Mexican Wedding Cookies

I only really make cookies at one time of year (December), but I am always looking for a new and fun recipe, or a variation on an oldie but goodie.  Last year, we revamped our moms’ thumbprint cookies to a chocolate variety, filled with cherry or orange preserves.  The cherry version was a real hit, but the orange came off a little bitter alongside dark chocolate.  This year, we are making old standbys, for sure, like the Bun’s Mexican Wedding Cookies shown above; he used to make them for his Nana because they were her favorite cookie, so they always have a place in our cookie tin.  However, we are brainstorming some future favorites, too, and in some unexpected ways.

For the most part, I gravitate toward either spicy or chocolate-y cookies, so I think it may be fun to combine these flavors in a chocolate-ginger cookie, or one with a lot of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Another idea I have is to make a gingerbread dough without the heavy molasses, making a lighter colored, but spicy cookie.  However, I fear that the texture might suffer, since I think that the molasses is what gives the cookie that signature chewy texture.  The goal on that one is to let the spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, clove) take the lead on flavor.

Pushing the envelope a bit, I suggested to the Bun that we revamp what people in Chicago (and my hometown in Pennsylvania) call “Kolache,” which are these little cookies that are a square of dough with two corners folded together over a jam or sweetened-cheese filling.  My idea is to make a cardamom-flavored dough and fill the cookies with an orange-flavored cream cheese.

The test cookie turned out pretty well, but the dough really does need to be chilled overnight before you try to roll it out and bake it.  I decided to fill them with mascarpone cheese that I sweetened with sugar (to taste) and flavored with both grated orange zest and a little orange flower water.*  They make for a little more exotic version of a traditional cookie, so please give it a go, if you feel adventurous!  I should have a cookie update later today or over the weekend.

Anyway, I am sorry for the many delays in posting.  I can’t make any promises, but my hope is to really ramp up in the new year with posts throughout the really wintry months in Chicago.  Until then, I’ll keep posting when I can, even if I am just getting a few pictures and writing a few lines of text.  I hope to keep you entertained!

*Available in Indian food stores and online at our local (excellent) spice merchant, the Spice House (www.thespicehouse.com); be sparing with this ingredient, as it tends to make food taste perfume-y, if you use too much.

This past weekend was a good long string of “food events,” which coincided with (and was inspired in part by) a visit from Christine and Charles, who are dear, dear friends.  As they were driving from Pittsburgh, I made sure to have food on hand for them when they arrived.  I always appreciate having a good meal after a long road trip, so I try to extend the courtesy to my loved ones.  As the winter is still very much here in Chicago, I decided to make something on the heartier side.  I also wanted to make something familiar to me so that I would not run the risk of a bad meal.  I decided on Braised Lamb Shanks with Pappardelle Pasta, which is something that I usually only make for company.  Aaron and I normally don’t eat pasta, so it is always a treat to have an excuse to whip up a big bowl of it.  Christine and Chuck both seemed pleased.  Paired with a small green salad dressed with lemon and olive oil, you have a really satisfying meal.

Friday

Though not a single one of us is Jewish, I decided that we needed to hold a seder in the Taupe Tower (our affectionate name for the building in which we live) for Passover this year.  You see, we and many others have been blessed in having our friend Trina host a seder in her home for several years; each celebration was one that made the entire party feel welcome, loved, and most importantly, well-fed.  I could not resist keeping the tradition alive in Chicago.  Though we miss Trina greatly since we moved from Jamaica Plain, we were happy to feel that Illinois and Massachusetts were not so far away from one another, at least for an evening.

The foods we enjoyed that evening were mostly traditional, with a few exceptions.  We featured Matzo(h) Ball Soup, Beef Brisket with Garlic and Thyme, Meggie’s Sweet Noodle Kugel, Ruby Port Fruit Compote, simple steamed asparagus, and the non-dairy Orange Flan that is featured in the Passover menu in Gourmet this year.  Christine also insisted that we have store-bought Gefilte Fish, which was quite delightful, in spite of appearances and general disdain from Charles and Aaron.

Of course, a seder is a meal riddled with symbols and traditions, which seem to vary from home to home.  For me, this is a meal that enters the calendar of celebrations because it is built around a table, a story, and a family.  My family rarely sat at the dinner table for a full meal on regular days, but holidays were different.  No matter what, we managed to sit down and eat together for big occasions, which is something that I want to keep alive.  If I have to appropriate a culture in order to add another reason to have a big, comforting meal with my family (and not my just my FOO*), then so be it.  It just so happens that I very much enjoy everything that goes with it – singing, symbolism, wine – and I have had such a good coach in hosting that I can’t help but want to make her proud.  Thank you again, HRH.  =)

*FOO is a term I steal from Meggie, my “family of origin.”I love my parents, but my family extends beyond them; always has.

Easter Sunday

With the hubbub of preparing for our seder, we kind of forgot that Easter fell on the following Sunday.  Because Christine and Charles were heading off to a romantic hotel to spend their last evening in Chicago, we decided that a brunch would be in order.  We ran our thoughts by one another and decided that we must have the traditional ham, but thereafter, we were a bit stuck for ideas.  A strata is always my go-to big item for breakfast or brunch, since it can (and should) be made the night before.  However, we decided against any cooking/prep work on Saturday so that we could take advantage of the sun and the Chicago sights; it was a delightful decision and a glorious day!  Sunday brunch was to be on the fly, then.  We had lots of leftover matzo, a good number of eggs, and two substantial leftover steaks that we took home from dinner on Saturday.  I decided to get a little creative and make a twisted version of Matzo Brei, which is one of my favorite uses for leftover matzo.  The recipe I have used in the past calls for red peppers and onions, so I thought I should take it a little further and make Pepper Steak Matzoh Brei, which turned out pretty well.  In addition to these items, Aaron made Martha’s Pecan-Apricot Torte (from the Baking Handbook), and I made some Black Pepper Roast Potatoes.  There was also a good half of Meggie’s enormous pan of kugel left, so we offered that, as well.  Smack down some good hot coffee, Bloody Marys, and Mimosas, and we were in business.  I don’t think anyone left hungry.