Amerikaner oder Teebotchen (Americaner Cookies)

This is a traditional German cookie recipe that Anthony learned on his mission. They taste kind of like sugar cookies, except that they are fluffier and have more of a vanilla taste to them. You can choose to frost the bottom-sides with chocolate frosting or eat them as-is. Yummy!
(P.S. Because the recipe was all in German and we had to translate it from grams into cups and teaspoons, the measurements are estimates... but we made them and they turned out really good!)

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup + 1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
a little salt (take a pinch)
1 T. + 1/8 tsp vanilla pudding mix
3 T. milk
2-1/4 cup flour
1 T. baking powder

1. Cream butter and sugar. Then add vanilla, eggs, and salt. (<-- This whole mixture is called Teig.)
2. In separate bowl, combine pudding mix and milk to make (really thick) pudding.
3. Mix flour, baking powder, pudding and Teig (the creamed mixture in step 1).
4. On greased cookie sheet, lay 2 T. of dough 1-2 inches apart.
5. Bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Take cookies out of oven and quickly brush them with milk.
7. Bake 5 minutes more until golden brown.

Icing is an option. You can make this sugar glaze if you like:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 T. warm water
Mix.

...or spread store-bought chocolate frosting on, another flavor, or simply just eat them as-is. If you choose to frost them, flip them over and frost the bottom-sides. The bottoms are easier to frost. :)

Makes about 20 cookies. Recipe from Schwester Anton.

Chicken Spinach Pesto Soup

I don't have a picture of this, but IT IS SO GOOD! We got the recipe from some friends. It is a delicious soup with many good, hearty, healthy flavors. Yum-yum! Try it!


2 tsp EVOO
1/2 carrot or bell pepper, diced (I like more carrot, so I've been putting 2 carrots in it)
1 cubed chicken breast
1 clove minced garlic
5 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 tsp dried marjoram
6 oz baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, rinsed (can also use kidney or navy beans, if preferred)

Pesto:
1 T. EVOO
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (fresh is probably better, but we've been doing the shaky bottle kind)
1/3 cup lightly packed basil

1. Heat oil in large sauce pan. Add carrot/bell pepper and chicken. Cook 3-4 minutes until chicken begins to brown.
2. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth and marjoram. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
3. Add spinach and beans. Boil gently 5 minutes.
4. Stir pesto into soup. Season with pepper to taste and garnish with croutons and/or cheese.

To make the pesto:
In food processor, combine ingredients into coarse paste, adding a little water and scraping sides as needed.

Herb Roast Turkey

HERBED ROAST TURKEY from the episode:  One Great Thanksgiving—America’s Test Kitchen

Another recipe from America’s Test Kitchen is herbed roasted turkey.  We did this with a 9 pound turkey breast.  It had the bone in, but you can purchase turkey breasts without the bone and season it with herbs and bake. We did it in the 12” deep Dutch Oven.  It was absolutely delicious and you could cut the meat with a plastic fork!  We made half the paste recipe and put it under the breast skin, under the turkey breast, and over the turkey breast. We cut off the back part of the breast so that it would fit into a 12 deep Dutch Oven. We took the back part and simmered it in Chicken broth on the kitchen stove until we could remove the meat from the bone and used it in Turkey Noodle Soup. I placed 1 carrot, cut into 1” pieces, 1 celery stalk cut into 1” pieces, and 1 onion cut into eighths, onto the bottom of the Dutch Oven.  I placed the turkey, breast side up on the vegetables, covered, and put 24 briquettes on top and 10 briquettes on the bottom.  It took about 1 hour and 30 minutes.  (We added new charcoal to the lid at the hour mark.)  We baked it to 165 degrees at the thickest part of the breast.  We let it sit for 20 minutes before carving into slices. 

Herb Paste  (For a turkey breast cut the recipe in half)

1 ¼ cups chopped fresh parsley leaves (roughly chopped)

4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (roughly chopped0

1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)  (I just used an onion)

2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)  (I used ¼ teaspoon powdered garlic)

¾ teaspoon grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon

¾ teaspoon table salt (we decreased this to about ½ teaspoon)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper (we decreased this to about ½ teaspoon or less)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ cup olive oil

1 carrot, peeled and chopped into 1-inch lengths

1 onion, halved and quartered

1 rib celery, chopped into 1-inch lengths

Pat the turkey breast dry inside and out with paper towels.  Place turkey breast side up on flat wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and refrigerate, uncovered, 30 minutes. This dries out the turkey skin and will help it brown better.

For Herb paste:  Process parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, shallot, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in food processor until consistency of coarse paste, ten 2-second pulses.  Add mustard and olive oil; continue to process until mixture forms smooth paste, ten to twelve 2-second pulses; scrap sides of processor bowl with rubber spatula after 5 pulses.  Transfer mixture to small bowl.

To Prepare the Turkey:  Remove turkey from refrigerator and wipe away any water collected in baking sheet; set turkey breast side up on baking sheet.  Using hands, carefully loosen skin from meat of breast.  Using spoon (I used my hands), slip 1 ½ teaspoons paste under breast skin on each side of turkey.  Using fingers, distribute paste under skin over breast.  Rotate turkey breast side down and rub 1 tablespoon paste on the underside of the turkey cavity.  Apply half remaining herb paste to turkey skin; flip turkey breast side up and apply remaining herb past to skin, pressing and patting to make paste adhere; reapply herb paste that falls onto baking sheet.

To Roast the Turkey:  Place the chopped carrot, onion, and celery onto the bottom of the 12” deep Dutch Oven.  Place turkey breast side up on the vegetables.  Put 8 briquettes on the bottom in a circle and 24 briquettes on the lid.  Roast the turkey breast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  You will need to add more charcoal to the top and bottom at the hour.  Roast until thickest part of breast registers 165 degrees   (Confirm temperature by inserting thermometer in both sides of bird.)  Transfer turkey to carving board; tent with foil and let rest 20 minutes.  Remove meat from the bone and slice the breast and serve.

French Chicken in a Pot

I saw this a few years ago on America’s Test Kitchen.  It seemed to me to be a very good way to get baked chicken without a lot of fuss.  I use my porcelain Dutch Oven.  I can always get a whole chicken whereas I have to travel to Pocatello to get a rotisserie chicken.  I usually purchase two chickens at a time and cook them both in one day, just before garbage day.   (That way I have the mess in one day and can have the garbage pickup the next day.)  I remove the meat from the bones, divide it up in quart sized freezer bags, then put it in a gallon freezer bag and label for future use.  I use it in casseroles, in soups, and in sandwiches.

FRENCH CHICKEN IN A POT

(From America’s Test Kitchen)

Serves 4

1 whole roasting chicken (4 ½ to 5 pounds), giblets removed and discarded, wings tucked under back

2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped medium (about ½ cup)  (I use a whole onion and just chop it into 8ths.)

1 small stalk celery, chopped medium (about ¼ cup)

6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed  (I generally don’t have garlic cloves, so I omit this part)

1 bay leaf

1 medium sprig fresh rosemary (optional)

½ to 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

    Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 300°.   Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking.  Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary around chicken.  Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove Dutch oven from heat; place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid.  Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160° when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175° in thickest part of thigh, about 1 ½ hours.

    Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and rest 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids (you should have about ¾ cup jus).  Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat to reduce it.  Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan.  Stir lemon juice into jus to taste (about ¼ teaspoon lemon juice for every ¼ cup).  Serve chicken, passing jus at table.

Diaper Cake

You don't eat a diaper cake!  You give it as a gift or use it as a centerpiece at a baby shower.  Super easy and really fun to make!  I followed the directions at ourbestbites.com.

Dipped Gingersnaps

These are the gingersnap cookies I brought to Heather and Anthony's wedding reception, except I didn't dip them.  I made them again today and was reminded how delicious they are.  This time, I even had some vanilla baking chips, and they are delicious dipped!

Dipped Gingersnaps
(From 1998 Taste of Home Annual Recipes)
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking soda
1 T. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Additional sugar
2 packages (12 oz. each) vanilla baking chips
1/4 cup shortening

In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar and oil; mix well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir in molasses.  Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Shape into 3/4" balls and roll in sugar.  Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cookie springs back when touched lightly.  Remove to wire racks to cool.  Melt vanilla chips with shortening in a saucepan over low heat.  Dip the cookies halfway; shake off excess.  Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets to harden.  Yield:  about 14 1/2 dozen cookies

Fresh and Easy Alfredo Sauce

I got this recipe from Valerie a few years ago, and we LOVE it!  Cream and butter... what's not to love?

Fresh and Easy Alfredo Sauce
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (not ultra-pasteurized)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (probably from 1 lemon)
6 T. unsalted butter, no substitutes
1-2 tsp. grated lemon zest
pinch freshly grated nutmeg (I leave this out because I don't like it)
9 oz. fresh fettucine (I used a 12 oz. purchased package rather than homemade)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (if you were wondering, the stuff in the green canister is NOT fresh!)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
freshly chopped basil, garnish

In a large, heavy skillet, mix 1 cup cream and lemon juice.  Whisk together.  Add butter (in 1 T. pats).  Heat over medium heat until butter just melts.  Stir in zest and nutmeg.  Remove from heat.

To skillet, add cooked pasta, remaining cream, parmesan cheese, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper.  Toss over low heat until sauce thickens slightly (about 1 minute; salad tongs work great for this).  Taste to adjust seasoning.  Garnish with freshly chopped basil, if desired, but HIGHLY recommended, especially if you've got some growing in your garden! Serve immediately.  Makes 6 first-course servings.

Note:  I added 1 grilled and sliced chicken breast (seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning), but 1 1/2 - 2 breasts would have been better.  For seafood lovers, grilled shrimp would also be a  delicious addition.

And, if you'd like to try your hand at making fresh pasta, here's one of Valerie's recipes for that:

Homemade Pasta
2 cups all purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
water (1/2 tsp. at a time, add just enough until dough forms a ball)

Mix ingredients in a food processor or by hand.  Once dough forms a ball, wrap ball of dough with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes to 2 hours.  Divide dough into 4 sections, thinly roll out each section, cut into desired shape/size, and cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  Serve immediately with desired sauce.