Junior Baking Made Easy

Kids and baking cookies go together like  well  cookies and milk. Yet some recipes can be overwhelming for the young bakers, especially if you're letting them go solo.Go with the simplest.  It'll make for a fun  and not fretful time in the kitchen.

The easiest, and least worrisome are the no bake recipes.One of the most fun and the most candylike is the recipe for cow patties (horrible name but a tasty bite). It's adding butter, sugar, and milk,along with milk and cocoa powder in a four quart sauce pan. It;'s boiled for a minute and then taken off the stove.  Peanut butter and vanilla are then added , finishing with the oats. The  "dough" is then dropping by heaping teaspoons on wax paper lined baking sheets. You can add red and green cherry halves for a festive holiday look.If you feel that the kids can't handle a burner then think about Rice Krispie cookies. Heat up the butter and marshmallows in the microwave for  three minutes on high. Stir and then microwave again. Stir a second time to make sure marshmallows are completely melted. Then add six cup of the cereal,. Mix until all the rice puffs are coated. Pour mixture on a 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Use the cooking spray on the spatula and spray liberally on the cookie cutters.Decorate with icing, chocolate chips, silver dragees or anything that catches the kids' eyes. You can also make a Rice Krispie  house too, using all sorts of candies and cookies to decorate it.

Older kids such as the nine to twelve age range can have fun with simple sugar cookies. Try a drop recipe instead of a rolled , put in the fridge dough. It's a mix of flour, baking soda, salt and butter along with  one egg and vanilla extract. Sprinkle on holiday sprinkles before popping into an oven.Peanut blossoms are another fun holiday cooking and can be varied with both milk and dark chocolate  kisses. The dough is a peanut butter one, sweetened with light brown sugar. Continuing in that vein, have the young bakers trying their hand at peanut butter cookies. For even more deliciousness  dip the ends in either milk or dark chocolate and then blitz with red and green sprinkles.Chocolate chip cookies are everyone's favorite and the homemade ones are the best. A simple recipe is one that contains all the stuff that makes these snaps a decades old classic. It's an alchemy mix of flour , butter eggs, brown sugar (it has to be BROWN sugar, white just won't work) and of course chocolate chip or chunks. Dark chocolate is the best.

Encourage young bakers with simple recipes. They'll enjoy making and baking them. Let these future pastry chefs go wild with flour and sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Pick Your Party

What kind of holiday will you throw? Cozy and fun? Elegant and catered?Outdoorsy and fun? Indoorsy and quiet? There are many ways to play this. It's up to you on how and what to serve.

Many Christmas parties are family  and friend affairs. A fun one is a potluck dinner. Everyone can bring this favorite dish , whether savory or sweet.Make sure that they're are no duplicates unless the recipes somewhat differ.No one  wants every dish to be pasta based. If someone's signature dish is already taken , then suggest their second or third favorite recipes.Some areas are blessed with mild Decembers. Think about an outdoor party, complete with a barbecue.eschew the heavy winter dishes and think summery potato salads and slaws. Instead of cookies, think a hot chocolate s'more where dark chocolate is subbing in for milk chocolate and then sprinkled with cinnamon.Have plenty of outdoor lights on since it gets dark early. A tree trimming party is another option. This is an informal one so think a crockpot of tomato sauce with a big pot of any kind of pasta simmering on the stove or chili, poured over piping hot polenta. Guests can bring  dessert, namely homemade cookies. You can
 even have a cookie contest with prizes. Create stockings  filled with Peeps marshmallow trees , along with chocolate and peppermint bark for kids (and any adult with a sweet tooth).

Then there's the elegant route.This is time to get out the good or holiday themed china along with name cards and a slew of utensils gracing plates and chargers.. It' tempting to set the table with poinsettias but these can be too big, obscuring guests' faces. Think something small and classic such as a quartet of white and red roses in small square vases. You can work with a florist to achieve this. (there is also a great company, Venus Et Fleur that can create these with perfectly preserved roses) . Start with two or three amuse bouches. These can be shot glasses full of gazpacho followed by Camembert bonbons and small skewers of grape tomatoes and mozzarella cheese , with a balsamic drizzle. As  for dinner, you could go for a standing rib roast or roast capon. Think grilled asparagus with lemon  or roasted squash with thyme and onions for sides.  Also having a simple side salad with a plain vinaigrette dressing is a must.Dessert can be that American classic - baked Alaska using aquafaba  on trend right now. Even more impressive is croquembouche , a  pyramid of cream puffs, filled with chocolate ganache and champagne cream.

There;s a variety of party types to choose from. There's no right or wrong choice. - just your choice. Have fun planning and throwing it.

The Gift Of Giving Back

Today s the 77th anniversary  of Pearl Harbor , a  time when people didn't weigh  the pluses and minuses of their actions. They just did, thinking of others before themselves. We have to do the same, feel the same way during this holiday season. Volunteer your culinary talents and time this winter.

One of the best ways to help is volunteering at your local homeless shelter or soup kitchen.For those without family,this is the best way to spend Christmas instead of at the movies or just home alone. Shelters and kitchens also throw small holiday parties and if they let you , bake something. Have the kids help. A fun sheet cake , plates of cookies and  trays of cupcakes help to make everyone's season brighter. It is also a good time for the kids to start on a lifetime of public service. They can also  make up stockings full of candy for kids there too. If they're older they can also assist, from serving food to washing up and drying.Another idea is organizing a holiday bake sale with the shelter or church . This is a chance for a kind of cookie swap where you can shine and bring your best recipes. A great idea that definitely gives back is having a group get together and bake a gingerbread village. Raffle it off with the proceeds going to the poor. Any one with a sweet tooth would love wining a munchable town.

The feeling can extend to neighbors and friends of friends.If you know they're alone for Christmas eve or Christmas day, then think nothing about inviting them. They'd appreciate a meal with family and lively discussions. Another idea is "adopting" a nursing home resident and baking him or her cookies or even creating a fruit basket tailored to their dietary needs. If you have more time them think about contributing to the nursing home holiday party.The families would greatly appreciate it and it would be like bringing a little bit of home back to them,Military families also need a bit of cheer . If there are any on your block, then invite them in for a cup of cheer and some holiday savories and sweets. For any  service person coming home surprise them and their spouse with a gift certificate to  fancy restaurant for  one of their favorite restaurants. It's a small  way of saying thank you. Another way is throwing  a holiday welcome home party where everyone in the neighborhood or family can contribute a sweet or savory  dish.

This holiday season - give  back. It's a way of spreading good will and good cheer. That's the best present of all.

Homemade Food Gifts

Nothing beats a homemade gift. It symbolizes the epitome of love and care. Home chefs and home bakers can definitely attest to this. Family and friends love homemade nibbles. The best part is that it's an easy gift to make.

The New York Times Food section touched on this in an article written by regular contributor, Kim Severson. Food gift swaps are kind  of like culinary Facebook events. Everyone finds out on line and then people are paired with gift givers who also expect a home baked or home cooked gift in return.As with Facebook and Twitter it is a fun way to meet fellow foodies from across the country. There are moderators such as the website Food52 which is dedicated to cooking and decorating brings food lovers together. This year 1,1507 from fifteen countries signed up, (it's closed for this Christmas but you can sign up for next year's). Gifts can be anything from homemade jam to peanuts raised in an Alaskan backyard garden. A new mother, Adrienne Kerrigan, a Seattle food blogger received a container of frozen apples cooked forever from her food exchange couple. They had found out she was expecting and sent her  the same first food that they had fed her baby. As for people with allergies, celiac sufferers are paired with other allergy sufferers.Europeans are given names of foodies on their continent while Canadians are matched with fellow ones.

You don''t have to use Food 52 to have a food swap. If your family and friends love your cooking and baking then gift them with edible gifts. The Food section online has an amazing array of recipes for making fresh from the oven and stove top presents. Snack lovers will go wild for Melissa Clark's tamarind spiced nuts with mint. It's taking cashews and coating them in a blend of tomato paste, light brown sugar,honey butter and tamarind. The nuts are then baked in a 300 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Candy lovers will enjoy opening up a box of Florence Fabricant's buttery English toffee made with a pound of Lindt or Tobler chocolate and two and a half cups of butter. Then there's  David Tanis;' chocolate bourbon truffles , rife with heavy cream,  crushed pecans, or hazelnuts and of course, bourbon. He also has a savory pecan cookie, spiked with rosemary and Parmesan cheese. Give a tin of them with a dry sherry for a one of a kind gift. .If you have jam lovers in your circle surprise them with bacon onion jam, a blend of bacon, Spanish onions, and mustard seeds cooked down with dark brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Bake a loaf of  sourdough to accompany it for a great lunch or hearty snack.

Food gifts are fun to make and fun to give . Join a food swap or give a holiday treat to friends and family. It'll be enjoyed and remembered throughout the entire year.

The Holiday Issue Of NYT Food

Christmas season is cookie season. It can make home bakers  jump for joy  while novice ones may cringe at the magnitude of work ahead.Luckily the New York Times Food section today comes to the rescue. (is there ever a time when it doesn't?) with their holiday issue. It will inspire and ease whatever qualms may arise.

Most of the pieces are about baking and one article about edible gifts (more on those tomorrow). The baking articles are keepers. There are some seriously good recipes that can be made not just for the holidays but all year round. Kim Severson interviewed top cookie bakers or "cookiers" as they named themselves in the "Tao Of Dough". Top cookier, Georganne Bell lent her chocolate sugar cookies.This is a nice change up from the average vanilla ones. With it comes Ms Bell's recipe for the fluffiest royal icing.Usually it's made with egg whites however her recipe calls for meringue powder  which will give it a lighter consistency.  The chocolate sugar cookie recipe could also be used in making homemade Oreos.with a peppermint or vanilla buttercream filling Ms Severson also has a sidebar on how to decorate like a professional.One of the most important musts is getting the right consitency. Ms. Bell bangs the bowl five times against  a counter to get a smooth surface. Two other musts - don't go crazy with icing gadgets and a slew of cookie cutters. Keep it simple with one holiday set.Also find a recipe that works for you and that you're comfortable with  mixing and baking. Other points include switch to gel food colors and rolling out the dough to a quarter inch.

Allison Roman also contributes to the holiday issue with an article chock full of all sorts of spins on classic cookies. She has one recipe on toasted coconut shortbread, It has crunch and more butteriness thanks to the addition of unsweetened , shredded coconut. They're also finished with sanding sugar that gives a nice crunch when eating them. The end result is like one of those pure butter Danish holiday cookies that  come in that blue tin this time of year. She also reconfigures this classic Scottish treat with salted pistachios, however walnuts,pecans or hazelnuts can also be swapped in.It is a bit harder than the average cookie dough.  It does require a food processor however  if that doesn't work, then old fashioned hand kneading to thoroughly mix the dough. It's baked in a traditional tart pan, similar to the original recipes.It's then sliced in wedges.  She also has a chocolate molasses snap, that are slightly different than Georgeanne Bell's.Hers are spiked with freshly grated ginger mixed with butter for heat and spiced up with cinnamon. Simple granulated sugar is the only decoration this cookie needs. The issue also highlights cookie- centric cookbooks, reviewed by Margeaux Laskey. There is Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big Hearted Bakery  and Rose's Baking Basics to name a few.

Holiday cookie baking and decorating should be fun. Follow the recipes in The New York Times Food section. It'll make for easy  and tasty Christmas time memories.

Fresh Baked Ornaments

Two of the most fun Christmas activities are baking and tree trimming. Combine them and you have a great time creating and  decorating fresh from the oven works of arts. Even novice bakers can join in on the fun with simple recipes.

If you want cookies without the calories, then think salt dough ornaments. Why a dough heavily laced with NaCl? Salt , as we all know, is an excellent preservative. It will contribute to the ornaments lasting a longtime without crumbling or breaking.it also deters mold from forming which would shorten the decoration's shelf life. Start with preheating the oven to 300 degrees F. What you'll need is four cups of all purpose flour, one cup table salt  and one and one half cups of  warm water. Pour the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and slowly stream in the water as you stir . Keep stirring until all the water has been added in. It will take on the consistency of bread dough so it will be hard to work with. It's now time to use your hands. The dough should be smooth and pliable like pizza dough.It's then rolling it between two large sheets of parchment paper.The bottom sheet should be placed on a cookie sheet. The dough should be 1/8th of an inch thick. If it's too thick the ornament will crack and break due to the air bubbles trapped in the middle. Then cut out the shapes while the dough is still on the parchment. Peel away the excess dough from the cutters. You can then make designs, using a fork, straw or paring knife. Use a drinking straw to poke a hole in the top for the ribbon.

Now it's time for baking! They should go into the oven for about an hour. You'll know they're done when they feel hard.(Tap with a fork or spoon to gauge hardness). Don't worry if they turn brown. You can always paint over those. The real fun part comes after. It's time to get the paints,  glue and glitter!! You can mist the newly baked ornaments with a thin coat of white spray pain to even out any brown baking spots. They can be left white to look snow dusted which would be very dramatic on any tree. Some use puffy paints, others use paint pens for more precision. A fun idea is using them as place tags at a holiday party and personalizing them with guests names. Use gold and silver paint pens to write the names. Another idea is outline the ornaments in glitter, rhinestones or garlands . As for the type of ribbon to use, you could use classic red and green velvet or go a little more fancier with metallic.If you want really festive ones then look into Paper Mart. This  site has a wide variety of printed ribbons that would complement any ornament.

Baking fun and decorating Christmas trees  is combining two holiday loves. Whip up a batch today and have some fum. Create memories and ornaments!

A Very Vegan Hannukah

Hannukah is a time to remember miracles and for many vegans, the lives of all creatures are miracles. They want to celebrate but can't because of animal products being used to create treats. However there are meatless recipes along with ones that eschew eggs and dairy. Vegans and vegetarians can have their latkes and sufganiyot without any worries about harming their fellow animals.

A cold December night calls for a hot soup and what better than a vegan matzoh ball one. It starts with vegetable broth, whether homemade or bought, If you make it from scratch remember you can add whatever veggies you want. Start with carrots and celery and toss in tomato and bell peppers if you want. Onion is very flavorful and then also add such herbs as marjoram, rosemary and thyme. Here comes the hard part - making eggless matzoh balls. Can it be done? Eggs are the binding force that keeps the dough balls from coming apart once they hit the hot soup.Instead use aquafaba that  all purpose and on trend  bean water left from chickpeas. They have a composition similar to egg whites and can be used in the recipe.You will have to par bake them . For a simpler take use silken tofu instead of the aquafaba.This is taking about half a cup of firm silken tofu, pureeing it and then adding  one half cup matzoh meal and two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Boil them separately from the soup and drop them into the cooked broth.

Of course it's not Hannukah without  latkes. These crunchy potato pancakes traditionally have used eggs to bind and shape them.  You can omit them and continue on with the recipe.It's taking two large russet potatoes and combining them with a diced yellow onion ,flour and baking powder. Fry in vegetable or light olive oil. Latkes are always good with sour cream and vegans can still enjoy this -  by using vegan sour cream. You can buy it or make it by using silken tofu and mixing it with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.Then add minced garlic and sea salt and blend. Jelly doughnut or sufganiyot are treats that Israelis love at Hannukah, It taking yeast  and mixing it with almond milk and then adding it to the blend of salt, flour and sugar.Coconut oil and ground flax seed is also incorporated into the dough. Fry them first in vegetable oil, then roll the hot doughnuts in a bowl of granulated sugar. It 's now time to fill them. Fill a pastry bag with raspberry or apricot jam, Put the insertion nozzle tip on the bag and stick in the doughnuts. One squeeze should fill them.


A vegan Hannukah is a fun one. It is still full of tasty treats but without harming animals. Celebrate the miracle of all life on earth.