The cookies, cakes, candies and chocolate barks are fine indeed. The crusted roasts still pink and tender inside cozied up to potatoes layered with cheese and bathed in cream satisfy deeply. I will never deny a leftover piece of gently spiced pie for breakfast – pumpkin is a vegetable after all, but the holidays offer so much more for our senses than just taste.

The faintest scent of cinnamon and clove instantly stirs in me memories of Christmas’ past. The ones in which I begged to sleep in front of the tree, guarding our dear parcels with as much fury as my little body could muster. The sharp, cooling burst of peppermint reminds me our first Christmas together. That year we went with Gabe’s parents to get our tree. Theirs was majestic and grand, ours was charming, only slightly more lush than Charlie Brown’s and yet perfect for us and our tiny first home.

Of course there are more smells that exist beyond the edible ones; the pungent pine perfume from a newly acquired tree and the sharp contrast of a wood burning fireplace against the chilling breeze that hits the moment you step outside.

This is only the beginning. I have yet to mention the lights that cause an infectious joy in my children, the continuous hum of Christmas music that create the soundtrack of this season, and the touch of Winter’s first snow – a feeling we are still waiting for this year.

Each year I become joyfully overwhelmed with all the projects – cooking and otherwise – that make up my to-do list. Many of them exist for the purpose of building memories and traditions and trying to instill the same excitement that I remember from my childhood.

I wanted to share with you a few things we’ve been doing around our home to awaken our senses to the season.

I get so excited when I come across a project that is both visually appealing and easy enough to get the kids involved. I saw these snowflakes on Pinterest and immediately broke out our popscicle sticks. With a bit of glue and spray paint our windows were suddenly festive.

In the middle of our popsicle flakes I created a photo wreath (again the idea came from Pinterest) using prints from our iPhone and polaroid. I may never take this wreath down. I never grow tired of seeing their smiling faces and sweet memories from the previous year.

To create the wreath I cut out a cardboard frame, attached a string then covered the frame with photos. I carried the same idea into our bedroom with a heart shape frame.

One of my favorite parts of this season is coming home. We all rush inside trying to escape the cold and are welcomed with warmth and the lingering sweet smells of citrus and spices – and quite often butter. A lot of butter moves through the house this time of year.

More often than not you’ll find a simmering pot of citrus slices, cloves, and cinnamon sticks sitting on the stove. As if this wasn’t enough I decided to dry some orange slices as well.

1/4″ inch slices line a sheet tray then sit in an oven on its lowest setting. About 4-5 hours the slices are completely dry and ready to be strung as ornaments, laid in a bowl to sweeten a room, or packaged with cinnamon and cloves and given away.

Our craft time turned into snack time as my little “helper” kept eating our project. It’s a good thing I work quickly and a good thing she’s so darn cute.

Then of course there’s hot chocolate. You know by now that this year is the year of hot chocolate for me. I’ve introduced you to my fresh mint version but now there is another.

Maple hot cocoa. While I love the richness that comes from hot chocolate made from a base of ganache (chocolate and cream), there is just something about a cocoa mix that satisfies in a way that no other can.

This is a slightly elevated version of what I drank as a child. While there aren’t any dehydrated mini marshmallows in this mix, the subtle maple sweetness and the rich cocoa flavor make up for it.

I’ve been gifting this mix as well. I love the way the ingredients look layered in the jar especially with a vanilla bean tucked in there just slightly disrupting the perfect layers. With or without a side of marshmallows, this is a perfect holiday gift that can be made in minutes. Just be sure to assign a jar for yourself so you won’t feel guilty when you inevitably break into to one of the gift-destined jars.

I really do encourage you to seek out the maple sugar for this recipe. It’s an ingredient that I haven’t used much and am realizing that I have a lot of lost time to make up for.

It smells of syrup, as it is the crystalized version, but in this application it provides enough sweetness without having to use a lot of sugar. Most hot chocolate mixes call for 1 part cocoa to 2 parts sugar. This is 2:1. The cocoa flavor prevails as you are drinking it but there is a depth that suddenly makes this mix seem more grown up.

Just over one week until Christmas and I have nearly every moment of each day planned with holiday activities. There are more lights to see, more cinnamon to simmer, and more carols to sing to my baby girl as she falls asleep in my arms. All the while making sure to leave plenty of time for hot cocoa drinking, of course.

Maple Hot Cocoa Mix

You can find maple sugar online or at many grocery stores. It’s worth the search, I assure you.

2 cups cocoa

1 cup maple sugar

3 teaspoons instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 vanilla bean (optional)

In a large jar layer the ingredients. Tuck the vanilla bean down the side.

Before preparing a cup of cocoa shake the ingredients together. Add 2 heaping tablespoons mix to 6 ounces hot milk – that is, if you like it good and rich, as I do.

Supplies:

Weck Jars

Popsicle sticks

baker’s twine

Maple sugar

Pernigotti Cocoa

Vanilla Beans

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Once the cocoa mixture is warm you can stir in the eggs, one at a time. Wait until each egg is completely incorporated before you add the next. Stir in the vanilla. Once the mixture looks cohesive and shiny stir in the flour. Alice says to stir 40 times after the flour has been completely incorporated. I listen to her.

Cream the butter and the peanut butter until combined. Slowly stir in the powdered sugar until completely incorporated. Spread over cooled brownies. Sprinkle the Maldon
all over.

In one more sleep my baby turns 5. Five. . . I don’t even know what to say. In my head I’m still a squirrley little teenager trying to figure this life out, all that it has to offer and how I’m suppose to navigate my way through. The reality is I have an almost five year old and an almost 3 year old and an almost 8 month old. And I’m almost 30 (well,10 months). I thought I would feel more qualified for this mothering position by now.

People try to prepare you for life after children. Strangers in the grocery store will urge you to cherish these days as they speed by. Parents of grown children will encourage you to lighten up. And sweet old ladies with perfectly wrinkled skin that marks the years of wisdom like the rings on a tree stump, will stop you in order to gaze into your young children’s eyes so they can, if just for a moment, be reminded of these precious days.

I try to keep that perspective. That this season of constant need and incessant screams of wants and whining is merely a phase and there will be days where I will lovingly long for the sweet snuggle of a pudgey little kidlet. I just know I will miss these days of always being needed as I help my son pack up his belongings as he prepares to start life on his own, never looking back, forgetting to call his mama…  and now I’m crying.

Baron, 3 years old

What I wasn’t prepared for was what my children teach me. It was my intention to mold them, instruct them and guide them but I had no idea they would be doing that very thing to me.

These lessons are akin to a dental visit. They are annoying, at times painful, marked with relentless shrills like a dental drill, uncomfortable and revealing but through the process you walk away glad you did it. You’re shinier and rid of a lot of gunk that was causing cavities and pain Sometimes you even get a little prize for all your hard work. Floss, perhaps, or maybe even a sticker.

My oldest, Baron, teaches me the most. He is the most like me of the three, so far, so he will often reveal to me the things that often drive me crazy about myself. He tends to view the world with gray goggles. Walking around his life with a chip on his shoulder and feeling as if the world is against him. He reminds me of my need to simply change my attitude which is a mantra that I repeat to him often.

But my Baron is also the sweetest little almost-five-year-old I have ever met. He still shrieks with delight at the sight of sister baby. Running to give her hugs and kisses if she even thinks to let out a less-than-happy moan. He is impossibly creative. Dreaming up new ideas, inventions and characters with the naive passion that it can be done, it will be done and we must do it right now.

Baron longs to lead. Insisting that he will be the teacher of our school and I am the one who will sit up straight and listen. He will tell me how the day will go down and passionately revolts when I remind him who is in charge. Baron is opinionated and an artist in every sense of the word. He is strong, relentless and compassionate. And just like his mama, he loves chocolate.

So Baron, I made you cocoa brownies with a salted peanut butter frosting. And yes, I will carefully scrape the frosting off because for some reason, although you love peanut butter sandwiches, you want your brownies frosting-less.

I adore you Baron and treasure each of the one thousand, eight hundred and twenty-five days I have had the pleasure of knowing you. I look forward to thousands more. Happy 5 years.

continue for the recipe…

Cocoa Brownies with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting

adapted from Alice Medrich

Makes 16 brownies

Alice Medrich is pure brilliance. Her recipes have always worked for me. I only tweaked this one slightly. I decreased the amount of sugar knowing that I was going to top these rich brownies with a sweet frosting. I didn’t miss the sugar one bit.

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cold large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Prepare an 8 inch square pan by spraying with pan spray. Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Spray the foil or parchment with pan spray.

Preheat your oven to 325*.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a heat-proof bowl and place over a large pot of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should rest in the pot but not touch the water.

Stir occasionally. When the butter is just about melted, remove the bowl and let the residual heat continue to melt the butter. Stir until smooth. Carefully touch the cocoa mixture. It should feel warm, not hot. If hot, wait until warm to add the eggs.

Once the cocoa mixture is warm you can stir in the eggs, one at a time. Wait until each egg is completely incorporated before you add the next. Stir in the vanilla. Once the mixture looks cohesive and shiny stir in the flour. Alice says to stir 40 times after the flour has been completely incorporated. I listen to her.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes up with a few moist crumbs. This will take about 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Once cool, frost with peanut butter frosting and sprinkle with flake salt (Maldon) or Fleur De Sel.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Dahlia Bakery, in Seattle, is the home of my favorite cookie. It’s peanut butter cookie sandwich. The center is a creamy peanut butter filling that reminds me of the peanut butter and butter sandwiches my mom used to make me. Peanut butter and butter are the perfect pair.

Lately I can’t get enough of this frosting. I’ve mixed it into ice cream and filled donuts with it. These brownies are my current favorite application.

6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) softened butter

¾ cup peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar

pinch salt – (I love the added saltiness mixed into the frosting as well as on top. For this I use kosher salt)

1 teaspoon Maldon (This is my favorite. It is a lovely flake salt with a smooth saltiness not the harshness you find if when you taste table salt straight up).

Cream the butter and the peanut butter until combined. Slowly stir in the powdered sugar until completely incorporated. Spread over cooled brownies. Sprinkle the Maldon all over.

I’d love your vote!

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I was both honored and slightly frightened when Shauna (Gluten-Free Girl) asked me to bake a Gluten-Free Thanksgiving recipe. I’ve made a few gluten-free items before but they were completely flour-free. This time I wanted to challenge myself and have fun playing with completely new-to-me flours. I love a good challenge.

Now I understand that you may be confused as to why I chose Biscotti as a Thanksgiving baked good. Well, it may be partially because I happen to be craving Biscotti but also I do think that it is the perfect light breakfast or tea time snack to have when a rather large meal in eminent.

As I mentioned in my last post I don’t do much of the cooking on Thanksgiving. My mom takes care of the bird, my aunts bring the appetizers, others take care of the sides and my Grandma is the pie lady. Not even I can compete with Grandma’s pumpkin pie. It’s the same every year. Perfect.

But what I can bring is a little sweet snack for the busy cooks. And now so can you.

My husband was leery of my biscotti. Not because of its gluten-freeness but because he’s not a fan of the brick-like qualities of many biscotti. Hard to bite unless you let it soak in your coffee leaving you with gloopy biscotti sludge at the end of your cup. Not all bad but not always ideal.

So after biting into my biscotti his once timid and frightened face brightened as the texture was pleasantly softer than most while still maintaining the likable sturdiness associated with this Italian treat.

There was a nice crunch from the coarsely ground almonds that made up the almond flour. The cocoa powder gave a pleasant richness while not being too sweet. Really the perfect accompaniment to a good cup of coffee while taking a brief break from all the joyous cooking. And if you are planning ahead this would also make a lovely little Christmas gift along with some coffee beans perhaps.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Biscotti

1/2 cup almond flour*

1/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup brown rice flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon salt (I use kosher, use 1/4 t. if use regular fine salt)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup mini white chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350*. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Whisk. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes on medium. Scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix to combine then scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

On low speed, carefully add the dry ingredients. When almost all mixed add the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. Mix to combine. Remove from the mixer and use a spatula to make sure all the ingredients are incorporate. The dough will be very wet.

Dump the dough on the baking sheet and form into a “log”.  About 6 inches wide, 12 inches long and 1 inch thick. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes. Until it is mostly firm with a bit of softness or give in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Carefully transfer the log to a cutting board and cut, using a serrated knife, in bias strips about 1 inch wide. Carefully (they are quite fragile) place biscotti back on the baking sheet with the cut side facing up.

Bake for another 15 minutes until crispy. They will crisp fully once cooled.

Let cool completely before serving.

Makes about 1 dozen biscotti. Keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

*I used about 3/4 sliced almonds. I toasted them until golden. When they cooled I ground them in a food processor until fairly fine. I didn’t sieve it because I wanted some nice almond texture.

And as I’ve said before please check out Shauna and Danny’s book, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, it’s a delight for the eyes and mouth. Even if you do eat gluten you will love this book. The recipes are classic, inventive and drool-inducing.

Shauna and Danny have organized a virtual Thanksgiving feast this year. Be sure to check out all the delicious posts in the round-up and join in the fun to win some incredible prizes. Check out Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef for all the info.

And be sure to have a peak at all the other participants.

More Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Dishes

• Andrea’s Recipes | gluten-free pumpkin scones
• Not Without Salt | gluten-free chocolate biscotti
• Zest Bakery | warm pumpkin polenta with goat cheese
• The Mommy Bowl | gluten-free bread
• CakeSpy | turkey meatloaf cupcakes
• Blue Bonnets and Brownies | apple and pear cobbler
• Smith Bites | gluten-free celery root soup with cashew cream
• White on Rice Couple | Turkey Sloppy Joes on Rosemary Rolls
• What’s Gaby Cooking | gluten-free molasses cookies
• Kitchen Gadget Girl | gluten-free pumpkin strata
• Wasabimon! | gluten-free butternut squash pie
• Rookie Moms | chocolate peanut butter brownies
• Tiffin Tales | gluten-free Thanksgiving torte
• Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom | gluten, dairy and egg free crescent rolls and cinnamon rolls
• Eat the Love | Gluten Free Maple Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Gingerbread Bottom
• Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes | gluten-free sourdough rosemary rolls and gluten-free mincemeat cookies
• The Art of Gluten-Free Baking | gluten-free pumpkin pie
• Sophisticated Gourmet | cranberry-almond-coconut macaroons topped with chocolate
• Cook 4 Seasons | gluten-free pumpkin mousse
• Cook It Allergy Free | Cornbread and (Shauna’s) Crusty Bread Stuffing
• Lexie’s Kitchen | dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, no-bake pumpkin pie filling
• Recipe Girl | an entire Thanksgiving menu, gluten-free
• Two Peas and Their Pod | gluten-free apple cranberry crisp
• Gluten-Free for Good | gluten-free cherry cobbler
• My Madeleine | butternut squash soup.
• The Sensitive Pantry | gluten-free brown sugar hand pies
• Art and Lemons | gluten-free rustic squash tarts
• Bellalimento | Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll with Mascarpone and Nutella Filling
• Mom Food Project | an entire Thanksgiving, gluten-free
• Gluten-Free Easily | candy carrot coins
• Dish Towel Diaries | kale Caesar slaw.
• A Baking Life | gluten-free gingerbread cake
• Glugle Gluten-Free | gluten-free pumpkin muffins
• Wenderly | sweet and savory prosciutto cups
• Cannelle Et Vanille | sweet potato and crabapple clafoutis
• Food for My Family | gluten-free apple pie cheesecake
• Who Ate My Tomato | gluten-free squash tart
• What’s Cooking with Kids | gluten-free apple crisp
• Blue Bonnets and Brownies | apple and pear cobbler
• CakeSpy | turkey meatloaf cupcakes

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Many people suggest that the first year of marriage is the hardest (I’ve also heard the seventh is a tough one – we’ll see about that) but I look on that year with great fondness.

My husband and I made it our mission to try nearly every restaurant in Seattle. We kept a notebook about where we went, what we ate, what we loved and what disgusted us – luckily that didn’t happen very often as we did loads of research before picking our final destination. Every Friday night we would ready ourselves to hit the town, notebook in hand and an eager palette.

Those were the beginning days of my love affair with food. As with any new found love, everything was thrilling and new. Gabe and I were bursting with excitement and wanted to share our new love. We decided to host a tasting party.

A tasting party is the perfect way to compare, educate and truly savor whatever it is that you are tasting. I might also add that for a couple of debt ridden, minimum wage earners it was a very economical way for us to entertain. For us, well really I should say me, the choice of what to taste was easy. Chocolate.

Recently at a chocolate class I taught I relived my fond memories and facilitated another chocolate tasting. It was just as fun and eye opening as the first.

On white plates I arranged six small-ish pieces of chocolate. (There was  a seventh but that was flavored so I opted to keep that separate.

1. Hershey’s Special Dark

2. Lindt 70%

3. Valrhona Guanja 70%

4. Scharffen Berger

5. Trader Joes Swiss 70%

6. Felchlin

7. (the wild card) Theo Chocolate’s Bread and Chocolate bar (tiny rye bread crumbs are coated in butter sprinkled with salt then toasted in the oven and blended with dark chocolate – reminiscent of a Crackle bar – but so much more.)

As with tasting wine there are many factors that come into play when tasting chocolate. There are five categories to examine, three of which happen before the chocolate even touches your lips.

Each chocolate sample was tasted separately while examining all five of the following categories.

Appearance – What does is look like? Sheen, bloom, even texture, color. Color should be even with a nice gloss, no discoloration, spots or cloudiness.

Snap – What does it sound like when you break it or bite into it? Should sound clear, crisp – this is a sign of a proper temper. The chocolate should not bend or crumble.

Aroma – Similar to tasting wine. This is a matter of subjectivity. Fruity, spicy, floral, etc. Anything goes. Do you smell leather, tobacco, dirty socks? Say it.

Mouthfeel – Smooth, not grainy or gritty. It can feel velvety or creamy, or it can be waxy or greasy.

Taste – Descriptors similar to aroma. Allow the chocolate to slowly melt on the tongue. Different tastes will emerge at different stages of consumption.

We discussed each sample separately then compared them to the others.

The results are always quite entertaining. Many people knew right away what number one was and if they didn’t know they did pick up the fact that there was no snap, the texture was gritty and the appearance was lackluster.

Often tasters are surprised and impressed with their ability to discern the distinctions between each sample. To many chocolate eaters dark chocolate is dark chocolate, so to be able to compare seven samples side by side the differences become quite clear.

I was happy to hear that among the favorites of many were #3 and #6 (Valrhona and Felchlin). One lady said that she has been baking with Scharffen Berger for some time but failed to taste it on its own. When she did she realized that she did not much care for it and then proceeded to buy one pound of the Valrhona.

In no way are these tastings meant to trick the participants. If #1 is truly their favorite that’s great. When trying wine, many sommeliers will tell you that you need to trust your own instincts and don’t let experts and a price tag tell you what you do and do not like. A tasting is a very entertaining way to exercise your taste buds and to figure out what chocolate suits you.

To learn more about hosting tasting parties check out this great book.

Hosting and being a part of a tasting club is a great experience. It can be as formal or relaxed as you like. I hope you try it and if you do let me know how it goes!

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I know a lot of people who are sickened by Valentine’s day. They shrug it off as an attempt for the candy and card industry to make a few bucks. But for me, any excuse to eat chocolate and tell someone you love how much you love them and then to hear it in return (hopefully) is reason enough for me to enjoy this holiday.

Whether you love or hate V-day I know for a fact you will love to sip some chocolate. This sinfully rich dessert is heaven in a cup and can be made in under ten minutes. What’s not to love?

Drinking Chocolate
six servings - if you are willing to share
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces – The best quality you can afford. My personal favorite is Valrhona Guanaja 70%, available from Trader Joe’s.
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp fleur de sel (regular salt is fine in a pinch )
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup heavy whipping cream for serving

Place chocolate in a medium bowl.
Bring milk, cream and salt to a slow boil. Watch this closely as it can scald and boil over very quickly. Add the milk and cream to the chocolate. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Add the cinnamon. Whisk the chocolate mixture until completely combined. The resulting liquid should be smooth, creamy and about the thickness of full fat cream. If for some reason the mixture doesn’t come together through it into a blender or food process and blend until completely smooth.

Serve with lightly whipped cream.

In all my years of consuming all things sweet this dessert continues to be number one on my list. This sophisticated dessert can be thrown together in minutes and makes a perfect treat for this time of the year. You can also add to it to make it your own. One of my personal favorite additions is cayenne and cinnamon, giving this chocolate treat a spicy kick the way it was intended to be consumed. I would also encourage you to try peppermint, vanilla and coffee.

(I’m in love with my new Terra Keramik Teapot.)

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You better believe me when I tell you that you have just found the last Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe you will ever need. I know. I am not the first person to claim this weighty statement. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that this recipe was spreading as quickly as that nasty stomach virus that infected our entire family over Christmas.

In actuality everyone’s definition of the perfect chocolate chip cookie is different. Asking 20 people what qualities define their perfect cookie and I am sure you are going to get as many different responses. I will say however that I have converted many followers to my recipe. In fact, just recently I was told that I had ruined someone from ever eating another cookie that wasn’t this one. And for that I am not sorry and I am not surprised.

My perfect cookie is varied in texture. The exterior rim, the color of golden brown sugar, is perfectly crisp. Beyond the crunch there lies varying levels of chewy gooey-ness. I remove the cookies from the oven just when the edges start to brown. People think I’m crazy and question my timing as the cookies appear under baked. But I assure them that I am a professional I have done this thousands of times. The cookies continue to bake on the tray and as they cool the gooey center transforms to a perfectly chewy interior. Cookie eaters question no longer.

updated photo

The dough, although perfectly flavored with salt and a high proportion of brown sugar, exists to hold the chunks of chocolate in place. That’s right I said chunks and not chips. The funny, (more sad than funny) thing about chocolate chips is that they are filled with substance similar to wax. I don’t know about you but I don’t really enjoy eating wax. The reason for the wax in the chips is so that they do not melt – they hold their shape, which is quite cute but I’ll take taste over cuteness any day. Using couverture (fancy name for quality chocolate that is used for coating truffles and such) allows the chocolate to melt and pool. If you were to break these cookies in half you would see layers of chocolate and dough – similar to the layers in puff pastry, and you all know how crazy I am about those layers.

Look how much Roman loves cookies (actually he wasn’t eating the cookies he just always looks that happy)

I use large chunks of bittersweet chocolate, lots of brown sugar, a touch of Turbinado sugar, and sprinkle of  salt on top – making these this the last chocolate chip cookie recipe you will ever need.

THE Chocolate Chip Cookie

2 sticks butter (8 oz)

1/4 cup white sugar (2 oz )

1/4 cup Turbinado sugar (2 oz )

1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (12 oz )

2  eggs

2 tsp vanilla (1/4 oz)

3 1/2 cup All Purpose flour (1 lb. )

1 1/2 tsp Baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 lb. chocolate (use the best quality chocolate you can afford. With a serrated knife cut chocolate chunks roughly 1/2 inch)

1/2 teaspoon good quality salt, for sprinkling on top before baking

Cream the butter and the sugars until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes on medium high. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing while adding the eggs one at time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Combine the flour, soda and salt in another bowl. With a whisk to combine. With the machine on low, slowly add the flour. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix. With a spatula fold in the chocolate.

If you so choose, and I do recommend that you do, sprinkle a very fine dusting of good quality sea salt. Fleur de Sel or Murray River Pink Salt are my recommendations.

Bake at 360* for 12 minutes. They should be lightly golden on the outside but still look gooey on the inside.

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My Great Aunt Abe loves to play Uno and evidently she loves to bake as well. Recently I went through some of my Aunt Abe’s things that were gathered from her home as she is now moving to assisted living.

In the box of miscellaneous items I chose a set of hand stitched pillowcases that belonged to my Great Grandmother, a little cleaver (I have no idea what she was doing with a mini cleaver but I plan on using it for cheese platters as it will be easily able to hack through hard cheeses), and a book filled with her hand written recipes.

Hand written recipes are so precious to me. Someones personal collection of favorite recipes is more intimate than a journal and more revealing than dirty laundry. I long to find the cook’s notes in beautifully written script on the edge of a yellowed page in a used cookbook.

I just really love old recipes. Today we are bombarded by the precision required in baking. I can not dispute the fact that baking is a science but recipes given to me by those in my grandparent’s generation focus on the art and feel of it rather than the technicality required.

In the few but precious moments of baking instruction given to me by my grandmother she did not recite a recipe accurate down to the 1/8 teaspoon. Rather she taught me what to look for and what it should feel like. Similarly as I skim through this newly acquired treasury of retro recipes, the notes on the method are simple and brief. There are no sweat inducing introductions to the recipe that demand that every ingredient be 97.2 degrees. They are simple, delicious and memory-evoking dishes.

When I saw, “Crunchy Chocolate Cookies” in her collection I just knew I had to try them. With corn flakes as an ingredient I was intrigued. And with two sticks of butter and one cup of vegetable oil I knew they couldn’t be that bad. It turns out my intuition was correct. These cookies are truly delicious. One bite and I was flooded with memories of snagging these cookies off the potluck table in the basement of my Grandmother’s church.

They are as the recipe suggests, “crunchy”. But it is not the kind of crunchiness you taste from and over baked cookie. It is the addition of the oil that gives it a tender crispness that shatters in your mouth. The oats in the recipe give the cookie some bulk and chew, which I find very enjoyable. Although the cornflakes are not very easy to detect in the finished product, every once and a while you get a slightly salt crunch that reminds of you scarfing down a bowl of the flakes in the morning before jetting off to first period.

Don’t be to scared of the amount of fat in the recipe. This batch makes a very large quantity. However it is still early in the evening and I have already eaten six.

I hope you enjoy them as much as my Aunt Abe and I do.

Crunchy Chocolate Cookies

Bake at 350* for 12 min.

3 1/2 cups All-purpose flour

3 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

1 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup corn flakes

1 cup quick oats

1 (12 oz) pkg. chocolate chips

Sift the flour, salt and soda onto wax paper. Beat butter and sugars until well creamed. Combine egg, vanilla and oil in a small bowl. Alternately add the oil mixture and the flour mixture to the creamed sugars. Mix until just combined. Stir in the corn flakes, oats and chocolate. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until golden.

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I am such a sucker for conventional products that I realize can be easily made myself. A few examples to make my point… I make my own laundry soap and dishwashing detergent. And of course you all remember the marshmallows and the kettle corn. Pancakes, waffles, scones, soups, muffins, cakes and cookies do not usually appear in box, can, log or bag form before they hit our hungry mouths.

My sister-in-law is even more diligent about making many of her own food and household items. Her reasoning? Budget. Mine? I love the feeling of being self-sufficient. I am a do-er and whatever I can do for myself without having to depend on something or someone makes me feel strong, independent and like the women who appears in that classic illustration where she is showing off her less than lady-like biceps and telling the world she is in control and can do it herself.

As do many strong personality traits this can be a great asset but it can also be my downfall. Somehow I manage to bury myself in work, life, kids, house and carry all that weight on my shoulders refusing to ask for help. Or when I do it is often late in the process giving me plenty of time to feel guilty, tired, worn down and thinking that I am the only woman in the world who simply can not manage to do it all myself.  I know this isn’t a unique problem I have. More and more I am realizing that it is a woman thing. We want to do all and be all to everybody.

I don’t really know how I got on this tangent that seeks to uncover the truth that lies in most women. I simply wanted to tell you more about this fantastic recipe. Seriously, just the other day I was admiring the deliciousness that is Junior Mints. As Gabe and I sat in the movie theater watching “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (great movie by the way), eating our chocolate covered mints that we risked our lives to smuggle in. I savored the harmony that is chocolate and mint. The creamy chocolate melts away on your tongue revealing a refreshing mint filled interior leaving your mouth feeling as if you have just brushed your teeth (except that you haven’t and you really should after you consume these because they are laden with sugar, your dentist should thank me). On this occasion we ate them straight from the box, however I enjoy them the most straight from the freezer.

On New Year’s Eve I created a dessert smorgasboard for a room full of lucky diners. Apple sorbet with a meringe cap, a banana chocolate soufflee with a warm chocolate sauce and a cookie plate filled with Macarons, honey-spiced nuts, caramels and Peppermint Patties.

Like most things you make from scratch these ones tasted better than their convential cousins. I used Valrhona 70% chocolate to enrobe the creamy interior creating a slightly less sweet confection. The tempered dark chocolate snapped flawlessly under the weight of my teeth giving way to the aroma of mint.

I am telling you, these little candies are a sure way of impressing your friends and neighbors. People are so fascinated by the thought of being able to make something that we have so grown accostumed to seeing in a shiny package at the grocery store.

I hope you will find it in your hearts to forgive me for I do not have an image to show you the beauty that little treats hold. Let this be more encouragement to make this recipe as they were so delicious there was not a single one left to photograph My sweet husband, Gabe, found an image. It may not be the prettiest but this was the only photo taken before they were devoured.

I know I showed you this recipe but I actually used an adapted version of one I found on epicurious.com.

Peppermint Patties

from epicurious.com

• 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar (less than 1 pound), divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free)
• 10 ounces 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (Valrhona, Guanaja)

• Equipment: a 1-inch round cookie cutter; a digital instant-read thermometer

Filling:
Beat 2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar with corn syrup, water, peppermint extract, shortening, and salt using an electric mixer (with paddle attachment if using a stand mixer) at medium speed until just combined. Knead on a work surface dusted with remaining 1/4 cup confectioners sugar until smooth. Roll out between sheets of parchment paper on a large baking sheet into a 7- to 8-inch round (less than 1/4 inch thick). Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Remove top sheet of paper and sprinkle round with confectioners sugar. Replace top sheet, then flip round over and repeat sprinkling on other side.

Cut out as many rounds as possible with cutter, transferring to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, gather scraps, reroll, and freeze, then cut out more rounds, freezing them.

Temper chocolate and coat filling: (Here is another great tutorial for tempering chocolate – Don’t be scared just try it).
Melt three fourths of chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove bowl from pan and add remaining chocolate, stirring until smooth. Cool until thermometer inserted at least 1/2 inch into chocolate registers 80°F.

Return water in pan to a boil and remove from heat. Set bowl with cooled chocolate over pan and reheat, stirring, until thermometer registers 88 to 91°F. Remove bowl from pan.

Balance 1 peppermint round on a fork and submerge in melted chocolate, letting excess drip off and scraping back of fork against rim of bowl if necessary, then return patty to sheet. Coat remaining rounds, rewarming chocolate to 88 to 91°F as necessary. Let patties stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour.

Cooks’ note: Patties keep, layered between sheets of parchment in an airtight container, chilled, 1 month. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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whoa… I’m really cutting it close this year. Finally I have a thanksgiving recipe for you. I hope you aren’t finished cooking yet because I do believe this tart is worth making some space in the oven for.

It’s tradition with a kick.

Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Tart with a brown butter crust is just what your holiday table needs.

I’ve never been a big fan of pecan pie. I find the sugary custard overly sweet. It’s the kind of too-sweet that gets me in the back of my throat causing me to make a wretching face that other diners find quite unattractive. So when I was asked to bring a pecan pie to the holiday festivites I was less than enthused. Following my tendency to not follow recipes I began to experiment on how I could make this popular classic one that I would enjoy as well.

The answer was obvious and one that I usually use to solve many problems I encounter…. add chocolate! Dark chocolate to be exact. So rich and intense that when introduced to the sugar-laden pie filling a harmonious marriage is created. Suddenly the pie is not only palatelabe but beautifully balanced.

Then add to that a nutty brown butter crust and the refreshing zing of zest and you have yourself a pecan pie-ish type dessert that rises above tradition and scoffs at it’s predesessors. Well, maybe not scoffs. I think this dessert is too sweet to be that mean, but not too sweet to induce the gag reflex.

Enjoy!

Tart Dough
¼ cup sugar
½ cup butter (browned)
pinch salt
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup flour

Combine sugar, butter, salt, vanilla. Then add in flour.

Pecan Filling

2 cups pecan halves (7 ounces), toasted and cooled

3 large eggs

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon orange zest

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (Valrhona, 70%)

Par-bake the tart shell. 375 degrees 10-15 minutes until color is just starting to appear. While it is still warm add the chocolate to the shell. The residual heat will melt the chocolate. Add the pecans.

Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl, then whisk in corn syrup and pour over pecans.

Carefully pour the filling into the shell.

Bake pie until filling is puffed and crust is golden, 25 to 35 minutes.  Cool pie on a rack to warm or room temperature. Serve with maple whipped cream (1 cup cream, 3 Tbl. maple syrup) and pomegranate seeds.

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I think the best way to describe exactly what it is that I am feeling is by imagining a roller coaster. My hormones are taking me for a wild ride that is causing such inflections in emotions that my husband finds himself continually confused as to what it is that I am actually feeling or wanting.
One minute I am complaining about all my aches, pains and about that fact that I feel like a cow and how quickly people are to point out that I am truly quite large. (Yes I can still fit in a car and yes I am sure there is only one baby and no I can’t and have not tried stacking items on my belly).

I come home crying from the doctor’s office because there isn’t as much progress as I was hoping and yet when I really stop and think about the fact that in three (plus or minus) weeks there will be a newborn living in our home I panic. I have had over 9 months, 37 weeks or 260 days to have this fact feel like a reality and the faster it approaches the more nervous and frightened I get.
One moment I would give anything to have this baby outside of me and the very next I am so completely freaked out about having two children that I just hope that baby number two decides to stay in his dark, warm and cozy womb for a couple more months until I figure out logistically how to raise two children.

When both children are screaming who do I deal with first? While nursing baby number 2 (a.k.a. Roman) and number 1 (a.k.a. Baron) is being disobedient how do I discipline while continuing to feed Roman so he won’t start panicking? How do I get both children out of the car gracefully and while avoiding having Baron run into the street? Do two kids fit in one grocery cart or will I be the crazy lady trying to push two carts through the store?
That is the roller coaster of my emotions. I hope you enjoyed the ride.

While one is dealing with such emotional chaos I have found that Chocolate Cream Pie really helps ease the mind. Flaky and buttery pie crust + dark and intense chocolate pudding + unsweetened whipped cream piled high = a heavenly combination that enables the mind to become settled while the taste buds are entertained and awakened.
Now normally I do not recommend the habit of emotional eating but in such extreme circumstances such as the end of pregnancy all rules are thrown out the window and the pregnant woman is allowed whatever her heart (belly) desires.

Recipe for my favorite flaky and tender pie crust

Bake shell completely and with pie weights (if available). 350* about 20-25 minutes

Chocolate Pudding Filling

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large egg yolks

3 cups whole milk

5 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) chopped fine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon excellent quality coffee beans

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, cocoa powder and yolks in a 3-quart heavy saucepan until combined well, then add milk in a stream, whisking. Add coffee beans to liquid to steep. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking, 1 minute (filling will be thick).

Whisk in chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover surface of filling plastic wrap and cool completely, about 2 hours.

When both pudding and pie crust are completely cool fill pie shell with pudding. Cover pudding with a generous layer of unsweetened whipped cream. Top pie with dark chocolate shavings, mini marshmallows, chocolate cookie crumbs, m&m’s, fresh berries or anything else you desire.

Note: I really am open and looking for suggestions as to how to live out daily life while having two children. If anyone has some brilliant tips and hints please share. I would be so grateful!

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