Couch Time

B and I haven't really left the couch at all in the last day. B is sick with some form of cold/flu and I'm helping him recover by not moving much either. I figure, why taunt someone who can't move... that's just cruel. He's not the only one - I feel like everyone I know is sick right now. Must be all of the holiday recovery. Thankfully water, vitamins, and a generally healthy attitude have given me a pretty good immune system in the last few years, so I'm crossing my fingers that it holds out.

About all we've accomplished today is making the coffee and redoing the header to the blog. But since we don't have Adobe, we were working in Microsoft Paint and I'm pretty sure it took about 2 1/2 hours. Too bad I don't have the computer programs and talent of my future sister-in-law.

Our other bit of couch time, which I can barely speak about because it's just so upsetting, is the so close loss of the Giants to the undefeated Patriots last night. Before last night's game, the Patriots were 15-0, and if they won this game they would break the previous record held by the Dolphins from back in 1972. Because it was such a big game, it was broadcast on 3 different stations, and the tickets were going for as high as $1600.

Since the Giants haven't exactly been great this year and our beloved Eli has yet to show the talent of his older brother, no one had any expectations for the game, but boy we're we wrong!! Eli somehow cosmically channeled the talent of Peyton and kicked some serious a$$ last night, it was beautiful! But unfortunately it wasn't quite enough and we lost by three. So devastating, but I'm glad to know the talent is hiding in there somewhere.

Have a good week... drink lots of water and take lots of vitamins. If you're sick it'll cure you faster and if you're not, it might prevent it.

Easing Back In

I'm very slowly easing back in to normal life after a whirlwind of Christmas activity. B and I decided to stay at home this Christmas in an effort to make our holiday far less chaotic than last year, and I'm sorry to say that our efforts didn't quite pan out. What is that they say about the best laid plans? Our "at home" time got cut short when the storm forced us to stay the night in Buffalo after the game, then I once again underestimated how long it takes to cook things, and then it was off to Albany to see B's family. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing everyone, but it's just too much to try to fit all of your visiting in for both sides of your family in the span of 4 days. I'd much rather take more time in a month other than December and actually be able to enjoy the visit. I'm very grateful that today is Friday and that there is only one day of work before the weekend.

Yesterday was my last private pilates session and she definitely gave me my money's worth - I'm already having trouble moving today. I learned that I push my shoulders down too much and therefore have weak rhomboids. I barely even know what my rhomboids are, but apparently they're very weak. I have to practice bringing my shoulders up a little. which looks normal if you see it, but it feels completely unnatural and like I'm permanently shrugging my shoulders.

On a happy ending note, B finished the huge 3 month deadline last night, so there should be no more working until 10pm and no more working every Saturday. Wedding planning, here he comes!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!! I hope you all have a lovely holiday celebration with your family, friends, and loved ones. We’re enjoying the day here at home with my mom and brother, and then it’s off to Albany to celebrate with B’s family.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with pictures from our Christmas Eve dinner – our first ever holiday dinner. As always, I underestimated how long it would take to prepare and cook everything, so I felt exhausted by the end (just as my future mother-in-law predicted) despite the fact that everyone was helping. We were making some other food for the week though, plus everything was from scratch, so that added to the time. It was very yummy though!

Shrimp cocktail with homemade sauce (from homemade ketchup!)

Baked Brie with toasted pita points and a very yummy spread of toasted pecans, pears, and Moroccan spices.

Salad with a topping of roasted mushrooms, roasted pecans, feta, and onions. Wow!!

Baked Ham - first one ever!

Giants Game

SO very, very tired from all of the holiday sports, travel, and cooking, but here are some quick shots of the football game. We had unbelievable seats - seats so good they make you forget you're at anything more than a large high school football game. Just me, the family, and Eli - hangin' out for the day.

The only slight problem... did you SEE the weather?? If you didn't, just imagine taking a shower and then walking directly outside into Buffalo weather for three hours. And throw in 30 mph winds while you're at it. Now you'd be close. Truly, it was the wettest I have ever been. Ever. And there is no exaggeration on the wind, that's really what it was. Thank god for snow pants and Sweet Nothings rain boots! I barely even remember the last quarter due to the general delirium that set in from the cold and rain. But we did get some great pictures, here are a few...

Look how close we were!!!

The wettest we've ever been... but still very excited.

On the very slow drive home the next morning.

Happy 30th!!

My sweet B is 30 today!! Unfortunately he's working late, but we'll celebrate over some expensive cow tomorrow night at his favorite restaurant, and then again after Christmas when we're with his family. In honor of my favorite guy, here are some random tidbits for you:

• He's extremely talented at doing funny dances in the living room
• He's so protective of me that I can't even look at a street without him grabbing my hand
• He will viciously defend the Lafayette version of beer pong as a sport
• At any given moment, he always has at least one person mad at him for not calling them back
• He's incredibly skilled and creative in the kitchen and cooks for us almost every night
• He's annoyingly talented at every little thing he tries to do
• He is, of course, the very best fiancee a gal could ever ever dream about.

Happy 30th Bear!!!

Sticker Shock

So, do you remember the first time you went to cook a baked potato and had no idea that they took an hour and a half to cook in the oven? Then you freaked out and called your mom or your roommates to see if they had any idea about this cooking craziness? Then you sat bewildered and began telling everyone you know... "Do you know how long it takes to cook a baked potato?!!?" That's sort of how I felt last night at Wegmans.

As I mentioned before, this is our first holiday celebration that we're hosting at our house. B refuses to eat anything other than ham at Christmas, so that quickly became the plan. Then we were lucky enough to catch "Good Eats: Ham" on the Food Network. (In case you're not familiar with the show, it's more than a cooking show... more like cooking science, cooking education, and the dos and don'ts of cooking surrounding a particular food). Anyway, Alton Brown showed us that the little oval hams you're used to seeing at the table are little more than processed "ham food" and have very little real ham and quite a bit of "other stuff." What you're supposed to get is the real ham, with the bone in, in a shape that doesn't resemble a meat processor. See picture.

Fast forward to last night at Wegmans. I'm at the seafood counter buying salmon for Wednesday night's dinner and I turn around... hams as far as the eye can see! I see the little "ham food" kind and then at the end I see the bigger, bone-in, gold foil wrapped ham. Perfect... this looks good... whoa.... what?!!!? That has to be a misprint!!! FIFTY DOLLARS!!! The hams are FIFTY DOLLARS??!!?? Well, I think to myself, clearly I must be stronger than I think, and clearly this must be a forty pound ham, right? No. Eight pounds. It was an eight pound ham.... for fifty dollars. Welcome to the grown-up world of holiday entertaining.

Photo Catch-Up

The snow storm hit, but not with nearly enough ferocity to keep me out of work. Such a shame too, because I really could have used an extra day to prepare for my family’s arrival on Saturday. B and I spent yesterday alternating between cooking and cleaning. And since I can’t go without blog photos for 3 weeks until I get the camera back, I’ve resorted to low res cell phone pictures. The first is of the Gingerbread House (note the marshmallow smoke!).

This is one of the several little banana bread loafs (with mini chocolate chips, of course) I made for my co-workers. The cute little ceramic pans were $1 at AC Moore. Thanks to my mom for such a great idea.

And these are the Lusikkaleivat cookies from Day 10 of the 12 Days of Cookies. They make a lot since they are only as big as a tiny teaspoon. Also, they’re fairly labor intensive, even though all of the steps are easy – again, probably just because all of the steps have to be repeated so many times! Since they only last a few days due to the fresh jam, I’m going to take their suggestion and freeze the cookies for a week and then defrost and assemble in time for our visit to Sweet Nothings (we’re staying at her house, 10 minutes from the football stadium, the night before the game) and for the family. Let me know if anyone makes one of the other cookies from the 12 Days of Cookies!

Florists, Bakers, and Storms - Oh My!

Ah! I have so many fun pictures I want to post and we don't have our camera! The lens didn't totally survive last weekend's Beer Pong Tournament, so it's at the Cannon factory being repaired as we speak.

Our very first Gingerbread House that we made at Dino Girl's house is SOO cute!! Seriously, the cutest little Gingerbread House ever. A roof of Smarties, a walkway of Good & Plenty, and even a chimney with smoke. I am now a Gingerbread convert and I hope we have a new Christmas tradition.

Today is the big Nor'easter that's supposed to hit, so we'll be inside all day cleaning and baking and doing wedding tasks. And speaking of wedding tasks, we went to Canandaigua yesterday to do wedding stuff. Here's the rundown:

• Florist - Since Ouiser is doing all of the other wedding flowers, all I needed was my bouquet. We met with a florist and liked what they put together so we went with them. We were both pleasantly surprised at how nice of a bouquet you could get for our small budget, so that was nice.
  

• Resort - Since we were in town we decided to stop by the lodge to have lunch and take another look around and I'm so glad we did. It was good to see the layout again and to look at their pictures from this summer's weddings. A little disheartening to see how many more things I needed to decorate/spend money on, but I won't get into all that now. We also got to see a room and WOW!! If you're staying in the lodge itself you will squeal with delight when you see these rooms! All wood, gas fireplace, a huge shared porch with everyone else on your floor to make visiting very easy and relaxing, Adirondack chairs to enjoy the view... I just can't say enough good things.

• Cake - We didn't know we needed an appt., so we just poked around the bakery and looked at their pictures. And sampled the goods of course! So we'll meet with them officially in January we we go back to meet with the wedding coordinator.
  

Also, we came home to find that we had received our engagement photos! They are even more beautiful than they were online, and I'm dying to get to the store to buy some frames. Hope you all survive the storm! I'll let you know how it goes.

Snowflakes & Politics

Headed out to a Gingerbread House party at Dino Girl's house, but first I wanted to leave you with two unrelated, but cool, things. First is a link to make this very fun 3-D snowflake. Click here.

And the next is a video of Pink singing Dear Mr. President live at Wembley Stadium. B and I caught the video on TV the other day and it's so unbelievable. Absolutely haunting. Her voice, the lyrics, the images, etc. "A good old fashioned political protest" song, as B said.

Lazy Snow Day

Although you can't really tell from the picture, we got a healthy snow storm today. We're still getting it. We were sent home from work at noon and I took that picture with my cell phone as my friend drove me home. I had some vaguely productive plans in my head for our bonus day off, but I'm sorry to tell you that all I did was catch up on my sleep. I'm going to try to redeem myself by doing a load of laundry and work on wedding stuff. We're headed to the resort area this Saturday to do baker, florist, spa, and tuxedos. Long day, but it'll feel good to make some tangible progress.

Then Sunday (when we're supposed to get another terrible storm) it's baking for my co-workers and menu planning for the holidays. Not only did we get our first tree this year, we're hosting our very first holiday dinner and our first Christmas as home!!! My brother flies in Saturday the 22nd, we grab him and my mom and all go to the Giants v. Bills football game the next day (with ridiculous seats!), and then it's Christmas Eve together at the house and then Christmas morning under the tree! So, so wonderful.

Tofu Success!

B and I made Tofu Stir fry last night and it was really great! We've been wanting to incorporate a little more tofu into the rotation but really don't know how to cook with it. We tried grilled tofu last summer and that was no good at all. But my ex-roommate gave us some of her tofu stir fry a year and a half ago and it was awesome. So we tried it last night but it was a total shot in the dark because we had no recipe, never made stir fry before, hadn't just watched a Food Network show about it for inspiration, etc. We literally just hunted through cabinets and grabbed things that looked like they could be in the dish... at one point I looked at B laughing and said "I couldn't have any less of an idea what I'm doing!"

We made it in two parts - stir fry and sauce. Into the hot pan with olive oil went broccoli, onions, green onions, about 9 water chestnuts that we had in the freezer, the marinated tofu, crushed up cashews, and some pineapple. The sauce was coconut milk, natural peanut butter, yellow curry powder, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, and the pineapple juice from the pineapple can. Stir-stir-stir...combine...done! I seriously can't believe it tasted so good, it's officially in the food rotation now. At least we have one tofu dish we like!

Also yesterday was another private pilates session. And it occurred to me in the middle of it how mental of a workout it is. Just about every exercise they have you do can be accomplished easily if you're using the wrong muscles (using your hamstrings to lift your legs instead of your obliques, etc), but the whole point is to do your movements with your proper muscles. It's also interesting for my hypermobility problem. Because of my increased flexibility, there are a lot of movements I can do by relying on the flexibility of my spine, but the whole point is to find the tiny spinal muscles deep under your abdominals and use those. All very interesting... They say that "you'll feel different after 10 sessions and you'll look different after 30" so I still have a ways to go (I'm at 4!).

I'll leave you with the "Bonus Cookie" from the 12 Days of Cookies...

Coconut Peanut Marias

Versions of these cookies — named for a Grand Duchess of Russia after her wedding — are popular all over the world, but especially so throughout Spain as well as South and Central America. Packaged versions tend to be more biscuit-like; ours is nutty and textured: easy, kid-friendly, delicious and perfect for the holidays or any other time.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup flaked or shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup chopped unsalted roasted, skinless peanuts

Position 2 racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.) Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
Melt the butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the brown sugar with a wooden spoon. (The sugar will get soft and saucy, but there may still be a layer of butter on top; don't worry, the mixture comes together as you add the rest of the ingredients.) Stir in the egg, then the flour mixture, taking care not to overmix. Stir in the coconut, oats and nuts to make a textured cookie dough. Set aside until it gets to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Using a tablespoon-sized ice cream scoop (#60), scoop balls of the dough onto the prepared pans, arranging them about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are golden brown with toasted edges, about 12 minutes.
Cool cookies in the pans for a couple minutes. Then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool. Serve.
Busy baker's tips: You can store unshaped dough for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Store the cookies in airtight containers for up to a week. Freeze for 1 month for longer storage.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 12

Pistachio Melbas

This biscotti-like cookie is derived from the Eastern European/Jewish cookie Mandelbrot. Australians adopted it, and renamed it Mandel-Melba, due to its textural similarity with the Australian favorite Melba toast (named, of course, for the opera singer Dame Melba). We've used pistachios here, with lemon and orange zests to brighten the flavor. They're not super-sweet; they're more of a cookie to have with your tea or coffee. The key to this is to slice it super-thin so it crumbles in the mouth.

• Unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup sugar
• Finely grated zest of 2 lemons (about 1 tablespoon, packed)
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange (about 2 teaspoons, packed)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole raw peeled pistachios

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with butter and dust it with flour.

Whisk the flour and salt together in a bowl.

In another medium bowl, rub the citrus zests into the sugar with your fingers until the sugar is fragrant and takes on a bit of the fruit color. Beat the eggs into the sugar with a wooden spoon until blended. Stir in the flour mixture to make a smooth, sticky but pourable batter. Stir in the pistachios. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the surface lightly with a spatula.

Bake until the loaf is lightly browned and pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 40 to 45 minutes. A skewer inserted into the center should come out clean, and the loaf will look like a not so great pound cake. Let stand for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack for 1 hour.

Wrap the loaf in plastic and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Slice the chilled loaf as thin as you can — 6 to 8 slices to the inch. (It helps to mark the loaf lightly with a serrated knife every half-inch and use that as a guide.) Lay the slices flat on 2 baking sheets and bake until brown, 10 to 15 minutes. (Take care — the cookies can go from pale to dark brown quickly.)

Let stand overnight or for at least 12 hours on a rack to cool and crisp up. Serve. Store in a well-sealed jar or other container.

Busy baker's tips: The loaf can be stored well-wrapped at room temperature for a week, or frozen for a month. The melbas are best stored in an airtight container, away from moist cookies and cakes. Freeze slices double-wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 1 month. Defrost in their wrappers.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 11

Mazurkas

We tasted cookies from all over Eastern Europe, and these bars really stood out — they were beautiful, satisfying, sweet and colorful, and the dried fruit really sings Christmas. They're usually made on Christmas Eve, but their portability would make them great for bake sales or cookie swaps.
Cookie:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, soft, but still cool
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Fruit:

• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered
• 1/2 cup dried dates, quartered
• 1/4 cup dried cherries, each halved
• 1/4 cup dark or golden raisins
• 3 tablespoons candied orange peel, diced
• 1/2 cup raw peeled pistachios
• Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

For the cookie: Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, at medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat well, and then scrape down the sides.

While mixing on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 batches. Scrape down the bowl between each addition, and mix until just blended.

Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake until light golden brown with spots of darker golden brown and darker edges, about 30 minutes. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the fruit: Whisk the cornstarch and sugar together in a small saucepan. Whisk in orange juice until mixture dissolves. Stir in the fruits and candied orange peel. Bring to a simmer over medium, stirring often; continue to cook, stirring until thickened into a compote, about 3 minutes more. You should be able to draw the spoon along the bottom of pan and see the pan with no liquid seeping back. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the nuts and lemon zest.

Spread fruit evenly over the top of the cooled crust.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake mazurkas until golden brown around edges and fruit sets but is still slightly glossy and jewel-like, about 10 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.

Cut, using an oiled knife, into 24 bars. Serve.

Busy baker's tips: When double-wrapped, the cookie base keeps at room temperature for 3 days or frozen for 1 month. The fruit compote can be made up to 1 week ahead and refrigerated. Store completed cookies in an airtight container, layers separated with parchment paper, for up to 5 days.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 10

Spoon Cookies: Lusikkaleivat

Scandinavia is known for all kinds of cookies, mostly flavored with anise or lemon. The flavor we found most compelling in cookies from all over Scandinavia, however, was brown butter — it's nutty, rich and delicious, and pairs perfectly with a tart fruit jam. These cookies get their elegant shape from the teaspoons used to form them.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup jam, such as a berry, plum or cloudberry
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Melt the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter browns lightly and smells slightly nutty, about 15 minutes. Transfer the butter to a medium bowl -- be sure to get all the tasty brown bits -- and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in another medium bowl.

Whisk the egg yolk, sugar and vanilla into the cooled browned butter.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture to make a uniform but crumbly dough that looks like wet sand.

Scoop out dough with a small teaspoon (the kind you set the table with, not the ones you measure with). Rock spoon gently back and forth against the side of the bowl, packing the dough into the spoon, then scrape/slide the spoon against the inside of the bowl to make spoon-shaped cookies. Trim excess dough with your fingers and slide out onto the prepared pans, preserving their shape. (Try to make sure you form an even number of cookies, since these sandwich together.)

Bake cookies until just browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool almost completely on the baking sheets, and then transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

When cool, spread 1/2 teaspoon jam on the flat side of a cookie, and then sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat until all cookies have met their match. Lightly dust the cookies with the confectioners' sugar. Serve.

Busy baker's tips: The dough can be prepared several hours ahead and stored at room temperature. Freeze baked cookie halves wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil for up to 2 weeks. When ready to serve, defrost at room temperature and assemble as desired. Store sandwiches in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not store with crisp cookies, as moisture from the jam will soften the texture of other crisp cookies.

Saturday Alone... And 12 Days of Cookies - Day 9

B has taken off to Philadelphia for a beer pong tournament - yes, you read that right - so it's just me and the kitties this weekend. B's friends from college have lots of time and money on their hands and therefore do things in very grand style. Visit ponggods.com if you'd like to entertain yourself with the crazy details of this little tournament. There was a block of hotel rooms, a shuttle, ranked seatings, brackets of play, very specific rules, a registration fee, etc. They're ridiculous. Oh, and if you're dying to know what "uniform" (AKA: matching t-shirts) B and his best friend S will be wearing, feast your eyes on this:

Handsome, huh? It's a wonder my eye doesn't wander more.

I haven't received the latest cookie email, but if I do, I'll post it. Otherwise I'll just be here working on wedding stuff.

Movie Trivia - I'm sitting here watching What About Bob and realized that the daughter is Kathryn Erbe of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Oh my gosh!!! Did you all know that?? I know there are some movie buffs who read this, so I was just wondering.

Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bar

There are a number of stories as to where this cookie came from. It's thought to be native to Nanaimo, British Columbia (hence the name), and it gained widespread popularity in the 1950s. Whatever its origins, we loved it. We added the twist of peanut butter to make a simple, delicious, no-bake bar cookie that's super kid-friendly and freezes well.

Cookie:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup finely chopped blanched almonds

Peanut Butter Filling:

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Chocolate Glaze:

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan or casserole with aluminum foil, with long flaps hanging over each edge.

For the cookie: Put the butter in a heatproof medium bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer over medium-low heat. Set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Once the butter is melted, add the sugar and cocoa, and stir to combine. Add the egg and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until warm to the touch and slightly thickened (it should be about the consistency of hot fudge), about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in graham crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press the dough firmly into the prepared pan. (Save the pan of water for melting the chocolate.)

For the filling: Beat the butter, peanut butter and confectioners' sugar together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light. Spread over the cookie and freeze while you prepare the chocolate glaze.

For the glaze: Put the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl, and set over the barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. (Alternatively, put the chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, about 1 minute more.). When cool but still runny, pour the chocolate layer over the chilled peanut butter layer and carefully smooth out with an offset spatula. Freeze 30 minutes.

To serve, remove from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Pull out of the pan using the foil flaps and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Busy baker's tips: Finished bars can be wrapped in the pan in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 8

Had another pilates session today. It's interesting to see how the sessions progress - today's movements (all done on the Reformer machine) seemed very close to ballet and dance moves. I don't feel any soreness now, but we'll see how I feel tomorrow. And now for Day 8!

Chocolate Oat Cakes

These are our take on the classic British digestive biscuit. We added chocolate to highlight the richness of the oats, and hazelnuts for texture and crunch. We love that they aren't too sweet, making them the perfect match for afternoon tea. Baking them in muffin tins gives them a gorgeous tea-cake shape, but they're also delicious as drop cookies.

• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup rolled old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 mini muffin tins with mini muffin liners, or set out 20 mini muffin liners on a baking sheet. Lightly spray liners with nonstick spray and sprinkle the hazelnuts into the bottom of each muffin liner. Whisk the flour, cocoa, wheat germ, oats, spices and salt together in a medium bowl.
With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar in another bowl until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and beat together. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Scoop a tablespoon of dough (about 3/4 ounce) into the mini muffin tins or liners, on top of the nuts. (Alternatively, drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and top with chopped nuts.) Bake until the cookies are cooked through and nuts are toasty, about 15 minutes (drop cookies will bake slightly faster). Transfer cookies to a rack to cool. Serve.
Busy baker's tips: Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Freeze formed dough in cups for up to 1 week. Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 weeks.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 7

I'm very sleepy, so this will be quick. I was up until midnight (midnight!!!) with my good friend D. from high school. He brought the movie he made one summer in college that he finally finished editing. A good part of the movie was filmed at my house, but that was the summer that Feather Nester and I lived in Virginia so we weren't around for any of it except a brief cameo at the end. I have to say, the movie was very good! Funny, well shot, well edited, etc. His DVD burner broke or else I would have received a copy.

It was also really nice to just sit around with some wine and catch up. I don't talk to too many people from high school and it was really nice to chat with someone from the past who you have nice memories of.

Other than that I had my first "real" private pilates session yesterday - the first one was spent mostly on postural analysis. Again, I have to say "wow!" It's so interesting how specific the movements are and how much the proper technique can make all the difference. With one small adjustment an exercise would go from simple to challenging. Another interesting thing is that it didn't really feel like I was working out and yet I'm so sore today! Tomorrow is another session. Here are your cookies, though they don't seem very cookie-like to me.

Sesame Rings

These Sephardic Jewish cookies are usually served at Shabbat (Sabbath) dinners and on holidays. We loved the savory sesame flavor so much that we added tahini to the dough to help showcase it. They store well, so they're excellent cookies to keep around in case of unexpected guests.

• 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 large whole eggs, at room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Sesame Glaze:

• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 cup hulled raw sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment, or coat them with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
Beat the eggs and yolks with the sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the tahini, oil and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until combined to make a soft dough. Cover the dough and set aside for 5 minutes before forming into rings.
Pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough and roll it into a rope that is about 5 inches long and 3/8-inch thick. (Dust your hands and the parchment lightly with flour if the dough is sticky.) Pinch the ends of the rope together to form a ring. Repeat until all the dough has been formed into rings.
To glaze the cookies: Put the sesame seeds on a small plate. Whisk the egg white and honey together, and then brush each ring with the mixture. Then immediately dip the ring into the sesame seeds. Place the rings seeds side up, on the prepared baking sheet at least 1 inch apart.
Bake rings until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer from baking sheet and cool on wire racks. Serve.
Busy baker's tips: These cookies keep for a couple weeks stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They can also be double-wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to a month.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 6

Busy, busy week here. Still all kinds of loose ends to tie up on the Save the Date cards, we had to order our engagement photos last night and tonight my old high school friend is in briefly from NYC. I had hoped to give him a clean house and a fully lit Christmas tree. We got half way there. The extra lights for the tree were purchased, but not put on, and about 1/2 the rooms are clean. That's gonna have to be good enough! We got a big storm last night so I'm waiting to see if we are delayed at all for work - probably not.

As for the engagement photos, it was so difficult to pick! There were so many great ones, but we narrowed it down to ten. Of course, I feel as though we may soon have the most narcissistic house on the block with nothing but wall to wall pictures of us. I really have no idea what we're going to do with them, but it was the last chance to order so we figured we'd just get the ten best and figure it out later. If you have any great ideas, let me know. Here is Day 6, an Italian cookie I'm happy to say! I've never heard of this one, but it sounds good and very community oriented since you just make one big cookie and break it apart while you're all sitting around it.

Fregolata

This oversized cookie is perfect for big family dinners; place the whole thing in the middle of the table and hit it with a spoon to crack off pieces. Good-quality almond extract is absolutely key here; if you can't find it in your local stores, check online.

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup whole unblanched almonds, toasted (about 3 ounces)
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment.

Pulse the nuts in a food processor to finely chop, allowing some larger pieces of nuts to remain. In a large bowl, combine butter, almonds, flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of the milk. Add the extract. Drizzle yolk mixture over almond mixture and toss with fingers to combine and get everything moistened. (If needed add up to 1 more tablespoon of milk.) Mixture should still be crumbly, but not dry, like a crisp topping.

Sprinkle 1 cup (about half of the crumbs) on the prepared baking sheet and press lightly to create a thin, even 8-inch round. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over the top to give the cookie some texture. Bake until golden brown and crisp, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking, about 30 minutes. For an extra crispy cookie, turn oven off at this point and let the pan rest in oven for 10 minutes.

Cool on a rack until easy to handle. Slip the fregolata on the paper onto a rack to cool completely.

To serve, place a whole almond or overturned demitasse spoon under the center of the fregolata and rap the top with a spoon or the side of a knife to crack into serving pieces.

Busy baker's tips: Dough can be frozen on cookie sheet for up to 1 week and baked from the freezer (for an extra 5 to 10 minutes). Store baked cookie in an airtight container or on a baking sheet wrapped with plastic wrap for up to 1 week. Baked cookie can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and frozen for up to 2 weeks.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 5

B and I had another relationship milestone yesterday... first Christmas tree. I had visions of a really fun day where we picked out a tree, brought it home, decorated, cleaned up a little, lit a fire, etc. OR we spent the most frustrating 2 hours of my life trying to rearrange the living room so a tree would actually fit in there and all of the electrical stuff (TV, etc.) could still be plugged in. After the requisite insulin attack kicked in - always mandatory when you're in the middle of a frustrating situation - I just gave up and we left to get the tree.

Picking out the tree was kind of fun, especially considering we had never done it and really had no idea what we were doing. Plus, B can make any situation cute and charming and funny. It was reminiscent of the flatware situation... "That one isn't dense enough, that one has blue branches, that one hurts! Is this one too tall? Look at this one from this angle..." The 1 degree weather really put a damper on things. The other damper? Apparently we're the only dummies without some form of an SUV or a luggage rack to make hauling the tree home possible. This whole tree thing is harder than it looks!

The other amusing thing is that we only have lights about 1/3 of the way down. We thought we were being all swift when we stopped by the store on the way home to grab a second strand of lights. Second?? We're going to need about five stands of lights! So for now it's only 1/3 lit. However, we really did get a great tree. So tall and symmetrical and beautiful. And big. We sort of overestimated what size tree we should get. But it's still great and I like the new living room arrangement much better.

I read online that tree water (due to the toxins in sap) can be harmful to kitties, so we rigged a cardboard cover for the tree water. Holy cow were they upset!! All kinds of crying and scratching ensued. B suggested that if they don't settle down, we could always put a normal bowl of water under the tree since I'm a horrible mean mommy and never let them go outside, and therefore they are in love with the new tree. I'm following another online suggestion and spraying bitter apple on the bottom branches and lights to keep them from nibbling on the lights, which mine will certainly do when I'm not looking. Oh, and despite the unevenness of the day, we did light a fire last night, so we got a little holiday spirit infused into the weekend. And now for your 5th day of cookies...

Cinnamon Stars (AKA: Zimtsterne)

These are a classic German Christmas cookie; you'll find them in most every household as soon as St. Nicholas' Day (December 6) rolls around. These gluten-free cookies are kind of like a cross between a macaroon and a meringue, with a hint of nutty spiciness. We find them truly addictive. They're designed to keep for a long time; they'll get chewier as time passes.

• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling
• 15 ounces sliced almonds, with skin (about 4 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Sift the confectioners' sugar.

Put 1/2 cup of the sifted confectioners' sugar, 10 ounces (3 heaping cups) of the almonds and all the cinnamon in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground, with just a few larger pieces.
Whip the egg whites in a large, clean bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar while whipping, until the whites are thick, creamy and somewhat stiff, about 2 minutes more. Set aside 2/3 cup of this meringue for topping the cookies.
Fold the ground almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on the work surface and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, flatten and dust with more sugar as needed, and then lay another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Roll the dough between the papers until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Flip the dough over and gently peel off a sheet of the paper. For ease when cutting, lay the paper back on the dough, flip again and gently pull off the other side of the paper so that the dough is fully released from it.
Cut cookies with a 3-inch star cutter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Excess dough can be rerolled.) Use a small spoon, brush or offset spatula to spread the reserved meringue over the top of each cookie, taking care not to let the meringue drip over the sides. Press or sprinkle remaining sliced almonds in a decorative pattern into the meringue.
Bake cookies until bottoms are light golden brown and meringue is set and crisp, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door to release heat and dry cookies out in the oven for 10 more minutes.
Busy baker's tips: The dough can be frozen between the sheets of paper for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 4

Kourabeides

These are a Greek celebration cookie — while they're most popular at Christmas, you also see them at weddings, Easter and other holidays as well. They're almost always served with a powdered sugar topping; at Christmas, it's traditional to stick a whole clove in the top to represent the gift of spices that the Three Wise Men brought to Mary.

• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons orange flower water
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toast the walnuts until golden brown and fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool, then chop about half of the nuts (you should have about 1/2 cup chopped). Pulse the remaining nuts in the food processor until finely ground (about 1/4 cup ground).

Stir the flour, baking powder, salt and nuts together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg yolk, brandy and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture gets light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.

At low speed, stir in the nut mixture to make a crumbly dough. Cover the bowl and set dough aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or coat with nonstick spray.

With a tablespoon, scoop out 1-inch pieces of dough and roll into balls between the palms of your hands. Pinch the ends of the balls to make a football shape. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies set and start to brown, about 18 minutes.

Remove cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle them lightly with the orange water. (If you don't have a brush, simply dip your fingers into the water and flick it over the cookies a few times.) Take care not to douse them, just enough for them to carry the scent of flowers.

Put the confectioners' sugar in a bag, and add 5 to 6 of the warm cookies to it. Very gently toss the cookies to coat with sugar. Remove them from the bag and cool cookies on a rack. Repeat with remaining cookies. Serve.

Busy baker's tips: Dough can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic, then aluminum foil, for up to 2 weeks. To serve, let cookies come to room temperature before dusting with confectioners' sugar.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 3

B and I had a typical Friday evening last night, relaxing on the couch and me working on something wedding-related. My mom met me for lunch yesterday and loaned me her laptop and a paper cutter so I could finish the Save the Date cards this weekend. At first, I started the project and thought "What the hell am I doing?! How is something this small and insignificant taking this much time and energy?" All 100 cards had to be color printed on a small printer, then the top and bottom of each card had to be cut off so the color looked like it went to the edges, each envelope obviously gets two labels, a stamp, etc.

However, I wasn't far into it before I realized that I actually really liked the process. I like knowing that so much care and attention will go into what people will receive in the mail. Instead of all the cards coming from a printing house and being sent out, the card that will hopefully be magnetized to refrigerators across the country was made with care and attention. M's wonderful creativity and design, my cutting and assembly, etc. And I'm sure no one else would ever know or care about the difference, but to me, it was a nice difference.

Today B has to work and I'm headed to the museum for a few hours to help out with the annual dinosaur holiday party. But if you're lucky enough to not be working, maybe you should fill your Saturday with some chocolate cookies!!

Double Chocolate Sable Cookies

Sable in French means "sandy" — these are a classic French cookie, made out of crumbly chocolate shortbread. To keep them nice and sandy, be extra careful not to over mix the dough. The hint of salt brightens the flavor and underlines the chocolate. For a special holiday treat, sandwich two of these together with a small scoop of peppermint ice cream.

• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, frozen for 10 minutes
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 5 1/4 ounces (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolk

Grate the chilled chocolate with a fine grater or rasp and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and sea salt.

Beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until just combined. Mix in the yolk. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and beat lightly together until just combined but still crumbly. Fold in grated chocolate with a spatula. Bring the dough together by lightly squeezing in your hands; but don't knead or overwork, as the secret to these cookies is their delicate, sandy texture.

Divide the dough in half. Lay half the dough on a long sheet of waxed paper and shape into a log along the width of the waxed paper, leaving some space at each end. Pull the paper over the top of the log. Grip the edge of the top piece of paper, and use a straight, firm edge, like a ruler or the edge of a pan, to press gently against the edge of the dough where the papers come together to create a solid, firm round log. Repeat with remaining dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (To keep logs round store inside an empty paper towel roll.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Slice logs into 1/2-inch thick rounds with a sharp, thin knife. Divide rounds onto the prepared sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake until cookies smell fragrant with a full cocoa aroma and set on the outside, about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pans, about 5 minutes.

Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely. Serve.

Busy baker's tips: Dough can be made and frozen for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Cook's note: For super uniform cookies, place each sliced disk of dough in a muffin tin and bake. The cookies will be chewier, less sandy this way.