Reindeer Cookies

Inspiration:
Taste of Home magazine

Prepare your favorite recipe for peanut butter cookie dough. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, flatten, and make an indentation so the cookie is a peanut shape. Use red M&Ms or red hots for the nose, chocolate chips for the eyes, and mini pretzels for the antlers. Do this BEFORE baking. (We found out the hard way, haha). Bake as instructed in your peanut butter cookie recipe. These need to cool a very long time so that the chocolate eyes harden.

How cute are they? I hope these are a hit at the cookie swap I am attending.

Coriander-Orange-Scented Red Lentil Soup

Inspiration:
My new favorite cookbook: The Splendid Table's How to East Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift


Ingredients:

• 1 small bunch (1-inch-diameter bouquet at stems) fresh coriander (cilantro)
  
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium onions, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• 4 large garlic cloves, fine chopped
• One 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and fine chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
• Zest and juice of 1 medium orange
• One 14-ounce can vegetable or chicken broth
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted
• Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
• 2/3 to 1 cup additional fresh orange juice

Instructions:

1. Wash and dry the bunch of coriander. Cut off the bottom 2 to 3 inches of the stems and chop them fine. Set them aside. Coarse-chop half of the remaining coriander leaves, refrigerating the rest for another dish.
2. Generously film the bottom of a 4-quart saucepan with olive oil and heat it over high heat. Stir in two-thirds of the onions, and season with salt and pepper. Saute until the onions begin to brown. Blend in the coriander stems, garlic, ginger, ground coriander seed, and the orange zest. Saute for about 20 seconds over high heat, or until fragrant. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
3. Pour the broth, water, lentils, and remaining onions into the same saucepan. Bring to a gentle bubble, partially cover, and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the lentils are nearly tender. Add the sautéed seasonings and additional salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot tightly and simmer for another 15 minutes to blend the flavors. (At this point the soup could be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen, and reheated.)
4. Just before serving, stir in the juice from half a lemon, the juice of the zested orange, and the additional orange juice to taste, starting with 2/3 cup. You will probably want almost the entire cup of additional orange juice, but trust your own taste. Then sample the soup for salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and adjust them as needed.
5. Scatter the coriander tops over the soup, and ladle it into deep bowls.

Recipe Notes:

• Serves 2 to 3 as a main dish; 4 to 5 as a first course
  
• 10 minutes prep time; 25 minutes stove time
• If you use only one organic ingredient for this recipe, let it be the orange, since the peel is cooked into the dish.
• The inspiration here is pure East India. India glorifies dried peas and lentils like no other place on Earth, and Indian meals often include a souplike dish called dal. Cooks there marry lentils and spices in a unique way with a technique you'll find yourself using in other dishes.
• Since legumes are notorious for smothering flavors, Indian cooks sauté the seasonings separately, adding them toward the end of the cooking time to create bright, true tastes.

My Notes:
This was a little too orange-y for us, and I didn't even add the total amount of orange juice. I would try this again and mix up the proportions a bit. If you LOVE orange, this soup if for you. One nice thing about this recipe is it's really "fresh" tasting due to the citrus and cilantr0-- a nice thing during the cold winter days and nights.

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 7/10

Helen's Raspberry Chocolate Truffles

Inspiration:
My friend Helen.


Ingredients:

• 1 box brownie mix, oil, and egg as needed for box instructions
• 2 T Chambord raspberry liqueur
• finely chopped toasted walnuts
• candy papers
  

Instructions:

1. Prepare brownies as instructed on box, and bake until brownies are just set but not crispy. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. When brownie mixture is cool enough to handle, scoop into large food processor and add liqueur. Pulse until fully mixed.
3. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls, roll in finely chopped nuts, and place in candy wrappers.

Notes: So easy, and so tasty!

Liz's Rating: 8.5/10
Tim's Rating: 8.5/10

Saltine Toffee Candy

Inspiration, Ingredients, and Instructions:
Joelen

Notes: This is SO easy, and the best part is that if you line your cookie sheet with foil, you'll only dirty ONE dish. I'll be making this often!

Tim's Rating: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 8/10

Product Rave: Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta

My friend H. and I went shopping at Trader Joe's, and we both picked up this pasta. She made it before I did, and recommended serving shrimp on top. So, I blackened some shrimp (toss shelled shrimp in a mixture of flour, salt, cayenne, and black pepper and then pan fry) and served it on the pasta with a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

An extremely fast and tasty meal for a weeknight. If I had some fresh parsley, I would have sprinkled it on top.

Liz's Rating: 8.5/10
Tim's Rating: N/A

Baked Orecchiette with Pork Sugo

Inspiration:
Food and Wine

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
• One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 5 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds orecchiette
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (7 ounces)

Instructions:

1. Season the pork with salt and pepper. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the pork in a single layer and cook over moderately high heat until the pieces are golden brown all over, about 12 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until softened and browned in spots, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a simmer. Add the red wine and thyme sprigs and cook over high heat until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the pork is very tender, about 2 hours.
2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork and vegetables to a food processor; discard the thyme sprigs. Pulse just until the pork is shredded. Scrape the shredded pork and vegetables back into the casserole. Stir in the chopped parsley, oregano and crushed red pepper and season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until it is still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes; drain well. Add the orecchiette to the casserole and toss with the pork sauce. Scrape the pasta into a very large baking dish and sprinkle all over with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake the casserole in the upper third of the oven for about 35 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling. Let the baked pasta stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes:
"The pork sugo can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat before tossing with the orecchiette."

My Notes:
The photos do not capture the deliciousness of this dish. I highly recommend it.
I cut this recipe in half, and it still filled a 9x13 pyrex dish. This recipe takes a long time, because the pork braises for two hours. It is not a weeknight meal. However, it's perfect for a Sunday where you'll be watching football or baking Christmas cookies, because after the initial prep, it just simmers and smells yummy while you go about your day.

For those of you who are interested, here is an interesting article about sugo.

Tim's Rating: 9.5/10
Liz's Rating: 8.5/10

Me: "I would call this comfort food."
Tim: "Yes, I feel very comforted."

Milwaukee in a Bowl: Brat, Beer, and Cheese Soup

Inspiration:

Bratwurst from the Farmer's Market and a recipe from the Penzey's spice catalog.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots
  
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
  
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
  
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
  
• 6 cups chicken broth
  
• 12 ounces beer
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic power
  
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
  
• 1/2 cup half and half
  
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  
• 3 cooked bratwurst, sliced

Instructions:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Stir in carrot, celery and onion - cook until very tender, stirring often, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
   
   
2. Add potatoes, broth and beer - bring mixture to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with garlic powder, mustard powder and cayenne pepper, along with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
   
   
3. Meanwhile, fry the bratwurst slices until browned on both sides.
   
   
4. Stir milk and Worcestershire into the soup. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the cheese until melted and smooth. Remove roughly 2 cups of vegetables, along with some of the liquid, and place into a food processor - process until smooth. Pour back into the soup and place pot back over low heat. Stir in cooked bratwurst - heat until the soup has warmed through, about 5 more minutes.
   

Recipe Notes:
"Milwaukee in a bowl. Our hometown is known for many things, but these three are our favorites, especially when they are combined in this heavenly soup. If you can't find brats in your area, you can use kielbasa, or even bacon."

My Notes:
Yum.

Tim's Rating: 9.5/10 "The perfect food to have during a Packer game."

Liz's Rating: 9/10