Holiday Cooking & Baking

  Tom kicked off the season with a veggie lasagna:

 Actually two. The one pictured above was made with what was leftover and was heavy in fresh spinach. Tom said it's not a true lasagna (though it does use the noodles).

 But this one is the real thing. It's got all kinds of veggies it in. Part of the purpose was to use up vegetables that we had frozen for later use. They're all in there! That was our main meal on Christmas Day.

  Yesterday I made another "no knead" bread. It's nice that it can be quickly put together in a bowl and then left for the day. I do two  rises but they're probably unnecessary. I made it only a month go (click here). This time I got a lighter crust even though I used the broiler on high to brown it.

 To brown the top more I sat it on the pan I made it in, placed upside down in the oven to get it closer to the broiler element.

 The texture is perfect.  I love the crusty top that's has a nice chew. We had some cherry preserves from France that was a gift and it capped off our breakfast just perfectly.

 And two days ago I made a batch of snickerdoodles ...

 I don't remember making  them before and I don't know where I found the recipe. My grandmother first made them in the late 1950's (maybe early 1960's) and she was so proud of them: soft and chewy with an unusual taste. They're heavy in cinnamon, of course, but I wonder if the cream of tartar isn't what provides the special taste?

 My friend, Karen McKinney, uses a different recipe that she says "never fails me". I'll try it next time:

SNICKER DOODLES

1 cup shortening

2-3/4 cups flour
2 eggs  (well beaten)
1-1/2  cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teas. salt

Cream shortening & eggs together good.  Add sugar & vanilla till smooth.
Add cream of tartar- soda & salt to flour & add to mixture.  Roll in balls about walnut size.
Mix equal parts sugar & cinnamon together to dip balls in.
Bake 350°  on ungreased cookie sheet about 15 minutes.

 In any case, we've had some fine desserts and food in the past month or so.