I have a few dried cherries left from a bag of dried Michigan cherries we bought. I wanted to make some sort of cookies with them, and this recipe is what I ended up with. I found a recipe online that sounded about right and then altered it to suit what I was going for, which included adding rum-soaked cherries. Below is the final recipe. These cookies are lightly spiced, and if you want lots of spice, you can double the amounts of cinnamon and ginger. Another option is to use some other type of dried fruit, such as cranberries, or even some chopped up dried apricots.
Cherry Spice Cookies
2 T rum (or other liquor)
1/4 c dried cherries, roughly chopped (or other dried fruit)
2/3 c canola oil (or other neutral veggie oil)
1/2 c sugar, plus extra
1/2 c brown sugar
2 T honey
1 egg
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
Pour rum over dried cherries in small bowl and allow to soak at least 10 minutes (up to a few hours for stronger flavor). In large bowl, beat oil, sugars, honey, and egg until well mixed. In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and seasonings. Sift flour mixture ove wet ingredients. Add cherries. Stir batter until just combined.
Add extra sugar to shallow bowl or plate. Make balls of batter about an inch to inch and a half wide, and roll balls in sugar. Place on baking sheet (sprayed with nonstick spray) about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 for 14-16 minutes or until edges just barely start to get golden. Allow to cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
I hope you like my cookie recipe. Happy holiday baking!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Blue Cheese Fritters And Stoplights
My sister might remember this, I don't know. Long, long ago, she took me out to the tapas restaurant in Grand Rapids and then out to a few bars for my b-day. My TWENTY-FIRST b-day. Oh yeah. Par-tay. We had a few drinks. I remember few things from that night, partially because it was quite a long time ago . I remember having a shot called a stoplight at one point. I vaguely remember running into some old high school classmates (that I wasn't even really friends with in hs) and to their astonishment, suddenly asking them for a cigarette for some reason (we'll blame that one on the stoplight). Yeah, it was an interesting night. But despite all that silliness, after a decade and a half, I clearly remember the blue cheese fritters we had at the tapas restaurant for dinner.
I love cheese. I love blue cheese. And I've certainly had blue cheese in various forms in my possession many times over the last 15 years. But for some reason I've never gotten around to trying my hand at making homemade blue cheese fritters, despite intending to all that time. I really don't know why I never tried to make them. Well, last night I finally did. I had a little blue cheese in the house, and I was cooking, and I thought, 'hey, I could try to make those fritters I once had'.
I didn't use all blue cheese for the filling. I used about half blue cheese crumbles and half shredded mozzarella. I grated a little bit of onion into the batter. I used a tiny bit of flour - a mixutre of chickpea flour and regular flour - with a tiny bit of egg to bind it. Salt and pepper too, of course. I added just enough egg until it seemed wet enough to hold together. I formed little balls and then rolled the balls out to make oblong shapes, and refrigerated them until they were nice and firm so that I could coat and fry them without them melting everywhere.
I wanted the coating to be crisp, so I used panko. I coated the fritters in more chickpea flour first, then egg, then the panko. When they were fried, a few did actually melt a little out of the coating, but mostly they held together fine.
I surprised Dan with my creation, and he and I both enjoyed the fritters while we watched a rerun of Big Bang Theory. I had a spicy cherry sauce that I'd made to go with something else that also went fine with the fritters, but what really went well with them was a little balsamic glaze that I happened to have. The vinegary tang really offset the richness and earthiness of the blue cheese.
I can't believe it's been so long since I turned twenty-one. I'm an old geezer. But I'm an old geezer with lefttover blue cheese fritters in the fridge!! Yum!
Happy eating!
I love cheese. I love blue cheese. And I've certainly had blue cheese in various forms in my possession many times over the last 15 years. But for some reason I've never gotten around to trying my hand at making homemade blue cheese fritters, despite intending to all that time. I really don't know why I never tried to make them. Well, last night I finally did. I had a little blue cheese in the house, and I was cooking, and I thought, 'hey, I could try to make those fritters I once had'.
I didn't use all blue cheese for the filling. I used about half blue cheese crumbles and half shredded mozzarella. I grated a little bit of onion into the batter. I used a tiny bit of flour - a mixutre of chickpea flour and regular flour - with a tiny bit of egg to bind it. Salt and pepper too, of course. I added just enough egg until it seemed wet enough to hold together. I formed little balls and then rolled the balls out to make oblong shapes, and refrigerated them until they were nice and firm so that I could coat and fry them without them melting everywhere.
I wanted the coating to be crisp, so I used panko. I coated the fritters in more chickpea flour first, then egg, then the panko. When they were fried, a few did actually melt a little out of the coating, but mostly they held together fine.
I surprised Dan with my creation, and he and I both enjoyed the fritters while we watched a rerun of Big Bang Theory. I had a spicy cherry sauce that I'd made to go with something else that also went fine with the fritters, but what really went well with them was a little balsamic glaze that I happened to have. The vinegary tang really offset the richness and earthiness of the blue cheese.
I can't believe it's been so long since I turned twenty-one. I'm an old geezer. But I'm an old geezer with lefttover blue cheese fritters in the fridge!! Yum!
Happy eating!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thanksgiving Is Here Again
The 6 weeks of the holiday season from before Thanksgiving though New Year's Eve is both wonderful and depressing for me. It is my favorite time of year, but ever snce I moved to Colorado - and away from my family - the best part of the holiday season is mostly absent for me. Spending time with my family and all our fabulous and silly traditions is obviously not happening out here. A couple of times since my move I have been able to fly back to the Midwest to spend Christmas with my family. However, I have not been with my family for Thanksgiving in a long time. The loss is even more enhanced by the fact that my in-laws don't exactly welcome me with open arms. The loving, warm family time the holidays are in my memory aren't an option for me out here.
Last year I hosted Thanksgiving at our house and had my husband's family over. I made everything except the turkey and stuffing, which his father, the cook of his family, made and brought over. It was hard work and I wore my sick little body out. This year, even if I wanted to host Thanksgiving, there would be no way. No matter how sick I thought I was last year, this year I am much more so. Plus, it's been a particularly rough couple of weeks. I have had three emergency room visits just this month, and almost ended up there yesterday (I still might). I definitely am not hosting Thanksgiving.
Dan's parents are hosting the dinner this year. I did tell them that I would bring something over if I had the energy. I recently harvested lots of sage from my Aerogarden (to freeze before it went bad), and sage being such a quintessential Thanksgiving herb, I wanted to use that for my if-I-can-I-will dish. So, I got the idea to make gnocchi, and serve it with a simple sage-butter sauce. I figured I could make a butternut squash and potato gnocchi, and that would be festive. Plus it coud be my main dish as obviously I won't be eating any turkey. If I can find a couple of hours in the next few days in which I'm feeling not so sick, I can make the gnocchi and just freeze them. That way if I'm not feeling great on turkey day I will still be able to bring the dish.
I'm glad I can celebrate Thanksgiving with a festive meal, but I do seriously miss my family this time of year. I am very thankful for my whole family and all their love and support. I am also thankful for all the things that keep me going, even if I am sick: things like my dialysis machine, and my medications, and my awesome doctors. I am well aware that 50 years ago, I wouldn't even be here. So, despite my limitations, I can only be grateful for all that I have.
I know this post is a bit more serious than most. But on Thanksgiving, it's good to look around and take stock. I am very thankful.
Happy Thanksgiving eating!
Last year I hosted Thanksgiving at our house and had my husband's family over. I made everything except the turkey and stuffing, which his father, the cook of his family, made and brought over. It was hard work and I wore my sick little body out. This year, even if I wanted to host Thanksgiving, there would be no way. No matter how sick I thought I was last year, this year I am much more so. Plus, it's been a particularly rough couple of weeks. I have had three emergency room visits just this month, and almost ended up there yesterday (I still might). I definitely am not hosting Thanksgiving.
Dan's parents are hosting the dinner this year. I did tell them that I would bring something over if I had the energy. I recently harvested lots of sage from my Aerogarden (to freeze before it went bad), and sage being such a quintessential Thanksgiving herb, I wanted to use that for my if-I-can-I-will dish. So, I got the idea to make gnocchi, and serve it with a simple sage-butter sauce. I figured I could make a butternut squash and potato gnocchi, and that would be festive. Plus it coud be my main dish as obviously I won't be eating any turkey. If I can find a couple of hours in the next few days in which I'm feeling not so sick, I can make the gnocchi and just freeze them. That way if I'm not feeling great on turkey day I will still be able to bring the dish.
I'm glad I can celebrate Thanksgiving with a festive meal, but I do seriously miss my family this time of year. I am very thankful for my whole family and all their love and support. I am also thankful for all the things that keep me going, even if I am sick: things like my dialysis machine, and my medications, and my awesome doctors. I am well aware that 50 years ago, I wouldn't even be here. So, despite my limitations, I can only be grateful for all that I have.
I know this post is a bit more serious than most. But on Thanksgiving, it's good to look around and take stock. I am very thankful.
Happy Thanksgiving eating!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Simple Curried Vegetable Soup
Here's an idea for a simple way to jazz up your basic vegetable soup. Adding curry seasonings and coconut milk turns a standard vegetable soup into something more interesting. Make it a little spicy if you want, to perk you up on a blah, chilly day. If you have them, some fresh herbs finish the soup nicely.
By the way, the same exact recipe works great for your basic tomato soup, as well. Instead of broth, you can add tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes, fresh or canned. Also delicious.
Curried Vegetable Soup
1 Tbsp each veg oil and butter
chopped fresh veggies, about 2 cups or so (potatoes, carrots, celery, peppers, squash, onion, etc.)
1 tsp curry powder or more
dash each: cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper
4 cups veggie stock (or water and bouillion)
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, basil, or mint (optional)
Depending on veggies used, sautee some and boil others. Sautee onions, celery, and other similar veggies in oil and butter until just soft. Add curry seasonings as desired to oil and stir until warm. Add stock and remaining veggies (such as potatoes and carrots). Bring to a boil and let simmer until veggies are cooked through. Stir in coconut milk. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Stir in fresh herbs just before serving.
Happy eating!
By the way, the same exact recipe works great for your basic tomato soup, as well. Instead of broth, you can add tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes, fresh or canned. Also delicious.
Curried Vegetable Soup
1 Tbsp each veg oil and butter
chopped fresh veggies, about 2 cups or so (potatoes, carrots, celery, peppers, squash, onion, etc.)
1 tsp curry powder or more
dash each: cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper
4 cups veggie stock (or water and bouillion)
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, basil, or mint (optional)
Depending on veggies used, sautee some and boil others. Sautee onions, celery, and other similar veggies in oil and butter until just soft. Add curry seasonings as desired to oil and stir until warm. Add stock and remaining veggies (such as potatoes and carrots). Bring to a boil and let simmer until veggies are cooked through. Stir in coconut milk. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Stir in fresh herbs just before serving.
Happy eating!
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