…Baby, it’s cold outside…

It’s been a cold and blustery week here in the Bay Area – torrential showers, undulating winds, and chills that pierce to the bone. And I sit wrapped under layers of fleece blankets, fingers curled around a hot mug of Trader Joe’s Spicy Chai Latte (amazing stuff btw), feet hidden by knee-high wool stockings, when suddenly from the heavens, the clouds seem to part, and a small crack of light squeezes itself between the carpet of clouds.

special made simple.
d o n n a h a y
issue 42
DEC/JAN 2009

The first of my donnahay subscriptions has arrived – and I might be the luckiest girl ever, as they are actually a present from someoneiknow.

all the cute things you do simply simply tickle my heart.

Very sweet and very thoughtful, don’t you agree? If only I could get him something as amazing and meaningful … Anyway, I am super excited to start trying out the donna recipes, as it is finally Winter Break and I have free time after all. But as I browse the 250+ page magazine and mentally make note that I need to repeatedly thank someoneiknow, I am going to nibble at this amazing Molasses Spice Cookie, that just complements my Chai latte sooo well – talk about a spiced up night.

Molasses Spice Cookies
Guilty as charged. I make these cookies for every event and every occasion I can (last Xmas, Thanksgiving dinner, finals stress food, birthday present, etc.). But can you blame me? They are amazing! And just in time for the Holidays. These can be baked on the lighter side for soft cookie lovers, or browned a bit for the crispy crowd. I can be both, and either way, these cookies are delightful. I believe these are originally a Dorie Greenspan creation – no wonder they are delicious!

Ingredients
2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice [optional; I have done without on a few occasions, and it turns out fine]
12 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
about 1/2 cup sugar [large crystal = the better!]

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and all spices.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and combine until well incorporated. Add the egg and beat together.
Slowly add dry ingredients, mixing until just homogeneous. Fold the mixture together several times with a spatula. Divide dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour before baking.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place 1/2 cup of large crystal sugar in a shallow bowl or saucer. Working with one of the dough halves at a time, remove one from the fridge. Pinch off walnut-sized balls from the dough.

Roll each dough ball in the sugar until well coated. Place each ball on a cookie sheet.

Dip the bottom of a cup into sugar and evenly press each of the balls flat, about 1/4″ thick. Repeat with the remaining balls.

Bake each cookie sheet for 12 to 14 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool and then remove them from the baking sheet. Enjoy!

This was a short and simple entry. I just finished finals and am lazy as heck. But the next few days should be fairly productive, and I will hopefully be cranking out more entries. The Holiday Season is in full swing now, so I hope you are already making plans in preparation for it. Until then, I will be glued to my new donnahay.

Love and Good Winter Eats,
AnhD

It’s beginning to look a lot like Xmas…

As the autumn leaves give way to bare limbs and colder skies, the air is tense with anticipation and longing. The sleepy Holiday Spirit is reawakened in each of us. It leaps and bounds within us – calling us to put up the tree, string the garlands, light the candles, and play a constant stream of Holiday music (96.5 KOIT). Several rounds of Christmas in Canon D later, and we are brimming with Holiday Cheer.

And once the lawn decorations are out, the ornaments up, and the fragrance of freshly cut pine boughs mingles with the scent of peppermint, it’s time to sit back and enjoy the twinkling lights, the mellow haze of the flickering candles, and each others’ company. Cuddling up under a warm quilted blanket, with a hot, foamy mug of white chocolate mocha in hand, as we rest our heads on a soft pillow (someoneiknow’s chest), just taking in the sights and sounds, enjoying the ambiance that is the Holiday Season. And we realize that the Holiday Spirit is alive, no longer dormant, no longer weighed down by our other worries and fears. And for that moment – it seems that all is right in the world.

The combined effect of all this is magical and instantly puts even the grumpiest Scrooge in good spirits. I’m in the midst of finals and yet one look at my Christmas trees and the ornaments, and my frown is turned upside down. I am suddenly a 3-year old kid again, in complete wonder and awe of the glowing lights on those evergreen boughs. And the shiny ornaments, and the intricate bows. And it all wouldn’t be complete without some holiday cookies. To dunk in a delicious mug of hot chocolate or deep, dark espresso, these Peanut Butter and Chocolate Biscotti are perfect. My roommates and I went a little crazy, and we ended up starting the Holiday Season by festively decorating these biscotti as well – dipping them in melted chocolate, then topping each one – some with crushed candy canes, others with Scharffen Berger cacao nibs, bright red Craisins, sweeten shredded coconut, and an assortment of other nuts. It’s a fun activity to awaken your sleepy Holiday Spirit.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Biscotti
Source: Food Network

Ingredients
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 1/4 cups chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks (about 6 ounces)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*F. Roast peanuts in oven while preheating.

Melt butter in saucepan, swirling occasionally, until the butter browns, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer [or by hand] until light and pale yellow. Gradually add the sugar while beating. Slowly add melted butter and vanilla until evenly mixed. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.

Slowly incorporate dry ingredients to the wet, mixing just until absorbed.

Fold in the peanuts and chocolate pieces. Divide the dough evenly into thirds, and put each portion in the center of a baking sheet. Shape the dough with slightly wet hands into logs about 2-inches wide and 15 inches long.

Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. (For even baking take care to rotate the pans– top to bottom and front to back–about half way though.) Cool logs on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut logs crosswise, with a long serrated knife at about a 45 degree angle, into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheets.

Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Cool biscotti on the baking sheets. Decorate as desired and serve.

So not only does this entry mark the beginning of the Holiday Season, it also marks the start of baking season – where my oven is perpetually set on “pre-heat at 350* mode. It is the season for high PG&E bills and expensive credit card debt. But no worries, food lovers. Because in the end, we know that the smiles, the friends, the family – it’s all worth it. So until soon friends.

Peace. Love. Hope. Joy.
AnhD