Your Cookie Guide

 It's that time of year again. Cookie time. Every one wants to make a huge range during these weeks. Yet the question is what to make? Sugar? Sprtiz? Chocolate chip? What's the best and what's the easiest?

Of course the easiest is Pilsbury's Slice and Bake. This classic dough log is easy to bake and decorate. It's perfect if you have very little time  for the kitchen. Just scatter red and green sprinkles on them before baking  for a simple decoration. If you want an easy scratcvh cookie then go for a sugar cookie. It's an easy one that doesn't require a lot of ingredients. They're just sugar , butter and flour mixed together. They can be sprinkled with anything from  chopped nuts to candies. If you wanted you could add a drop of any flavoring from coffee(!) to lemon or almond. Many novice bakers get sugar cookies confused with the butter ones. There is a difference. The sugar ones are often rolled thin and then cut out ousing cookie cutters. Butter cookies are softer in texture when raw and the dough has to be put into a cookie gun or shooter. The taste is also more buttery. The famed holiday cookie, spritz falls in this catagory. They're also a cousin to shortbread except the dough requires an egg. Eggs. help the cookies keep their shape. The dough is usually dyed red and green for the holidays.These are perfect for a fancy dessert party.

What about traditional cookies? Shortbread is one and is also easy. Like sugar cookies it's made with only a few ingredients. A basic recipe has only one part sugar, two parts butter and three to four parts wheat flour.It's an ancient recipe that came from Auld Alliance with France in the 1500's. The texture is lovely and crumbly .It can be baked on a cookie sheet or in  the more traditional pie plate. A design is usually pricked in it, usually  it's the baker's initials Baked shortbread can be dipped in dark chocolate for an extra taste of luxury. Another classic is chocolate chips. People love these and every family has their own spin on them. The unique flavor cones form the addition of brown sugar which acts as the perfect foil  to the dark chocolate chips. Nuts such as walnuts can also be added. A variation is the tasty oatmeal chocolate chip.They 're made exactly the same way as chocolate chips except sub in rolled oats for the flour. Chocolate chip cookies can also be made with whole wheat flour too. If you're making oatmeal chococlate chip you cna also make oatmeal raisin cookies too. These also require brown sugar as well. Craisins can be used isntead of raisins for a tarter flavor.

These are some of the cookies you can bake for your holiday table. They're all relatively easy to make. even better they're easy to eat.

Party Planning Plans

 Now that's it's the Christmas season it's time to plan those party plans. Everythign has to be considered, wehter indoor or outdoor, dry or boozy vegan or non vegan.Then there are the guest lists, which are almost as complicated as those Christmas card lists. Who to invite on what night?

The first idea to consider is when to hav eit. Christmas and New Years are on a Monday this year. Hannukah is Thursday December 7th to December 15th. That leaves the weekend of the 9th and 10th for Hannukah  parties. Christmas . Kwanzaa occurs on December 26th and lasts til the New Year, January 1st. Now factor in office Christmas parties and school activities like Christmas concerts along with the usual gift and tree buying.  Ask yourself is a Saturday night do better or would a Sunday brunch be easier? Do you want a tree trimming party where there are just fun snacks like pizza cups and sausage rolls or are you looking to host a buffet, complete with two roasts and a variety of sides and desserts? Another question many party givers will be asking themselves should it be completely indoors or outdoors if the weather is somehwat warm.A great idea would be a hybrid with food and drink tables set up both in the yard and in the dining room.Keep in mind that December weather can be iffy so also have a Plan B in place.

Now comes the hard part. What to serve? Do you want it catered? Do you prefer a homemade or pot luck where guests bring their best and favorte dishes? Will it just be a cookie exchange kind of gathering? Will there be vegans who require a different kind of holiday menu? A combination of herbivore and carnivore? As every good host knows you have to make allowances for everyone.  A good rule of thumb is asking guests what they'd like. Some may prefer  hot wings and pizza rolls along with sushi and charcuterie platters. Other may suggest something easy like a big pot of chili where everyone can just grab a cup or bowl.  If there are kids invited, make sure you have all the allergies listed as well as their dislikes and likes. Nothing says an unhappy kid than one picking at a plate of "adult " food ( think caviar on toast or some kind of smelly cheese) . Have chicken nuggets , whether real or plant based  with a variety of dipping sauces along with sliders and pigs in the blankets. Little ones and even grown ups would get a kick out of an sundae bar too.

It's time to start on those party plans. Get ready. It's a lot fo prep work but worth it in the end.

A Month Of Easy Cooking

between now and the new Year there will be nothing but hectic rushing. There are Christmas concerts, office parties and of course shopping. Tons of shopping for both food and gifts. All that means easy meals that are quck to make.

This is where the air fryer and crockpot are necessary. Air fryer meals are easy to make in only minutes and the plus side they're given an extra crunch.Think chicken nuggets whether the real thing or plant based. Gardein has both nuggets and plant based chicken flavored filets which can easily be turned into lemon pepper chicken. Brush both sides of th efilets with lemon juice and then dust with pepper before air frying. This and air fried veggies make for a satisfying meal. Keep in mind that hot dogs are also good air fried. The best part is they only take five minutes to cook up. Serve on toasted butter buns with spray cheese on top for a fun meal the kids will love. You can also use the air fryer to make Hannukah latkes  or just regular potato pancakes for a quick Saturday or Sunday supper.Have sides of applesauce and sour cream as sides. Prepeared meat balls and sausages  can also be air fried and then easily added to a jarred sauce for a homemade flavor.

Your crockpot should be in heavy rotation during this time. The cold weather practically begs for a pot of easy to make chili. It's just a simple mix of canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and ground beef or plant based crumbles(Keep in mind this also makes for a grea homemade pasta sauce too). Add the chili and cumin to suit your family's taste. It can be mild or five alarm hot. Buy a square of cornbread (Acme has this fresh baked) to serve with it. You cna mix it up by making a white chili which has turkey instead of beef and cannellini beans along with cream cheese instead of tomatoes. Its flavored much the same way with cumin and got pepper along with garlic.  Serve with slabs of garlicky Texas toast. Your crockpot or even Insta pot can also wield up a good old fashioned stew too. Chicken or beef is perfect, Add carrots , onions an dleeks along with potatoes for a tasty blend. Serve with hot crusty rolls and an easy to make green salad for a quick week day meal.

Keep this four weeks easy cooking. It's easy , using your air fryer and crockpot. The meals will still be homemade, delicious but a snap to make.

 

Plain And Simple Leftovers

 It is the day after Thanksgiving and that means one thing. Leftovers. Tons of them. Yet there's no need for fancy makeovers. The best tasting ones are the only that are just simply reheated.

Yes, you could go for the fancy turkey tetrazzino or make a turkey hot pocket like chef and regular contributor J. Kenji Alt made for the wednesday Food Section of the New York Times, These are the leftovers wrapped in pizza dough, sort of like a cross between a calzone and a Costco chicken pocket.Its a mix of stuffing turkey, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. They;re baked for twelve to eighteenminutes at 425 degrees Farenheit. You could also bake them in a toaster oven for five minutes at 475 degrees Farenheit. These remind me of those Boxing Day pot pies that English chef and judge on The Great Britihs Bakeoff, Paul Hollyowwd. he layers cranberry sauce stuffunbg gravy and turkey in a pot pie shell. THis can be fun if you're into it /It's sort of like those lefotver sandwiches where your whole Thanksgiving dinner is thrown on a baguette.

To be honest just a slice of meat  - or turfurkey in my case with gravy makes the perfect lunch. There was a tiny bit of wild rice stuffing and all the flavorings were perfect just plain. The same things with the leftover veggies. My mix of onions , Brussells sprouts and carrots were just great on their own with a dash of salt.Yams don;t have to be redone. THey don;t have to be done in the first place. I never understood the American obsession iwth turning them into a kind of main course dessert. Why drown them in cinnamon and marshmallows when they can be airfried  with some olive oil and salt or microwaved and slathered with butter or Melt,a lant based butter. The same philosophy with Brussels srpout. Just top them with melted buttter and Parmesan cheese. That's it. They don;t need to be drenched in a puddle of cheddar cheese. Keep it simple.

Why go crazy redoing your Thanksgiving leftovers. Have them plain , just heated over. They're the best .that way.

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving

 Whether you;re a vegan or a non vegan, hopefully you had a day full of turkey stuffing, gravy sides and pie.

Apart froma thawing out glitch this was the tofurkey during its' thaw.

After an hour and fifteen minutes in the oven it turned out to be a crisoy, crunchy flavorful bite.

Did everyone have a delcious holiday , full of good food and good cheer? Nothing beats a full plate and good conversation. It's the best.

A Classic Thanksgiving Restaurant

 Imagine having a Thanksgiivng meal every day.If you;re in Texas you can thanks to a chain called Luby's/ This century year old family festaurant is known for its' Southern and American classics

Priya Krishna wrote about this staple of Texas life in today's New York Times Food section. The chain is famed throughout Texas, with locations throughout San Antonio, Dallas , Houston and Corpus Christi,They were founded in 1929 when WilliamLuby opend the first one  in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day..it has had a huge following ,ranking next to other beloved Texas chanisn like BBQ and Whataburger.Yet it almost didn't make it through the pandemic. In 2020, the company closed several locations and announced plans to liquidate and dissolve it's assets. fans were devastated ,placing on line eulogies about its' most favorite dish the Lu Ann Platter (a select entree, two sides and a roll).Thankfully Chicago entrepreneur Calvin Gin bought it a year later  He was going to do some changes, including cutting back on the famed tear round holiday meal. Employees told him not to do it. He didn't after seeing its' popularity.

What makes a Luby's turkey dinner so special?It does taste like a home cooked meal. Theyre are mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes next to even fluffier dinner rolls. Their pecan pie is  as  customer and fan Janie Garza, is not too sweet or too soggy. Every Thanksgiving she buys a take out meal for her family form the restaurant. Other fans like San Antonio's Sam Kinsey, who is eighty-six has beign going to the San Antonio Luby's since 1940's. They recognize him as one of th e old timers and sneak him in in the beginning of the line. He even eats a double meal on Thanksgiving Day, One at wherever he's invited and another on at the restaurant. Luby's however has other Southern specialties. They have the old fashioned and rarely eaten nowadays grilled liver and onions along with fried fish  and chicken fried steak. There's also pot pies and jumbo pork chops. The sides are down home too , with fried okra and baked mac and cheese.

If you want Thanksgiving everyday head to Luby's. They have turkey and stuffking along with cranberrie sauce and yamsn whenever you want them. It can be any time of the year.

Pie Charts

Here's the early question of the week - what is your favorite Thanksgiving Day pie?Is it the earthy and spicy  pumpkin? Rich , juicy apple?Or the candy like pecan?  Let us know.

I'll let you in on a secret - mine has always been and will always be a good homemade pecan pie. There's something about that outermost layer that's crunnchy and nutty and sweet. It's even better when there's a huge blob of whipped cream atop it.