best ever cutouts

“Never do things others can do and will do if there are things others cannot do or will not do.”  Amelia Earhart

Not many people like to  make cutouts, but everyone loves to eat them!  This recipe is the one I’ve been using for at least 15 years.  It’s good ol’ Betty Crocker, but you can make it yours!   

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 c. butter, softened

1 t. real vanilla

1/2 t. real almond extract (I add a splash more)

1 egg

2 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. cream of tartar

Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and egg in large bowl.  (I recommend using a stand mixer)  Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.

Cover and refrigerate at least three hours.

Heat oven  to 375.  Roll dough and cut into desired shapes.  Bake 8 – 10 minutes.  Cool and ice.

Icing:

Mix powdered sugar,  half and half and almond extract until it’s the consistency of a heavy glaze.   Sorry, I don’t have amounts for this, you’ll have to “be the Betty” on this one until you get the right consistency.

Dip cookies (one side only) and use a knife to remove excess icing.  Add sprinkles if you want.  Let cookies stand (do not stack) overnight to set icing.

prosciutto pizza

The unique combination of flavors in this pizza make it a winner for any occasion — serve it up casual or for very special dinner guests.   Change your wine pairing and it’ll go down good — winter, summer, spring or fall!

You absolutely must make your own pizza dough for this.  I recommend the recipe in The New Basics Cookbook (Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins).

You can make the topping a day ahead of time if you want.  It’s actually better if all the ingredients sit together for awhile.

Topping (makes one 12-inch pizza)

1 c. grated fontina cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. finely chopped prosciutto

1/4 c. finely chopped red onion

2 t. minced fresh rosemary

salt and pepper to season

Put in a container with a cover so you can shake it up and distribute all ingredients evenly.

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Put corn meal on a pizza stone.  Stretch out dough.  Baste with olive oil and minced garlic.

Bake 5 minutes.

Take out of oven and top with prosciutto mixture.  Back in oven for 15 minutes.

Take out of oven again and top with sliced roma tomatoes and parmesan cheese.  Bake until bubbly brown.

Take a bow, then chow.

killer margs

This is the recipe I learned in 1980 when I was daytime headwaitress at the Mexican Village on St. Germaine:

1 part tequila

1 part triple sec

1 part sweet and sour (Holland House is the preferred brand - be sure not to buy margarita mix, make sure it’s sweet and sour)

1/2 part water

Any kind of glasses – paper, plastic, tumblers, fancy ones

Store bought ice

Fresh limes

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If  you’ve got a party goin’, mix it in a big container and use a big dipper as the metric.  Stir well and pour over the rocks.  Squeeze the lime and drop it in the well.

Sip with caution — warning:  sock trading likely to occur after 2.

red fury

When a young Native American boy falls off a train, he ends up meeting a man with an alcohol problem … as the boy reveals his knack for handling horses, they uncover the secrets to life and relationships and —

this knock-you-on-your-ass recipe for chili!

This recipe is all mine:

Several pounds of chuck roast – lean or marbled

An assortment of fresh peppers – pablano, serrano, chile, jalapeno …

Half of a large yellow onion

6 cloves of garlic

3 cans of Rotel

Purified water with 2 beef cubes, or organic beef broth

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

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Get out your chef’s knife and finely chop peppers, onion and garlic.  Set aside.  Rub the roast with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then brown it.  Throw it in an electric roaster/crock pot at 350 and cover with Rotel.  Add water to the fry pan on low heat to release the drippings from the browned roast.  Dump this in.  Add about half the pepper, onion, garlic mixture and some beef broth. 

While it cooks about 2 hours or until the roast is tender enough to shred, listen to Ryan Adams do Neil Young, Prince and U2… drink one, maybe two margaritas.  Ok, dance with each other.  Fall off the horse a coupla times. 

Now take the roast out and if your hands are tough enough, shred it while it’s hot, leaving behind all the gristle and the fat.  Throw it back in the roaster.  Taste.

If you want more heat, add some more pepper mixture. 

Let it cook as long as you can so all the flavors get to know eachother.

Serve with the usual condiments, including any leftover pepper mixture and of course, sour cream — a must for sissy pants.

chicken & rice

It’s been called one of the most over-rated dishes on the planet by one or two in-laws, but to me every bite is a mouthful of precious memories.

Organic before organic was hip, chicken & rice had its origins at 1320 3rd St. N.E. before I was born and made good use of ingredients that I imagine were easy for Grandma Cookie and Grandpa Happy to get their hands on – old hens that roamed their backyard and tomatoes from their garden set up in glass jars and stored in their basement, plus an exotic touch inspired by their Greek neighbor Dot (again, I imagine) – handfuls of huge green olives with the pits in them, tossed in 15 minutes or so before serving the stuff over rice.

Here’s a modern version of the recipe for those without ready access to backyard chickens and canned homegrown tomatoes:

1 stewing chicken or any other whole bird you can get your hands on

1, maybe 2 containers Swanson’s organic chicken broth

2 large cans Hunts crushed tomatoes

sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

5 cloves garlic

2 pinches curry

4 pinches cayenne pepper

2 jars queen green olives with the pits

Put the bird in a pot and cover half way with purified water.  Then the rest of the way with organic chx broth.  Simmer about 2 hours.  Take the cooked bird out to cool.  Saute finely chopped garlic on low heat in olive oil.  When translucent, add one can tomatoes.  Simmer for a bit.  Pour into pot.  Add remaining can of tomatoes to pot.  Add curry and cayenne.  More to taste if you want … 

Cook and cook.   Knit a bit.  Make a few phone calls.  Write.  Take a big nap.  Keep cooking.  Stir occasionally with Grandma Cookie’s wooden spoon.

When cool enough to touch, pick the chicken from the bones and throw in the pot.  Repeat paragraph above.  Add more chx broth if you like it soupier.

Make your rice.  (I recommend using a rice cooker.)

Now dump in the olives and simmer about 15 minutes.

Serve it up in bowls. 

I made a batch of this tonight for mom’s 70th birthday party in MN hosted by my sister Kris.  For years it’s been the requested birthday dinner by every member of my family.  Is it really that good?  Or is it as the in-laws say, “over-rated”?

You be the judge.

perfectly proportioned cosmo

1 c. sugar

1 c. h2o

heat 3 – 6 minutes; do not boil

Now you’ll have simple syrup on hand … step one in making the very best Cosmopolitan Martini your lips will ever touch.  This perfectly proportioned pale pink concoction will win your heart and you won’t even be tempted to look twice at the numerous imposters - even if they happen to be poured in fabulous stems. 

Here’s the recipe.  It makes one, so go ahead and double it!

2 oz. citrus vodka

1 oz. Cointreau

1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

1 oz. cranberry juice