Holiday Shortbread

Picture it: Rich, buttery shortbread, the edge dipped in smooth-as-silk milk chocolate, and lightly rolled in chopped pistachios.

To top off the cuteness of this dainty cookie, imagine this single-serving shortbread served in its own tiny teacup.

Was it Martha Stewart? Ina Garten? How about Paula Deen?

Nope. None of the above. Try my sweet mother-in-law.

Kathy is a sensational baker. She taught me the golden rule of baking: butter and margarine are most certainly not interchangeable. My life changed pretty drastically (for the better) after Kathy welcomed me into her bag of baking tricks.

Every year at Christmas she sends Adam and I home with a tin of her seasonal treats, and Adam knows to keep his hands off the chocolate-dipped shortbread. Simple, sweet, and oh-so-butterific, those little shortbread cookies are all mine.

Last month, Kathy put a creative twist on her holiday shortbread and converted them into favors for her soon-to-be niece's wedding shower. These sweet little tea cups sat at each place-setting, begging attendees to sink their teeth into the buttery goodness.

Make these cookies for your holiday cookie plates, and your neighbors and co-workers will certainly beg for more. They likely won't believe the cookie itself has only three ingredients. In lieu of pistachios, you can roll them in red and green sprinkles, toasted pecans, or whatever your heart desires.

Trust me: the old Girl Scout shortbread impostor "Trefoils" have nothing on Kathy's famous cookies.

Kathy's Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread

(from Miss Kathy herself)

Forget those long, complicated holiday cookie ingredient lists. These shortbread cookies are small on ingredients and big on taste. Hey--you can't go wrong with butter and sugar, right?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened (NO substitutes!)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 - 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• Milk chocolate chips
• Optional: crushed pistachios, crushed pecans, sprinkles, and/or other toppings

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Gradually add in flour. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes.

3) Pat into a 1/3 inch rectangle, 11 x 18 inches. Cut into small rectangles of your desired size (for Kathy's Christmas version, she does 2" by 1" rectangles). Place about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet and prick each cookie with a fork. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until bottom begins to lightly brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

4) For dipping: Gently melt milk chocolate in a double boiler (I used one 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips). Dip one half of each cookie in the milk chocolate and sprinkle with nuts or sprinkles (or nothing at all if you'd like!). Place on wax paper to cool completely.

Ga Ga for Goat Cheese

Cinnamon. Pecan. Goat Cheese.

Oh, yes I did.

Yesterday I made myself a little snack that, incidentally, could also serve as an impressively festive appetizer for a holiday party.

I already disclosed the secret ingredient: Cinnamon-Pecan seasoned goat cheese. Holy yum. I mean, what doesn't go well with goat cheese? On second thought, don't answer that. Just know that cinnamon and pecans go with it really well.

On top of my goat cheese slather you'll find the festive portion of the dish: bright red, dried cranberries, and chopped pistachios. 'Tis the season for holiday color coordination.

Perhaps the best part of this little treat was the crazy accessibility of the Cinnamon-Pecan goat cheese. No, I didn't pick it up at a quaint little gourmet food shop. I didn't even find it at Giant Eagle. I discovered this little gem of a cheese at Aldi--the low-price, do-it-yourself mini grocery store. (PS--I also picked up a few rounds of seasonal Brie...oh goodness yes).

Adam returns from his manly hunting trip tomorrow, so I'll try to have a plate of these goat cheese dream boats waiting for him in the fridge. Let's just hope he's as ga ga for goat cheese as I am.

What's your favorite dish to take to a holiday party?

Pistachio & Cranberry Appetizers

(aka "Goat Cheese Dream Boats")

Ingredients:

• one whole grain baguette, sliced
• a little Smart Balance
• Cinnamon-Pecan Goat Cheese (if you don't have any on hand, trust your foodie instinct and mix some up yourself!)
• Dried cranberries
• Chopped pistachios

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spread the top of each baguette slice with a little Smart Balance (or other non-hydrogenated vegan margarine). Toast in oven for about 5 - 7 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Spread each slice with goat cheese and sprinkle with cranberries and pistachios.

Kitchen Cabinet Finds

On Tuesday evening I got the urge to clean out kitchen cabinets.

You know how it happens: you're searching for that single obscure item you know is hidden somewhere in your stash (in my case, a pouch of dried apricots). Before you know it, you've emptied the entire contents of your cabinet onto the counter, and you're re-discovering ingredients you had long-forgotten you purchased.

After discarding an expired box of prunes and an ancient can of sweetened condensed milk, I was left with the good fortune of two cabinet items I didn't even know I had: a bag of pistachios (score!) and a jar of roasted red peppers (super lucky).

Now the fun begins--what recipe could I create with these bonus delicacies hidden in my cabinet? When all else fails, I turn to a hearty grain as a base, add some unique mix-ins, and stir in a homemade vinaigrette. Voila! A healthy lunch for the next day was ready to go.

As a side note, I hope you all had a beautiful food-filled Thanksgiving! I enjoyed plenty of garlic mashed potatoes, apple-onion stuffing, sweet potatoes with pecans, and Chocolate-Pecan Pie. The best part of the day, however, was spending it surrounded by my family.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory from this year?

Bulgur with Roasted Red Pepper, Pistachios, and Cilantro Pesto

(Inspired by a Cooking Light recipe)

This is a super light and healthy vegan salad. Pack in tupperware for your lunch at work, or bring it to a holiday potluck--it's red and green colors will fit right in :)

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked bulgur
• 2 cups low-sodium broth (veggie or chicken)
• a little olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped pistachios

Cilantro Pesto Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
• 3 TBSP fresh, chopped parsley
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• a dash of salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1) In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add bulgur, remove from heat, cover saucepan and set aside.

2) In a small skillet, heat a dash of olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and saute until just softened, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

3) Place all of the cilantro pesto ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth, and season to taste.

4) In a large bowl, combine bulgur, onion, and bell peppers. Stir in pesto until evenly coated, then stir in pistachios.