Make Merry in 2011

Recipe of the Week; CLOTHESPIN COOKIES

Nothing says "It's Christmas!" to me like cookie tin filled with Mom's homemade clothespin cookies! She made these religiously year after year, and God Bless her for it!!

I too have taken on the daunting task of creating these mini masterpieces at Christmas, although since I've moved back to PA I don't regularly make them because Mom does and I can always steal a dozen or so from her!

The recipe I am posting is the one Mom uses, but I've seen similarly styled cookies made with puff pastry dough. That would seem like such an easy and heavenly alternative, but I'm kind of a stickler for the traditional way Mom made hers. Do make these- they are not as complicated as you may think. And if you're just not into all the measuring, rolling, and wrapping, try the puff pastry and let me know how they are!

Before you begin, you will need clothespins. Use the old-fashioned, (non-spring type) ones. You can find them primarily these days in craft stores.

Wrap the pins in aluminum foil. As an alternative to this, you could also use a dowel rod. Either cut the rod to clothespin lengths, or simply wrap several strips of dough on one rod, leaving enough space between them. I recommend 2 inches, as the cookies will puff a little during baking. You can also find "horns" in kitchen stores, but why go through the expense?

DOUGH:

1 package dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup room temperature evaporated milk

1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs

Dissolve yeast in warm water, set aside. Mix evaporated milk, butter, vanilla and eggs in large mixing bowl. Gradually mix in yeast. Add salt, sugar and flour slowly to the mixture until a soft dough forms. Chill for at least one hour. You can prepare the filling while this chills.

FILLING:

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons flour

1 cup Crisco (not butter flavored, and no other brand of shortening works- BELIEVE ME.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sugar (fine granulated sugar works well)

Using a small saucepan on medium heat, mix milk and flour until it forms a soft ball. Stir constantly to avoid lumps. The mixture is completely ready when it sticks to itself and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and forms it's own ball. I cannot stress enough to MIX MIX MIX while it's boiling. Flour lumps are not welcome in this filling.

Allow mixture to cool completely. In a mixing bowl, add the Crisco, sugar and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until well combined. This process may take awhile, as the sugar should be beaten well to avoid gritty frosting. A stand mixer comes in handy here, as I've had to mix this for up to 15 minutes to get the right texture. The best way to check this is by tasting while it mixes.

Once the milk mixture is completely cool, add to Crisco and mix with electric mixer again until all ingredients are well combined. You should have a white, creamy filling.

You may add food coloring at this point if you wish, if I'm in the mood I'll tint some of the filling red and some of it green.

Store filling in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to start filling cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once dough has been chilled, divide it into fourths, working with only one portion at a time. Keep the dough in the fridge until you're ready to start rolling. Roll the dough on a floured surface until it is approximately 1/4-inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips. roughly 3/4-inch wide and 4 to 5 inches long.

Wrap the dough strips around the foil-wrapped pins, overlapping the dough enough so that it doesn't separate during baking.

Place cookies on baking sheet. I suggest using a silpat or parchment paper on your cookie sheet to avoid the cookies from browning too much on the bottom. These cookies should retain a soft and somewhat delicate texture once they are baked.

Repeat with remaining dough until all the cookies have been baked.

Use a pastry bag or a zip-lock fitted with a large tip (I like the large star) to fill the cookies. Squirt into each side of the cookie to ensure the cookies are filled throughout.

I have dipped the ends of the cookies into fine colored sugar for the holidays upon occasion, although it's totally unnecessary. You could also finely dust with confectioners sugar if desired, this looks especially festive if you tint your filling.

These cookies freeze wonderfully for the holidays.

A Very Merry Christmas to You!

Click on the following to open your Christmas card!

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=2007134554829&source=jl999

I'll Stop- I SWEAR!

Lately I've been swearing a lot. I can't determine what's caused this sudden rash of cursing, but it seems non-ladylike words have been rolling off my tongue with more ease than I care to admit.

I've always thought that people who swore in their daily conversations were either uneducated, undisciplined as a child, or just completely disrespectful of themselves and others around them. I wince any time someone drops the F bomb, as if they do not have an advanced enough vocabulary to be a little more descriptive. Like the 20-something long haired hipster at the gas pump beside me the other day. "Dude- it's F-n cold out today, man".

"Sure is" said I, concerned my son in the back seat may have heard him. Furthermore I was irritated that he referred to me as "dude" and "man".

I cannot stand when I hear teenagers and 20-somethings cuss like a backwoods hillbilly, especially the girls. I get particularly offended when I'm in public with my son and people talk with no regard to what they are saying and he's within earshot. I've even gone as far as addressing it with them, as was the case this past October when we were having dinner out.

This two-tone haired, excessively pierced couple was sitting behind us, and they got into a very loud argument that included words that might make a Marine Drill Sergeant blush. Todd and I looked at each other, with fervent hope that our son's innocent little ears did not hear and that his little brain didn't comprehend. (How do you explain to a six-year-old what "asshat" means, when you yourself are not too sure?)

Needless to say, after their last conversation which included no less that 128 words that I consider vulgar and inappropriate, I jumped up. I walked to their table and as calmly and politely as I could, asked them to tone it down, for the sake of the children in the room. Looking directly at his girlfriend, the boyfriend fired at her- "I told you that you were talking to F-n loud!". Um, yeah. That really worked. Then they saw my husband's face and it was shortly thereafter they left. Being black and looking angry works well for him.

So why, after chastising others and dreading the day I have to explain to my son that we do not use the F word, is it so easy for me to just let certain words leave my mouth without any hesitation? Now I will say I do NOT use the F word at all. I find it highly offensive and a prime example of one's ignorance. And kids who swear is bad, but adults who laugh at kids who swear need a swift kick in the ass. (Oops- there I go.)

Sometimes swearing, within the right company, can be funny. Like at a comedy club. Let's face it, Denis Leary just wouldn't be funny if he didn't swear all the time. Or when it's on a movie. Remember Back to the Future? "Hey you- keep your damn hands off her. Do I really have to swear?" "Yes, dammit George, swear". Now that was some funny stuff. And my husband often says things that just wouldn't be as amusing it it didn't contain a cuss word.

All this aside, I've caught myself asking "What the hell?" a lot lately. And when some jerk cut me off on Route 30 the other day, without any hesitation I yelled "You jackass!" Because I'm sure he heard me, right? (No, my son was not in the car this time.)

I don't believe in making New Year's resolutions, but this coming year I do resolve to be a little more conscientious of my language. Not that anyone can hear me when I'm alone in my office calling people names, but I need to do it so I can feel better about myself. I know I can find other words to use that are a little more original and a lot less obnoxious. I'm going on a profanity diet. Dammit, it's time.

Recipe of the Week; POTATO LATKES 101

My Mom made potato pancakes all the time when we were growing up. Slathered with applesauce and accompanied by a big glass of ice cold milk, a kid couldn't be more satisfied with their week day dinner. Not once did I consider how my frugal young Mother successfully fed us three children on a coal miners pay.

It was a generational trick- my Grandmother did the same thing. She successfully fed her seven children on a single- immigrant mother's dress factory pay. I trust her Mother did so as well, back in Poland where I suspect the basic potato latke (what we grew up calling a "pancake") recipe originated. Although I cannot guarantee this as fact, I've yet to research the history of a latke. Perhaps in another post.

My how times have changed. Try serving a plate of potato pancakes all by itself to my son for dinner and he'll look at me like I've lost my ever-loving mind. I can just hear him now. "Really, Mom? Where's the meat?" American children are so spoiled.

Latkes are simple. They're quite filling, and thanks to frozen shredded potatoes- a blessingly easy cinch to whip up. Perhaps Great-Grandmother would cringe at the frozen potatoes, but she didn't work 40 hours a week outside the home and have Cub Scouts, basketball games, and an impatient husband. Like I said, times have changed.

I wish you all, Jewish or not- A wonderful Hanukkah. Mazel tov!

2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes (or thawed, shredded potatoes in a bag)

2 tablespoons finely diced onion

3 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

oil for frying

Place potatoes, freshly shredded or thawed, in cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much water as possible.

Stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together in a medium bowl.

Over medium-high heat, heat oil until hot enough for even frying. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form patties approximately 1/2-inch thick. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other.

Allow to drain on paper towels. Serve with applesauce or sour cream.

Giving Thanks For The Unusual

It's tradition in many homes to gives thanks for the obvious on Thanksgiving. Your home, your health, your delicious dinner, and so on.

I too am thankful for all of those things, but I have a short list of other things that I am really thankful for, for various reasons. I'd like to share them, so in no particular order here they are:


1. Antacids. Heartburn is a constant friend of mine.

2. Police Academy Movies. (Except for the 6th one.) Whenever I need a laugh, all I have to do is think of one line from any of the first five movies and I can go on with my day. "What kind of clown do you think I am? A juggling clown?" Say no more.

3. Judy in accounting. Where, oh where, would I be without Judy? Probably in the unemployment line.

4. My Ped Egg. Without a doubt, one of man's best inventions since the telephone.

5. Hand Sanitizer Wipes by the carts at Wal-Mart. Oh, Wal-Mart! You think of everything!

6. Nachos. Because I have antacids.

7. The Internet. I don't know how we ever lived without it!

8. Ina Garten. Ina is undoubtedly one of the coolest people on the planet.

9. Stop signs. Need I explain?

10. Calculators. I could never do all that math on a piece of paper.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of graditude for the little things that often go unthanked!