Christmas this year was pretty quiet, just the six of us home for the holidays. Mom & I did our share of holiday baking and brought some goodies to the neighbors, but tried to keep things simple this year. And since there’s always so much food and snacking, most of our Christmas Eve and Christmas choices were great leftovers (mid-afternoon snack/appetizers instead of a meal) or freezable.
This year’s menu was a mix of old favorites (such as the seven-layer cookies, the stuffed shrimp, and the spinach lasagna) and new adventures (like the red velvet snowball cake that we made twice and ultimately deemed a failure). In the end, we had a very happy, well-fed family.
Since I didn’t have any dinner party plans, I made this for a little appetizer for my husband and I one night before a late dinner. It was tasty although I was surprised that my husband preferred my traditional cheese-stuffed mushroom recipe to this one. I completely thought he would have opted for the sausage version!
I did use cream cheese in place of mascapone cheese in this recipe – I never really use mascapone and didn’t think I’d have the time to plan another menu-item around the ingredient to use it up. The cream cheese worked just find as a bonding agent.
The only thing I would recommend with this recipe is that you very finely chop the sausage after it is fully browned. I chopped mine up with a spoon as I would normally do, but when it came time to mix the ingredients, I found that the sausage chunks were still too large.
As a kid, we always got Golden’s potato pancakes and Mrs. T’s pierogis for lunch. We all had our favorites – I preferred the pierogis while my brother liked the potato pancakes. This year for Christmas, he requested homemade potato pancakes.
So, Mom & I turned to our never-fail Fine Cooking magazines for a recipe. After a brief lesson for Mom about how to use her food processor attachments (she thought we’d be grating 5 lbs. of potatoes by hand instead of using her grating disc, similar to this one), we got down to business. The one thing I would recommend, that was not in the original recipe, is to use a cheesecloth to further squeeze the water out of the potatoes. If too much water remains, the potatoes won’t adhere together and you’re potato pancakes will fall apart.
As usual, Fine Cooking didn’t let us down – we doubled the recipe even though there was only 5 of us for Christmas Eve lunch, and everything was gone.
2-1/2 lb. Idaho potatoes (4 medium), peeled and cut lengthwise into 2-3 strips
2-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 c. corn oil
1-1/4 c. diced onion (1 medium)
1 large egg
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
Make Pancakes: Using a food processor fitted with a medium (4mm) grating disc, grate potatoes. Transfer to a colander. Sprinkle with 2 tsp. salt and allow to drain for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally.
After potatoes have drained, wrap them in a cheesecloth and squeeze out more excess water.
Rinse out the food processor and replace grating disc with chopping blade. Combine 1 Tbs. oil, onion, flour, baking powder, pepper, and 1/2 tsp. salt. If your food processor is large enough to fit the potatoes, then add the potatoes, pulsing until coarsely chopped (you’ll probably have to stir mixture a couple times). If your food processor is smaller, pulse the mixture until just combined and transfer to a separate bowl. Add potatoes and then a bit of the egg/onion mixture, pulsing until coarsely chopped. Transfer for a bowl and repeat until all potatoes and egg/onion mixture have been coarsely chopped. Stir to combine.
Cook the Pancakes: In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1/8 inch of the remaining oil until hot. Using a large spoon, drop mixture into oil and gently press down to flatten. Pancakes should be about 3-inches in diameter, and oiling should be bubbling gently.
Cook pancakes, 3-4 minutes per side until a deep golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Continue cooking, adding oil as necessary, until batter is done.
If making ahead of time… Heat the oven to 250°F. Transfer pancakes from plate to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven until ready to serve.
Fried pancakes are also freezable – freeze on baking sheets; transfer to freezer bags; and reheat on a baking sheet at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
To Serve: Sprinkle with salt and serve with sour cream or apple sauce.
This was my first book read by Meg Gardiner, and I think its safe to say that I’ll getting the rest of her books from the library. The Dirty Secrets Club was full of twists, turns and unexpected surprises – I never would have guessed the ending, which makes a mystery/suspense book a winner for me.
So what is the Dirty Secrets Club? I don’t want to give away too much, so I’ll just say that it’s a group of fairly high-powered public figures with secrets to hide, both from their past and present. When a member of the Dirty Secrets Club is killed, the Boston police launch an investigation into the club, revealing more deaths, scandals, and the secret lives of some of Boston’s most well-known citizens.
If you enjoy mysteries and suspense novels, read The Dirty Secrets Club. Can you figure out who is in the club and who is threatening its members?
These cookies have long been a favorite of mine. My mom used to surprise us with these from the local grocery store after work sometimes, and they never lasted very long. A light cookie with a sweet almond flavor, my siblings and I used to fight over these goodies.
So when I saw the recipe a couple years ago, I knew I had to try them. These cookies, though a little time-consuming (bake & assemble, refrigerate for 8 hours, add chocolate, refrigerate again, and cut), are completely worth it. I’d had several people look at these cookies, teasing me for bring “store-bought” cookies to parties and dinners. That is always one of the greatest compliments!
If you can keep these cookies around long enough, they should last for 2 weeks in an airtight container, with parchment paper or wax paper between layers. Enjoy!
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 c.) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
1 tsp. almond extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
25 drops red food coloring
25 drops green food coloring
1 (12-oz) jar apricot preserves, heated and strained
7 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
Make the Dough Layers:
Ensure rack is in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350°F.
Butter a 13×9 inch baking pan and line bottom with wax paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both ends. Butter paper… If you have extra pans, you can prepare up to 3, which will speed up cooking later on.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (medium-high speed), beat egg whites until they “just hold” stiff peaks. Add 1/4 c. sugar a little at a time, until peaks are stiff and slightly gloss. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Switch to the paddle attachment. On medium-high speed, beat almond paste and remaining 3/4 c. sugar until well blended, about 3 minutes.
Add the 2 1/2 sticks of butter and continue beating for another 3 minutes, until mixture is pale and fluffy.
Add yolks and almond extract, beating until combined, 2 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and add flour and salt until just combined.
With a rubber spatula, fold half of the egg whites into the almond mixture. When combined, fold in remaining egg whites. Dough will feel heavier than you’d expect, and will be fairly sticky.
Divide batter evenly among 3 bowls (I find wide pasta bowls work best). Stir in red food coloring in one, green in another, and the final bowl leaving alone.
Pour batter from one bowl into prepared pan (covering and refrigerating remaining batters until ready to cook). Spread evenly with an offset spatula or a butter knife (anything with a large flat surface). Layer will be only 1/4 inch thick.
Bake layer for 9-10 minutes, until barely set. Dough should be undercooked but not completely raw. It is very important not to cook the dough, or it won’t set properly.
Using the wax paper overhand, transfer to a cooling rack and let sit for about 15 minutes.
Prepare the pan again, and repeat with the remaining bowls of dough. (If cooking in 3 batches, take the last bowl of dough out of the fridge a little before baking to bring back to room temperature).
Assemble the Cookies:
When all layers are cool, line a large baking sheet with wax paper. In a pot, heat apricot preserves over medium-low heat, stirring until warmed and easily spreadable. (I find that I don’t use all the preserves, so I usually heat less than the whole amount and add more if necessary).
Invert green layer onto baking sheet, getting rid of wax paper that lined the bottom. Pour a bit of the apricot spread (maybe 1/3 the amount) over the green layer. Spread thinly, to the edges. There should be enough preserves to make the next layer of “cake” adhere. (I also remove any big chunks of apricot.)
Next, invert white layer on top of the green, discarding wax paper. Spread another 1/3 of the apricot preserves on top of white layer. Add red layer, discarding the wax paper.
Cover the “cake” with plastic wrap. Place Pyrex dish or a large baking pan on top of the “cake” and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Chocolate “Crust,” Cut & Enjoy:
Remove dish and plastic wrap and bring “cake” to room temperature.
In a double boiler, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Keep warm so the chocolate stays smooth.
Using a serrated knife, trim the edges of the “cake” (a wonderful little snack!).
Spread half of the chocolate over the top of the cake in a thin layer. Chill uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until chocolate is firm.
Cover another baking sheet with a sheet of wax paper. Invert cake onto new baking sheet. Spread remaining chocolate over cake and chill until firm, another 15 minutes or so.
Cut lengthwise into 4 strips, and then crosswise into 3/4 inch-wide cookies.
my awful, old photo from the original post. new photo posted April 2011
A meatless Christmas Eve:
