Kitchen Conundrum

Chewy Molasses Cookies

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Easy Molasses CookiesChristmas came early for me this year in the form of a brand new range. Yay! Finally! After surviving two years of Thanksgiving dinners saved by the Wolfgang Puck Convection Oven and a series of rather scary explosions every time the oven tried to preheat (the oven door is not supposed to blow open, right?) I finally said “I’m done!” and I went online to seriously research a new oven.

I had dreams of upgrading to a Wolf or a Viking 36″ range with 6 burners and the grill/griddle. (I’d have loved the 48″ range too, but my kitchen is just too small for that.) I had these dreams for a long time. But after talking to several people who have one of those high end ranges, I decided they just didn’t have all the features I wanted and that I could get so much more for half the price. I opted to be practical. After all, two of the three kids are getting braces this year and we have a family trip to Italy planned, not to mention the renovations that I have planned.  So, I read all of the reviews for nearly every stove out there over the course of the holiday weekend and on the Sunday after Black Friday I made my purchase.  It’s a Samsung 30″ slide in range with a convection oven. It has all the bells and whistles, I could honestly jump for joy I am so happy.  

Here it is (a blurry iPhone photo- never mind the ugly floor- it’s going the way of my old range soon too!)

The Stove

It arrived on Saturday and I’ve been baking every day since.

So I thought we’d continue the celebration with a few of my favorite cookie recipes this week that are perfect to keep or to share.

Start the holiday cookie making with these incredibly easy but addicting Chewy Molasses Cookies recipe. Soft and chewy in the middle with a crispy edge, they melt in your mouth!Their cinnamon, clove and ginger goodness will make you feel warm all over! Mix up a double batch because they will go quick.

Chewy Molasses Cookies
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Cookie
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup Butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ½ cup white sugar
Method
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and egg until smooth.
  2. Add the molasses. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and remove the dough from the fridge.
  7. If the dough seems overly sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together and it can form into a ball that holds it's shape.
  8. Place the white sugar in a shallow bowl or on a plate with a rim.
  9. Roll the dough into two inch balls and roll them around in the white sugar to coat.
  10. Place cookies unto an ungreased cookie sheet spaced about 2 inches apart.
  11. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until the tops are just cracked. For an even chewier cookie, bake a little less- maybe 7 minutes.
  12. Cool completely on a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen.

Easy Molasses Cookies-2

 

Feta-filled Zucchini Blossoms – French Fridays with Dorie with a nod to Aglaia Kremezi

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As luck would have it, last week I had a full garden of zucchini blossoms, but this week, I have only zucchini! Not that I am complaining of course! So my plans for making zucchini blossom anything fell apart. This French Fridays with Dorie, which was supposed to be Shrimp filled Zucchini Blossoms, but as I am not actually fond of shrimp, I had planned to make the Feta Filled Zucchini Blossoms that I learned how to make at Kea Artisanal in Greece. But since I was not able to get blossoms in time from the store, we’ll just revisit my time at Kea with Aglaia.

Aglaia Kremezi is a  food writer, journalist, and one of Greece’s foremost cooking authorities and she runs Kea Artisanal with her husband, Costas, on the island in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea.  Kea is just an hour ferry ride from Lavrio, a port south of Athens.  

If you ever want to go on a culinary vacation to one of the most beautiful places on earth, and learn from someone who is truly able to pass along the techniques, history and traditions of Greek cooking, then you should visit Kea Artisanal. Their hospitality and their passion for teaching is exceptional. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. 

It was there that I was introduced to Zucchini Blossoms. I’d never had them before and the way we prepared them was so incredibly easy. Simply done, with a small piece of Feta cheese and a sprig of mint, then covered in a light batter and fried.  On the side, we made a zingy potato-garlic spread, Skordalia to dip them and some other vegetables in to- and it was phenomenal!

You can read the post about my Kea Artisanal trip and blossoms here.  See more photos here.

Here we dried out the centers with paper towels-

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Then we filled each blossom with a small piece of Feta cheese and a sprig of mint, twisting the ends slightly to close the blooms.

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A quick dip in a light batter and into the oil it goes.

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The finished vegetables, with flatbreads and Skordalia…..

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Aglaia

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So while my French Fridays with Dorie this week was not really French, and not really Dorie (although the batter is the same for both recipes!), it was great to relive my time on Kea and rekindle my fond memories of zucchini blossoms and Aglaia.

For details on creating these recipes, check out the FFWD site and see others who are also cooking the book-

You can also buy the book here:

greenspan

frenchfridayswithdorie16

Elotes Mexicanos Recipe – What to Grill This Weekend

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Whatever you are grilling this weekend, add this Elotes Mexicanos recipe. It takes that sweet, summer corn to a whole new level.

I just love corn-it’s my ultimate BBQ food. (Right up there with homemade ice cream!) and I just can’t seem to get enough. Whether it’s just boiled and lathered in butter and salt or grilled, I could eat several ears and call it a meal.

I’ve always loved getting Elotes at street fairs and festivals but now I make it at home and it’s super easy and just as delicious!

It’s up to you if you want to grill the corn in the husks or not, but if you do, be sure to soak them in water before – dry husks can go up in smoke quickly! I usually just go ahead and shuck the corn, and clean it well, getting rid of those little hairs (so the guests don’t have to) and giving the cobs a quick rinse before putting them directly onto to the grill.

The tender, summer corn is loaded with sugars that are going to caramelize on the grill giving your corn an extra sweet flavor. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes over medium-high heat for the corn to be perfectly cooked during which you can whip up this amazingly delicious toppping.

So spice up your weekend BBQ with this tasty recipe for Elotes Mexicanos.

 

Elotes Mexicanos Recipe - What's on the Grill?
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 ears corn
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup Mexican Crema (or sour cream if you can't find Crema)
  • ½ cup Cotija cheese (or Feta cheese), crumbled, plus more for sprinkling over the ears.
  • 1 small bunch of Cilantro, chopped, reserving some to sprinkle on top of the ears
  • 2 cloves of garlic, diced fine
  • 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
  • 4 tbs. butter, divided
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • Salt
Method
  1. Prepare a grill or grill pan with medium high heat. Shuck the corn, cleaning the ears of all the fibers and place directly on grill. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the cobs are starting to become a bit blackened but with the majority of the kernels bright yellow.
  2. While the corn is on the grill, in a medium bowl mix together the mayonnaise, Mexican Crema, Cotija cheese, cilantro, garlic and the ancho chili powder.
  3. Slather each ear of grilled corn with a generous tablespoon of butter and several spoonfuls of the sauce. Drizzle a bit of the lime juice over the ears, followed by a pinch of salt and a healthy sprinkle of cheese and the remaining cilanto.

Kitchen Conundrum-7

Enjoy! Es Delicioso!