holiday treats (caramel corn, gingersnaps, and fudge)

there has been a flurry of holiday baking the last couple of weeks. making christmas treats is one of my favorite things and i look forward to it all year. most holiday seasons, i make about four batches of fudge, caramel corn, and many cookies. someday i will add divinity, peanut brittle, and salted caramel to the mix.

this is a three part post to highlight the three best christmas treats i made this year: caramel corn, gingersnaps, and fudge.

pecan caramel corn

earlier this week, dinah and i whipped up a batch of caramel corn to take to her preschool teachers at sweethearts as our christmas gift and our way of saying thank you for taking such good care of our girl all year. before this, dinah has never really tried popcorn, and now i think she assumes all popcorn is caramel corn. she may be mighty disappointed at her first trip to the movies.

we also made previous batches for sending to the grandparents and other family.

pecan caramel corn

15-18 cups of popped popcorn

2 cups whole pecans

1.5 cups packed brown sugar (i use dark)

3/4 cups butter (i use salted sweet cream)

almost 1/2 cup light corn syrup

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

pop popcorn and place it and the pecans in a large roasting pan (i use the kind you might use for baking a turkey). heat brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. once it starts bubbling around the edges, continue cooking over medium heat without stirring for 5 minutes. remove from heat and stir in baking soda until foamy. pour caramel mixture over popcorn and toss until evenly coated. bake 1 to 2 hours at 200 degrees. stir every 20 minutes. spread out on wax paper and let it cool completely before storing. 

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gingersnaps

i discovered this recipe in an issue of sunset magazine and have been making them every year since. though, i have adjusted the spices a bit. i tend to add about a 1/4 tsp more than recipes call for. anyway, these are the best gingersnap cookie i've ever had in my entire life. ever! they are like heaven (if you like ginger, that is.) they are so spicy. you get a really robust ginger flavor with every bight. and the texture is fantastic: soft and chewy in the middle and crisp and crunchy on the outside edges. our kitchen smelled just like christmas while we baked. when i think of christmas, the scent of ginger baking is always a strong memory.

mega-ginger gingersnaps

1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

about 3/4 cups sugar, divided

6 TBS butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup molasses

1 large egg

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

in a food processor, whirl chopped ginger and 1/3 cup of sugar until ginger is finely ground. remove from container. back in the food processor, whirl butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until fluffy. add ginger mixture, molasses, and egg and whirl to mix. in a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. then whirl into the butter mixture. cover dough and chill until firm, about 1 hour. shape dough into 1-inch balls and coat with remaining sugar. place balls 2 to 3 inches apart on a non stick or greased cookie sheet. bake at 350 degrees until slightly darker brown, about 11 to 12 minutes, switching positions of baking sheets halfway through.

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walnut fudge

my fondest memories of fudge are of my brother swift and i making it at christmas together. we were quite young. probably younger than i'd allow my kids to be making fudge independently, but whatevs, it was a simpler time back then. :) anyway, i was young enough to push a chair up to the counter to help. and i helped by, like, you know, licking the spoon and sneaking handfuls of chocolate chips and finger dips of marshmallow cream. my brother did all the hard work: the relentless stirring. i swear after a holiday season of making fudge, i could win any arm wrestling match with my massive biceps. anyway, i was my older brother and dinah was me in this year's fudge-making extravaganza. 

i think there are about a million different ways to make fudge, but i've quite honestly never tasted any quite as rich and delicious as me and my brother's version using jet-puffed marshmallow creme. i've also done a million different varieties using various flavored chips. mint-chocolate (with swirls of green mint chocolate on top), peanut butter, white chocolate, butterscotch...the list goes on. but this year, i kept it classic: chocolate walnut fudge.

walnut fudge

3 cups sugar

a pinch of cream of tartar*

3/4 cup butter

2/3 cups evaporated milk

12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips

7 ounces of jet-puffed marshmallow cream

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp vanilla

grease a cake pan with butter (use a 13x9 for thinner pieces of fudge or a 8x8 for thicker pieces). then in a heavy medium sized saucepan, over medium heat, bring butter, evaporated milk, and sugar to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. boil 4 to 6 minutes, until it reaches a soft ball stage in cold water or reaches 234 degrees on a candy thermometer. remove from heat and stir in marshmallow creme and chocolate chips. once melted, add vanilla and nuts. pour into your prepared baking dish and let cool completely. 

*the pinch of cream of tartar is a relatively recent discovery for me. after years and years of making fudge, last year i made a terrible batch where the sugar crystalized and the texture was gritty. fudge is such a simple recipe, but the chemistry of it is complex. for the next batch, i added a pinch of cream of tartar and its texture was perfect. by adding acid, such as cream of tartar, some of the sucrose will break down into glucose and fructose, resulting in great smooth texture. 

shepherd's pie

last night, on the winter solstice, we made one of my favorite wintertime dinners: shepherd's pie. a meat pie with potatoes, beef, and carrots baking in the oven can't be anything but comforting on a cold winter evening. it's also a dinner that is very convenient for a mother of two little ones to make. it can be prepared in sections as time is available (cook and mash potatoes first, brown meat next, bake it last...). this works well with the realities of tending to the needs of a two month old baby.

dinah and i were able to prepare the pie while waller had a long snooze in his wrap (it's amazing what i can get done while baby-wearing) and then we popped it in the fridge and waited for daddy to get home so that we could bake it.

i have been using the same recipe since college, but as we were eating dinner, dickie told me shepherd's pie is one of keith richards' favorite meals and i should try to find his recipe. dinah, our notoriously picky eater's ears perked up at the mention of keith richards. she's the world's youngest rolling stone's fan. i could tell she was thinking, "well, if 'keef' loves it, i probably will too..." so we even got our picky eater to enjoy a few bites of this pie as well.

shepherd's pie

1.5 lbs ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, choped

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

3 large potatoes (about 1/5-2 lbs)

4 TBS butter

1/2 cup beef broth

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

cook and mash potatoes with butter, cream, and salt. saute onions in 2 TBS of butter over medium heat for about three minutes. add carrots and cook for ten minutes. add ground beef and cook. once cooked, add frozen peas and corn. add salt, pepper, and worcestershire sauce. add beef broth and cook uncovered on low for about ten minutes. place meat and vegetables in a baking dish (i use a 13x9 pan). place a layer of mashed potatoes over the meat mixture. bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cranberry Orange Bread

fresh cranberries

at least once a week, i try to have a lazy morning with my kids. the kind of morning where we eat breakfast in the den, watch a movie, read books, cuddle, and stay in our jammies. no play dates, no visitors. just a morning to rest and do nothing at all.

this morning was our lazy morning this week. it was also a very chilly morning; only 19 degrees! the cold weather makes for a perfect lazy-baking-day! with the sugar overload that comes this time of year, we decided to do a sugar-free nom instead. this bread uses applesauce, orange juice, and honey as sweeteners instead of refined white sugar. it still tastes sweet, but is hopefully a healthier treat. plus, it's a great holiday loaf, with pretty red cranberries.

the citrus and sweet cranberry aroma filled the entire house, which was a perfect compliment to lazy-day couch cuddles in our jams.

cranberry orange bread

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup honey

grated rind from one orange

2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about two large oranges)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (we used walnuts)

grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees. grate one orange and set the rind aside. squeeze two large oranges, set juice aside. in a medium sized bowl, mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) and set aside. in a large mixing bowl, mix together applesauce, orange juice, rind, oil, and honey. slowly add in dry ingredients. fold in cranberries and nuts. bake for 45-55 minutes. 

carne adovada

there is a lot about living in new mexico that i love. this place is really special. not only is it one of the strangest and most beautiful places i've been, the food, is well, really, really good. it's fantastic living in a state with its own genre of food. new mexican food is a unique fusion of mexican and pueblo native american cuisine. its ingredients are foods only grown in this state, specifically, new mexican chile. therefore, new mexican food has a very distinct flavor, it's culturally significant, full of history, and really, really freakin' good, addictive, actually. living here, you hear "red, green, or christmas?" a lot. tonight, it's red. this weekend, we made one of our favorite new mexican meals: carne adovada.

carne adovada

1 TBS vegetable oil

3 lbs pork butt, cut in 1 in. pieces

2 onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 TBS flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp ground coriander seed

2 tsp mexican oregeno

1 cup ground chimayo red chile

4-6 cups chicken broth

brown meat in oil, about five minutes. remove meat from the pot, and add onion, garlic, salt, pepper, coriander seed, and oregeno and cook for three minutes. sprinkle onions with flour and cook for three minutes. add red chile and stir to combine. add four cups of broth, then blend this mixture in a food processor or a blender. return the meat and the red chile mixture to the pot and bring everything to a boil. transfer everything to a dutch oven and bake for one to two hours at 350 degrees. or like i did, transfer the mixture to a container and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. then cook it in a slow cooker on high for one hour and on low for six to eight hours, until meat is cooked.

serve with beans, rice, and tortillas.

gingerbread men

gingerbread cookies

today, dinah and i invited friends over for a little holiday baking. three wild preschoolers, two babies, and three frazzled mamas shoved into a hot kitchen baking and decorating christmas cookies together makes a for a chaotic, but pretty fun holiday experience. it was even cloudy out, which made it feel even more like it's christmastime. the tree was lit, the christmas music was playing, and the kids, as they should be this time of year, were completely out of control.

kids in the kitchen

as i mixed the ingredients together in my trusty kitchenaid, several times, i had to shoo away three sets of sticky grabby hands: "get those fingers outa here! quit eating the dough!" with what little dough we had left, we were able to roll it out on the countertop and cut out stars and gingerbread men. the men definitely weren't pretty. most were missing a limb, if not their entire head, but, nonetheless, they made it onto the baking sheet and into the oven. 

meanwhile, we whipped up some healthy frosting ('cuz lord knows these kids don't need any more sugar...) and set up the decorating station. according to the kids' big smiles, this was was best part. not sure how much frosting or toppings actually made it onto the cookies instead of being shoved into little mouths, but the cookies were decorated and finished. ahhh, yes. messy perfection.

messy perfection

gingerbread men

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

in a medium sized bowl, mix together dry ingredients. set aside. in a mixing bowl, mix butter, sugar, molasses, egg, and vanilla. add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. on a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about a 1/4 inch thick, and cut shapes. bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet.

honey icing

1 cup coconut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp almond extract

whisk all ingredients until fluffy.

vegan coconut layer cake

and this is how dinah helps bake birthday cakes #stoppickingyournose

it's my 31st birthday today! i love birthdays, mostly because cake is involved. i've made myself a birthday cake for as long as i can remember. last year i made a white sparkling cranberry cake, the year before, i made a pear cake with brown sugar buttercream frosting. this year, however, i made a vegan birthday cake. no, i'm not worried about eating animal byproducts or attempting to be healthier. no, no, this year, i have a wee tiny baby who's been struggling with dairy. he nurses about every five minutes right now, so when i have dairy, so does he. it's a very common allergy for infants and typically goes away by six months old, or so. since cutting out dairy, his uncontrollable crying sessions have disappeared. which is great, but sort of a bummer to say goodbye to dairy for a while. but a happy, healthy baby is so, so, so worth it.

i have the cutest kitchen helper that ever lived

so, a dairy free cake, it is. no problem. dinah requested a "winter cake" so i figured a white cake, with white icing, and "snowy" shredded coconut would do the trick. finding a good dairy free cake is easy enough, for the frosting, however, i had to get more creative.

this year, our good friends and their three-year-old daughter - dinah's very best buddy - and their one-year-old son came over for lunch, wine and birthday cake. spending birthdays with people you love is the only way i ever want to celebrate them. we had quite a feast; meatloaf, squash, rice, salad, and bread.

we ended the day with a huge slice of cake and sat by the fire and watched the little ones scream and run around. and how was this vegan cake? amazing! i was totally blown away with how moist and flavorful this cake was. even when i'm back on dairy, i will make it again. the icing was fantastic too. so light and creamy. it would be perfect over berries in the summertime.

vegan coconut layer cake

3 cups white flour

2 cups white sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups almond milk

1 cup canola oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 TBS vanilla

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

-preheat oven to 350 degrees. lightly grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans

-in a large sized bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together. in another bowl, mix milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until combined. gently fold in coconut.

-fill each prepared pan with equal amounts of batter. bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs sticking to it. rotate the pans halfway through baking times.

-let the cakes cool completely before assembling.

coconut whipped frosting

2 14oz cans of coconut cream (from Trader Joe's), chilled

1/2 - 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cups shortening

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups shredded coconut

-chill the coconut cream in the refrigerator overnight. scrape the hardened cream into a bowl and the shortening, and whip powdered sugar and vanilla into it until it becomes fluffy. assemble and frost the cakes. sprinkle two cups of shredded coconut over the top.

stuffed cabbage rolls

the naked chef working on browning the sausage

tonight we made stuffed cabbage rolls, which were a perfect warm and hearty meal for a chilly december evening. traditionally, these eastern european staples call for beef, especially if you're using a jewish recipe, i suppose, but sausage is all i had, and i'm not about to run to the store with a toddler and an infant for one measly ingredient. so, i used hot italian pork sausage from sprouts, 'cuz that's all I had in the freezer.

it was our first time trying this recipe and it was so delicious with pork sausage, i would be nervous using anything else. i served this with sourdough bread and a simple salad.

stuffed cabbage rolls

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
4 tsp olive oil
1 head of green cabbage
3/4 cup of rice (dry)
12oz burger or sausage
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp paprika
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper, optional*

-cook rice, set aside.
-cook cabbage by bringing a large pot of water to boil, submerge the head of cabbage in boiling water for 7-9 minutes. rinse with cold water immediately, to avoid further cooking.
-make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of olive oil in a medium size sauce pan. add half the onion and half the garlic and saute for 5 minutes, until onion is translucent. reduce heat to med-low and stir in diced tomatoes, paprika, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. remove from heat, set aside.
-make the filling by sauteing the remaining onion and garlic in 2 tsp of olive oil for 5 minutes. add sausage (or burger) and brown. add cooked rice and 1/2 cup of water and cook for 2 minutes.
-cover the bottom of a baking dish with sauce. separate cabbage leaves and put a spoonful of filling in each one. roll tightly and place in baking dish, seam side down. cover with the remaining sauce.
-bake for 10-12 minutes at 450 degrees.

*i did not season, since i used a sausage, if using beef, i would season with oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.

apple pie

it's now december and finally, with a little chill in the air, the oven has been calling to me. although i tend to bake all year long, the winter months in albuquerque may be the only season when baking actually feels appropriate. so, dinah and i spent our afternoon on tuesday baking a pie. 

dinah suggested we make a dinosaur pie (why wouldn't we make a dinosaur pie!) and i had a bunch of granny smith (or "sour apples" in dinah's words) on hand, so a dinosaur apple pie it was!

anne's apple pie

ingredients:

6 cups baking apples, cored, peeled, and sliced

2 TBS water

1 TBS lemon juice

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 TBS flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp salt

1 pastry for double-crust 9 inch pie

directions:

in a saucepan, combine apples, water, and lemon juice. cook over medium-low heat until apples are tender. remove from heat and cool. while cooling making the pastry (recipe to follow).

in a large bowl, combine sugars, flour, and spices. add apples and toss to coat. place on the bottom pastry in pie plate, pour apple mixture over bottom pastry. cover with top pastry, seal and flute edges. cut slits in top crust (or like us, cut out dinosaur shapes).

bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. reduce heat to 350°F and bake 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

basic pastry

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup shortening

4-6 TBS cold water

directions:

mix together flour and salt, then cut in shortening. while mixing, add a tablespoon of cold water one at a time, until flour mixture is moistened. form dough into a ball.

on a slightly floured surface, flatten and roll out dough to about 12 inches in diameter. transfer pastry to a 9 inch pie plate.

double recipe for a double-crust pie.

in the kitchen with dinah

i'm mary and i'm a mama who loves to bake, cook, can, grow food, make meals, create yums, and eat, oooh yes, i really love to eat. i happily split my time between cooking in the kitchen with my three-year-old daughter, dinah, smothering my two-month-old son, charles waller, with kisses, lovin' my darling hubs, dickie, and playing in the mountains here in beautiful new mexico.

my daughter dinah and i spend a great deal of time together in the kitchen, and this is a blog dedicated to our culinary adventures.

in the kitchen with dinah
the "naked chef" (her words, not mine)