Holiday Traditions

I’m too impatient to enjoy piping and flooding sugar cookies alone. In fact, I find it tedious and virtually impossible. I know some of you feel differently and look at the art of cookie decorating as therapeutic. But for those of us with a shaky hand (especially after a few too many cups of coffee) and a lack of artistic ability, it’s not therapy. In fact it may be the trigger that gets me to a shrink.

But look at the picture. I am so proud. I feel like I can brag a bit since I’ve really worked hard over the years to get to the point of being able to create such pretty cookies. Don’t look too closely though, since they are far from perfect--- no straight lines or smooth edges. My decorated masterpieces are more like impressionistic paintings; viewed best from a distance.

This year my friend Jenn wasn’t able to join me in my annual cookie making tradition. She’s now a professional baker after opening The Little Daisy Bakeshop in Montclair NJ, an amazing little dream come true for her. I have Jenn to thank for teaching me most of what I’ve learned (as I’ve written about through the years). I missed her tremendously this year but my friend Christina proved to be a darn good substitute.

For starters, Christina was kind enough to host our cookie decorating in her spacious kitchen, allowing my sloppy self to spread out comfortably among stacks of cooling racks, baking sheets, sprinkles and icing. She mixed and colored the icing, as Jenn used to do, getting the perfect consistency for the edges and filling and also helped me roll and cut some last minute chocolate cookie dough. But most importantly, Christina was there for the encouragement I always need for the project, my gentle nudge to get it done and ultimately, my way to enjoy an otherwise challenging project. I bounced my decorating ideas off of her as she willingly shared unique ways to design whimsical cookies. More often than not, she left her own cookies to make more icing or demonstrate a design idea. We spent five enjoyable hours together, baking and decorating while talking endlessly about who knows what.

This year I used Martha Stewart’s basic roll out sugar cookie recipe, which yields a flatter cookie. I really like the way the chocolate cookies turned out, especially the mittens, and have Wilton to thank for that recipe. Royal Icing is royal icing and as Christina says, you just mix the confection sugar, water and Just Whites slowly until you get the fluffy and tasty consistency you’re looking for.

Holiday traditions, baking, cooking or entertaining, don’t just enrich our lives. Sometimes they make something possible that otherwise could not have happened. Once again I will proudly present these cookies as hostess gifts and to teachers, relishing every bit of their ooh’s and aah’s. I worked hard for those!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race (the latke making race) -- GIVEAWAY

Suzy showed up for our latke cooking date yesterday in her old t-shirt and jeans, leaving her nice fleece zip up in the car so the distinct scent of canola oil wouldn’t have a comfy place to settle in. I also wore an old t-shirt and sweatpants, sure that I would need a change of clothes before I left the house. (I never did get to change and ran my kids around all afternoon looking like a slob. Oh the price we pay to create golden potato pancakes.) From our scruffy attire, it was clear that over the years we’ve both learned a lot about making latkes, especially in bulk. Fashion statements are the first thing to go!

Suzy’s new kitchen is just about done and she’s cooking mostly everything in it now. But we decided to cook these little suckers in my shabby kitchen since Suzy’s marble tiled backsplash isn’t treated yet. We didn’t want our grease splattering project to do any real damage. The truth is, we may just continue to make greasy foods at my house and I’m just fine with that. I wouldn’t want to be the gal to christen her new kitchen with a permanent stain. Next week we hope to bake something sweet and easy in Suzy’s new kitchen and I can’t wait! I’ll let her choose.

With the complimentary OXO egg beater I was given to test and review, I gave the eggs a quick beating. Suzy scoffed a bit since she thought a fork would do the trick just fine. But I like this new egg beater, a simple and modern version of the one I grew up with. The coolest thing about the egg beater? With the press of two buttons it separates for easy cleaning. It’s the perfect little tool when you don’t want to deal with the electric mixer but want a good beating and something that works better and faster than a fork. And I have one for one of my lucky readers! Just leave a comment on the Cooking With Friends website by the end of the day on Sunday and I’ll draw a winner. You may just win this clever stocking stuffer for yourself!*


Suzy started peeling while I worked the Cuisinart, shredding 10 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes and four onions. After leaving 5 pounds of potatoes bare naked, Suzy’s hand needed a rest so she started the process of frying, draining and freezing. I worked on the other 5 pounds myself. It’s a big production but we’ve got it down pat. Suzy uses two small spoons to form her latkes and I just grab some with my hands. When Suzy was in charge of the frying, the heat was turned down to medium instead of the usual medium high when I’m at the helm. With 160 golden latkes flipped in a two hour time period, it was clear that slow and steady wins the race.

Since we’ve learned so much about making latkes, I’ll share our best secrets to success:

1) Yukon Gold’s are the best potatoes to use and result in a crispy, creamy and flavorful pancake.
2) Let the potatoes rule. Latkes (as the name suggests) are supposed to be potato pancakes. So often people let the flour and onions take over. Follow our proportions for the perfect potatoes.
3) Drain some of the starch before mixing. Suzy always soaks her shredded potatoes in water and then rings them out before mixing in the flour and egg. If you do this to at least half the mixture, you’ll be thrilled with a less starchy result.
4) You must work quickly getting the latkes from skillet, to paper towel-lined plates to freezer. The faster they go from skillet to freezer, the better they’ll taste later.
5) Freezing is best. Never attempt to make fresh latkes for a Hanukah party. The freshly made ones have a chance to sit around and get soggy. You’ll be happier pulling them fresh from the freezer and reheating them even crispier than they came out the first time around. Plus, you will actually enjoy the party rather than being in a grease-drenched kitchen.
6) Always make latkes with a friend. Who wants to hang out alone and deal with so much frying?
7) Olive oil is the best oil to use for frying the latkes. But olive oil can get costly so if you don’t want to use 100% olive, mix canola with olive oil. Your latkes will be even more delicious!
8) Don’t let your latkes sit for too long on the paper towel lined plates. Get them into the freezer as soon as you can after a quick cool or they’ll get soggy!

Here’s our recipe for BIG BATCH POTATO LATKES. Enjoy!

Big Batch Potato Latkes
Makes 160

This is a lot of potato pancakes and a two hour job. If you aren’t up for such a big job, scale the recipe down by half. You and a friend will still get a good amount of latkes! It took us two hours of working pretty non-stop. Not so bad for 180 of these delicious little bites of glory!

10 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and shredded
4 onions, shredded
2 cups white flour
6 eggs, lightly beaten
Kosher salt
A generous mixture of canola and olive oil for frying

Soak the shredded potatoes in water and then drain well with your hands.

Divide all of the ingredients into two large bowls. Place 5 pounds of shredded potatoes, two onions, 1 cup flour and 3 eggs in one bowl and the same in another. You may need to mix the mixture in batches by taking some out and placing it another bowl so that the flour and egg get mixed into the potatoes.

Get two non-stick skillets working on the stovetop and heat 1/8 inch of olive and canola oil until hot (but not too hot). Place potato mixture by the spoonful into the skillets, making as many little latkes you can. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt on each and cook for about five minutes until golden. Flip using a small spatula and cook until the other side is golden. Drain on paper towel lined plate for a minute or so and then transfer to a foil lined baking sheet. Place uncovered in the freezer and freeze until hardened. Continue making latkes until all of the potato mixture is used, continuing to cook on a medium heat (not too high!). You may need to replenish your oil several times. Make sure to quickly drain the latkes and add them to the others resting in the freezer.

If space is an issue, you can lay sheets of aluminum foil between the layers of latkes in the freezer. (Suzy taught me this trick!)

Swedish Meatballs for the Holidays

If you can believe it, my friend Debbie and I started cooking and freezing hors d’oeuvres for the holidays and the clock hadn’t yet struck December. We usually make crab cakes, caramelized onion squares and lamb meatballs but this year we wanted to change things up a bit. So we consulted Cooks Illustrated for their Swedish Meatball recipe and gave it a go!

My poor Kitchen Aid mixer, which had never before worked its charms on anything non-sweet, gave a good beating to a pork and beef mixture. Using a paddle to mix meatballs was a first, but we trust Cooks Illustrated which suggested it as an ingenious way to distribute the fat in the pork and beef mixture. So, we introduced my mixer to raw meat and made a classic Swedish meatball filling. I have to confess I was a bit skeeved when I used it for chocolate chip batter the next day. It was hard to erase the raw meat image from my memory.

With well moistened hands and a bowl of water close by, we sat across from one another and chatted away at my saran wrap covered kitchen table rolling cocktail sized balls. I took note that Debbie’s meatballs weren’t quite as uniform as mine which caused my art teacher friend to get a bit defensive suggesting that it’s the imperfections which add character to our work. I forgot who she was quoting but I got the gist. It’s just that mine are never as pretty as hers and I felt a little satisfaction in my perfect little meatballs. And she just laughed so all was ok.

I left her at the kitchen table to begin the frying process, which took some attention so as not to splatter grease all about my kitchen. She continued to roll while I fried and we talked about our respective holiday plans. Once we were done, she created the rich sauce using the pan drippings, chicken stock and cream. We evenly split the bounty and ended up with 80 or so meatballs each. When my 8th grader came home from school, he scarfed 8 down before I had a chance to hide them in the freezer. From the look on his face, I think we have a darn good appetizer for our holiday.
What’s next? Today we’re making crab cakes, maybe a southwestern one this year instead of our usual Asian flavors. The two-bite empanadas are also on our list. If you have any suggestions, send them our way.

I found a link for the recipe online. It’s not mine, but it’s a good one, so make sure you take a look:

Cooking With My Dad (and the rest of the gang)

Thanks to a communal effort, our Thanksgiving feast was a resounding success. It took a bit of time to get into our groove this year, as my Dad needed to adjust himself to having me in his compact NYC city kitchen. Plus, I started things off on the wrong track when I removed a loaf of his rising bread from the cutting board to chop celery and onions for the stuffing. But once it was clear that his loaf of bread suffered no injuries and was safe and sound in the hot oven, we were side by side again preparing the meal.
This year, my oldest son volunteered to help me make the stuffing, probably because he wanted to snatch a few tastes of his favorite part of the meal. And I’ll take any help I can get in the kitchen, especially when it’s someone from the next generation, as we need to pass the torch of tradition.
There’s no real need to go into detail of our preparations, since I’m pretty sure I’ve written loads on the topic already in past Thanksgiving blogs and history did repeat. But I can assure you it was great fun with a plentitude of memorable moments. Like when I seasoned my Dad’s hands with an ever too generous amount of olive oil, salt and herbs and watched him give his turkey a better full body, deep tissue massage than I’ve ever received. And of course there were the nut versus no nut jokes in our stuffing like there always are.
All in all, it was another delightful Thanksgiving; a bustling day cooking, eating and feeling full, from the meal and satisfying moments together. Of course, I am sad to report that we didn’t have a whole lot of leftovers this years since we traveled by public transport. But I’m looking forward to Thursday, when my parents will tote several quarts of turkey stock over for our Thanksgiving soup, which will allow us to savor the last bit of Thanksgiving 2011.

Turkey Vegetable Soup w/ Alphabets

3 quarts turkey stock
1 medium onion, diced
1 large zucchini (diced)
1 large yellow squash (diced)
4 peeled and chopped carrots in rounds
3 celery stocks diced
2 cups cubed turkey
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. Fresh chopped parsley
1 ½ cups cooked & drained alphabet noodles
Kosher salt to taste

Sauté the vegetables in olive oil. Add stock, let come to a boil and turn down heat to a simmer until carrots are slightly tender. Add pre-cooked alphabets, turkey & parsley. Let cool and transfer to containers and freeze.

Like an Old Married Couple

Cooking with Kathe for Thanksgiving was fun as always. With pots, pans, baking dishes and countless ingredients strewn about the countertops, we were Tazmanian Devils spinning feverishly around the kitchen moving from one prep station to the next, we were making cranberry bread, carrot muffins, stuffing and biscotti. Although we hoped to make pecan pies, we ran out of time. Thankfully though, we did manage to hit pause for a minute to wolf down the salad Kathe made for lunch.

I felt like a professional dishwasher at times, standing over the sink scrubbing and rinsing a never ending tide of dirty items. But somehow I didn’t dread this mundane task as I would have alone in my kitchen. In a bizarre way I actually enjoyed the chore with company. I wasn’t focused on the humdrum of the routine, but rather on the conversation I was having with my friend. We chatted about our kid’s progress in school, gymnastics (we both have gymnasts), what cookie to make for her Holiday Cookie swap and our upcoming family vacation plans.

As usual, when Kathe and I cook, we get started right away with our agendas but with no particular order in mind. At times we’re like an old married couple, bickering and complaining to one another. (Don’t be mad I said that Kathe!) If I snag the baking soda or a measuring spoon from her she’ll pester me when I forget to return it to her neatly arranged display of supplies. (By the way, she’s a professional organizer and a good one if you have the need!) And I know I’ll get on her nerves with my gazillions of questions. But it’s all in good fun. We love each other and have a mature cooking relationship.

Cooking with Kathe reminds me of cooking with my Dad, especially when we discuss nuts versus no nuts in our baked goods. Kathe’s family loves nuts and almost everything she bakes will have them. I on the other hand, do not like nuts in my food and as a result, neither does my family. My Dad and I go through this rigmarole with our stuffing every year, arguing about nuts versus no nuts, always ending up with two batches to please our stubborn selves.

Kathe had a hard fought nut victory this past Wednesday when my healthy carrot muffins seemed to be missing something. Although I’m sure an extra stick of butter would have made a difference I needed to keep them low-fat. Suddenly, I blurted out that my muffins needed nuts! I’m not sure how that happened, perhaps it wasmy alter ego taking over for the moment. But Kathe was elated with my suggestion and after high-fiving one another, I began chopping walnuts. With a handful of cranberries and a cupful of nuts, our second batch of carrot muffins was just perfect. We talked about adding cream cheese frosting to jazz them up but that’s up to you!

Carrot Muffins with Cranberries and Walnuts
Makes 70 mini muffins

1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 ½ apple sauce
2 eggs
¾ cups white sugar
¾ cups light brown sugar
2 cups white flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Using a stand or hand held mixer, cream together the butter, oil and apple sauce with the sugars. Add the shredded carrots and mix slightly. In a separate bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix in the cranberries and walnuts. Spoon the batter into well-greased mini muffin tins and bake until firm to the touch, approximately 12 minutes. Serve with a dollop of cream cheese frosting if you desire.

Lobster Empanadas with a Smokey Lime Dip and an Amazing Giveaway Opportunity

I’ve been asked by Macy’s to help them with their Mblog recipe showcase. Check out their Facebook page for details:, where Macy’s fans can submit their favorite holiday recipes for a chance to win a dinner with a renowned Macy’s Culinary Council chef, including Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Cat Cora or Todd English. Although I am not being compensated, my recipe and story have a chance to be featured in Macy’s new Mblog . Since I love the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade and always get to see it in person, I wanted to show some support.

There’s also something in it for you if you are the lucky winner! Tell me what your favorite holiday dish is by commenting on my blog on the CWFC website and you will have the chance to win this beautiful 15" Stainless Steel Martha Stewart Collection Roaster, with Roasting Rack: http://tinyurl.com/6onqzgf

It’s Christmas Day at my friend Debbie’s house, an extravagant food-filled event with family and friends. The hors d’oeuvres start early in the day, with delectable nibbles served one after the other, preceding an elegant sit down feast. My friend is dressed to the nines and unruffled as she proudly heats and presents an assortment of lovely homemade appetizers to her guests. You may wonder how she does it! The answer is simple: “With a little help from her friends.”

It’s been years that we’ve been cooking together for our holidays and often our friend Jackie will join our fun tradition as well. We’ve made Asian crab cakes, spiced lamb meatballs, lobster and corn empanadas, pork and bok choy dumplings, cheese crackers, caramelized blue cheese squares, blue cheese stuffed dates, Swedish butter cookies, chocolate truffles – you name it! We carve out several dates in December to start cooking, baking and freezing together.

There’s a lot of laughter in our kitchens as we splatter, sizzle and mix in large quantities together all while sharing stories and keeping in touch with each other’s lives. While the outside world bustles about in shopping malls and traffic jams, it may be messy, but all’s calm and quiet in our kitchens together. Last year, Debbie was so dreamy talking to us that she accidentally put an extra three cups of flour in her cookies. We were hysterical, adding more eggs, sugar and vanilla to get the consistency right! Alas, we did and the cookies -- many of them -- tasted as good as usual. We ended up having more fun as a result of our merry little mishap. There’s no holiday stress in our time together; just the simple enjoyment preparing for our respective gatherings.

As we serve our food to guests, each and every course we present is infused with meaning and the fond thoughts of cooking together.

Lobster Empanadas
Makes 24

These two-bite empanadas make an extraordinary appetizer for a holiday cocktail party. Puff pastry dough is a fine substitute for flaky empanada dough. They can be made ahead of time and frozen.

2 dozen mini empanada dough rounds (or 3 inch circles cut out of puff pastry)
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 2 ½ pound steamed lobster, meat removed and cut into small chunks
1 cup sweet corn kernels, blanched slightly
1 cup béchamel sauce (see recipe below)
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped finely (If you don’t like cilantro, use can parsley.)
1 egg, plus a bit of water for egg wash

In a medium sized skillet, melt the butter on a medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook for five minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the corn, lobster, béchamel sauce and cilantro. Stir well and set aside to cool.

To assemble the empanadas, spoon a small amount (1 teaspoon) of filling into the center of each empanada wrapper. Fold the dough in half over the filling and crimp the edges together by using a fork or your fingers and twisting like a rope. Repeat until all the filling is used.

To cook, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tops of each with egg wash. Bake on a cookie sheet until golden for approximately 20 minutes.

Béchamel Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup hot milk
Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in flour. Whisk together and stir for several minutes. Gradually add the hot milk. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg if desired.

Smokey Lime Dip

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and serve with the empanadas.

1/8 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Juice from ½ of a lime

Wonton Fun

I never knew it could be so fun to stuff and fold Chinese wontons until Christina, Suzy and I had our wonton making date.

Suzy came a few hours early to make a batch of homemade chicken stock, which she planned on serving with the wontons. She arrived ready to go, a huge stock pot in one hand and an overstuffed grocery bag in the other. She marched right into my kitchen, unloading not just her stuff but some guilt as well, apologizing for taking over my kitchen every week. She even threatened to stop our regular Tuesday gig. I quickly interrupted her purge, reminding her that we’d be cooking every week regardless of her kitchen renovation like we’ve done for years. Plus, I reminded her, these cooking dates benefit me as much as her. What better way in my busy life to get dinner on the table than to spend a blast of a time with a friend?
So, she settled comfortably in and started her chicken soup, throwing veggies, herbs and chicken into her pot to boil and simmer. Her original intention was to leave and let the soup slow cook while I worked. But as she settled in, a magazine in hand, she decided to hang out and wait while I worked. It was fantastic for me since she soon dropped her magazine and began helping me make pizza and soup for our pre-wonton making lunch. Plus, I really like when people make themselves at home in my kitchen.

Christina arrived a tad late but we greeted her with a cup of a hearty squash soup, which Kathe and I made the day before and a delicious flatbread Zucchini and parmesan cheese pizza. This was designed to provide energy to twist and seal her 60 wontons and some of mine too. Since there’s no room in my small kitchen for three bowls, trays and grown-ups, we spread out into my dining room.

I got teased a bit for my wonton folding ability (or lack there-of), requesting that Christina demonstrate several times in slow motion. As Christina’s wontons remained upright neatly lined on her baking tray, mine just lay down, relaxed and ready to take a nap. Suzy, who laughed that she usually isn’t that coordinated with crimping other foods like empanadas, proudly got the hang of it, cranking out a good bunch herself. As usual, I set out to make double everyone else since it’s not that much more work and I’ve got a wonton loving bunch in my house. I made two fillings, a pork and chicken. The only difference: scallions were added to the chicken.

Here’s the recipe, guided by an expert Chinese cook, my pal Christina.

Enjoy!

Wontons
Makes 60

1 pound ground chicken (or pork)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
A few pinches of salt
Several splashes of soy sauce
Several splashes of sesame oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
Corn starch
Handful of chopped scallions
Package of wonton wrappers (60)

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Stuff, twist and fold the wontons: place a teaspoon of filling into the wrapper, facing point side down. Moisten the edges and fold over the filling into a triangle. Twist on corner under the other and seal. Repeat. Lay on parchment paper lined baking sheet until hardened, freeze until hard and then transfer to freezer bags. Boil in water (or chicken stock) for about 7 minutes. Serve in homemade chicken soup with chopped chives and steamed spinach.