Spritz with browned butter frosting

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine and mix well:

1-1/2 C. (3 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3-1/2 cups flour

When thoroughly mixed, put dough in a cookie press (I use a Pampered Chef 'gun') & squeeze onto cookie sheets, leaving a little space between each one. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden.

Remove from oven and cool before frosting.

Browned butter icing:

In a medium saucepan, on med-low heat, melt 6 Tblsp. Kick the heat up to medium, stir the butter as it's heating up, watching it CLOSELY. After a few minutes, it will begin to foam. Stir and continue to watch VERY closely (the butter goes from golden brown to BURNED in no time!!) and the second the butter gets golden brown (little speckles will form on the bottom of pan) remove from heat and stir - it will continue cooking. Don't wait for butter to cool; add 3 cups powdered sugar and stir ... add a teasp. of vanilla extract. Add milk SLOWLY, a Tblsp. at a time, mixing well, until a spreading consistency is reached. You might need to add a bit more powdered sugar or a bit more milk, depending on how thick you'd like the icing. It will harden rather quickly, so shake sprinkles on the cookies immediately after frosting each, unless you want to keep them plain.

Italian Sesame Seed Cookies

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well"

4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

3-1/2 tsp. baking powder

Cut into mixture:

1/2 lb. softened butter

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

(Have a small bowl of milk - approx. one cup - on the counter for dipping. Also, have another bowl filled with sesame seeds - approx. 1-1/2 cups, more or less, depending on how loaded with sesame seeds you want these cookies.)

Pinch off scant Tblsp. of dough and shape into small 1-1/2" logs or 1" rounds. Dip quickly into milk and then dip into the sesame seeds, covering the entire cookie. Repeat until all dough is rolled out. Place cookies on parchment lined baking pans and bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on how dark you like them) until golden.

Pinch off scant Tblsp. of dough, form into small logs or rounds.

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, cream together:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

Blend together dry ingredients and then mix into the creamed mixture:

1-1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2/4 tsp. baking soda

Drop by rounded tsps. onto baking sheets, leaving at least an inch between each cookie. Using a fork, dip the tines into a small bowl of sugar, making a criss-cross pattern on each cookie. Dip into sugar for each cookie. When finished, bake in a 350 degrees oven for 10-12 minutes.

Almond Crescents

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2 sticks unsalted butter

2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2-1/2 cups flour

1 cup coarsely ground almonds (that have been baked for 8 minutes @350 degr. & cooled completely)

Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheets with parchment paper or use a plain aluminum ungreased baking sheet.

Cream together butter and 2/3 cup of sugar until fluffy. Beat in extracts. Stir in flour and beat til well mixed. Finally, add almonds.

Pinch off tsps. of dough and roll each piece into cylinder 1-1/2 to 2 in. long, form into a crescent shape. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheets.

Bake 15-18 minutes or til lightly browned. Let cool, then roll in sifted powdered sugar.

Red Velvet cake

BEFORE BAKING:

Start making the frosting. In a saucepan, mix 1/3 cup flour with 2 cups milk. Heat, stirring frequently with a whisk, until the mixture begins to come to a light boil and becomes thickened. Cook a few minutes longer until quite thick. Remove from heat - put a sheet of waxed paper directly on top of the mixture to prevent a crust from forming. Cool completely, at least an hour. Set aside.

For the cake:

Grease & flour 2- 9" cake pans. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together with a mixer:

1/2 cup (one stick - NOT tub soft spread!) margarine

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix on medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl often.

Make a paste with 2 heaping Tblsp. of Cocoa powder and an entire 1 oz. bottle of red food coloring. Add to the batter.

Alternately add (on a low mixer speed):

2-1/4 cups of CAKE flour

and

1 cup buttermilk

Mix slowly, scraping sides of bowl regularly.

Mix together 1 tsp. of baking soda with 1 tsp. white vinegar (it will fizz) and then slowly stream it into the cake batter, mixing thoroughly.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pans equally - put in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until done - test center with toothpick.

Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pans. Cool COMPLETELY. When the cake's completely cool, carefully split each layer in half, making 4 layers.

To make the frosting:

Cream together (with mixer) on a medium speed:

1-2/3 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups softened butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Raise the speed of the mixer to medium high and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the cooked/cooled milk-flour mixture to the butter-sugar-vanilla and beat on a higher speed (scraping down the sides of the bowl often) for 4-6 minutes, or until it's the consistency of whipped cream.

Assemble the cake by spooning frosting between each of the 3 layers - (make sure you leave a larger amount for the finish, for frosting the top and sides) --- then put the last (top) layer on the cake and frost the top and sides of cake. Chill for a couple hours before cutting.

Cinnamon swirl pound cake

Follow the recipe for Marbled Pound cake (a few posts down) for this cake. Instead of reserving batter to mix with chocolate, omit that step.

When the oven is hot, spoon half the batter in a pan - sprinkle LIBERALLY with cinnamon sugar (I probably used a good half cup of sugar mixed with a couple tsps. of cinnamon) evenly over the batter. Carefully spoon the remaining half of the batter on top of the cinnamon sugar and smooth the top of the batter before putting in the oven.

If you don't want to use a tube pan, use loaf pans as I did this time; I made one with cinnamon sugar and the other marbled... just cut down on the cooking time to approx. 50-60 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

This will make one very large pie (or 2 small ones).
Have ready:
pie crust (for a single crust pie)
2 cups of cooked, diced potatoes
1 cup cooked, diced carrots
1/2 cup cooked corn
1/2 cup cooked peas
(you could also have cooked, chopped green beans or any other vegetables you enjoy ready to add)

1 roasted chicken- season it up well, roast it, then take the skin/bones off & chop/shred the meat

For the sauce, in a 2 qt saucepan, melt 6 Tblsp. butter and saute a medium chopped onion & 1 cup of diced celery over low heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until wilted & soft. Add 2 heaping Tblsp. flour, mix and continue cooking for a few minutes. Slowly pour in 3 cups milk, whisk to incorporate everything and raise the heat to medium. (Add a splash of Sherry if you like that flavor.) Add a Tblsp. of chicken 'base', a half teasp. ground pepper, a good pinch of salt, half tsp. thyme, dash of cayenne, Tblsp. chopped parsley (add any other seasonings that you like) - whisk everything together and continue to whisk as the milk heats and thickens. When it begins to simmer (being careful not to let the heat get TOO hot or it'll scorch), continue to stir and slowly stream in a cup of heavy (whipping) cream. Taste - test for seasoning and add anything 'missing'.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken and all the vegetables. Slowly spoon in MOST of the sauce & then carefully mix it together, making sure you don't mash up the vegetables. If the sauce seems too thick, add a bit more heavy cream and stir. Use all the sauce, if needed.

Spoon the mixture into greased pie pan or baking dish. Roll and cut the crust to fit the top & crimp the edges. Make a few slits on the top to allow steam to escape.

Beat an egg with a Tblsp. of water. Lightly brush a bit over the crust before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 40-50 minutes. Cookl at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

Prep bowls

"Pinch Bowl" - A pinch bowl is a very small bowl which is designed to hold a limited amount of ingredients. There are a number of uses for pinch bowls, and many chefs and cooks like to keep a set around, often in a handy location so that they are easy to access in a hurry. Most kitchen supply stores sell pinch bowls made from a variety of materials and in an assortment of shapes and sizes.

"Mise en place bowls" - Mise en place is a French culinary phrase that means “setting in place.” It refers to the set-up of precisely measured ingredients and necessary utensils at a cooking station in advance of food preparation. Mise en place may also include condiments, garnishes and serving dishes.

Pronounced “meez ahn plahs,” and sometimes spelled “mis en place,” this technique facilitates the smooth, successful preparation of foods. It is especially helpful for preparing dishes made from complex recipes. Mise en place is most commonly used in professional kitchens where many dishes are prepared throughout the course of a work shift. Most restaurants spend the first few hours of each shift completing mise en place before the dining room opens.

Sugar Cookies

Heat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, cream together:

1 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Stir in:

2 C. plus 2 T. flour mixed with 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Place rounded heaping tsps. onto parchment lined baking sheets, leaving room between them (they spread out). With the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, quickly press down onto each cookie.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until they begin to turn golden. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Scottish Oakcakes

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine and mix together:

1-1/3 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 cups EXTRA FINE 'pin head' oats (steel cut oats that are ground to a flaky consistency... not always easy to find, but local grocers carry "Bob's Red Mill" brand in 20 oz. bags)

Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/2 cup vegetable shortening until evenly incorporated & crumbly.

Slowly & sparingly, add water, mixing continually, until the dough comes together, making a stiff, yet workable dough.

On a floured board, roll the dough thinly (1/8") into a large rectangle. Cut into 2" squares. You could cut into different shapes, but the more you re-roll & handle the dough, the tougher it gets.

Place onto ungreased sheets and bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden colored. These are traditionally eaten with butter & sharp cheddar or other cheeses.