cranberry shortbread

the lighting on that picture is very disappointing.

martha stewart's cranberry shortbread:
2 sticks butter
3/4 c powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
1/2 c dried cranberries

preheat oven to 325.
mix first five ingredients until combined, but not creamy. press dough into 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown. let cool in pan for 15 minutes, remove (face-up) and cut into shapes.

now. i had to practically double the baking time on this, and still, it was too crumbly for cookie cutters. MARTHA!!! instead i cut into bars, which still look nice and are just as delicious.

i also made more chocolate dipped macaroons yesterday. same recipe, except that i was a little short on coconut and actually used cake flour instead of all-purpose this time. while these tasted the same as my previous batches, they looked more like flat lacy cookies than coconut mounds. pick your poison, i suppose!

chocolate-dipped macaroons

4 large egg whites
1 c granulated white sugar
1/4 t salt
1 t pure vanilla extract
1/2 c cake flour
2 1/2 c sweetened coconut

preheat oven to 325 degrees.

in top part of double boiler, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt. when this mixture is warm to the touch, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, flour, and coconut. cover and refrigerate (about one hour) or until the dough is firm.

place small mounds (about 1 tablespoon) of the dough on greased (or parchment lined) baking sheet, spacing several inches apart. bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool.

for chocolate: melt semi-sweet chocolate in double boiler with 1 T butter and a splash of milk. dip bottoms of cookies in chocolate, rotating the cookie, then let cool and harden overnight on parchment paper.

this was one of julie's and my greatest triumphs! i also recommend clicking on the picture to enlarge: IT LOOKS AWESOME.

bake bake bake

peanut butter cookies and "midnight crackles," both from dorie greenspan (no relation)


banana bread, mom's recipe via james beard

beet chips

labor intensive! not as good the next day! but, oh!, what a triumph.

asparagus and potato frittata

new years eve day brunch... recipe from williams sonoma



3/4 lb. thin asparagus
olive oil
2 large green onions, chopped
6 to 8 small red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into slices 1/8" thick
1 tsp. salt, plus pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
freshly ground pepper
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
11 eggs
1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
About 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

steam asparagus 2 min, until tender. cut into 1" lengths; set aside.

in a large sauté pan, warm 3 tbsp olive oil. add green onions and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4 min. add potatoes, 1 tsp. salt, tarragon and pepper and sauté until the potatoes glisten, about 3 minutes, adding the remaining oil if needed to prevent sticking. cover and cook until potatoes are nearly tender, 6 to 8 min. uncover, increase the heat to high and cook (stirring often) until the potatoes are browned, 7 to 8 min. stir in asparagus and remove from heat.

in a nonstick fry pan or ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk eggs until blended. stir in the pinch of salt and parmigiano reggiano and season with pepper. pour eggs into the hot pan. stir gently in the center and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 min. spread the vegetables evenly over the eggs. sprinkle swiss cheese on top. transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the eggs are set and the cheese melts, about 15 minutes.