Extreme Holiday Cookie Baking

(Jam Thumbprints)

I noticed that I am my at my happiest when I am able to be in my kitchen, cooking without interruptions. Alone with my thoughts and my hands rolling the dough, no sounds except the whir of the mixer and the hiss of the gas oven. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching my children and having them help on occasion, that is, when they are invited. So, since Tuesday was a school day for both of them, I decided to take some time for myself and indulge in softened butter and teaspoons of vanilla. Here are the fruits or I should say, the confections of my labor. Many of the following recipes can be found on http://www.valscapecodkitchen.com/ as they are almost all Val's recipes. The one that is not posted there, can be found below. I wish you Merry Baking!

(Pecan Balls)

(Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars, this time without nuts)

(Frosted Sugar Cookies)

(Coco Loco Brownies)

Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray, November 2008

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups sugar

1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups roasted almonds, chopped

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups shredded coconut

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (about 1/2 a can)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9"x13" baking dish and line crosswise with parchment paper allowing ends to hang over the edge.

In a large saucepan, cook the sugar and the butter over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until bubbling. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour, then the almonds. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly with a spatula. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup almonds and the chocolate chips.

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut, sweetened condensed milk and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spoon the coconut mixture in dollops over the surface of the batter. Bake until the coconut is golden brown and the brownie layer is just set in the center, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting. Makes about 16 bars.

Ode to Kathy

Hostess extraordinaire, beer bully, travel agent, tour guide, translator.
I think this only explains a small facet of Kathy. To truly understand how she made our trip to Europe fantastic, here it is in a nutshell:
First off, there were the emails. Back and forth about what we might like to do once we got to her apartment in Luxembourg which would serve as our home base for six days. Ultimately, she came up with a great plan that included wine tasting in France, a tour of Bastogne, Belgium and a quick trip to Trier, Germany. Not to mention all the other fun stuff peppered in between.
Kathy met us in Pisa, Italy where we all melted from the heat. After visiting the cathedral next to the leaning tower, she claimed it was "Time for a beer and a gelato!" This may seem benign but it was 10:00am! Lunch and dinner included lots of wine ordered and translated by Kathy complete with hand signals to illustrate the requested size " Una grande Picher de vino"...numerous ones. Needless to say, I woke up with a bit of a headache. I needed to learn how to pace myself.
Once we arrived in Luxembourg for the next leg of our trip, "Shall we get a drink before we go out?" or "Let's stop for a beer." Thankfully there were two sizes available. Kathy and Rob always ordering "Grande" and I got what looked like a kid's size in comparison.
After a delicious meal at a local Asian restaurant and numerous "GRAND pichers de vin rouge" (by the way, even if she doesn't speak the language, and she doesn't, she still manages to get anyone to understand that she wants wine and lots of it) and a sake in a rated "x" shot glass, I tumbled into a very comfortable bed after cleaning up in my own bathroom. Pure Luxury.
Sleeping late in the morning and waking up to coffee and an offer to go to the local pastry shop for breakfast, this is my kind of vacation. We were off on a car trip chauffeured by Kathy and her GPS. The car was already set up with snacks, wine, water, soda, napkins, you name it. Like I said before, hostess extraordinaire.
The Thomases mini bagels and the People Magazine with the Clay Aiken coming out story that we brought will never be enough to thank her for the wonderful memories and great times we spent in Europe together. Thanks, Kathy. You made our vacation!