That’s right, it’s another Cook’s Illustrated.

I love banana bread and I wish Tom did, too. But that’s okay, more for me! I made this a few months ago and loved the extreme banana flavor and moistness of the bread.

That’s right, I said extreme.

I pretty much ate the whole loaf by myself. The extra, decorative slices of banana at the top get cooked and browned and end up looking slightly mutilated…

I haven’t yet decided if I like that or not. But it tasted really good, and I liked the flavor of the banana slices when I ate them.

What really made me want to make this bread was the way it’s prepared — the bananas are microwaved and the juices are used as a syrup to give the bread the extra banana-y flavor. (Making up more words because it’s my blog and I can.)

Ultimate Banana Bread
Courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated
Makes 8 – 10 servings, or one Jen-sized serving

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
6 large very ripe bananas (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.

2. Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife. Microwave on high power until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to fine-mesh strainer placed over medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes (you should have ½ to ¾ cup liquid).

3. Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.

4. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in walnuts, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice remaining banana diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving 1½-inch-wide space down center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf.

5. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

As you know, I am practically joined at the hip with America’s Test Kitchen’s brand Cook’s Illustrated. Never before have I used a cookbook more than I do with their brilliant Best 30 Minute Recipe.

Not to beat a dead horse or anything but… GET THIS BOOK. If I could buy this book for all my friends, I would. Actually, maybe I will for Christmas…

Okay, if you’re on my Christmas list, don’t buy this book. Ha!

We’ve had a lot of BBQ’s and Potlucks to go to, and I’ve been wanting something simple to bring that doesn’t require a crock pot…

…and I’ll eat any salad that has tons of “stuff” in it. The mix of salt and sweet in this salad makes it a total hit and takes a whopping 15 minutes to throw together. SOLD!

Now when I take this to a potluck, I omit the chicken. If I’m serving it as a dinner, I add the chicken. The protein helps fill up your belly and won’t let you go hungry. I’m not a rabbit and won’t be satisfied by nibbling on a few pieces of lettuce.

Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apple and Spiced Pecans
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Serves 4

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette (recipe below) – or another sweet dressing you already have on hand
10 cups of romaine lettuce torn into bite-sized pieces – or whatever you have on hand; I like baby spinach
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced thin
1 cup spiced pecans (recipe below)
1/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Brown chicken: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes.

2. Poach chicken, prepare vinaigrette and spiced pecans: Flip chicken over, add water, and cover. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Transfer to carving board and cool slightly. While the chicken cooks, make vinaigrette and spiced pecans (recipes below).

3. Dress and assemble salad: Toss lettuce, cheddar, apple, pecans, and dried cranberries with 3/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Divide salad between individual plates. Slice chicken on bias and arrange over greens. Spoon remaining vinaigrette over chicken or pass separately.

Ooh… Ah… Oh…

And now for the extra recipes needed to make this dish. As a side note, I don’t often serve the vinaigrette below. I have some sweet stuff on hand from the store that I use — a sweetened Italian vinaigrette and a light raspberry almond vinaigrette. Whatever sweet vinaigrette you have in the fridge is fine.

Also, do not omit the spiced pecans! They’re the best part.

Quick Spiced Pecans
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup pecan halves
1/2 tablespoon sugar

Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over low heat. Stir in spices, sugar and pecans. Toast nuts, stirring often, until the color of nuts deepens slightly, about 6 minutes. Cool.

Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette
Courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1/4 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1 shallot, peeled
1 small garlic clove, peeled
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt & ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Rehydrate cranberries: Combine cranberry juice and dried cranberries in microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high power until hot, about 1 minute.

2. Blend vinaigrette: Process hot cranberry mixture, vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in blender until shallot and garlic are finely chopped, about 15 seconds. Add oil and continue to process until smooth and emulsified, about 15 – 20 seconds.

If you try this one out, let me know what you think!

This past weekend I decided to bake some brownies for Tom. He loves them. Me, on the other hand… well, I’m not too big on them. I just don’t find brownies all that special. They’re little chocolate squares that are typically hit or miss — too dry, too dense, too cakey, not cakey enough, not enough chocolate, and so on. But for him (I’m a giver) I baked up a half batch thinking there would be more than enough. He offered me a nibble of the first one and, to be polite, I accepted with a smile.

And then as soon as he was out of the room, I ate four.

Photo courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated

The secret of their chewy texture is the 2 eggs/2 egg yolk ratio. Whites will fluff your eggs up like cake, but adding two yolks will keep the brownie dense and moist. And, I know I’ve said a lot of nasty things about instant espresso in the past, but the teaspoons that are added give the chocolate flavor a little interest.

These were very easy to whip up, not to mention fast. Active time was about 10 minutes.

Chewy Chocolate Brownies
Courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated
Makes 24 two-inch brownies

Ingredients
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso (optional)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (17 1/2 ounces) sugar
1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon table salt
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate , cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13 by 9-inch baking pan with foil, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk cocoa, espresso powder (if using), and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. (Mixture may look curdled.) Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1½ hours.

4. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Note: If you decide to cut this in half, bake it in a 9×9 inch pan. My baking time turned out to be the same. Just to be safe, check with a toothpick.

I know you’re sick of me saying this, but if you cook and don’t have a subscription to Cook’s Illustrated, get one. It costs a little but it’s worth it.

A few months ago, the girls at church had a Dessert & Movie night. Special events like these give me ample opportunities to try out new recipes. Sometimes it works out and I end up with a wildly successful morsel, and sometimes it doesn’t, leaving me with a disaster.

Luckily for me, these Butterscotch Brownies with Chocolate Ganache ended deliciously! The only thing that disappointed me about them was the lack of texture – and that was totally my fault. I had toasted up some nuts to mix in, but forgot them. If you decide to give these a whirl, I strongly recommend adding the pecans; they’ll give you a bit of texture to break up the incredibly smooth, very sweet brownie. Without the nuts, it’s a little too much.

Butterscotch Brownies
From Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year, by Julia M. Usher

Caramel Topping
8 ounces caramel candies (about 27 cubes)
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Butterscotch Brownies
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3⁄8 teaspoon salt
1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, chopped into tablespoon-size pieces
2¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons dark rum (optional)
2 cups pecan halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

Ganache Glaze
16 ounces premium semisweet chocolate finely chopped or ground in a food processor
1½ cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Directions:
Make the Caramel Topping. Unwrap the caramel candies and combine with the cream and butter in a small nonreactive (stainless steel or coated) saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring regularly to prevent scorching, until the caramels and butter are completely melted and the mixture has boiled. Remove from the heat. Stir in the flour, mixing well to break apart any lumps. Add the vanilla extract and set the topping in a warm place so the caramel stays fluid while you prepare the brownie batter.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 10 x 15 x 2-inch glass baking dish (sometimes called a roasting pan, p. 10) with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang around the top edge of the pan. Smooth out any big wrinkles in the foil and then lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix the Butterscotch Brownies. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Place the butter in a medium (3-quart) saucepan over low heat. Once the butter has fully melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, mixing until smooth. (Note: Don’t be surprised if the butter and sugar do not completely come together at this point; some separation is normal.) Cool a few minutes; then add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and rum, if desired.

Gradually add the flour mixture, whisking all the while to keep the batter lump free. Stir in the pecans. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and level with a small offset spatula. (The batter will be less than 1 inch thick, but it will bake to about twice its original thickness.)

Drizzle the caramel topping evenly over the batter. (If the caramel has thickened and is difficult to drizzle, gently reheat it.) Marble the top (and break apart any large caramel blobs) by drawing a spatula through both the topping and the batter in a random pattern.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs on it, and the brownie has pulled away from the edges of the pan, about 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely in the pan. (Areas that had larger helpings of caramel topping may sink slightly, but don’t worry; the ganache will completely cover any holes.)

Prepare and apply the Ganache Glaze (below). Make the glaze only after the brownies have completely cooled.

While the ganache is fluid, pour it evenly over the brownie. Gently tilt or shake the pan so that the ganache completely coats the brownie top. Cover with foil, taking care to keep it from touching the ganache. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours, or until the ganache is firm enough to cut cleanly.

Remove the brownies from the pan in one block by gently pulling up on the foil overhang. Place directly on a cutting board. Remove all foil, and trim any uneven edges before cutting into 1½-inch squares. For the neatest cuts, slice the bars while the ganache is firm and wipe the knife clean with a warm, damp cloth between slices. Serve at room temperature.

Ganache Directions:
Place the chopped (or ground) chocolate in a large bowl so it forms a shallow layer. Set aside.

Pour the cream into a medium (3-quart) nonreactive (stainless steel or coated) saucepan. Place over medium to medium-high heat and scald the cream. (That is, heat the cream to just below the boiling point. The cream will put off steam, but no bubbles should break on its surface.)

Immediately strain the hot cream through a fine-meshed sieve directly onto the chocolate. Let the mixture sit 1 to 2 minutes without stirring, and then gently whisk until the chocolate is entirely melted. (If the chocolate does not completely melt, set the bowl over barely simmering water in a double boiler and stir regularly until smooth. Do not overheat, or the ganache may break.) Stir in the corn syrup.

To use the ganache as a glaze, pour it while lukewarm. Alternatively, for piping ganache, pour it into a shallow pan to a ½- to ¾-inch depth, cover, and refrigerate 20 to 25 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Stir occasionally during chilling to maintain a uniform consistency. (Hard, overchilled pieces of ganache should be broken up, as they can easily clog pastry tips when piping.) Chilling time will vary with starting ganache temperature, refrigerator temperature, and depth of the ganache. Watch the ganache closely, as it can quickly overchill and become difficult to pipe.

Prepping for my Saturday Sabbath is a big deal. Not only am I preparing breakfast and finishing up chores, I have to make a meal that will serve as leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day — I’m not cooking on my day off! One of our favorite dishes that I pull out for this occasion is Lasagna-Style Baked Ditali with Meat Sauce.

I know what you’re thinking when you hear the word “lasagna”: Heavy. Saucy. Salty. Cheesy. Though the dish incorporates all four of those elements, it’s a wonderful example of restraint and is still a satisfying meal. The white topping you see in the photograph below isn’t cheese, it’s a simplified bechamel that is spread over the top of the pasta and baked.

Serve this with side salads and garlic bread.

The recipe below serves 10. I cut the ingredients in half, serve Friday night, and still have more than enough to serve for Saturday lunches and dinner.

Lasagna-Style Baked Ditali with Meat Sauce
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine

1 pound pennette or ditali
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 pounds ground meatloaf mix (or 1 pound lamb, 1 pound veal)
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons marjoram
2 tablespoons chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ground lamb and veal and cook, stirring to break up the lumps, until the meat is beginning to brown, 10 minutes. Drain all fat from the pan.

Remove from the heat and stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, marjoram and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over moderate heat, whisking, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is very thick and boiling, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and the Romano. Stir all but 1 1/2 cups of the sauce into the meat mixture along with the pasta and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the pasta into a 3-quart baking dish. Spread the reserved 1 1/2 cups of sauce on top.

Bake the pasta in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until bubbling. Preheat the broiler. Broil the pasta 8 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Sabbath rest Saturdays have become a new tradition for me. One day a week, I have a “me” day. No chores get done. No work gets done. No cooking is done, either. I sleep in. Sometimes I even take a nap in the afternoon.

I know. I’m a party animal.

Friday nights are now spent tidying up the house, preparing for my big day. I even make a dish that will perform well as leftovers to carry us through Saturday lunch and dinner. So far it’s been really great, and this past weekend I even decided I’d make a breakfast that would handle the same type of idea.

Enter the strata.

Like “Enter the Dragon”, but cheesier.

Cook’s Illustrated actually introduced strata to me. I had never heard of it until I started cooking through their “2008 Holiday Baking” booklet for the AwK monthly segment. The breakfast dish features a layer of toast with other fillings and cheese, then the layer is repeated. On top, smother the entire dish with egg, milk and sometimes with a reduced white wine. The dish sits and soaks, then is later baked. If you want to see a photo step by step process, you can find it on AwK here, from the Breakfast Strata with Sausage, Mushrooms and Monterey Jack post.

Friday night, I assembled my strata. The dish was very simple and I was able to organize it while my dinner baked in the oven. Normally you’re supposed to totally compact the dish down with weights, but I couldn’t because my plastic wrap wasn’t tight enough to keep the egg from spilling out. Instead, I covered it as best I could and placed one box of chicken broth in the center. Good enough for government work. Then I stuck it in the fridge overnight. The next morning I threw it in the oven to bake…

50 minutes later I had a fluffy egg, cheese and spinach breakfast that fluffed up in the oven beautifully. The toast gives it lots of great structure. Cut into squares and serve.

On Sunday morning, I wrapped the leftovers loosely in foil and baked it in my toaster oven for 15 minutes to warm up. What a fantastic little breakfast. Highly recommend!!!

Breakfast Strata with Spinach & Gruyère Courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated
Serves 4

8 – 10 slices supermarket French bread (1/2-inch thick) or Italian bread (6 – 7 ounces)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 medium shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach , thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup medium-dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 large eggs
1 3/4 cups half-and-half or milk

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange bread in single layer on large baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, turning slices over halfway through drying time. (Alternatively, leave slices out overnight to dry.) When cooled, butter slices on one side with 2 tablespoons butter; set aside.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallots until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes; add spinach and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach and shallots are combined, about 2 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl; set aside. Add wine to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside.

3. Butter 8-inch square baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon butter; arrange half the buttered bread slices, buttered-side up, in single layer in dish. Sprinkle half of spinach mixture, then 1/2 cup grated cheese evenly over bread slices. Arrange remaining bread slices in single layer over cheese; sprinkle remaining spinach mixture and another 1/2 cup cheese evenly over bread. Whisk eggs in medium bowl until combined; whisk in reduced wine, half-and-half, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers; cover surface flush with plastic wrap, weigh down (see note, above), and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

4. Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Uncover strata and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over surface; bake until both edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of dish, 50 to 55 minutes (or about 60 minutes for doubled recipe). Cool on wire rack 5 minutes; serve.

At the time, I had no idea who James Beard was. I just liked pasta and cheap cookbooks, and his was on a closeout shelf at a bookstore. I bought the book for just a few bucks and stuck it in my stack of cookbooks, and promptly forgot all about it.

Years later, I came to know who he was: The Godfather of American Cooking. By then I had forgotten I had even bought the book, and didn’t realize until about a year ago when I was putting my kitchen through a hefty re-org.

The book, Beard On Pasta, is now very expensive, though you can probably find most of his recipes in his consolidated, complete tomes, or on ebay. In my opinion, if you love pasta, it’s a book worth having. He’s come up with some incredibly creative dishes that play with flavor and texture, and are absolutely fantastic. My favorite thus far is an interesting dish that combines the technique of souffle and jelly roll — but as a pasta dish. By using really tiny pasta (like pastini), whipped egg whites, and grated mozzarella, he creates a light and fluffy pasta dish with a texture that’s just fun to eat.

This is a light and fluffy pasta-y, cheesy, egg-y goodness topped with a simple and delicious tomato sauce. I’m really excited to share this recipe with you. It’s so good.

Pasta & Cheese Roll in Tomato Sauce
4 – 6 servings
Adapted from James Beard’s Beard on Pasta

3/4 cup acini di pepe (or pastina, orzo, or star-shaped stellini – whatever you use, make sure it’s light enough so they don’t drag down the souffle mixture)
6 eggs, separated
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 cups light tomato sauce (below)

Butter the four corners of a 15×11-inch jelly roll pan (it keeps the parchment in place during the baking process.) Line the pan with parchment, leaving an overhang of about 2 inches at each end.

Cook and drain the pasta. (Note: I did not salt my pasta water. Enough salt goes into the egg mixture later, and Parmesan/Romano also adds salt.)


I used Acini de Pepe, which look like little peppercorns when cooked. Very fun to eat.

Beat the egg yolks until they are light and lemon-colored, then gradually stir in the pasta, butter, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft, unwavering peaks. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture quite thoroughly.

Be gentle when folding. You don’t want to pound out the egg whites and undo all the work you put into whipping them.

Spread the mixture in the prepared pan, smoothing it with a knife or rubber spatula so that it is the same thickness overall. Sprinkle it evenly with mozzarella and bake it in a 375-degree oven for 15 minutes, until it is firm and puffy.

Take it out of the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 325-degrees.

With most souffle-roll mixtures, you would now quickly invert the pan onto a towel and peel off the paper. But you want to keep the mozzarella on the inside of the roll; so, instead, you grasp the extended ends of the parchment paper or foil, lift it out of the pan, and lay it on a large cooling rack.

Let it cool for 10 minutes, and then use the paper to help roll it up, starting with one long side. As you roll, peel off the paper. You may have to use a small, sharp knife to help you along.

Slice the roll into 10 rounds.

Arrange them in an overlapping row in a buttered baking dish. Cover them with tomato sauce, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and heat at 325-degrees for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Light Tomato Sauce
Makes 3 cups, enough for about 1 pound pasta

28-ounce can Redpack whole tomatoes in puree
2 small onions, sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried basil (optional – I use 1 tbsp. fresh sage, but whatever you have handy works just fine)
4 tablespoons butter

Cook the tomatoes, onions, salt, pepper and basil over medium-high heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. If you want a smooth sauce, strain it or puree it in the food processor. Then add the butter and continue to cook while it melts.

Variation
Instead of the basil, substitute 1 teaspoon dried oregano or tarragon or any other herb that you fancy. If using fresh herbs, increase to 1 tablespoon.

Christmas cookie boxes are done and mailed… at the last possible minute. I also didn’t have time to get any holiday tins until this weekend, so I was limited to smaller tins. That means I had to do two tins per box… at last minute shipping… Tom’s heart attack in 3… 2… 1…

But it’s done. Next year I plan to be more prepared and get them out one week in advance. YES, YOU HEARD IT HERE.

I’m a lot happier about this year’s selection of cookies than I was with last year’s. Last year I was a lot more experimental and ended up with things I was really unhappy with and did not travel well. I did package up some chocolate shortbread which I am really nervous about traveling, but overall everything should be fine. Here’s the list of goodies I made this year (most of it can be found on AwK if you’re looking for ingredient listings):

Rocky Road Bark
Chocolate Shortbread
Grasshopper Squares
Chocolate Hazelnut Crinkle Cookies
Poppy Seed Thumbprints
Double-Chocolate Cherry Cookies

I always have this nervousness that everyone’s going to hate what I sent, or maybe I didn’t send enough… Don’t know why I do that to myself.

Now I just have to make sure I have enough stuff for Tom’s family on Thursday…

Every year I send out boxes of Christmas cookies to my friends. Well, I did skip a year just recently, but I’m back in full swing. The last group I sent out was extremely disappointing; a group of fruity recipes I had never tried before became the theme of my Christmas delicacies. Most of them did not travel well or even come remotely near to what I had been expecting. They were fruity and flimsy and fun and, before they left my kitchen they were even kind of pretty, but they weren’t at all the sexy cookies I am used to.

This year, I went back to my roots and made a mess in my kitchen that would have had my mother praying to Jesus. I’m feeling a little more confident in what I’m sending out, although it’s hard to be completely assured that what you’re sending will make everyone happy. Also, I’m excited that I’ve been able to add good friends Jeff and Caroline to my list, even though I have no clue what kind of sweet treats they enjoy.

So I went with half cookies, half chocolate confections. Right now I have a batch of raspberry shortbread dough chilling in the freezer, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to fit them into the packages. It was my one and only fruity cookie, but I don’t think it will make it. Another time, perhaps. Here’s what we ended up with for this year:

Butterscotch Blondies
Peanut Butter cookies with Hershey’s Kisses
Orange Chocolate-Chip Biscotti
Chocolate Mint Candy (Fudge)
Chocolate-Cranberry Truffles
Fantasy Fudge
Chocolate Earl Grey Truffles

Have a very, merry Christmas, and enjoy!

I found this linked on Alton Brown’s blog and wanted to also share it with you: Cave Cibum

Hilarious and clever. And scary. Great tastes that go together.