereal (or similar), optional

• 2 tablespoons melted butter, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the macaroni until it is al dente. Drain and set aside. In a saucepan, melt the two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the flour and stir it into the melted butter using a whisk. Cook for about a minute. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to form a smooth sauce. Add the salt, nutmeg, American cheese and cheddar cheese and stir until the sauce is smooth and thick. Stir in the macaroni and coat all the pieces. Spoon the macaroni into a baking dish. If you like a top crust, mix the cereal and melted butter and sprinkle on top of the macaroni. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cereal is browned and crispy.

Makes 4 servings

Bulgur Wheat with Dried Apricots and Pistachios

I love Andrew Weil. His advice, positive outlook and sunny disposition are unrivaled.

I learned about Ginger Tea from him: peel and slice some fresh ginger, steep it with some honey in boiling water and you get a homey, tasty, soothing and comforting brew. I make it frequently (now without the honey. It isn’t necessary).

But he just wrote something on his blog that makes him even more lovable. Basically, what he says is that pistachio nuts are a good snack because they can help people control their weight.

YAY!

I order pistachio nuts by the 5-pound bag. I eat some of these nuts EVERY day. I have ALWAYS loved pistachio nuts, ever since I was a little girl and the only kind available then were the red dyed ones that made my fingers mottled and streaky, as if I had a rash.

Now I buy the natural, un-dyed ones. Turkish pistachios, which, sorry to say, are infinitely better than the Californias.

One point Weil made, that I always knew, is that because it takes some time to get the nut out of the shell, you actually eat less of them than some other goodies and that makes another reason they’re suitable for healthy snacking.

One point he didn’t make is that pistachio nuts are not only good for snacking, they add delicious flavor and a satisfying crunch to food. Like this bulgur wheat casserole, which can be an entree or side dish.

Bulgur Wheat with Dried Apricots and Pistachios

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6-8 ounces mushrooms, chopped

1 cup bulgur wheat

2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts

2 tablespoons choppd fresh parsley

pinch of cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add the bulgur and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the stock and add the salt, pepper, herb and apricots. Stir, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 25 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the pistachios, parsley and cinnamon or lemon peel. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 6-8 servings

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate instead of broccoli to stay healthy?

No, not really. But in a recent study the results indicated that eating chocolate might cut a woman’s risk for stroke. Read about it here.

This is not the first time I’ve heard that chocolate is healthy (it has flavanoids, which have anti-oxidant properties, which in turn help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol).

But this is the one of the only times I’ve heard someone caution women not to over-interpret the results. Like, do not substitute chocolate for broccoli. And a cardiologist who was interviewed said that although chocolate may be good for you, maybe the study results would have been similar if they used apple skins or grapes.

I’ve always wondered about some of these studies. I wonder whether you can prove whatever you want depending on how you go about the study.

Well, I am no scientist, so I don’t know.

But I do remember, many years ago, when the information regarding dietary fat was still in its infancy and Nabisco came out with SnackWells, the so-called “healthy” cookies because they were lower fat. And people started eating SnackWells because they thought it was okay. And judging from the number of people I met (and watched at the supermarket) who ate boxes and boxes of those cookies, most didn’t seem to realize that it’s way too many calories and that it might be more harmful than if you ate a butter cookie or two.

So the broccoli warning makes sense.

But if you want to eat something delicious and chocolate-y — for your health — try these truffles. They are amazingly easy to make and you can give them away as gifts so they’re good for the upcoming holiday season.

But don’t eat the whole batch at once.

Chocolate Truffles

• 1/2 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 teaspoons brandy or rum or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sprinkles, toasted coconut, ground nuts, etc. (approximately)

Chop the chocolate in a food processor into small bits. Heat the cream over medium heat until it is hot and bubbles form around the edges of the pan. With the processor on, pour in the cream through the feed tube and process  until well blended (you may have to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice). Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes. Add the brandy or rum and the softened butter and blend them in thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour or until the mixture has firmed enough to form a soft “dough.” Take small pieces of the dough and shape into small balls. Place the balls on waxed paper or aluminum foil on cookie sheets. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Roll the balls in cocoa, sprinkles, etc.

Makes about 3 dozen. 

The glass is always full

goshxmm:

I feel optimistic this morning.

Great way to look at life

Bill Maher on the Super-rich

Oh yes.

Do you think Adam and Eve would have been tempted by an old Red Delicious apple left over from last year?

Probably not.

But fresh, new crop apples, especially the kind you can buy at a Farmer’s market in the fall, sure are enticing. 

I bought a bushel of Rhode Island Greening apples a few weeks ago and yesterday finished the last of my pie baking with them (14 pies in all). 

But I use different varieties for out of hand eating and for other recipes, like applesauce. Gravensteins, Winesaps, Paula Reds, Macouns, Staymans and other types you don’t usually see in the stores are perfect for applesauce. All of these are crisp and juicy, slightly tart and definitely not bland. They don’t need much to make good sauce.

I use a variety of apples for sauce, usually what’s left in the fridge after all the baking. There’s no real recipe. Just fruit and a bit of cinnamon, cooked over low heat ever so slowly until it’s mush. Then it’s a quick mix with an immersion blender (or with a fork if you like it lumpy).

That’s it for applesauce. You don’t need sugar or water or any other sweetener or liquid.

On the other hand, I do remember that even when I was a big kid and into teenage years, I loved the taste of BeechNut Apricots and Apples baby food that my mother gave to me when I was a baby. So did my brother Jeff. So my Mom would continue to buy baby food for us to have as a snack.

In the old days, though, I remember the stuff tasting more apricot-y than it did in later years. They must have changed the quantities.

So, now I make my own. Here’s the basics of homemade, baby food (but definitely for grownups) Apples and Apricot Sauce.

Btw, sometimes I use apples and pears, instead of only apples.

Apples and Apricot Sauce

6-8 large apples

1/2 cup dried apricot halves (California type)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel and core the apples, then cut them into chunks. Place the chunks in a pot. Add the apricot halves and a sprinkle or two of cinnamon. Cover the pan. Place on low heat. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until the apples are mushy. Puree with an immersion blender. Makes 6-8 servings

Pear and Ginger Crisp

Sukkot, which begins at sundown tomorrow (October 12th) is very much like Thanksgiving. Both holidays celebrate the harvest and there’s a feast of good food to eat. 

The difference is that on Sukkot, according to Rabbinic tradition, you’re supposed to eat all your meals in a sukkah (a “hut” or “booth”), outside. Which is probably the way the colonial Pilgrims ate their Thanksgiving dinner, now that I think of it.

A lot of Jewish families build sukkahs. Of course you have to have a backyard or some sort of property. Or a fire escape. Or some place where you can build a makeshift hut, even if it is just a “representation” of a real sukkah. If you belong to a synagogue you can go to a communal sukkah of course. 

In any event, I don’t know anyone who actually eats all their meals outside in a hut. I know maybe one or two who build a sort of sukkah and they have dessert out there on the first night of the holiday. My family never built one when I was a kid. The closest I ever got to eating in a sukkah was when my cousin Leslie and I hung a bedspread over a card table, crawled inside and ate potato chips.

To tell the truth, my husband and I didn’t build one for our kids either. They visited the one at their Sunday school.

But Sukkot food is really good no matter where you eat it. Because it follows the season and the harvest, like all good food. Sukkot food features end-of-summer and beginning-of-autumn fruits and vegetables: apples, pears, squash, pumpkin, eggplant and stuff like that.

Sukkot foods are also usually easily transportable too — for those people who will be carrying the food out to the hut.

Here’s a seasonal dessert that’s yummy, easy and you can take anywhere:

Pear and Ginger Crisp

6 ripe pears

juice of half lemon

1-1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

Crust:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel, core and slice the pears into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, ginger, cinnamon, 1/3 cup brown sugar, flour and salt. Toss the ingredients and place in a baking dish. Make the crust: Combine the 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter in chunks and work into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Scatter over the pears. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving (or serve at room temperature). Makes 6-8 servings

Braised Short Ribs with Dried Apricots

Too busy to cook? Or — too many holidays in a row so it seems as if there’s no time to cook everything you need? Like when just a few days after Yom Kippur there’s Sukkot, then Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah?

When this jumble of holidays comes around — or you’re just plain busy anytime — you need to think ahead about food. These are the times when it would be helpful to have some delicious stuff frozen, at the ready, and — if for a holiday, festive enough too.

Like braised food. Most braised foods freeze beautifully and besides in October and beyond it’s a good time to be thinking about these kinds of foods anyway, with the weather cooling. I’m a big salad eater in the summer but somehow when the leaves turn autumn colors and I have to wear a sweater when I go outside I can’t imagine eating leftovers vinaigrette, my go-to hot weather dish. I want something hot and hearty.

One of my favorites is short ribs. I make big batches of them and freeze them in plastic containers: family size or dinner-for-two when it’s just Ed and me. Then when I need dinner it’s there waiting for me. All I do is let it thaw and heat it up. Braised short ribs are delicious with mashed potatoes or cooked egg noodles, but these require actual pots and pans, so make baked potato or sweet potato, which don’t. Plus a green vegetable, which doesn’t take too much time.

Braised Short Ribs with Dried Apricots is one of my favorite braised entrees. Try it.

Braised Short Ribs with Dried Apricots

4 pounds short ribs (with bone)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cups red wine

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 cup dried apricots

Rinse and dry the meat. Dredge the meat in the flour to coat all surfaces. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Brown the ribs in batches, leaving ample space between them so that they can brown properly. Remove the ribs as they brown and set aside in a plate. Continue until all the ribs have been browned. Add the onions to the pan, lower the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Mix the vinegar, mustard and wine and pour the liquid into the pan. Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the pan. Sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with rosemary. Cover the pan. Cook at a simmer for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat to a dish. Skim the fat from the pan fluids. Add the apricots to the pan. Boil the pan fluids until they ahve reduced to about 3 cups. Return the meat to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes to heat through. Makes 4 servings

Honey Cookies

Still thinking honey. This time, more or less, a sweet little treat to greet people when they come to my house for the Break-the-fast on Saturday night. I’ve noticed over the years that when people haven’t eaten for a long time they can’t just go at it and shovel in food. They need to nibble first. 

For a few years I served homemade hummus as a starter food. But somehow so many people went right over to the dessert trays and took a cookie or two that now I keep the hummus for the main meal buffet and have a plate of sweet cookies available before we actually have dinner.

My friend Susan always brought cookies, but as I mentioned, she isn’t coming this year. So, I’ll serve crescent cookies and plum torte. My friend Barbara’s daughter-in-law Karen will bring chocolate chip cookies and my daughter Gillian will bake an apple cake.

But because I also still have honey on my mind, in hopes for a sweet new year, I will also bake honey cookies today.

Honey Cookies

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine, cooled

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 large egg white

crystal sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the melted butter, honey, sugar, baking soda, egg yolk, orange peel, vanilla extract and salt. Beat at medium speed for about one minute or until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Add the flour and blend it in to make a soft dough. Pinch off heaping teaspoons of dough and roll them on a floured surface to make balls about 1-inch in diameter. Beat the egg white until it is thick and foamy. Dip the balls into the egg white to coat the entire surface. Press the balls on one side in some crystal sugar (or sprinkle the crystal sugar on top). Place the balls (sugared side up) on the cookie sheet, leaving some space (about an inch) between them. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes, then place on a cookie rack to cool completely. Makes about 36