The origins of the snickerdoodle are actually shrouded in mystery. On the surface, the snickerdoodle is a very basic cookie, and therefore one that could easily have been invented numerous times in kitchens all over the world. The Joy of Cooking attributes the cookie to Germany, suggesting that the name comes from the German word schneckennudeln, a type of cinnamon dusted sweet roll. It has also been suggested that the cookie may be of Dutch origin, with its name being a contraction of Saint Nicholas. It is also possible that the cookie is a relative of the British-inspired Christmas cakes and cookies common on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.  Whatever the true origin is, this cookie lives on and continues to be a favorite of many.

Like other holiday cookies, such as gingerbread men, the primary flavor of the snickerdoodle is a spice. Since snickerdoodles use a sugar cookie base, however, it’s possible to make a wide variety of holiday cookies from one batch of dough, instead of being forced to mix multiple batches of dough for different cookies. The versatile snickerdoodle is very easy and quick to make.  I make a basic dough and roll it in cinnamon and sugar before baking.  The cookies come out with the characteristic snickerdoodle cracked top and chewy center, simply delicious!!

Snickerdoodles

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teas baking soda
• 1 teas cream of tartar
• 1/2 teas salt
• 1/2 cup butter or shortening
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• cinnamon and sugar mix to roll the cookies in

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Sift together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; set aside.  Cream together butter or shortening and sugar.  Add egg and mix in well.  Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.  Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls, then roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture.  I use a cookie scoop (or small ice cream scoop) to ensure equal size cookies.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Enjoy!

Snickerdoodles

So in honor of Sleepless in Seattle, here is a recipe for the “An Affair to Remember Cocktail”:

• 1/2 oz amaretto
• 1/2 oz triple sec
• 1/2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz creme de cacao
• 1 oz cream

Fill cocktail shaker with ice and all ingredients, shake well.  Pour into martini glass and enjoy!

Cosmopolitan

• 1 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 1/2 oz cranberry juice
• 1/2 oz lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake, pour into martini glass.  Garnish with lime wedge.  Enjoy!

Cosmopolitan

Banana Pancakes

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbls sugar
• 2 teas baking powder
• 1/2 teas salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbls vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teas vanilla extract
• 1 banana, diced
• vegetable oil or butter for greasing pan

In a small bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.  In a medium bowl whisk together milk, oil, vanilla extract and egg.  Add dry ingredients to milk mixture and whisk until moistened, but do not over mix, some small lumps will still be visible.  Stir in banana chunks.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Use a folded paper towel to rub pan with oil or butter.  Spoon batter onto pan for desired size.  Cook until surface of pancake becomes filled with bubbles, and some have popped, about 1-2 minutes.  Carefully flip pancake and cook on second side until browned, another 1-2 minutes.  Remove from pan and ENJOY!  If you wish, you can remove pancakes from pan and keep them warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.  Top pancakes with you favorites (banana slices, maple syrup, whipped cream, nutella).

Banana Pancakes

Butternut Squash Risotto

• 1 tbls butter
• 1 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cans (14 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese

In a medium sauce pan heat chicken broth and 1/2 cup water to a boil, keep over med-low heat to insure broth mixture remains hot.  In a large pot melt butter over medium heat, then add butternut squash, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring often, until edges begin to soften, 6-8 minutes.  Add rice and stir to coat.  Add white wine and stir until almost all liquid has evaporated.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1/2 cup hot broth mixture.  Cook, stirring continually until almost all of the liquid is absorbed.  Continuing adding hot broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and cooking until liquid is absorbed each time before adding more broth.  This will take about 30-40 minutes.  Once all of the broth has been added and absorbed, stir in parmesan cheese.  Serve  immediately, garnished with additional parmesan cheese.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Try my homemade muffin and scones recipes below.  I made the apple cinnamon ones, along with the cranberry orange scones for work this week and they were a hit!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teas baking powder
• 1/2 teas baking soda
• 1/2 teas salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1  teas vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chopped apples
• 3-4 tbls milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or use silicone bakeware.  In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugars and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture; add 3-4 tblespoons milk if dough is too thick. Dough will be rather thick, not liquidy, and I use a cookie scoop to scoop dough into muffin cups.  Bake 18-20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups, line with paper muffin liners or use silicone muffin cups.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir the flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with milk, ending with flour. In a small bowl toss blueberries with 3-4 tablespoons flour to coat well (this will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins).  Fold in flour-coated blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.  Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Banana Muffins

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/4 teas baking powder
• 1/2 teas baking soda
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbls milk
• 1 cup mashed banana

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare muffin cups with paper liners or use silicone bakeware.  Alternatively, I have also used this recipe to make banana bread in a well greased bread pan.  In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder and baking soda, set aside.  In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each.  Mix in milk and banana thoroughly.  Gradually mix in flour mixture.  Fill muffin cups or bread pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes for muffins or 60-65 minutes for bread, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Banana Muffins

Cranberry Orange Scones

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbls baking powder
• 1 tbls orange zest
• 1 teas salt
• 3/4 cups chilled unsalted butter, diced
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup (or a little more) chilled half and half
• 2 tbls sugar
• 4 tbls orange juice, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Whisk flour, baking powder, orange zest, salt and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl. Add chilled butter and cut in using pastry cutter, or two forks, until a crumbly mixture forms. Mix in cranberries. Add 1/2 cup half and half and 2 tbls orange juice. Mix well with fork until ball forms. Add more half and half if dough is too dry and add a little flour if dough is too moist. Gather dough into a ball and divide in two. Press out each half, one at a time, on a floured surface. Form dough into a 6 inch diameter circle, about 1 inch thick. Cut dough into 6 triangular slices from the circle. Place each one 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with silicone liners or parchment paper to prevent sticking. Repeat with each half. Mix 2 tbls sugar with 2 tbls orange juice and brush onto tops of scones. Bake for 18-20 min in a 375 degree oven.

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, stir in the vanilla.  Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Let cool completely before frosting.

Butter Cream Frosting for Brain Cupcakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 pound (1 box) powdered sugar

1 teas vanilla

3-4 tbls milk

In large mixing bowl cream butter.  Add vanilla and 3 tbls milk, mix well.  Slowly add powdered sugar, mixing well.  Add additional milk if needed to achieve thick consistency that holds its shape well.  To get a creepy brain color add 1 drop red food color and 1 drop green food color.  Alternatively you can also use some grey food coloring paste.  Use a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip to pipe a brain pattern on each cupcake.

Brain Cupcakes

Blood Sucker Cocktail

1 1/2 oz Bacardi O

1/2 oz Cointreau

2 oz pineapple juice

drizzle of grenadine

In cocktail shaker with ice combine Bacardi O, cointreau, and pineapple juice; shake well.  Pour over ice in a cocktail glass.  Drop a couple drops of grenadine onto inside of glass to create spooky bloody drizzles.

Blood Sucker Cocktail

Black Devil Martini

2 oz dark rum

1 oz dry vermouth

black olives on a toothpick

Shake dark rum and dry vermouth with ice in a cocktail shaker. Pour into a martini glass rimmed with orange sugar. Garnish with black olives.

Black Devil Martini

Almond Joy Martini

1 oz chocolate flavored vodka

1 oz Frangelica

1 oz coconut rum

Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Pour into a chilled martini glass and let the kid in you enjoy!

Almond Joy Martini

Screwed-Up Screwdriver

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange or tangerine juice

1 1/2 oz black vodka

1 black licorice twist, for serving

Place ice in a tall glass and pour juice in to half way up the glass. Pour vodka over the back of a cocktail spoon into glass so it sits on top of juice and creates a layer of blackness. Slice 1/4 inch off each end of licorice, and use as a straw.

Black Vodka Cocktails

*All of these and more can be found on MarthaStewart.com and fineliving.com

Homemade Mac-n-Cheese

1 pound of large elbow macaroni

2 tbls butter

3-4 tbls flour

2 cups milk

2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (use any of your favorites)

five strips of bacon

parmesan cheese for topping

bread crumbs for topping  (my favorite are Panko bread crumbs, a Japanese version)

Generously grease a large casserole dish and set aside.  Cook and drain elbow macaroni, place it back into the large pot used to cook it.  Slice bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and cook in a sauce pan.  Once bacon is cooked thoroughly add 2 tbls butter and let melt, but do not burn.  Add 3-4 tbls flour and whisk quickly just until mixed in, then add milk.  Whisk and stir to thoroughly combine and cook over med heat until it begins to thicken.  Once milk mixture begins to thicken add 2 1/2 cups of your favorite shredded cheeses.  Continue stirring over medium heat until well blended and slightly thick.  Pour the cheese mixture over the elbow macaroni and thoroughly combine.  Pour into greased casserole dish.  Top generously with shredded parmesan cheese.  Finish dish by topping off with some bread crumbs.  Place into a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until topping begins to brown.  Enjoy!

Homemade Mac-N-Cheese

This homemade mac-n-cheese recipe is dedicated to C.P. for his birthday!!  And we are going to enjoy it with left-over pulled pork all week!!