Cranberry, Pepita, & Almond Cookies

So.  Who's sick of cookies?  Besides me.  I was okay until just about...yesterday.  A furious week of creaming, gradually adding, and rounded-teaspoons-full has me all cookied out.  Not to mention there was homemade candy, cake, and even a pie created in my kitchen this week.  My mouth is now furiously rejecting any sweet that tries to make its way near it.  You know what the sad thing about that is?  I'm all cookied out on cookies that won't even make an appearance at our holiday table this year.  Bus drivers...teachers...neighbors...enjoy.  Sadly, I still have so many cookies and bars and candy "marked" and eagerly anticipating an appearance.  We'll see how I feel after a sugar free weekend.  These cookies came about after I saw Kim make some Apricot & Nut cookies w/ Amaretto icing. Tasty! She thought they'd be good using cranberries, and well...so did I!  So, I changed them up a bit, also going with pepitas instead of pinenuts...red and green, you see.  And I left off the icing.  I loved them.  Chewy and studded with sweet tart fruit and toasty, nutty things. Even if the thought of them now is making my mouth all metallic and watery.  They were totally awesome before I was cookied out.

Cranberry, Pepita, & Almond Cookies

adapted from Apricot & Nut Cookies from Giada at Home

yield ~2 dozen

½ c. unsalted butter, room temp.
½ c. + 2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
good grating nutmeg
big pinch fine sea salt
1 large egg
1¼ c. ap flour
½ c. dried cranberries
¼ c. sliced almonds, toasted
2 Tbs. pepitas, toasted

Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy, ~2 mins.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Combine flour and salt.  Toss a tablespoon or so in with the fruit and nuts and toss around.  Gradually add the rest of the mixture to the wet mixture.  Fold in the cranberries, pepitas, and almonds.

Turn mixture out onto a sheet of parchment paper and form into a log.  Twist ends together and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but up to a couple of days.

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Line baking sheets w/ parchment (or foil or a silpat), cut the dough into ¼" slices and place at least an inch and a half or so apart on the lined sheets.  Bake for ~15 minutes, or until they just start to turn golden around the edges.

If you wanted to, you could ice these...but I really loved the beautiful simplicity of them just as they were.

*This post is linked to:

Nigella Kitchen: Cookbook Review

The domestic goddess is back, and she's brought us a "comfort chronicle" on her love affair with the kitchen!  Although I knew it deep down and even voiced it a few times over the past couple of years, I don't think I realized the true extent of how much I craved a new book from Nigella.  Her older ones get pawed and referenced pretty regularly...I DVR old episodes to sustain and inspire me...but being able to hold her thick new labor of love in my hot little hands...stroke it...use it to plan the future...I totally needed that.  In this book, she shares the tools, ingredients, recipes, and stories that sustain her...that enrich her...that emanate from the soul-that-is-Nigella.  I think most of us who spend so much of our lives in the kitchen feel that it is our sanctuary as well as a place we associate with the people we welcome into our home.  I just love the way Nigella puts it when she says..."I need my kitchen to work, but I also want it to enchant."  Yup. Pretty sure we were separated at cosmic birth. Do I need to tell you that I adored this book...from the get-go?  Nigella and I...we just spent a solid week together in the kitchen.  We reminisced a bit and pulled out some of her old books (I'll fill you in more another day)...but mainly, we focused on Nigella Kitchen. 

Amongst all the little slips of paper poking from the pages, I chose a week long menu of a few things that I couldn't bear to wait any longer to try.  They are all simple selections that fit into my schedule...even in the midst of holiday madness.  There are more dinners and elaborate meals that I will be making in the more relaxed days that ring in the new year.  

I started out with a simple Tomato Curry which I served on a bed of brown rice.  Grape tomatoes and peas simmered in a curry bath made for a quick, flavorful lunch!

My absolute favorite thing I made this week...earning the title of my new favorite salad...was the Chinatown Chicken Salad!  Oh. Em. Gee.  A fabulous combination of crisp lettuce and bean sprouts with ruby strips of peppers, the brightness of cilantro, meaty shreds of chicken, and crunchy fried wontons...all tossed in a mouthwatering dressing...with a few peanuts dotting each bite.  Sounds irresistible, no!?  I'll dedicate a whole post to it soon, but until then...feast your eyes on my new favorite salad.

Next up is a steaming bowl of  soup laden with fat noodles, thinly sliced pork, veggies and an addicting broth.  I slightly adapted her Vietnamese Pork Noodle Soup to make a big bowl of The Ramen girl and Nigella-inspired goodness!

Up next, I served up the Small Pasta w/ Salami, in which ditalini and white beans are flavored with salty salami, herbs, and tomatoes.  This was a quick week night meal that pleased both the adults and the kiddos.

Probably the equivalent of pasta tossed with a simple garlic-infused olive oil and then sprinkled with a good grating of Parmesan, Spaghetti with Marmite makes for a lightning-quick, salty-yeasty-can't-put-down-your-fork type of lunch!  Plus, it was my first foray into the world of Marmite...now I must find other applications for this intriguing jar of brown goo!

You didn't think I could finish the week off without a bit of dessert, did you?  Of course not.  Venturing away from my favorite gingerbread (which incidentally, also happens to be a Nigella recipe)...I made a big pan of tempting Guinness Gingerbread.  It's sticky, moist, and perfectly rich.  BUT.  It's not taking the place of said go-to recipe.

So, all that said and done...I definitely recommend Nigella Kitchen.  If you love the queen of simple excess, then you'll love this book ☺.

Curious about the next dish on my Nigella itinerary from this book?  An old favorite of mine...Chicken with 40 Cloves. Aw yeah...bring on the garlicky goodness.

*I was sent an ARC of this book by the publisher for review if I wished...but the opinions stated in this post are all mine.

Noodle Soup w/ Pork, Bean Sprouts, & Spinach inspired by The Ramen girl for Food 'n Flix

Can you imagine following your guy to a whole new country...much to his chagrin?  A country whose native tongue you do not speak.  A country in which you have no other friends, except said "guy".  And then he leaves.  And he doesn't think he'll be back.  Ever.  So you cry your crocodile tears and wake up alone in a strange country.  All alone.  In his apartment...that at least he had the decency to let you "keep".  The only thing is- you're determined to stay.  I mean...come on...he'll be back.  Right!?  Not even close.  But life goes on and you meet a friend or two.  You smoke your cigarettes and drink your Japanese beer...you live some semblance of a normal life...until something draws you in.  It's a scent...but it's not just a scent.  It's an aura.  It's an energy.  It glows!  Warmth and people and something cooking...you're mesmerized.

Bowls of steaming Ramen...made from the hands and the soul of a Ramen chef.  The steam alone can fill your heart with joy and make you laugh uncontrollably at the first whiff.  One spoonful can make the tears free-flow straight from your heart and through your eyes...adding silent, salty drips into your bowl.  One bowl can   transport you twenty years back in time...leaving your chopsticks suspended, like memories, in mid-air.

The Ramen Girl is one of our two featured flicks this month over at Food 'n Flix (the other being Waitress) this month. I love The Ramen girl...it's a fun, foodie chick-flick that I won't ruin by giving any more away.  I was totally inspired to make a bowl of noodle soup...with broth, noodles, veggies, and meat that would transport me to another level.  Check it out...

Pork Noodle Soup w/ Bean Sprouts & Spinach

adapted from the Vietnamese pork noodle soup in Nigella Kitchen

makes ~4 svgs.

11 oz. Pork Tenderloin, cut into thin discs, then fine strips
2 Tbs. lime juice
2 Tbs. soy sauce
½ tsp. paprika
2 Tbs. fish sauce
8 oz. fresh Udon noodles
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, peeled & chopped
1 quart rich chicken stock or broth
6 oz. fresh bean sprouts
2 big handfuls baby spinach
jalapeños (red, green, or both), diced fine for garnish

Place strips of pork in a bowl and add lime juice, soy sauce, paprika and fish sauce and let stand no more than 15 minutes.

Cook the noodles according to package directions, ~2 minutes if using fresh Udon.  Drain.  In the meantime, heat chicken stock until boiling.

Heat a wok and add oil and garlic, stir around for a minute or so to infuse the oil with the garlic.  Add scallions and ginger and cook for a minute or so.  Tip in the bowl of pork with its marinade, stirring as you go.  Cook meat for another two minutes, then add hot broth and let the whole thing come to a boil.

Drop in bean sprouts and spinach and cook for another minute or two.  Divide noodles amongst serving bowls.  Use tongs to lift out the meat and veggies and divide them amongst the bowls, on top of the noodles.  Ladle the hot broth over the top and garnish with the jalapeños.

Prepare to get in touch with your soul.

*This post is also linked to:

~Kirstin at From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours is Hosting PPN this week!
~WanderFood Wednesday

Chickpea Soup w/ Almonds & Saffron

On a mission for a quick, easy soup, I scour the pantry, the fridge, and Bitty's Kitchen Express searching for a final destination.  I found it in the unlikely combination of almonds, chickpeas, and saffron.  Okay, maybe not so unlikely...just surprising in a quickie soup, I suppose.  To me.  And yeah, although it was surprising, it totally worked.  Whoda thunk it?  Slivers of almonds pleasing in a brothy soup base?  But it totally works.  I had some chickpeas in the fridge that I'd just cooked the day before with hopes of hummus...but obviously they didn't make it that far.  Next time.  The dregs of a bag of almonds and some sadly inferior Mexican Saffron.  I added a grating of Parm over the top, as I'm wont to do...and switched out the parsley for cilantro...which turned out to be a fantastic swap- the brightness of cilantro was just what each earthy spoonful begged for!

Chickpea Soup w/ Saffron & Almonds

ever-so-slightly-adapted from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

In a couple tablespoons of olive oil, cook a thinly sliced small onion (leek), some smashed garlic (3 cloves), about half a cup of slivered almonds, salt, pepper, and a pinch of saffron for about five minutes.  Add a can of chickpeas with their liquid (~1 c. cooked from dry, measuring w/ cooking liquid and all) and four cups of chicken broth or water; use a potato masher or wooden spoon to break down some of the chickpeas.  I mashed 'em up pretty good, then added another handful of whole beans for appearance and texture. Cook and stir until warmed through and serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley (I used cilantro-which was perfect!  Plus, a good grating of Parmesan).

Oh, and thinking about my writers block, I think what so many of  you suggested and what I already sensed  inside is correct...it's the holidays.  While my goal is always to take it easy and not let anything stress me out...it never works.  I feel frazzled just try NOT to feel frazzled.  Ugh.  Oh well...we'll get through it and semi-peacefulness will reign soon enough.  I just want to make it through with love in my heart.  Deep breaths.

*This post is linked to:

A few of my favorite things (garlic cellar, pepper mill, wooden spoon)...CSN review

I consider myself pretty practical.  When I received the opportunity to review something from CSN stores, I decided not to indulge...although I thought about it...because in the end, I figured ordering things that I would use daily...things that I actually needed...would be the best option.  

The first thing I chose was the Henry Watson Original Suffolk Terracotta Garlic Cellar say that three times fast.  If you hang out around here often enough, you know that garlic is one of my favorite things and that I feel lost without it!   I love that this garlic cellar lets me keep two or three cloves at my fingertips at all times.  While I can have a larger stash in my bin, this sits right on my counter top (has air holes in the back to maintain freshness) and allows me easy access.  Plus, the terracotta fits right in with the earthy decor that I love!

The next item I ordered was a Paderno World Cuisine 10" Wooden Spoon.  If you saw my last CSN review, you're probably saying...Uuuummmmm, didn't you get this spoon last time!?  To that I say...No, silly.  I got the 7 7/8" spoon.  I don't think one can ever have too many wooden spoons...they're a kitchen essential!  I love it...simple, functional, perfect.

The final thing I chose to order was a William Bounds Bishop 5" Bamboo Pepper Mill.  I'm almost embarrassed to say that I've been using one of those "disposable" mills you can get from the spice aisle of the grocery store for almost two years now!  By the time we moved out of our old house, I had unceremoniously knocked, shoved, tipped, and bumped two different pepper mills and numerous salt bowls behind our stove...which was far too tightly wedged in to pull out.  Well, we bought a new stove when we moved...and whoever now lives in our old house will one day find a little cooks treasure when they pull out the stove to replace it or fix it or whatever happens down the line.  So, tired of plastic "grinding" prongs breaking off into my peppercorns, I decided it was time to get a new mill.  Seriously, I can't believe I went without a good one for so long.  I can once again adjust for find to coarse and not worry about plastic shards in our food.  Plus, bamboo is very durable.  Although I adore it, I'm holding out for this awesome copper and brass mill one day.  Fingers crossed!

A big thanks to CSN stores for the opportunity to make my kitchen a little more complete!  If you've never check them out, I recommend heading over to browse the more than 200 stores they have...you don't have to be stuck in the kitchen if you don't want to...I just happen to like being stuck there (I always wind up in the cookware...it's in my nature). It's a great place to fit all of your holiday shopping needs!

*I received a $40 gift certificate to purchase and review the items of my choice from CSN.  The opinions of the product stated in this post are all mine.

Slow Sweet Heat Roasted Pork Loin and "Salsa" for sandwiches, etc.

I think I'm going through one of those phases.  You know the one I'm talking about right?  Sort of like over-exertion...stress...blank-mind...overflowing-mind...no motivation to write...type of phase.  I want to sit down and bang out a fun, interesting, delicious post...yet I sit in front of the keyboard and draw a blank.  Ugh.  So much I want to share, yet...  So, I may let the food do the talking for a few posts not that that's a bad thing.  Does anybody else feel it?  Bueller?  Bueller?  Well, at least feel this pork in your mouth...it's rock 'n roll.

Slow Sweet Heat Roasted Pork Loin 

w/ "Salsa"

from the kitchen of girlichef

~3½ lb. Pork Loin

rub:

1 Tbs. sweet paprika

1 Tbs. dried, minced onion

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano leaf, crushed

1 tsp. fennel seeds, pounded in mortar

1 tsp. garlic salt

½ tsp. ground mace

½ tsp. ground allspice

½ tsp. black peppercorns, pounded in mortar

Habañero Honey

Olive Oil

4-5 smallish tomatillos

2 smallish onions, halved

1 head garlic, halved

2 c. gingerale, divided

If your pork loin has a good layer of fat, score it in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife.  Combine all of the rub ingredients and rub evenly around the pork loin.  Set it on a rack in a roasting pan and let sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475° F during last 15 minutes that the pork sits.  Throw the tomatillos, onion, and garlic in the bottom of the pan.  Drizzle a good amount of habañero honey all over the top of the pork, then drizzle with olive oil.  Pour 1 c. of gingerale in bottom of pan.  Place on middle rack of oven.  Once you've shut the oven door, immediately lower heat to 350° F.  Roast for ~1½ hrs.

Remove roast from oven, drizzle with some more habañero honey and pour last cup of gingerale into pan.  Put back in oven and roast for another 30-45 minutes, or until done to your liking.  Remove from oven and let rest for ~10 minutes.

Remove pork from pan, then pour all of the pan juices and veggies into a blender jar and blend to combine.  This will form the "salsa" for dipping or spreading, which is an fabulous mixture of slightly sweet and low, creeping heat.

The crust on the outside has that same slow creeping heat...so if you peel off a piece from the outside...have a glass of milk ready to wash it down...it can be pretty fiery (depending on how much habañero honey you used).

Our favorite way to eat this was to take some good, crusty buns and spread them with a good layer of the "salsa", then heap on the pork once we sliced it very thinly, and pile on any veggies and cheese we felt like...lettuce, avocado, manchego, and pickled banana peppers was an especially delicious combo!  We also used it in quesedillas.  It is such a great pork for slicing and layering.

*I'm sharing this post with: