Norwegian Butter Cookies

"Twas the week before Christmas, I sat down to my Mac,

Looking for Christmas recipes with no time to slack, 

Stopping my online search--I knew my mistake...

--My-- recipe box already had family favorites to make!"

My recipe box is a keepsake, a wooden box from my husband's grandmother. The box holds her recipes and now mine too. I found a recipe for Norwegian Butter Cookies. Danish stories suggest leaving out porridge with butter for the nisse. Would a nisse like butter cookies? After reading the stories, would anybody chance it? We'll be saving a couple of these little beauties for Santa Claus.

Fresh baked Norwegian Butter Cookies

Norwegian (& Danish too) Butter Cookies

2 C butter

1 C powdered sugar

1/2 t kosher salt

1 t almond extract

4 C unbleached flour (sifted)

2/3 C slivered almonds (chopped)

Let the butter come to room temperature then mix together. Add in powdered sugar and salt and mix well, then add in almond extract and mix again. Next add the flour gradually mixing as you go and then mix in the almonds and chill over night. Let the dough warm up enough to shape into balls. Press down with a cookie press or with a fork and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until the cookie edges just start to brown.

This is the recipe I found, I altered it by adding 1t almond extract.*

Slivered almonds, chopped.

The dough, chilling overnight. (BTW the milk in the background is "low fat" not "fat" milk... ewww!)

*Got the idea to add almond extract from

Danish Shortbread at http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1713,158185-250204,00.html

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all!

Suzanne
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Taco Soup

"Sleeping  Beauty's Winter Castle" at Disneyland in Anaheim, California

There's one very good reason to go to Anaheim, California and you've probably already guessed what it is: to visit Disneyland! Another reason? El Torito's Tortilla Soup!

Last week we escaped a over-hyped blizzard and headed to Disneyland for Thanksgiving. While we were there we took a "Holiday Tour."

We visited some interesting places in Disneyland--there was a Menorah in an upper window on Main Street U.S.A., we tasted peppermint fudge at the Candy Palace, and visited a Thanksgiving turkey (pardoned by the president) near Reindeer Roundup. During our trip I spotted two people wearing turkey hats (yes, fake roasted turkey, oye.) It was like a strange "Where's Waldo" moment.

 Peppermint and chocolate fudge samples.

A pardoned turkey.

On a chilly rainy night we went to El Torito's restaurant. Their Tortilla Soup is serious comfort food! The following recipe seems to be as close as I can come. I've been trying to make it at home--trying recipes both packaged and from scratch.

Taco Soup
1-2 T Olive oil
5-6 Chicken tenders
Black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes (juice from tomatoes and all)
1 can beans (your choice: Northern, Black, Pinto, Kidney--rinsed well)
1 box chicken broth
1 onion (red, white or yellow)
Taco seasoning (1 pkg - Or make your own)
Splash (1/8-1/4 C) Milk

Toppings:
Sour cream
Crushed corn chips
Grated cheese
Salsa
Note: El Torito serves their soup with avocado slices

Start by cooking the chicken tenders in olive oil with a couple of grinds of black pepper. When the tenders are cooked put them on a plate and cut them into bite sizes and pull out the tendon bit. Put the chicken back in the pan. Chop up the onion (about 1 small onion or 1/2 C chopped onion) and toss it in the pan to caramelize and cook with the chicken.

In a medium-large soup pan, add the chicken broth and heat on medium. When the chicken starts to caramelize (i.e. turn golden brown, and the onions are somewhat translucent) add the taco seasoning and about 1/2-1 C water to the frying pan. This deglazes the pan and ensures the taco seasoning gets mixed in. Add the chicken mixture in the frying pan to the chicken broth in the soup pan. Add the rinsed beans and the splash of milk. Heat approximately 10-15 minutes and serve with your favorite toppings.

Suzanne
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P.S. - My favorite Disneyland rides decked out for the holidays? "Haunted Mansion" and "It's a Small World." What are your favorite rides at Disneyland?

Haunted Mansion

It's a Small World

Chicken Gyros*

I grew up across the street from Katina. She was a widow, thin with gray hair, and she was spunky and generous. Originally from Greece, Katina shared plates full of homemade Greek pastries and cookies with my family. I'm pretty sure she made Kourabiedes, Karidopita, Melomakaroma, and a deep fried, rolled, phyllo treat dipped in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon - I'm not sure what it was, but Mmmm.

A couple of years ago I decided to make gyros. I made them "by-taste" from tasting gyros at the Greek Souvlaki and Yani's Greek Express. When combined with classic movies like Jason & the Argonauts (about the myth), with stop-motion special effects by the talented Ray Harryhausen you can't go wrong! 
  

It's just a little creepy when Talos turns his head. "Oh gee! Run!"

The skeleton battle is classic.

Chicken Gyros*
Olive oil
4-5 Chicken tenders*
1 white onion

1 cucumber

1 package crumbled Feta

1 1/2 C sour cream
Milk
Black pepper
Ground pepper
Greek seasoning
Italian seasoning
1 package Greek flat bread (not pita bread)

Add olive oil to your pan, add 4 grinds of black pepper, and the chicken tenders and cook thru. Cut the chicken into bite sizes and put back in the pan, add a little olive oil if needed and add Greek and Italian spices to taste. Remove from heat. Slice up and quarter cucumber. Cut up onion into large chunky pieces.

Dice about 1/4 C of cucumber. In a bowl add sour cream, diced cucumber and thin a little with milk - add Greek and Italian seasoning to taste. To combine, warm the flat bread so it will "wrap" easier (25 seconds in the microwave). Place spoonful of chicken towards one section (the top of the gyro), add cucumber, onions, feta and sauce to taste. Roll like a cone and eat.

*You can easily make these vegetarian by omitting the chicken.

Suz

P.S. The featured Baklava came from Apollo Burgers. :)

Pop Tarts II

Have you wondered, as a "foodie," what the best possible mode of transportation is for your iPod, or or cell phone? Have you considered a toaster pastry?

My daughter wanted to make these, and knew how to put them together, so we headed to the craft store and the rest is history. What flavor are these Pop Tarts, er, toaster pastry pockets? Cherry! Red sprinkles with cherry filling on the inside; extra padding to protect your electronics not to mention added cuteness.

(Don't miss the other Pop Tart recipe, the kind you bake. Mmmm!)

Toaster Pastry Device Pockets
2 pieces of light brown felt (pastry)
2 pieces of red felt (cherry filling)
1 piece of pink felt (icing)

Red beads (shaped like sugar or sprinkles)

Embroidery floss (pink and light brown)
Embroidery or thin tapestry needles

Place your electronic device on the fabric and cut about 1/2 - 1 inch around it on each side. You will need to cut out 2 pieces of brown felt, 2 pieces of red felt and 1 piece of pink felt.

Sketch your icing shape with pen or pencil on to the pink felt. Make your sketch a little big so you can cut around the "sketch" on the inside so there's no outline from the sketch showing. Next sew the "icing" (using pink embroidery floss) to one piece of brown felt. Using same color floss sew on the "sprinkles."

Trim the red felt about 1/8th inch. Center the red felt inside the brown felt then with the brown floss, sew together the edges of 3 sides of your "pastry" (the 2 long sides, and 1 short side, to create the pocket). Try to catch the edges of the red felt as you sew, to secure the layers together. The brown felt will cover the filling as it is sewn closed. Last of all, "finish" the edges at the top that aren't sewn together, for the "look" of a pastry (see photos above).

Enjoy sans calories!

Suz

Chicken & Dumplings

This recipe is a hybrid of busy day--meets--chicken soup and old world dumplings. Want to know how to make them?

Suz's Chicken & Dumplings
Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Ground Thyme (optional)
6-8 Pieces of frozen chicken tenders (un-breaded)
2-4 C water (It's soup, so to taste.)
1 packet Chicken of Lipton "Noodle" soup
1-2 Cans Green Beans (1 if you want it more like stew)
2-3 T Chicken bouillon

In a large soup pan (the stock pot) add 1 T olive oil, 2-3 grinds of black pepper and the chicken to brown. When the chicken is done remove to a plate and cut into bite sizes. Add the chicken back to the pan and add some water (about 1/2 C) to deglaze the pan. Add the green beans (with the juice from the can), the remaining water, the soup packet and bouillon (to taste). Add 2 shakes of ground Thyme, simmer and move on to the dumplings!

While cooking I noticed a pink glow coming from the windows. You're looking at the Oquirrh Mountains at sunset.

Does the photo-cropping help make it look less "processed?" Drat! You can still see the boxes.

Bisquick Dumplings
2 1/4 C Original Bisquick
2/3 C milk

Stir together...

If the dough looks like this, add a "splash" or two of milk until the dry is mixed with the wet. (A "splash" being approximately 2-4 T of milk at a time). Bring the soup to a boil.

Woah there Tex! That's some perfectly good soup! What are you droppin' in there? Don't panic! Drop the dough by spoonfuls into the soup (careful not to splash - use 2 spoons like with drop cookies). When the dough sinks a little once added to the soup keep the faith. Do not stir the soup.

Once all of the dumplings have been added reduce the heat to medium. Cook uncovered 10 minutes, then cover and cook for 10 more minutes.

These are freshly cooked dumplings.

Here's what they look like when they are cut open and you add butter. Now they look edible. It's just another way to get your carbs. Serve with butter. Really. And Kosher salt. Yum!

Happy Halloween!

Suz