Al Dente

What to Cook This Weekend: Ginger-Marinated Pork Tenderloin

I made this delicious pork recipe for the first time for Christmas Eve dinner. It was simple to prepare, and won raves from the whole family. The original recipe comes from the November 2003 issue of Gourmet, though I have adapted it slightly to my tastes. Serves four to six people.

Ginger-Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

3-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons ketchup
6 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1-1/2-pound pork tenderloins
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Whisk together broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, ginger, garlic, and vinegar and divide between two large, sealable plastic bags. Add one half of the tenderloin to each bag and seal, then marinate, chilled, turning bags over occasionally, 2 hours.
2. Remove bags from refrigerator and bring tenderloins to room temperature, about 1 hour.
3. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
4. Pat tenderloins dry and reserve marinade. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown tenderloins on all sides, turning with tongs, about 3 minutes total. Transfer skillet to oven and roast pork until thermometer inserted diagonally into center of meat registers 155°F, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 10 minutes.
5. While meat is roasting, pour marinade through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan and boil until reduced to desired consistency, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve slices of tenderloin with sauce.

--KitchenMaus

Recapping the Weird and the Wonderful

Not sure if you caught this, but in the Amazon Kitchen Store over the last few weeks we featured some of our most unique products in a series called "The Weird and the Wonderful." In case you missed the series, I thought it was worth recapping on the blog. There's some pretty fun stuff out there! Check these out:

• Fred voodoo toothpick holder
• Animal House utensils
• Lush Life ice luge, ice kebabs, and other icy "essentials"
• Peanut butter and jelly Christmas ornament
• Lush Life bar and wine tools
• Fred Hot Head dog and frog mitts
• Kurt Adler nutcrackers
• Pie bird and plate sets
• Nordic Ware bundt pans in unusual shapes
• Whimsical cookie jars
• Capresso H2O Plus
• Mr. Bento lunch jar
• Built NY bottle carriers

Did we miss any unusual but useful kitchen products? Add a comment and fill us in on your favorites!

--KitchenMaus

A New Year’s Eve Alternative to the Basic Bubbly: The Black Pearl

Now, I’m okay with straight Champagne and sparkling wine (at least, I don’t know that I’ve ever turned any down), but why not set your New Year’s Eve party above the norm by serving something that’s still bubbly, but a little different from the run-of-the-mill glasses thrown out at most end-of-the-year affairs? I mean, isn’t the idea to have a party that people remember, one that stands out in your guest’s minds long after January 1? I think that serving up the exquisite Black Pearl, which uses Champagne or sparkling wine, but ups the elegance meter with cognac or brandy and Tia Maria (a coffee flavored liqueur created from a cane-based spirit, Jamaican coffee, vanilla, and sugar), allows any December 31 soirée to step away from the crowd of parties and be noticed. As a bonus, it’s really easy to make, and lovely to look at (as the copyrighted photo here by amazing food-and-drink-and-fashion photographer Melissa Punch shows).

Ingredients:
Ice cubes
1 ounce cognac or brandy
1 ounce Tia Maria
Chilled Champagne or sparkling wine
Cherry for garnish

Directions:
1. Fill a cocktail shaker half way with ice cubes. Add the cognac and Tia Maria. Shake well.

2. Strain the mix into a flute or wine glass. Top with the bubbly. Garnish with a cherry.

--A.J. Rathbun

Midweek Happy Hour: Mulled Red Wine

I made a batch of this over the weekend, and it got slurped up in no time at all! Make a double (or triple) batch for a party, or a single batch for sipping with just your closest friends. It'll keep your body and your spirits warm. The recipe comes from the November/December 2002 issue of Cook's Illustrated and serves 8 (or 4, if everyone wants a refill...and they will!).

Mulled Red WIne

Ingredients:
3 3-inch cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
10 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon allspice berries
2 bottles full-bodied red wine
4 2-by-1/2-inch strips orange zest
1/2 cup sugar
2-4 tablespoons brandy (to taste)

Directions:
1. Toast spices in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add wine, zest, and sugar. Cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low once sugar has dissolved, and simmer one hour. Do not boil.
2. Strain wine. Return to saucepan, discarding spices. Stir in 2 tablespoons brandy. Taste and add up to 2 tablespoons more sugar and 2 tablespoons more brandy, if desired. Serve immediately in mugs.

--KitchenMaus

Make a Donation to Fight Hunger

At Al Dente, we're among the planet's luckiest. We have more than enough food to fill our bellies and we have the luxury to be discriminating about what we eat. Others across the globe don't have this luxury.

Fellow foodies, if you were grateful for the bounty of food on your plate this holiday season, I would encourage you to think about making a donation to a hunger-related charity. If you're looking for somewhere to start, here's a list of charities that could use your donation:

Share Our Strength: Since 1984, Share Our Strength has led the fight against hunger and poverty by inspiring and organizing individuals and businesses to share their strengths.

Care: CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. They place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.

World Food Program: FightHunger.org aims to end child hunger by 2015. They aim to do this by holding an annual worldwide demonstration across the globe called Walk the World. Once a year hundreds of thousands of people in every time zone will take to the streets to call for an end to the needless suffering of hungry children.

Chefs for Humanity: Chefs for Humanity is an alliance of culinary professionals and educators working
in partnership with U.S. and global organizations, providing nutrition education, hunger relief, and emergency and humanitarian aid to reduce hunger across the world.

Oxfam America: Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in more than 120 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice. They are an affiliate of Oxfam International.

Action Against Hunger: The mission of Action Against Hunger is to save lives by eliminating hunger through the prevention, detection, and treatment of malnutrition, especially during and after emergency situations of conflict, war and natural disaster. From crisis to sustainability, they tackle the underlying causes of malnutrition and its effects by using their expertise in nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, health and advocacy.

Ultimately, you'll have to choose which charity best fits your philanthropic needs. Or, if you have a local or international charity that you have worked with but I have missed above, please feel free to leave us a comment and list it below.

--Sous-Chef-on-the-Run

PS.  As an added incentive, if you make a donation before December 31, your donation will be tax deductible for 2007.

Happy Holidays from Al Dente!

It’s Christmas Day, and hopefully you’re reveling in seasonal fun with family, friends, and loved ones, getting sugary with Christmas candy, or eating a big holiday meal (does anyone still have a Christmas goose?), or having a sip of the family punch recipe--I know the Al Dente bloggers are doing all of the above, not to mention enjoying those kitchen-and-home presents that have just been unwrapped (speaking of--if you get a special kitchen-and-home gift this year, one that really stands out, tell us about it, because we can’t get enough of hearing about your favorites). But in the midst of all this merriment, I wanted to be sure to take a second to pass a scrumptious seasons greetings to all of you, our wonderful Al Dente readers. Thanks for your support and patronage, and here’s hoping your holidays are as crisp and bright as a new candy cane.

Sunday at the Market with Patricia and Dorie

We're very fortunate that Seattle is a frequent stop on the cookbook book-tour circuit and this past spring celebrated food critic and cookbook author Patricia Wells visited Amazon for a late-morning talk over coffee. Wells has lived in France for more than 25 years and during our talk we asked her if she ever runs into  Dorie Greenspan and Ina Garten, two women who have also stopped by Amazon over the years and who also spend much of the year in the City of Lights. We pictured a high-end foodie sitcom of sorts, with these culinary all stars running into each other at the markets, shopping together, or tapping on each others' doors to borrow sugar cubes or exchange a recipe or two. Patricia was sweet enough to remember this and sent us an e-mail this past Sunday with photographic proof that such Parisian culinary adventures do exist. (A little French bird told us that we just might receive another photo for New Year's featuring a certain Barefoot Contessa.)

Happy holidays!

--BTP

There's a little corner of Paris that probably has more American foodies than many major American cities. The city's 6th and 7th arrondissement is inhabited by a happy party of part-timers and full timers, and since food is our mission, we tend to gather often for multi-course feasts. Cookbook writers Dorie Greenspan and Ina Garten are a stone's throw from our apartment on Rue du Bac. Eli Zabar and his wife Devon Fredericks are not far away, and restaurateurs Johanne Killeen and George Germon are just about to move in, too. So there’s never a problem if you need to borrow a tin of caviar or a few fresh black truffles!

Dorie and I get together often, and we manage to talk nonstop wherever we go. When she is in town, we meet on Sunday mornings at the Boulevard Raspail organic market, and talk so much that our shopping list has to take a serious back seat. We meet at the potato galette stand for breakfast and go on from there.

We all love to cook for one another, and surely one of our New Year's feasts will be made up of some of the fresh black truffles just coming into season: There might be scrambled eggs with truffles, fresh pasta and truffles, for sure the Chaource cow's milk cheese layered with the fragrant mushroom, and a lamb's lettuce salad dotted with minced truffle trimmings. Dorie will prepare dessert, of course, hopefully it will be her famous Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart.

Champagne and wine will flow freely, with our favorite house champagne, Rose de Jeanne, a 100% pinot noir from winemaker Cedric Bouchard, a white Châteauneuf-du-Pape old vines wine from Château du Beaucastel, and our own red Cotes du Rhône, Clos Chanteduc.

Dorie, her husband, Michael, myself and my husband, Walter will be sure to toast all of our readers, thanking them for their support, and wishing them a very delicious 2008!

Patricia Wells
Paris, France
23 December 2007

Celebrity Chef Blog Recap

Season's Greetings Al Dente Readers!

We hope you've enjoyed the series of unique and delicious recipes from Joanne Weir, Rick Bayless, Tom Douglas, Elizabeth Karmel and the many other talented chefs who participated in our blog this holiday season. In case you missed some posts (or you're new to Al Dente), you can read all posts here. Feel free to leave us your feedback using the comment section below.

Happy Holidays from the Home and Garden team at Amazon.com!

--Sous-chef on the Run

What to Cook This Weekend: White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

This tasty cookie recipe (which shouldn’t just be regulated to the weekend--especially since Christmas is next Tuesday, and these will make a scrumptious Christmas day snack) comes from Al Dente reader Leslie, who says, “These truly are amazing! I think white chocolate is just OK, I like cranberries and oatmeal, but for some reason the combination is incredible. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!”

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, combine the sugar, brown sugar, and butter; mix well to cream together.
3. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
4. Add the cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and flour and mix well.
5. Fold in oatmeal, cranberries, and white chocolate chips, making sure all ingredients are uniformly distributed.
6. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, just until the edges are lightly golden.
7. Remove cookies from oven and let cool 2 to 3 minutes on sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

--A.J. Rathbun

Holiday Eats Reader Recipe: Reindeer Antlers

Thanks to all our readers who submitted recipe favorites for our Holiday Eats series! We had a hard time choosing only one to share with you all, so we just had to pick two! Here's the first one, and look for the other in our What to Cook This Weekend column this afternoon.

This recipe was submitted by Doug Jacobsen, and we loved it for three reasons:

1. It's simple. Who needs a whole lot more hard work this time of year?
2. It's a fun family recipe--kids will enjoy making (and eating) this recipe with you. And, sharing culinary traditions with children is an important part of the holiday season.
3. It's great to have on hand during the holidays. Mix up a batch and leave a bowl out for your holiday guests to munch on.

And, without further ado...

Reindeer Antlers

Ingredients:

1 16-ounce bag of white chocolate chips
3/4 cup Rice Krispies
3/4 cup Cap'n Crunch
3/4 cup salted peanuts
3/4 cup broken pretzel sticks

Directions:

1. Mix together cereals, peanuts, and pretzels in a large bowl or a Ziploc bag.
2. Melt white chocolate in a microwave or on the stove using a double-boiler. As soon as the last chip is melted, turn off the heat (if using stovetop method) and pour the cereal mixture into the chocolate. Mix until the cereal mixture is covered with chocolate.
3. Spoon chocolate-coated mixture onto foil or wax paper. Set aside to set up, about 20 minutes.
4. Break into smaller pieces, if desired. Store in an airtight container until ready to eat.

Notes:
If you want less crunch and more chocolate, use only 1/2 cup of each: cereals, peanuts, and pretzels.

Thanks to Doug Jacobsen for submitting this fun and delicious recipe! Happy Holidays!

--KitchenMaus

Don’t Have the Holidays Without a Little Punch

This basic recipe for Christmas Punch never steers a party wrong, with its combination of brandy, Cointreau, fresh oranges, and a large helping of Champagne or sparkling wine. It’s easy to modify to personal taste as well. Not fruity enough? Add a little more fresh orange juice, or a touch of pomegranate juice. Want even most festive feeling? Add a cup or two of frozen cranberries. Not quite boozy enough? Try adding a bit of rum to the mix, or some orange-flavored vodka.

--A.J. Rathbun

Reader Question: Store-Bought Parmesan Cheese

Last week, we received a question from Mr. Jean-Paul Carlucci in Pittsburgh regarding the evolving taste of Kraft brand Parmesan cheese. Mr.Carlucci asked if we had noticed anything different about the Kraft brand of Parmesan lately, indicating that the flavor seems to be lacking. Mr. Carlucci also asked for recommendations for price comparable Parmesan cheese favorites of ours that would be available in the Pittsburgh area.

Mr. Carlucci, we appreciate your question and take this matter seriously. We will soon conduct an Al Dente Parmesan cheese taste/price test and let you know the results of our findings. Stay tuned for that post in the New Year. (Readers, have you noticed anything different about the taste of Kraft Parmesan cheese? If so, let us know!)

--Sous-Chef-on-the-Run

PS. In the meantime, one of our favorite sites, Epicurious has an insightful dictionary definition of Parmesan cheese. I have a hunch, this will help us in our quest. 

12 Days of Holiday Eats, Day 12: Eggnog Pancakes

I have a number of friends who believe the holidays just aren't complete without eggnog. I'm not the biggest fan, but I'm happy to incorporate it into things I'd be cooking anyway, like the pancakes or waffles you'll usually find in my kitchen on Sunday mornings. Top these with butter and cinnamon and I guarantee you'll have a happy holiday breakfast! This recipe comes from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup eggnog
2 tablespoons clarified butter
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions
1. Heat a lightly oiled skillet or griddle over medium heat.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the eggnog, butter, and egg. Mix until dry ingredients are evenly moist.
3. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake. Cook pancakes until bubbly on top. Flip with a spatula, and continue cooking until lightly browned on bottom.

--AndreaLeigh

12 Days of Holiday Eats, Day 11: Pepper Jelly & Crackers

It's not Christmas unless someone brings pepper jelly and crackers. I realize this is a poor excuse for a recipe, but, to me, these little appetizers are as important to Christmas as my aunt's cannolis (sorry, secret recipe). If you have little ones, these are good for them to help make.

Pepper Jelly & Crackers

Ingredients
red pepper jelly
green pepper jelly
cream cheese
Ritz crackers

Directions
1. Spread cream cheese on crackers.
2. Top with jelly.

Merry Christmas!

--Spanno

12 Days of Holiday Eats, Day 10: Toffee Crisps

This is one of my essential holiday cookie recipes. Now, I will let you know, that this is a recipe from my under-lock-and-key file. One I don't normally give out. But, because Kristina asked so nicely, I decided to reconsider. But don't think you're getting my peppermint bark recipe!

Toffee Crisps

Ingredients

12 T. butter, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 c. Heath toffee bits (without chocolate)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cream butter in a mixer for about one minute, until pale and fluffy.

3. Add both sugars and beat well. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

4. Add flour, beating just until incorporated. Mix in toffee bits.

5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. With a flat-bottomed cup or glass (make sure it is perfectly flat, with no ridges or concave shape), press each ball into a 2-inch round. Remove plastic wrap.

6. Bake about 6 minutes, until edges are just golden. Transfer to cooling racks and cool completely.

Notes:

These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for about a week. They can also be frozen for several months. They are great to make ahead of time, freeze, and then thaw out for holiday gift giving. The recipe makes about 30 cookies, and is easy to double or triple.

--KitchenMaus

How to Eat Like Jonathan Lethem

As someone who is equally at home on both sides of the literary and culinary fence, today's Grub Street post of Jonathan Lethem's New York Diet (where a featured New Yorker chronicles a week's worth of eating) had me at chili-cheese fries. The author of Motherless Brooklyn, The Fortress of Solitude, and most recently, You Don't Love Me Yet, ticks off every bagel, bowl of cereal, and Vietnamese sandwich that crossed his lips this week (though the days/dates seem to be off according to the James Bond wall calendar at my desk). He reports that his "tendency is to go from purity to decadence, like I'm reliving the fall of a great empire," adding "I sound extremely healthful, like I'm some kind of Zen purist. By dinner I'm in the Caligula phase."

Here's hoping that someday soon you'll be able to walk into a Boerum Hill deli and order "The Jonathan Lethem" from the sandwich board.

--BTP

12 Days of Holiday Eats, Day 9: Gruyère Gourges

These amazingly tasty baked bites are an ideal holiday party snack. Not too hard to make, they have a balance of lightness and substance that will make your guests swoon and ensure they don’t go away hungry. If you can’t get Gruyère (a cheese made in Switzerland, but readily available), then substitute in a French Comté or Beaufort or an Emmental.

Serves 12 (if each eats 4, as this should make 4 dozen)

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly beat the eggs, until the white and yolks have mixed but no further.
3. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. If you’re worried about sticking (due to old or cranky cookie sheets) lightly flour them, too.
4. Add the water, butter, and salt to a medium-sized saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure the butter melts. Once it reaches a boil, add the flour. Beat well with a spoon, until the mixture pulls away from the pan’s sides. Turn the heat down, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, until the dough seems partially dry. Remove from the stove.
5. Add the beaten eggs slowly, stirring all the time.
6. Add the cheese and pepper and stir into the mix, until everything is well combined.
7. Put the dough into a large pastry bag, or a large sealable plastic bag. If using the latter, cut one corner off the bag. Pipe the dough into 1-1/2 inch rounds on the cookie sheets.
8. Bake the Gourges for 20-25 minutes. They should be slightly crispy on the outside and slightly doughy on the inside, and should be a glowing gold in color.

12 Days of Holiday Eats, Day 8: McCormick Easy Cinnamon Fudge

As much as I enjoy being creative when preparing desserts, this is the season when I don't always have the time to be creative. However, this is one little recipe that can afford me simple creative amendments but still turn out delicious. (A dash of chili powder and cayenne pepper, a teaspoon of brandy, etc.) I found this McCormick recipe on a card in the baking aisle and have made it for years since. Like the spritz cookies, I promise this will be a holiday hit!

Ingredients:
16 ounces confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup  (1 stick)  butter
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
1. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, allowing foil to extend over sides of pan.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix sugar, cocoa and cinnamon in large bowl; set aside.
3. Heat butter and milk in small saucepan until butter melts. Remove from heat; add vanilla extract. Add to sugar mixture; mix well. Stir in nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Garnish with nut halves, if desired.
4. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm. Use foil to lift out of pan onto cutting board. Cut into 16 (2-inch) squares. Cut each square diagonally in half, making triangles.

--Sous-chef-on-the-Run

Holiday Eats: Reader Recipes Wanted

Enjoying our Holiday Eats series? Have a favorite holiday recipe of your own? Share it with us, and we’ll share it with the Al Dente community! Just send your recipe to kitchen-blog@amazon.com no later than Tuesday, December 18. We’ll post our favorite reader recipe on Friday, December 21.

Thanks for your submissions, and happy holiday eating!

--The Al Dente editors

12 Days of Holiday Eats, Day 7: Cheese and Bacon Scones

One of the best things about going home for the holidays are the scones my mom makes on Sunday mornings. They're usually of the currant or cranberry variety, but I'm thinking of slipping her the following recipe (from astray recipes) for cheese and bacon scones. And if I sign dad up for the Bacon of the Month club for Christmas, then we'll really have no excuse not to make 'em!

Ingredients
2 slices bacon
2 cups self-rising flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cayenne
¼ cup butter or margarine, diced
1⅔ cup cheddar cheese, finely grated
½ cup milk
Vegetable shortening for greasing
Milk for glazing

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Broil the bacon for 2-3 minutes on each side, then set aside to cool.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, dry mustard, salt, and cayenne into a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Crumble the bacon into the mixture. Stir in 1-1/3 cup cheese until well mixed. Add milk, then mix quickly in to a soft dough with a fork.
3. Shape dough into a ball, then turn out onto a light floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Divide dough into halves. Shape each piece into a ball, than pat out to form 5-inch rounds, 3/4 inch thick.
4. Cut each round into 6 equal wedges. Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 5. Place on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

--AndreaLeigh

12 Days of Holiday Eats, Day 6: Chicken Noodle Soup

Seems like everyone is sick (including me) and is in need of the world's greatest comfort food--chicken noodle soup. I know everyone has their special way of making it, so don't be offended if this recipe turns out to be different from your mom's. I cobbled it together from a few popular recipes so feel free to make your own edits.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients
8 C (2 quarts) canned chicken broth
1 (3-4 lbs.) chicken, cut into 4 to 8 pieces
5 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
8 whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 large onion, peeled and halved
1 clove garlic, pierced with a toothpick
1 lb. baby carrots
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 pinch dried thyme
1 pinch poultry seasoning
1 pinch dried basil
1 pinch dried parsley
1 pinch sea salt
8 oz. egg noodles (dried or refrigerated)

Directions
1. Combine chicken broth, chicken, onion, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves in heavy large pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
2. In a separate pot, boil potatoes until almost done. Strain and reserve.
3. Using tongs, transfer chicken to large bowl. Cool chicken slightly, remove skin, cut into bite-size pieces, and reserve.
4. Strain broth and return to a simmer.
5. Add potatoes, carrots and celery. Simmer until vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.
6. Stir in noodles, thyme, seasoning, salt, basil, parsley and reserved chicken. Simmer until noodles are tender, about 5-10 minutes.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

--Spanno

Breaking News: KitchenMaus Goes Confection Crazy

I always go a little bit crazy this time of year. Those who know me can testify to this. It's not the lack of daylight in the Northwest. Nor the work-induced haze of the Amazon holiday season. No, it's the fact that for some reason, I take it upon myself to make sure visions of sugarplums dance in the heads of friends and family. Every year I say THIS is going to be the year that I bake just a few cookies, just the essentials.

So, I have to make the rum balls of course, everyone asks for those. (I can probably get away with making just 400 of those this year.) And then there's the peppermint bark. People swear mine's better than any you can buy in a store. (Better make 12 pounds. No, 13.) And, really, I'd better take a day off work to make hand-crafted truffles. (Maybe just four kinds--and just 50 of each.) Oh, and somebody then says that it wouldn't be Christmas without my Ginger Gems. (Gotta have at least 250 of those.) And then someone else nearly weeps when I say I won't be making my Toffee Crisps. (Add 300.)

And, there you have it, 1,150 cookies and candies, plus 13 14 pounds of peppermint bark. At a minimum.

I'd better get to work.

--KitchenMaus 

12 Days of Holiday Eats, Day 5: Triple-Ginger Pound Cake

This is a terrific recipe for any time of year, but I particularly like to have it on hand during the holiday season. It's wonderful for a quick treat for drop-in visitors, or toasted for breakfast with your holiday house guests. It even makes a great dessert, served with a dollop of freshly whipped cream. Best of all, though--it makes a fantastic homemade gift for friends and family. I like to bake a loaf, wrap it up in foil, and tie a pretty ribbon around it. Or, if you want to make a plate with a variety of goodies, try baking the batter in a mini-loaf pan, instead of a full-size loaf pan. Then you'll have lots of little loaves to go around! This recipe comes from the October 2000 issue of Bon Appétit, and makes two loaves.

Triple-Ginger Pound Cake

3-1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 T. ground ginger
2-1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 c. sugar
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 T. vanilla extract
1-1/4 c. whole milk
1/2 c. minced crystallized ginger
3-1/2 T. grated peeled fresh ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans.

Sift flour, ground ginger, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and milk alternately into batter. Fold in crystallized ginger and grated ginger.

Divide batter between prepared loaf pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.

Notes:

• Recipe can be prepared up to 1 month ahead. Double-wrap cakes with plastic and freeze.
• Many grocery stores carry crystallized ginger in bulk--if you buy it this way, make sure the pieces aren't all dried out. If you can't find it in bulk, I highly recommend the Ginger People's premium cut crystallized ginger--it's the best I've found anywhere!

--KitchenMaus

12 Days of Holiday Eats, Day 4: Bavarian Nut Stollen

This is actually my father's recipe and his tradition, but I intend to adopt it some day.  In the meantime, I'm happy to be the recipient of the recipe and the treat.  Every year, he bakes up huge batches of this Bavarian Nut Stollen.  On Christmas Eve, he and my mother deliver friends and family a nut stollen wrapped with ribbon. Christmas morning, we eat this with a sausage and egg frittata. 

Ingredients for Bread

1 envelope of active dry yeast
1 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 stick of butter
1 egg yolk
Zest of 1 lemon
4 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon of salt

Ingredients for Nut Mixture
2/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
2 1/2 cups ground walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 egg white

Ingredients for Glaze
2 tablespoons hot water
1 cup confectioner's sugar

Directions for Bread
1. In a small bowl, pour 1 envelope of active dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/4 cup of lukewarm milk for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, pour 1 cup scalded milk over 1/2 stick of butter, cut into bits, stir the mixture until the bread is melted, and let it cool to lukewarm.
3. Beat in 1 egg yolk and grated rind of 1/2 lemon. Add the yeast mixture.
4. Beat in gradually 4 1/2 cups of flour sifted with 1/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon salt.  Beat the mixture until smooth.
5. Transfer dough to a butter bowl and turn to coat it with butter.  Let it rise, covered with a tea towel in a warm place for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.

Directions for Nut Mixture
1. In a saucepan combine 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water.  Bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat, washing down any crystals clinging to the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in cold water.  Boil for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of ground walnuts, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.  Remove the pan from heat.
3. Let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
4. Lightly beat 1 egg white and stir into mixture.  Let it cool further.

Directions for Stollen
1. Punch down dough, roll it into a 19-inch by 14-inch rectangle on a floured surface.
2. Spread nut mixture on dough, leaving 1/4-inch border.
3. Beginning with a long side, roll the dough tightly jelly-roll fashion and pinch the edges and ends to seal them.
4. Put the roll seam side down on a cutting board and halve it lengthwise with a sharp knife.
5. Twist the halves together, keeping the cut edges up, pinch the ends together, and push the twist together lightly.
6. Arrange the Stollen on a butter and floured baking sheet and let it rise, covered with a tea towel in a warm place for 30 minutes or until it is 1 and a 1/2 times in bulk.
7. Bake th Stollen in a pre-heated oven at 375-degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350-degrees and bake the Stollen, covering it lightly with foil if it browns too quickly, for 25-30 minutes more, or until it is golden.
8. Let the Stollen cool.

Directions for Glaze
1. Into a small bowl, sift 1 cup confectioner's sugar.  Add 2 tablespoons hot water.  Stir the mixture until smooth and glossy.
2. Drizzle the glaze over the Stollen in a zig zag and sprinkle walnuts over the top. Let it dry and serve.

12 Days of Holiday Eats, Day 3: Classic Spritz Cookies

When I was a child, my mom bought me a Wilton Cookie Press. Every year since, I've always made the classic spritz cookie recipe from the back of the Wilton Box. Now, it may not be the most glamorous cookie recipe in the world, but that's what I think makes spritz cookies so special--they're uncomplicated, they taste great, and they're always popular at parties. If you've never made these before, I would recommend giving them a try.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Thoroughly cream butter and sugar. Add egg, milk, vanilla, and almond extract; beat well. Stir together flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough. Do not chill. Place dough into cookie press and press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned around edges; remove cookies from sheet; cool on rack. Makes 7-8 dozen cookies.

--Sous-chef-on-the-Run

Cops Forced to Chase Doughnut Truck

Drunk driving isn't funny. That is unless your name is Warren G. Whitelightning, you're drunk, you've stolen eight giant red hot pickled sausages from a convenience store, and then you decide to take a Krispy Kreme truck for a joy ride. Soon, you have both University of Wisconsin police and Madison's finest on your tail--which, by the way, is expelling boxes of Krispy Kreme's finest onto the road.

According to The Capital Times, "Assistant District Attorney Michael Verveer conceded that the scene described in the criminal complaint of several squad cars chasing a donut truck around the west side could elicit laughter from many." Well, consider me one of many.

Here's some of the chase. It begins at the 2:30 mark and ends when the cop car taping the whole thing gets hit by the truck.

--Spanno

12 Days of Holiday Eats: Baked Brie

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