A Cooking Baker

So lately, the posts are just quickies - but whatever works, right?   I was making kind of a bland chicken/rice/veg dinner for the recovering sickie.  I needed something different for the veg side, and I needed it quick.  Here's what I came up with (and believe it or not, the kids ATE it): Quick Roasted Veggies 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin 1/2 any kind of onion, sliced thin 1-2 crowns of broccoli, sliced thin (leave the stems on) a handful of asparagus stalks, trimmed a handful of carrots, sliced thin lengthwise EVOO salt & pepper Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Throw all of your veggies in a bowl (or skip it and just mix it up on the baking sheet), drizzle with a little EVOO, sprinkle with some salt & pepper, and toss to coat.  Spread the veggies on a baking sheet. Roast the veggies, turning every 10 minutes or so, until they start to take on some nice color and soften, maybe about 30-40 minutes, or if you need to fast forward thin...

These. were. so. good. For Christmas Day this year, we were HOME.  TOGETHER.  WITH NO PLANS.  It was great!  We had spent time with one side of the family at Thanksgiving, a few days before Christmas we had 2 days of fun with the other side, and on Christmas Day, it was just us.  We slept in, stayed in our jammies for too long, went sledding, watched Christmas movies (and NBA basketball, of course), and enjoyed a couple of apps.  We did meatball sliders , pizza dip , and these amazing flatbreads.   We grabbed some Cybros sprouted pizza dough (check out their awesome products - we're huge fans!), and I stretched it out into some "rustic" shapes, and baked them for a few minutes - maybe 5 or so -  at 425 degrees.  Before they were totally done, I pulled them out, rubbed a little garlic on the tops of each flatbread, spread on some caramelized onions, some thinly sliced NY strip steak and of course a liberal sprinkling of blue ...

These are too easy! You can make these great little sliders for dinner, appetizers, or even just a hearty snack.   I made a big batch of meatballs a few weeks ago, and froze half.  This week, I took out a few, tossed them in some sauce, and simmered them until they were heated through.  Try them on Hawaiian bread dinner rolls (you can find them in the deli) - we love the soft, sweet rolls with the hearty meatballs, with a little extra dab of sauce and some mozzarella cheese.  Good stuff!  

In a good year, I usually make about 10 different kinds of Christmas cookies. I didn't bake much this year - there wasn't time, it seemed, but mostly the motivation wasn't quite there. I made banket, and I made some sugar cookie cut-outs with the little Baker, and today we whipped up a batch of the classic Peanut Blossoms . Here are a few of the recipes I had WANTED to make, but didn't get to this year: Cranberry Walnut Pinwheels  Wisconsin Electric Cookie Book (2002) Dough 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Filling 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cranberries 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts 3 tablespoons orange marmalade In a small bowl, combine cranberries, walnuts and marmalade. In a medium size bowl, combine flour, baking power and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; ...

Our kids dig spaghetti, so I usually just make a meat sauce and serve with spaghetti noodles, but I was inspired to make some meatballs to change things up a little bit from a piece in the Sunday paper Food section .  I figured I could make meatball subs or little meatball sliders with some, too. I just made about 1/3 of this recipe, because it made a lot, and well, I was trying it for the first time.  I used a 1:1 ratio of Italian sausage, and based on the feedback of my son, I would likely made it a 2:1 beef to sausage ratio next time.  I also used a jarred sauce, because I thought I had tomatoes to make some sauce, and ended up not having any (time to straighten up the cupboards!). I baked the meatballs in the oven, then tossed them in a pot of sauce to kind of finish cooking and add a little flavor.  I froze half of the batch, so we can either do another batch of sauce and meatballs over noodles, or do some sliders or subs.  I think this could be a dec...

This is not from a can, baby - it's just about as easy, though!  This is my favorite recipe for cranberry sauce - simple, and really tasty. Simple Cranberry Sauce 16 oz. fresh cranberries 1-1/2 c. granulated sugar (I even go as low as 1 c.) 1/2 c. water 1/2 c. fresh orange juice 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped (I just use my microplane grater) Zest from 1 orange (again, breaking out the microplane grater) - be sure to avoid the bitter white stuff Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the berries pop open, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.  It will smell AMAZING in the kitchen!  If you're creeped out by it, you can skim any foam off the surface with a metal spoon and discard, but I don't usually do that.  Cool to room temperature, and refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 months.

Banket is a traditional Dutch treat that my family has enjoyed for as long as I can remember.   It takes some work to make it, so you don’t see it around as much as you used to.   This recipe is from a friend at school – the closest I can get to my Grandma Hoekstra’s banket.   It was always out at Christmas, and it was sooooo good!   It can be frozen, but usually it’s totally consumed before there's a chance.   I tend to make this during the holidays, and make 8 sticks at a time.  I'll add some photos when I make it again this year. Banket 1 cup almond paste                                         ¼ cup cornstarch 1 cup sugar                     ...