Sweet Mary

Empty Freezer

Wow.  How sad.  An empty freezer.  I guess that means Christmas is over and all the cookies are gone (or, at the very least distributed amongst family/friends with the leftovers literally left in New York in my Mom's freezer).  Now, all I have is ice and chicken.  BUT, I am gearing up to bake some more for a small dinner I'm having on Friday AND for an old friend from college (i.e. round one of college way back in the day in NY State) on the west coast who found me on Facebook.  Yes, I have been ignoring my blog and having all kinds of fun reconnecting with lots of great people on Facebook.   I certainly know some interesting folks from my travels, jobs, and degrees.  

Anyway, I'm not one for New Year's Eve (you know the deal, I'm kind of anti-holiday except when it comes to baking sweet things), but I am wishing all of you a lovely 2009.  Check back in this weekend for some recipes.

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

In an effort to make at least one holiday cookie that had a light flavor and reduced fat/calories, I chose this Cranberry Oatmeal Bar recipe from Cooking Light.  They are very easy to make and are absolutely delicious.  I have to admit that my friends aren't going to get a lot of these because I already ate quite a few!  Click on the Cooking Light link above for the recipe.

Pre-Holiday Post-Viral I Need A Vacation Mania

I'm cooped up here in my cozy third floor apartment in Providence because we are gettin' whomped with a snow storm. I am not necessarily happy about this, but only because I was already up here for two days illin' from a nasty virus that hit my department at work like a ton of bricks. And, what am I doing to entertain myself, you ask? Well...

1. Wishin' you all healthy and happy holidays!  Thanks for keeping up on my blog.  I appreciate it tremendously. 

2. Finishing up Volume 5 of my Music to Have a Mid-Life Crisis To for my friend Jennifer. Oh, this is a good one!  It's the So Bad It's Good edition. Imagine the likes of Aqua, Ace of Base, Scandal, Andy Gibb, Leo Sayer, and Hall & Oates, and others on one CD. Yes, I know. You wish you could have one, too. If you're turning 40 in 2009, I MIGHT think about it.

3. Reading some good books.

4. Watching some episodes of Freaks and Geeks.  I don't watch a lot of TV so vaguely recall this show from years ago.  After watching a few, I'm finding it pretty good but I keep watching JUST because I love the character of Bill, played by Martin Starr (who I now adore).  

5. Waiting anxiously for the week off between Christmas and New Year's.  Thankfully, the company I work for shuts down.  I only get 10 other days of vacation, so this week is a gift.  A much needed gift.  I am fried, burnt, and way way over done, if you know what I mean.  I need a little ME time.  A little recharge the batteries so I can think about what I want to do in 2009 kind of time. 

 

6. Crossing another activity off my Year 39 list. For December, I chose to watch Casablanca. I know, I'm almost 40 and I have never seen this movie. I figured I should take care of that and this is the perfect weekend with all the stormy snowy weather.

7.  Baking one more batch of Christmas cookies. I did cut back this year on the amount of cookies I made; however, somehow still have a freezer FILLED with cookies. I have to start delivering them on Monday, which is my favorite part. Don't worry, I'll share/post two more Christmas cookie recipes hopefully this weekend in case you're like me and have a hard time stopping once you get started. There always seems to be another great recipe to try.

8. And, what does one do after realizing pounds have been shed and once perfect fitting jeans are loose after a nasty bout with a stomach virus?  Well (and I encourage you to do this EVEN if you didn't get sick), EAT MORE CHRISTMAS COOKIES! OK, I'm exaggerating a bit here for effect. But, you know you made enough and are probably going to make more. And, there's nothing like a Christmas cookie to lift your spirits and chase any December-wintery-holidayish blues way. So, seriously, eat more cookies. I know I will.

Happy Holidays!

Anise Biscotti

This morning in the kitchen I am working on making some stock for some homemade chicken soup to help me ward off what might be a cold, as well as another Allen Christmas cookie favorite, Anise Biscotti. Again, this is a recipe that's been around in our family for decades; consequently, I am not sure where it came from or if it's been changed along the way. I do know that it was a favorite of my father's, so it's always nice to carry on the tradition around the holidays in remembrance. I am a big fan of biscotti and coffee, so these are super nice if you like the flavor of anise. 

 

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup anise seeds

1/4 cups anisette

3 tablespoons whisky

6 eggs

5 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 cups walnuts, chopped

Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a bowl and set aside.

Mix sugar, melted butter, anise seeds, anisette, and whiskey together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Then, mix in half the flour and then the other half until fully incorporated.  Mix in nuts.

Divide in half.  Wrap with plastic.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 375 F. On greased baking sheets, shape dough with your hands to form flat loaves that are 1/2 inch thick and about 3 inches wide. They should run the length of the baking sheet.  There will be two loaves to each pan for a total of four loaves. The loaves should be parallel to each other and a few inches a part on the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Cool loaves on racks and then cut into slices that are 1/2-3/4 inch thick.  You can cut on a slant if you wish.  Place the slices cut side down on a baking sheet and bake again at 375 F for 15 minutes.

Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cookies

How nice to wake up this morning (after sleeping in under warm blankets) to a little snow here in New England.  Although winter is very challenging for me because I am simply not a fan of super cold temperatures and lots of gray days, I do like some snow and cold in December, particularly close to the holidays.  

Speaking of holidays, although I am not going crazy making tons of Christmas cookies this year, I did start making a few last night.  I posted this recipe for Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cookies two years ago and am re-posting it today because these truly are one of my favorite cookies.  I should warn you that they are highly addictive.  I made a double batch because so many of my friends and family love them so much that they go really fast and people tend to want more.  The combination of the coffee and chocolate makes them irresistible for caffeine and sugar freaks.  

My mother began making Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cookies around Christmas when I was a kid; consequently, they've been in our family for at least 30 years.  I have no idea where she found the recipe but it's been passed around amongst our family and friends for as long as I can remember.  I hope you'll give it a try because I am sure these will quickly become one of your (year-round) favorites.

I am also submitting this recipe to Susan of Food Blogga's Eat Christmas Cookies month-long cookie round up.  If you need Christmas cookie ideas, don't hesitate to click here and view all of the wonderful submissions.

1/2 cup instant coffee

2 tablespoons boiling water

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Boil water.   Mix water with coffee.  Let stand 15 minutes.

In the meantime, combine flour and baking soda.  Whisk together.  Set aside.

Then, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.

Mix in coffee, egg, and vanilla until thoroughly incorporated.

Stir or mix in the flour mixture until well blended.

Add chocolate chips and nuts.  Stir until evenly distributed.

Chill dough for 40 minutes.  Heat oven to 325 F.

After dough has chilled, roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet.

Bake on lower rack in oven for approximately 12 minutes.  Let sit on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes

before placing on a cooling rack.  Makes 3-4 dozen.