Sunday Nightcap.

Tomorrow's a holiday, right?

Espresso Martini

Two versions.

Version 1:

1 1/2 oz. Stoli or other vodka
1 1/2 oz. strong coffee, chilled
3/4 - 1 oz. Kahlua*
splash Simple Syrup

Shake with ice until chilled. Strain into glass. Add lemon peel (optional).


Version 2:

1 1/2 oz. Stoli Vanilla
1 1/2 oz. strong coffee, chilled
3/4 - 1 oz. Kahlua*

Shake with ice until chilled. Strain into glass. Add lemon peel (optional).

*The reason this is inexact is because I usually aim for 3/4 and get 1 oz.

Christmas Dinner at the Ranch.

This year, I'm trying to make it easy on myself, so I'm cooking a roast that you roast for 1 hour then turn off for 3 hours, then turn the oven on again for 45 minutes and you're done. I haven't made it before but 433 reviewers on Food Network can't be wrong, can they?

Paula Deen's Foolproof Standing Rib Roast

Ina Garten's Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Now, technically, I won't be making the roasted sprouts because my oven will be full of lounging Rib Roast. So I will pan-roast them with olive oil and butter (cut the bottoms off of sprouts and cut in half) and minced garlic. Close the lid for 10 minutes or so over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then remove the lid until they are done to your liking (5-ish minutes) and you won't believe they are Brussels Sprouts - they are unbelievably good. Even if you make the recipe above, do yourself a favor and cut the sprouts in half. They cook differently and get all carmelly and scrumptious.

Once again, a can't-miss in the kitchen: Ina's Potato-Fennel Gratin

Likewise, since my oven will be otherwise occupied, I will be making parmesan-mashed potatoes. But I wouldn't steer you wrong. This gratin is outstanding. It will have you looking at fennel with a newfound love and respect. And use Gruyere, don't replace it with some lesser cheese. Your tastebuds will thank you.

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, Country Living

Since I am pretty much the only one who eats dessert (can you even believe that?), I will probably just make something I like. My favorite is pecan pie but this pie from Country Living sounds really good. The recipe only gets one star but it was from one review that seemed to be a joke. I will make homemade crust but I will use some shortening instead of all butter for a flakier crust. Also add a pinch of baking powder - it was my great aunt Tressa's secret for flaky crust. I will also take out the chopped pecans and use only whole pecans. How can I pick them off to eat only the filling otherwise?

If I am feeling generous, I will make Yorkshire pudding. They are very tasty with the roast.

So, what's on the menu for your Christmas or holiday dinner?

I Owe Gwyneth Paltrow An Apology.

When I first heard of GOOP, her blog, I was like, right. You're going to give me all your wisdom and sage advice on life now that you've given birth and won an Oscar and married a rock star, all while chewing on that silver spoon? Give me a break.

So I signed up for the newsletter because, really, how was I going to make fun of her if I didn't have some actual anecdotal evidence to provide the laughs? The problem is that I like her blog. And her recipes. And her recommendations for under-the-radar places to stay and to eat (fabulous if not overpriced for the average rabble) in the U.S. and abroad. However, I can honestly say she works out too much. Ha.

For instance, I want to make everything in her recent newsletter: grilled zucchini and bruschetta; slow-cooked tomatoes with fresh mozzarella... I mean, how good do those artichokes look? And I want to have lunch at Le Voltaire in Paris and eat avocado and grapefruit salad (one of my faves). I am not a vegetarian ( I was for years) but I eat mostly veggie food because that is what I love. (And while ice cream isn't vegan, it's totally vegetarian.)

Anyway, if you're interested for blog fodder or just interested, visit GOOP here.

Rethinking the Martini.

I am not alone in thinking today's martini is a travesty. Gin (or, forbid, vodka) on the rocks, strained, is not a martini. It's not even a cocktail. The person responsible for the idea of merely waving the vermouth bottle over the glass should be whacked on the head with it. Some attribute it to alcoholics like Hemingway who wanted their liquor strong. Others blame Prohibition and the lack of availability of vermouth and bitters.

James Bond's author, Ian Fleming, is credited with responsibility for the gin-bruising act of shaking, not stirring the cocktail (shaken is referred to as a Bradford). However, according to the Washington Post, one British study pops up every so often extolling the health benefits of a martini shaken, not stirred. Good and good for you - who knew?

While there's disagreement over the origin of its name (some believe Martini came from the brand of vermouth [Martini & Rossi used to be called Martini], while some believe the cocktail was created and named for a customer at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco on his way to Martinez, Calif.), most agree that the Martinez and the first martinis originally consisted of sweet vermouth and Old Tom gin with a dash of bitters.

The proportion of sweet vermouth to gin (4:1) changed over the years, eventually ending up with a 2 or 3:1 ratio in favor of gin. City folks began to favor adding dry vermouth instead of sweet for a more sophisticated flavor and thus the dry martini was born.

Another ingredient that is overlooked today is water. You shouldn't really freeze the liquor and glasses and shakers - the ice needs to melt slightly into the drink to smooth it out. I still prefer a chilled glass.

Also, the martini is always made with gin - Hendrick's, Plymouth, Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire and G'Vine Nouaison are good ones; Hayman's Distillers has resurrected Old Tom for the nostalgic. There are also higher end vermouths such as Noilly Prat and Dolin to try. If you prefer vodka as I do, you will be asking for a vodka martini. And you will need to get comfortable telling pompous martini purists to shut their pie holes. Now for the recipes:


The Perfect Martini

2 1/2 oz. gin (or vodka)
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
1-2 dashes aromatic bitters (optional)

Shake or stir with ice and strain into chilled glass. Run lemon peel around rim and twist into drink.


Classic Martini

1 1/2 oz. gin or vodka
1/2 oz. dry vermouth

Pour into ice-filled glass or shaker. Stir until very cold. Pour into chilled glass. Add olive.

I like to add a little olive juice (about 1/2-1 tsp.) for a dirty martini, depending on the size of the glass*. I use vodka and my preference is Stoli (I know, Stoli is so 80s) and I like to remove the pimento from Queen olives and stuff them with blue cheese. I have also found my personal preference in ratio is 2 1/2 parts vodka to 1/2 part vermouth, stirred and then shaken. Take that, 007.

The Post recommends trying a martini using Old Tom gin and sweet vermouth with a dash of bitters.

For some good recipes (including flavored martinis), click here. For all kinds of classic recipes, including the Classic Martini, the Martinez and Martinis Circa 1888 and 1900, go here to Drinkboy.

*Do not even get me started on the obscene size of today's cocktail glasses. That's an entirely different post.

Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams.

I fought the crowds the day after Christmas to get these saucer champagnes (on sale) for tonight. One of my all-time favorite cocktails is this Champagne-Grand Marnier Cocktail. I stole it from P.F. Chang's which is a lousy restaurant but their cocktails kick ass.

I always use Veuve Clicquot because I like it and it's what I tend to have on hand. But any brut should work. You can try it with Prosecco but that may be too sweet due to sugar content. Perhaps just remove the cube.

Champagne-Grand Marnier Cocktail

sugar cube
2-3 drops bitters
1 oz. Grand Marnier
3 oz. chilled champagne

First, rim a flute or saucer champagne glass with sugar (sanding or fine sugar is best) - run a half lemon or orange around the glass and dip in sugar. Put sugar cube in glass and add bitters. Next add Grand Marnier and top with chilled champagne. Delish! But it packs a punch so be warned. I have made up some of my best songs after a couple of these cocktails. And a particularly memorable phone call.

A variation on this cocktail is to use 1/2 oz. cognac and 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier.

I used to order champagne cocktails when I was young and I didn't know what to order. It's perfect for a night like tonight. Another favorite that I discovered this summer an elegant old classic, The Negroni.

The Negroni

1 oz. good gin
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. Campari

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass 3/4 filled with cracked ice. Add a splash of soda water if desired. Garnish with a half slice of orange.

I actually prefer to make it like a martini - shaken with ice until it's very cold and strained into a martini glass, without the soda, garnished with orange peel. If you like Campari and gin, you will love this.

What's your favorite cocktail recipe?

Be Safe. Don't Drink and Drive.

Christmas Balls Galore.

I am all about the balls at Christmas. I never realized to what degree. Yesterday I made Snowball Cookies (most well-known as Russian Tea Cakes) and Cocktail Meatballs to freeze and heat in sauce for Christmas day. The sauce sounds unusual combining chili sauce and grape jelly but I promise you it's good. I don't really eat red meat but it's a much-requested favorite.


Today I am going to make old-fashioned cocoa fudge (in squares!). It's not too creamy and has a richness new fudge lacks. It's what my mom made when I was a kid so I'm partial to it. It's on the Hershey's website here. Then I am making many other non-ball-shaped things including spinach and blue cheese phyllo pastries and Scotcharoos (Rice Krispie treats with peanut butter and butterscotch and a layer of chocolate - the kids love this). I am going to be absolutely rotund by the new year.

Pour Les Chiens.

My little furry people also love a treat. Here is a great dog cookie recipe that I got from the December issue of the about-to-be-defunct Country Living. I have tried quite a few, being the awesome dog mommy that I am and this recipe is definitely a keeper.

Yes, those are absolutely fire hydrant and kitty cookie cutters. If you're gonna do it, do it right.

Cheesy Dog-Bone Biscuits

4 oz. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Grated
4 Tablespoons Butter, softened and cut into about 16 pieces
3/4 cup All-Purpose Unbleached Flour (plus extra for rolling dough)
1/4 teaspoon salt (it calls for half but I reduced it)
I added about 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (dogs love it)
1 Tablespoon Half-and-Half (I needed a little more, about double)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine cheese, butter, flour and salt; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add half-and-half; process on low speed until dough forms a ball (add a little more half-and-half if ball doesn't form).

On a lightly floured surface (again, I used the large Silpat for rolling) using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough out to approx. 1/8-inch thick. Cut biscuits with a cookie cutter and transfer to an ungreased (Silpat- or parchment- covered) cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool.

The finished product: Puffy, golden, cheesy.

One happy customer:

My old girl. She'll be 15 in February.

Stella sat by the oven the entire time they were baking. My furry girls loved them and your dogs and your friends' dogs will love them, too!

Give Me Some Sugar.

This is the best recipe* for cut-out sugar cookies. It's from an old cookbook my aunt gave me many years ago called "Palette to Palate." Before we delve into the recipe, take a look at the Silpat on my much-loved cookie sheet.

Silpat is one of the seven wonders of France. It's a washable, reusable silicone pan liner for baking. Through some kind of scientific miracle, it withstands heat to prevent food from sticking and results in even browning. Many, many parchment trees will be saved due to my discovery of this wonder. So, many thanks to my darling, beloved Aunt Sharon for sending it to me. You are a rock star, baby. Onto the deliciousness:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Granulated or colored sugar
Extra powdered sugar for frosting

Note: Oh, yes, extra powdered sugar for frosting because there is not enough p. sugar already in this.

Combine flour, cream of tartar and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, cream 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and flavorings (vanilla, almond extracts - if you dislike almond extract or can't use it, double vanilla). Stir in the flour mixture. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours.

Divide dough into halves and shape into a large patty (it will seem hard but it softens up quickly). Roll each half about 3/16-inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board (I used another Silpat I have that is for rolling; you can also just use flour-covered waxed paper). Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired, or leave plain and decorate after baking.

Place on parchment (or Silpat) -lined cookie sheet. Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven until edges are lightly brown, only 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven; place on wire rack to cool.

If frosting is desired (I desire), just mix a cup of powdered sugar with a little milk until it is the proper consistency (unlike cake frosting, it will be thinner but not so thin it runs off the cookie). Sprinkle while frosting is wet.

Now, try very hard not to eat so many that you have to make another batch before the band concert which is where they are supposed to go. Enjoy!

*Technically, my mom makes the all-time best sugar cookies but they call for shortening and I just can't eat nearly as many thinking about all that shortening.

I O.D.'d on Pie.

Pecan pie, specifically. I ate so much on Thanksgiving that I couldn't eat a bite of pie. Well, I made up for it by eating mostly pie for the following 3 days and consumed almost 3/4 of the pie myself. Mmmmmmmmm.

I moved here almost six years ago during the holiday season. I was so excited to bring a little bit of the Midwest to the East Coast so I made cookies and cakes and pies (we are all about the dessert tray) and nobody touched a thing. Well, hardly a thing. Except me and my daughter. I wondered what was wrong with these people. Seriously. This family doesn't really like sweets. My youngest stepdaughter eats sweets (and cheese) almost exclusively but she doesn't really like homemade things, only processed, packaged sweets. It breaks my heart.

Our first Christmas here, my oldest stepdaughter and I made an apple pie. It was gorgeous and sky-high, with a flaky, homemade crust. She said, "What's wrong with it? Why is it so tall?" And nobody touched it. Everybody claimed they were too full from dinner but I think perhaps they didn't trust pie that didn't come from a box.

In subsequent years, I learned to restrain myself. I now make a couple of things my daughter and I like for treats and sometimes I don't even make dessert. It's just not right. I even make cake out of a box sometimes now because I know only two people will touch it and you don't want to eat the entire cake so it's less sad to toss out the remainder of a cake made from a box, right? Right?

My mother would disown me.

So, last year I made Red Velvet Cake for Christmas dessert. Every Red Velvet Cake recipe I found contains something like 2 cups of oil. It was disgusting. All I could think of was how moist it was because if you put a gallon of oil in it, it is going to have no choice but to be moist. And when you add a gallon of Red Dye No. 40, it will be red. And a little carcinogenic to boot.

But for today, I will be detoxing with Miso Soup. Ever since I discovered how easy this is to make with Dashi (dried Bonito Fish Soup Stock granules), it is my go-to lunch and pie detoxification program (and it only takes about 7 minutes to make fresh):

Miso Good For You

Shiro (Mild) Miso Paste

Hon-Dashi Soup Stock Granules

Dried Cut Wakame (Seaweed)

Miso Soup

3 T. Shiro (mild) Miso Paste
3 c. water
1 t. Hon-Dashi Soup Stock granules (you can use flakes and remove flakes after water simmers)
1/2-in. pieces silken (or firm) tofu
Dried wakame (seaweed)

Note: This recipe can be easily divided by 3 for a single serving.

Heat 3 c. of water to boiling. Before it boils, add the soup stock. When it begins to boil, remove from heat and add miso paste. Put back on burner at reduced heat and heat until dissolved - do not boil. Add pieces of tofu and broken pieces of dried seaweed. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to rehydrate seaweed. Top with scallions, if desired.

Spinachy goodness.

My stepdaughter is coming over tonight (from college) for her birthday dinner. She asked me to make spanakopita because she is veggie and it's her favorite. So, this is what I'll be making:

It is also one of my favorite things. You can freeze the leftovers and reheat in the oven and it tastes freshly made. Yum.

The recipe is from the Joy of Cooking All About Vegetarian cookbook. Find the recipe here.