Recipe: Gertrude Valentine Woods' (My Grandmother's) Uncooked Cookies.

My grandmother (my mother's mother) would make these maybe once a year or so, and I loved them so much I'd almost go into some type of fit of ecstasy when I saw she'd made them.

In the 5th grade (Mrs. Naismith's class) once year, everyone was told to make cookies at home and bring in the recipe to share with those who wanted it.  I asked my grandmother for this recipe, and she graciously gave it to me.  I made them, and at least 1/2 of the people in my class (of about 20 -- I went to a small school) asked for the recipe.

I lost the recipe at some point.  Recently, I decided to try to recreate it.  I looked up a similar recipe and started tweaking with the amounts.  On 12/20/10, I got it.  These taste exactly as I remember my grandmother's tasting.

I share this recipe, hoping she would approve.  She died a couple of years later, but tasting these strongly brought back her memory.

RECIPE:  GERTRUDE VALENTINE WOOD'S (MY GRANDMOTHER'S) UNCOOKED COOKIES

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups quick oats

Add the first six ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.

Add the peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until the peanut butter is melted and well incorporated.  Stir in the oats.



Put by large spoonfuls onto a lined cookie sheet.  Chill 1-2 hours until set.  Serve cool or at room temperature.  Avoid exposing to hot temperatures, since they will get sticky.

Recipe: Dutch Baby

RECIPE:  DUTCH BABY

3 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Put the butter into a heavy oven-ready skillet or 9-inch pie or cake pan.  When the oven is heated, put the pan with the butter into the oven to heat and melt.

Meanwhile, mix the eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and flour with a whisk just until combined.  You don't want to develop the gluten in the flour any more than you have to.  When the butter is melted, remove the pan from the oven, pour in the batter, and return to the oven.

Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown.  Serve hot with jam/preserves or powdered sugar.  Note:  It will deflate a bit once it is out of the oven.

Recipe: Easy Cranberry Sauce

RECIPE:  EASY CRANBERRY SAUCE

It doesn't get much easier than this.

1 bag (12-16 oz) fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water or apple, orange, or grape juice

Put everything into a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Lower the heat to medium-low and allow to boil 10-15 minutes until thickened.  Skim any foam that rises to the top (and there may be quite a bit).


After it has thickened, remove from the heat, and put into a serving dish.  Serve at room temperature or cooled.

The thing that makes this great to make with kids -- apart from the fact that it's simple -- is that cranberries have a little bubble of air inside them naturally.  As they cook, the air expands, and the cranberries will "pop."

Recipe: Bacony Shepherd's Pie

RECIPE:  BACONY SHEPHERD'S PIE

2 slices bacon
1 lb potatoes (2-3 large spuds)
1 bag (12-16 oz) frozen corn or 3 ears fresh
1 -- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk or cream
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 F and put a large pot of water (1 gallon or so) on to boil.  If using frozen corn, remove from the bag into a bowl and microwave to thaw (or heat on a small pot on the stove).  Drain the corn well.

Chop the bacon into medium (1/4 -- 1/2 inch) pieces.  Put into a skillet over medium-low heat and allow to cook slowly, rendering out as much fat as possible.

While the bacon is cooking, chop the potatoes into chunks and add to the water to boil.

When the bacon has browned and is crispy, remove from the skillet, leaving the drippings.  Add the ground beef to the pan with the drippings and brown.

When the potatoes are pierced easily with a shark knife, drain.  Add the cooked bacon, onion and garlic powder, butter, and milk or cream.  Whip the potatoes with a whisk.  These will likely be "looser" than mashed potatoes that you'd have as a side dish, but this is o.k.  You want a slightly looser consistency.

When the meat is thoroughly browned, drain it well and then add half of the cheese, stirring.  Put the meat into a medium casserole dish.  Top with the rest of the cheese.  Layer the corn on top of the beef, and then add the potatoes, spreading evenly.

Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the top has started to brown.  Allow to cool slightly (5 minutes or so) before serving.

RECIPE: Falafel

This makes about 12-15 balls/patties of falafel, which is a big lunch or dinner for 2 people.

FALAFEL

1 can (15-16 oz) chickpeas/garbonzo beans (they're the same thing)
1 medium onion, minced or grated
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried)
2 Tbsp flour
Canola/peanut oil for frying

Put enough oil into a pot to fill the pot about 2 inches.

Drain the chickpeas and discard the liquid.

FOR SMOOTH:  Put everything in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

FOR CHUNKY: Put everything in a bowl and work with a potato masher until mostly smooth.

Shape into 1 - 1 1/2 inch balls (about ping pong ball size).  Slightly flatten them with your hand.

Heat the oil to 350F.  When the oil reaches that temperature, carefully drop in the falafel patties.  Fry about 6 at a time so the oil doesn't cool too much.  Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes, or until the outside is brown and slightly crispy.  Drain on paper towels.

RECIPE: Apple Bundt Cake

There's a hole in this cake.....and it's pareve for those of you keeping kosher.  These being the high holy days, I thought something without either meat or milk might be appropriate.

APPLE BUNDT CAKE:

3 cups flour, with 1/4 cup reserved
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute
1 Tbsp cinnamon (fresh ground if you can)
1/2 tsp nutmeg (fresh ground is far superior to the sawdust in a tin can)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced small (approx. 1/4 inch cubes)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Oil and flour a bundt pan and set aside.

Combine the flour, soda, and salt and set aside.  Remember to reserve 1/4 cup of the flour to the side.

Mix the oil, eggs, sugars, spices, and vanilla well.  Add the dried ingredients that you combined in 2 or 3 stages.  The batter will be very thick -- almost like a cookie dough.

Toss the apple cubes into the 1/4 cup flour you reserved at the beginning.  This will help keep the apples from all sinking to the bottom of the pan while the cake cooks.  Gently stir/fold the apple cubes and dried cranberries/raising (if using them) into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the bundt pan.  It will be way too thick to pour, so spooning is the way to go.  Gently smooth the top of the batter to level it somewhat.

Bake for 75 minutes (1 hour 15 minutes) or until a toothpick/skewer inserted halfway into the ring comes out clean.  Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

This also makes a good breakfast the next morning with a cup of hot coffee.

RECIPE: Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

CHEWY PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES

2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (chips is fine)
4 oz (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pecan halves (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line an 8 inch square baking dish (preferably metal, not glass) with parchment paper.

In a small pan, boil a small amount of water, and then turn the heat to low to hold it at a simmer.  Put the chocolate in a metal mixing bowl that is larger than the pan.  Put the chocolate-laden bowl OVER the pan. (You're essentially making a double boiler.)  You do not want the bottom of the bowl to touch the water.   This will melt the chocolate gently and keep it from burning, and there isn't much in the world worse than burned chocolate. Stir the chocolate until melted, then remove the bowl from the water and discard the water.  Allow the chocolate to cool.

In another bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter together until well mixed and smooth.  Add the eggs and the vanilla, and beat again until well incorporated.  Once the chocolate has cooled, add it to the peanut butter mixture and beat until will mixed.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together, and add in 3 installments to the chocolate mixture, mixing well.  THE FINAL MIXTURE WILL BE VERY THICK.  Add the pecans, if using them.

Smear (the batter will be too thick to really pour) the batter into the pan, using a rubber spatula dipped in water to smooth and get the batter into the corners of the pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool before removing from the pan.  Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream or cool with whipped cream or ice cream or just dig in and consume mass quantities.

RECIPE: Latin-flavored Kasha

Kasha is buckwheat.  It can be found in the kosher/ethnic section of the supermarket.  If you can't find kasha, you can substitute cooked rice (brown or white).

RECIPE: LATIN-FLAVORED KASHA

1 link (approx 1/4-1/3 lb) chorizo sausage
1 small bell pepper, diced (approx 1/2 cup)
1 ear of corn or 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup dry kasha (buckwheat)
1 egg white
1 cup hot (boiling, if possible) water

In a sauté pan, brown the chorizo over medium heat.  If the sausage is firm and in a casing, chop it roughly and cook it in the pan.  If soft in a casing, just remove the casing (the easy way is to just squeeze it like toothpaste into the pan).  If loose, just add it to the pan.  When the sausage is almost done, add the bell pepper, leaving the heat at medium.

If using an ear of corn, use a chef's knife to remove the kernels from the ear.  When the pepper is softened, add it to the sauté pan.

In a small mixing bowl, mix the kasha and the egg white.  You want the individual pieces of kasha to be coated in egg.  It will most likely stick in one large clump.  Once the corn has cooked for a couple of minutes, add the kasha.  Stir with a rubber spatula constantly until the individual pieces of kasha separate and the clump is no longer evident.

Add the water and tightly cover, leaving the heat at medium.  Cook for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir the kasha to "fluff" it.  Serve warm as an entree or side dish, or serve chilled as a salad.

**For a vegetarian option, omit the sausage, but add 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp of cumin, and 1/4 tsp salt.**

Review: Addy's Restaurant, Cleveland, OH

In downtown Cleveland, OH, near the city hall and federal buildings, and not far from the trendy places to eat, is a little family-owned diner.  Addy's Restaurant (99 St. Claire Ave NE, Cleveland, OH) may seem out of place near the Crowne Plaza and Ritz-Carlton and other high-end hotels and establishments, but it has been going strong for 6 years, and the people who work in the area know about it and will keep going back.

As soon as you walk in, you get the "mom and pop diner" feel.  There are several tables, and plenty of room between them.  i was quickly greeted by a waitress/hostess (who happened to be the daughter of the owner), was given a table, and a young man (her brother) quickly came and returned with coffee.  The coffee was not a dark roast, but this is not the kind of place you go if you want fancy coffee.

The breakfast menu is simple and brief -- various combinations of eggs, breakfast meats, hotcakes, etc...all standard breakfast fare.  The short menu may be in part due to the fact that orders are written down only for the servers; they are given only verbally to the cook.  I found this remarkably refreshing. W hile the orders were not passed back to the kitchen using any kind of colorful shorthand that you might see on old TV shows or movies, it was still entertaining to watch.

I ordered the "Grand Slam" breakfast -- 2 hotcakes, 2 eggs (scrambled, in my case), meat (bacon), and homefries.  The food came in a reasonable amount of time, not fast but not dawdling, but I saw that there was some minor work being finished up in the kitchen at the time.  I observed that other tables got food quickly, so I blame the very slight wait on the adjustments being made in the kitchen.

The food came, and it was a nice, big breakfast without being overwhelmingly big.  There was no offer of real maple syrup; the only offering was a corn syrup.  The food was generally undersalted, which is good from my point of view, since it lets me add as I like.  The eggs did not appear "pre-scrambled" from a large batch, there were streaks of white in them, and they were not overcooked in the slightest.  The bacon was perfectly crisped and flat from the use of a heavy and old-fashioned bacon press.  The potatoes were the weakest link, being a little bland for my taste.

Addy's has been in this location for 6 years, but this family has owned establishments at this address for almost 30.  The decor is simple and does not show that this is a long-time establishment.  Noise is not an issue; even as the room filled up, it was not appreciably loud.

The price was astonishingly low:  $6.98 for the breakfast and coffee.  This is the kind of place that makes its money by keeping things simple, getting food out quickly, and having a regular customer base.

All in all, if you're in the downtown Cleveland area and aren't in a "foody" mood, I'd strongly recommend Addy's Restaurant.  However, if you are looking for exquisite food, this would not be the place to go.  The service is friendly and fairly efficient, the food is simple and cheap, though a little tasteless in the case of the potatoes.  The price, though cannot easily be beat for a downtown establishment.

OVERALL RATING:  7.5 out of 10

Recipe: Buttery Flaky Biscuits

RECIPE:  BUTTERY FLAKY BISCUITS

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar or sugar substitute (Splenda, Stevia, etc).
4 tsp baking powder
1 stick (8 Tbsp) very cold butter butter
3/4 - 1 cup milk

I love biscuits.  I.   LOVE.  BISCUITS.

I grew up in Texas, and every family in the Deep South has a biscuit recipe, usually one that's never written down.  My grandmother had one.  This is NOT her recipe, but I think she'd be proud of it.  She'd especially like the bottoms of the biscuits, which basically fry in butter.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Mix the first 4 ingredients (the dry ingredients) into a medium mixing bowl.

Take a pastry cutter or a fork or what I use -- a box cheese grater-- and cut about 1/2 of the butter into the dry ingredients.  If using a grater, use the "medium holes."  If using a pastry cutter or fork, cut them together until it resembles corn meal and you can't see any large pieces of butter.  Now, cut the rest of the butter into the mixture, leaving pieces the size of large peas.  If using a grater, use the "slicer" side.

Add the milk and stir to combine.  You want a somewhat sticky, but not overly wet, dough.

Flour a work surface, and turn the dough out onto the surface.  Pat it out until roughly a rectangle.  Fold it over onto itself in thirds, as if you were folding a letter.

Now, take your rolling pin and roll it out into another rectangle about 1/2-3/4 inches thick.  Fold over onto itself in thirds again.  Roll out.  Fold over.  Roll out.  You want to fold over a total of 3 or 4 times, adding flour as necessary.  Roll out one final time to 1/2 - 3/4 inches thick.

Take your 2-inch biscuit cuter (usually the largest in a set), and cut out biscuits.  Pat the scraps together and fold the dough in half.  Roll it out again and cut more biscuits.  Continue until you run out of dough. You can also put scraps on the top of biscuits you've already cut as a decoration, if you wish.

Put the biscuits into a cast iron skillet or onto a cookie sheet lined either with a silicone baking pad or parchment paper.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are brown.  Serve hot for any meal you care to eat them with.

BAKED GROUND TURKEY EMPANADAS

The dough:

3 cups flour (whole wheat or unbleached all-purpose)
1 tsp salt
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) very cold butter
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg white
1 Tbsp vinegar (apple cider, champagne, or red wine)

The filling:

1 - 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
1 tsp minced chilis (optional)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt (or 1 tsp each garlic powder and salt)
1 tsp paprika (sweet or smoked)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheese (cheddar, etc.)

Other:

a little water
1 egg yolk

To make the dough, mix together the flour and salt, and then cut in the butter using two knives or a pastry cutter.  You want most of the big chunks to disappear into the flour.

Mix together the water, egg white, and vinegar.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until a very stiff and dry dough forms.  Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead until all the flour is incorporated.  It will be very dry and a little crumbly at this stage, but that's o.k.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then place it inside a zipper bag.  Put the dough into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours.  This will allow the flour to soak up all the liquid and form a more stable dough.

To make the filling, brown the turkey, working it as it cooks to break it into small pieces.  Add the chilis and allow them to cook through.  Drain off any excess liquid, and put the turkey into a bowl.

Work the meat with a fork to further break it down into smaller pieces.  Add all of the spices, and mix with the fork.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  Add the cheese, stirring to combine.

Retrieve the dough from the fridge, and cut it into 12 pieces (for 4-inch empanadas) or 24 pieces (for 2-inch empanadas).  Roll these into a ball in your hands.  Put a piece of parchment paper over your work surface and dust it very lightly with flour.  Using a rolling pin, roll out the first ball very thin until it is a little larger than the size that you're shooting for.  The dough will be about 1/8 inch thick in the end.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F.

Cut the rolled-out dough into a circle.  For 2-inch empanadas, I'd recommend cutting the dough with a 2-inch biscuit cutter.  For the 4-inch, most mixing bowl sets come with the smallest bowl being about 4-inches across.  Use anything that you want, but you want something that you can push down through the dough.  A little twisting is fine, but you want to keep the round shape.

Now to fill the empanadas.  If you're using the smaller size, you won't be able to fit more than a tablespoon of filing in.  For the larger size, you can get 2-3 tablespoons.  Put some filling off to one side of the center of the round, not exactly in the center.  Now, dip a finger into some water (or use a pastry brush) and go around the edge of the dough.  You only need to go 1/2 way around.  Fold the dough over the filling so that the dry side touches the wet side, and pinch it to seal.

Repeat until you run out of either dough or filling.  If you wish for glossy-topped empanadas, mix the egg yolk with 1 tbsp water, and brush the tops of all the empanadas with it.  Cut a small slit in the top of each to allow steam to escape while cooking.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through.  Allow to cool slightly.  Serve warm with salsa or chili con queso.

Recipe: Egplant Fries

EGGPLANT FRIES

2 small eggplants
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water
salt to taste (preferably kosher)
oil for frying

This may sound a bit odd, but this will be some of the tastiest eggplant you've ever had.  Eggplant isn't really one of my favorite vegetables, but this works.

First off, if possible, use 2 small eggplants instead of 1 large one.  Smaller eggplants tend to be a little sweeter than larger ones.  Cut off the two ends of the eggplant, and then peel it, taking off as little flesh as you can.  A sharp vegetable peeler will work well.

Cut the eggplants into 4-5 "planks" lengthwise, and then cut these plants into strips no less than 1/2 inch wide.

NOTE:  Most recipes that I've ever read for eggplants say to cut them into planks or rounds, and then to salt and squeeze as much of the moisture out as you can.  I have NEVER done this when making eggplant in any way.  The only way they'll be bitter is if you start with big, old eggplants.  If you're using smaller, younger ones, you don't generally need to worry about it.  Also, in this case, we want plenty of moisture in the eggplant.

Heat the oil to 350-375 in a dutch oven or other large, heavy pot.

Next, mix the flour, garlic and onion powders, and oregano together.  I use a brown paper "lunch bag," but a large bowl or large zip-top bag will work just fine.

Crack the eggs into a shallow, wide bowl and add the water.  Mix well.

Take 8-12 of the eggplant strips and dredge them in the flour mixture.  Shake off the excess, and then coat in the egg.  Now, put the strips back into the flour and toss to coat.

Take the floured eggplant strips and immerse them in the hot oil.  The temperature will go down, but so long as it stays about 325 or so, you're in good shape.  If your oil is too cool, the eggplant will get VERY oily.  Fry them until golden brown and crispy.  Remove them from the oil, and evacuate them to a draining rig of some sort (I use a cooke sheet lined with a kitchen hand towel).  Sprinkle lightly with salt while they're still hot, so that the salt will stick.

Repeat with the rest of the eggplant.  Serve immediately.

Restaurant review: Bintliff's American Cafe, Portland, ME

Bintliff's American Cafe (98 Portland, St., Portland, ME) is a bit of an institution in Portland.  It's been around for decades, in a city where literally dozens of restaurants open and close during the course of any given year.  

Around the walls of Bintliff's are autographed pictures of celebrities that have visited and old (as in 100 years +) invoices and other paperwork of grocers and such.  There are two floors of tables, most on the second floor, as well as outdoor seating that is open, weather permitting.

Saturday and Sunday breakfast can be busy, often with a significant wait, but the weather today was beautiful, which opened the outside tables and allowed for fast seating.  My companion and I were given a booth indoors, and our friendly waiter was quick to our table to offer coffee.  He asked if we wanted cream for our coffee -- which I greatly appreciated, since both me and my companion take our coffee black.

We both ordered pancakes for our late breakfast.  I had  two ginger bread pancakes, which is served with a warm lemon syrup, and my companion had one of the morning specials --  two pancakes with white peaches and walnuts.  We also shared a side of corned beef hash, and my companion added an egg over easy to his order.

Pancakes here are not for the faint of heart.  As our water remarked after we were finished, it is rare for anyone to finish a stack of 3.  They are dense and big (usually more than 8 inches across).  Mine were slightly smaller than my companions, but that was perfectly fine due to the additional side of hash.

My pancakes were very tasty, only subtly of gingerbread.  It was not, as I feared it would be, big and soft gingerbread cookies.  The lemon syrup was very tart, and is best used sparingly.  Luckily, the portion of the syrup that comes with the order is small and was just the right side for the two pancakes.

My companion's peach pancakes were not, he reported, overly sweet, which was a concern.  (Since I do not care much for peaches, I did not sample his breakfast.)  White peaches were used, and they were not so juicy that they created dimples or pockets in the pancakes.  Whole walnut halves were also used.

His egg over-easy was perfectly cooked, with a very runny yolk, which he promptly broke over his pancakes and ate.

The corned beef hash is made in-house and bears no resemblance to the pasty stuff you find in cans.  Large chunks (cubes about 2 inches per side) of corned beef, potato, and sweet potato, as well as sliced and sauteed red onion.  It tasted faintly of rosemary, and the beef was only slightly fatty.

Our server was highly efficient and pleasantly chatty, though not overly so.  He kept our coffee filled and was able to answer our questions about items on the menu and ingredients in what we had ordered.

Other items on the menu include several types of Belgian waffles, huevos rancheros, as well as some breakfast frittatas and vegetarian and vegan items.  Sandwiches and salads are also served on a lunch menu.

The cost for our meal (2 orders of 2 pancakes, a side of corned beef hash, 1 egg over-easy, and 2 cups of coffee) was $26.86 -- slightly pricy for a breakfast, but the quality of the food is reflected in the slightly higher prices.  It would be nice if the pancake portions were slightly more reasonable, but luckily there is the option to order them 1 or 2 at a time instead of a full stack of 3.

OVERALL RATING:  8 out of 10.