Archives for November 2007
Missing the lipless
Let’s begin with the lack of a post earlier this week. Because we have two teenage boys my priorities, cooking-wise, are often different than someone who doesn’t have to feed two hungry bears. But the boys are finicky bears. For instance, Dexter won’t eat pasta with red sauce and Alex used to eat leftovers…but now (as of Tuesday) refuses to. Monday I made a batch of pasta with my standard red sauce. Because it’s Alex’s favorite, I made a big batch so that he could eat it for a few days. Tuesday came and I was going to make some risotto (totally blogable) but I had to help Dexter clean out his locker at school (toxic waste…think superfund site) so it didn’t happen…we had falafels…Dexter’s favorite.
Wednesday found me pressed for time and obligated to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies (not very blogable). Since Alex wouldn’t eat leftover pasta, GH and I snarfed it down …it went really well with the 2007 Beaujolais. Delicious but still not much to blog about.
Somewhere along the way I realized that my ipod didn’t have my favorite sleepy music, Steve Reich’s Music For 18 Musicians. Then my ipod got all snarly and I had to reset it to it’s factory default settings. Since I switched to Ubuntu and the world of open-source I’ve been blissfully happy…all my software needs have been met to a point well beyond my expectations. Except for this issue…I just couldn’t get my music to show up on my ipod…and I really wanted to listen to The Shins. For two days I bravely battled this problem and then today GH swooped in, and as I made dinner (3 pizzas) he fixed it. Thank god…it’s now loaded with all my favorites from Ali Farka Toure to Wilco…and I’m so much happier because I can slip my ipod into my pocket, wedge the ebuds into my ears, and do whatever I want, to my own personal soundtrack.
The pizza was extra good this time. I heeded a reader’s tip and baked it at 450F and placed the parchment directly on the oven rack. I used the back of a cookie sheet to transfer it to the rack and it worked like a charm. So dear reader…you’re a genius.
Lastly, I must confess that I would feel so much better if I could get a fresh hit of The Daily Show…perhaps just a “moment of zen” or something schmaltzy. But I support the WGA one hundred percent.
That’s Liza…with a Z
There is a bar cookie called Hello Dolly…where did that name come from? One of my favorite food blogs is the Homesick Texan, and she makes a Hello Dolly bar that I used for inspiration here…anything the Homesick Texan makes is worthy of eating. However, I cannot abide by the graham cracker crumb crust…it’s just not substantial enough to withstand the rigors of hanging around our house, not to mention it’s not nearly good enough to be mingling with chocolate, pecans, and coconut.
Since I didn’t make my bars with graham cracker crumbs I shall take the liberty of renaming my delicious delight. My version shall be known as the Liza Minnelli bar. Why? Well, why not? Liza is an actress associated with musical theatre, and I so loved her as a comedic actress in the highly under-appreciated TV show Arrested Development, other than that I got nothing…it’s just a name.
This easy bar cookie is the perfect antidote to post-holiday, over-exposure of the kitchen…right now I’m a big advocate of get in and get out before anyone notices you’re cooking…otherwise they might start making requests and I don’t know about you but I’ve got novels to read, laundry to fold, BSG reruns to watch, and a dog to walk.
Liza Minnelli Bars
Crust
2 cups flour
2 sticks butter, cold, diced
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Put all the dry ingredients to the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse once or twice to combine. Add the butter and pulse about 12 times or until the two combine. Add the egg yolks and pulse just enough to mix in (3 or 4 times). Turn out into a 9″ x 13″ baking pan that is lined with parchment (sling fashion) and any unlined areas are heavily buttered. Press down to form a firm even layer. Prick all over with a fork and bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Lovely, Gooey Layers
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
Spread all of the above evenly over the crust. Pour the condensed milk on last in an even fashion. Bake at 350° for 20 - 30 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool for 1 hour minimum and remove from pan using the parchment sling. Cut into bars and enjoy. They go well with coffee and also, surprisingly, a very heady red Zin.
The printable recipe is here.
Kissing the lipless
This is a gloating post…I’ll be honest about it…I’m going to gloat. Please avert your eyes if you’re not up to it…I’ll understand.
Our feast was perfect and I know why.
- Purchased a locally grown free range turkey grown by Matt Smith (bottom right)
- Brined the turkey over-night in a very simple solution
- Baked 4 pies in store bought crusts the night before…they had plenty of time to chill
- Created a unique and tasty cranberry chutney from this recipe
- Made 1 gallon of the most fabulous gravy ever
- Made my simple dinner rolls
- Made dressing using store-bought bread cubes, onions, celery, and herbs…it was perfect
- Roasted turkey until instant-read Thermapen read 165
- Didn’t over-indulge on champagne…served Beaujolais Nouveau instead
- Didn’t serve mashed potatoes, green beans, or anything else nobody ever really wants
I think numbers 1, 5, and 10 were crucial to this unusual success. Our leftovers are pretty sparse but I can make more rolls, and dressing…and we have plenty of turkey, gravy, and chutney left. The turkey was the best turkey…EVER.
This taught me that the secret to a blissed out Turkey Day is to Keep It Simple. I’m writing this so I won’t forget…oh and because I’m so happy.
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