The Best Christmas Cookie You Aren't Baking

The cookie swap is a cool new thing to do with a bunch of ladies. Everyone brings a ton of cookies and their recipes to a party, and then you divide up the cookies amongst yourselves! And you go home with even MORE cookies than you brought (miracle), and you eat them uncontrollably for days, putting yourself in a prolonged state of hyperglycemia! (Nutrition term for... back away from the cookies.)

Anyway... there were PLENTY of fantastic cookies to choose from (and I did, multiple times). Here were some of my favorites:

• Peppermint Bark Chocolate Chip
• No-Bake Oatmeal PB Chocolate
• Chewy Molasses Crinkles
• Snickerdoodles
• Classic Sugar
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls (NOT Buckeyes)
• Chocolate Mint
• Oatmeal M&M
• Pretzel Snaps with a Hershey's Kiss and an M&M (especially addicting)

 The cookies I baked for the swap are a recent favorite in my family. We love them for three reasons:

1. They only take about 30 minutes, start-to-finish.
2. They are SO DELICIOUS!!!
3. They are wheat-free... for the glutard in your life- love ya Mom!

 So do something wonderful for you and your loved ones this holiday season... bake Flourless Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies (affectionately known as Peanut Butter Bombs). You probably have all of the ingredients already in your house!

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Flourless Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

1 egg

1 1/3 cup sugar, divided

1 tsp vanilla

Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped (dark chocolate is best!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet.
2. Combine peanut butter, egg, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla in mixing bowl and stir well.
3. Roll small dough balls in remaining sugar to coat. Place on baking sheet and bake 12 minutes.
4. When removed from oven, immediately top each with a Kiss. Wait 4-5 minutes until Kiss is melted, then smooth down with a knife or back of a spoon.

Yield: 18 cookies

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You simply MUST bake these! (Unless you are allergic. Duh.)

Special thanks to Mrs. Karen Bassett for hosting the Cookie Swap! Your Molasses Crinkles were to-die-for!

The Making of a Bagel Snob

Last weekend I took a very necessary get-away to one of my favorite local resorts... the home of my favorite New Hampshire residents- Reuben, Karen, and Josie. R & K are my brother and sister-in-law's best friends from college, and now they are my "fam away from fam" here in New England. These two are quite the foodies, with Reuben co-owning a happenin' burrito joint, and Karen roasting her own coffee, baking homemade breads, and canning food like it's going out of style. Spending time with Reuben, Karen, and their 6-month-old, Josie, is always relaxing and delicious, and this past weekend was no exception.

"I wish I had teeth so I could eat bagels!"

 Karen decided to wow me once again with her baking skills... she made homemade bagels! (Who does that?!) Lots of commercial bagels are nothing more than circular bread, and there really isn't anything exciting about that. True bagels are boiled before they are baked in the oven, creating that nice, shiny, chewy outside. Karen followed this recipe, which I will highlight below...

All of the hard work was already done... just like magic!

Because Karen is awesome, two days prior to my arrival, she made the homemade dough and let these bagel beauties rise. (I honestly don't know exactly what she did to make the dough, and I don't really care to know, because leaving it a mystery is much more intriguing.) So the bagel dough lying neatly on this tray is what I saw on Saturday morning, ready to go! Next, we boiled them in a magical potion for a minute!

Boil the bagels in water and baking soda. Because it's magic.

During boiling, the bagels puffed up a little, and then we pulled 'em outta the water and topped them with fun things... like kosher salt, cinnamon and sugar, and a great grainy mix. Dog Moose (one of the Top Three Best Dogs in the World) wanted in on the action, too...

Even Moose was excited for Bagel Saturday!

"Seriously, give me a bagel. Staring and smelling is just annoying."

 After we topped them, we stuck them in the oven for about 10 minutes. That's it. And when that oven door opened, out came the most fantastically chewy, tender, flavorful bagels I've ever tasted! I LOVED THESE BAGELS! Our unanimous favorite flavor was topped with cinnamon, sugar and salt... and we spread them with some homemade cream cheese. It tasted a bit like a yogurt. (Serious points to Reub and Karen for attempting a homemade cheesy spread of their very own!)

I don't want you anymore, Panera. Not with these in town.

So, it's official... I'm now a bagel snob. I will never again eat another bagel unless it is freshly boiled and baked minutes prior to me eating it. Don't waste my time, Panera... I don't need you!
I really can't say I will try this recipe on my own... I worry it might be too challenging for a baking non-enthusiast to do alone (without Karen) and it just won't be as good... so this bagel moment remains a delicious memory. A chewy, sweet, salty, warm memory. I'm okay with keeping it that way!

Empty Bowls- A Community Food Event

Lunch on Saturday made me feel good from the inside out. The concept was simple: students, artists, and everyone in between donated handmade bowls to The Community Kitchen, a local soup kitchen in Keene... local restaurants and chefs donated big batches of their best soups... the public was welcome to purchase a bowl and partake in an all-you-care-to-enjoy scrumptious soup lunch. The sweetest ending is that all of the proceeds from the lunch will go to the hungry and needy in our local community!

Step 1: Choose a bowl.

Some bowls cost $5... some cost $70!

Mine's the blue one in the front... made by Cam, grade 7.

Step 2. Go through the soup line and taste all the soup!

Step 3. Go back for a bowl of your favorite... and don't forget dessert!

My taste buds were too overwhelmed to remember to vote for my favorite soup. No soup was boring... the selection included:

• Vermont Cheddar Ale (Winner of People's Choice Award... tasted like fondue!)
• Pumpkin Cider Bisque
• Butternut Squash with Ginger (2nd place Overall Winner... made by Luca's restaurant)
• White Bean and Fennel
• Vegan Cream of Corn (this one was actually one of my faves... it had a very fresh, light, corny taste)
• Roasted Eggplant and Potato Leek
• Corn Chowder with Bacon (personal favorite of Emily, Kelly, and Heather) 
• Chicken Tortilla (1st Place Overall) 

Fresh bread was served to every table, along with apple cider or pomegranate tea to drink and your choice of a killer cake; Pumpkin (pictured above), Apple Spice with Chocolate Chips (aka "War Cake"), or Banana.

I just loved this event. It was wonderful to see people of all ages and walks of life gathering together over fabulous food for a good cause!

Restaurant Review- Getting Fritzy

After a long first day of my community rotation this past Tuesday, fellow interns Emily, Fionna and I knew exactly where we'd be spending our Friday night... Fritz- The Place To Eat. This restaurant, located in downtown Keene, offers a relatively simple menu of Belgian-style fries with gourmet dipping sauces (winner of multiple Best Fries of New Hampshire awards), panini, salads, and burgers.  To drink, choose from an impressive selection of New England microbrews, wine, and homemade soda. Most of the ingredients on the menu are produced locally, including the potatoes used to make their fantastic fries. Fritz has a cozy feel, and offers live music on Thursdays (acoustic night) and Fridays. Fries, beer, and music was a fantastically satisfying way to end our week! (With the addition of chocolate, but more on that later.)

All three of us ordered the same sandwich (go figure, doesn't that always happen with girls?) We had the falafel panini, served in a warmed pita with garlic, onion, lettuce, cilantro, and tahini. Now... I won't lie to you, it wasn't as good as falafel I've had at Pita Cabana Grill in State College, but it was surely a tasty treat. The fries and dipping sauce are the real star here. Fritz knows its diners can't choose just one sauce, so they offer a 3-sauce combo. We chose Curry Pineapple, Lemon Dill, and Rosemary Garlic. These sauces will NOT disappoint! I'm sure even Bobby Flay would approve. Other tantalizing sauces include Peanut Satay, Chipotle Ketchup, and an imported Fritessaus from Holland.

My brew of choice... Long Trail, Harvest, a brown ale made in Vermont

Falafel sandwich, with vine-ripened tomatoes and a tasty tahini

Seriously awesome fries

Our musical act for the evening was a trio named the Folky Folks. We had a front row seat for this folky goodness.

I heart local folk music.

I would certainly recommend Fritz for a casual, quality dining experience. Especially if you are a lover of fries, like me! Now a few hours after our food was devoured and good conversation exhausted to the background of the Folkies, we reached a unanimous decision, time for dessert! We hopped down the street for a more upscale, intimate venue.

Chocolate Pyramid (of love)

Luca's Mediterranean Cafe is located in Keene's center square. What a perfect restaurant for a romantic date! (Or, a late dessert, if you are 3 girls whose boyfriends live in Washington, Michigan, and Texas!) Each sweet treat was perfect in its own way: the Creme Brulee, Cognac Pumpkin Cheesecake, and my personal favorite, the Chocolate Pyramid. (If you click the link to Luca's above, the three dessert photos at the top are the three we selected- we must have good taste!)

Thanks for joining me on our first Restaurant Review! If I am ever hungry again after tonight, there may be more to come...

With love- Lentils. xoxo.

It's snowing today!

What a perfect opportunity to share an inspiration for a yummy lentil soup. Lentils are a scrumptious, high-protein, easy, and versatile legume that you simply must try. I was so in love with this concoction, I even ate it for breakfast the next morning before work at the high school cafeteria. At 5:30 am. And you know what, it kept me full much longer than a bowl of cereal does!

I used brown lentils, which tend to hold their shape more than red or orange lentils. First, I sauteed diced onion, celery, and carrot (if you want to be snooty, you can call that 'mirepoix,' pronounced "meer-pwah") along with garlic on medium heat for a few minutes. I added in about a cup or more of chopped mushrooms. Next, one of the crucial ingredients... 1/4 cup red wine. Let that simmer uncovered for 3-5 minutes... you will be glad you did! Then, I added in my next crucial ingredient... 1 tablespoon maple syrup! That bit of New Hampshire's maple goodness brought through just a teeny bit of sweetness that changed the flavor composition of the whole pot. I added about 3 cups of vegetable stock, and about 1 cup of lentils (rinse those first). Simmer and simmer for about 1 hour. The good thing about brown lentils is they cook in basically 20 minutes, so you don't have to let the soup simmer for an hour if you don't have the time. Before you dig in... stir in handfuls of torn fresh spinach leaves. (Or cooked collard greens, if so inspired!) Oooo my is this one tasty and amazingly healthy soup!

So steamy!

Last week was a special week, 1) because I made this soup and ate it for breakfast; and 2) it was my friend and fellow intern Fionna's birthday; and 3) it was Pumpkin Fest here in Keene! Any special week (and any week at all, really) calls for one of my all-time favorite snacky snacks, Sugared Walnuts. I got this recipe from my mom, but she makes it with pecans. (Pecans are not my favorite nut. And I also don't like that they can be pronounced 2 very different ways. But feel free to use them if you so desire!) Some of the interns had a birthday party for Fionna and pumpkin carving party last week, so I made a batch. They vanished. Here's the recipe:

Sugared Walnuts
Beat 2 egg whites until frothy. Add 1 tablespoon water, beat in. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp salt. Toss 1 lb walnuts in the egg white mixture and toss to coat. Then, toss egg-y walnuts in the sugar mixture, stir to coat. Spread nuts on a greased baking pan, and bake at 275 degrees F for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

YUMYUMYUMYUMYUM

I hope you enjoy these tasty fall treats. Both have helped feed my body and brain through the first 9 weeks of my internship! Tomorrow is my last day of my food service rotation. This week I have been waking up at 4:00 am to get to work at a preschool nutrition site in Manchester! (Note- human beings were NOT meant to wake up at 4 am for anything, especially work, which is perhaps why I accidentally missed my alarm by 2.5 hrs and was significantly late today. Oops.)


Next week, I move into many months of my community rotation, until I start clinical in April. More adventures to come! Now go cook something delicious!

What's so great about spinach, anyway?

I tried cooking a new vegetable! Collard greens! 


(I realize I just lost half of the people who visited my blog. But hang with me.  At least look at the pictures.)


Spinach is my go-to green. It's quick to cook, light in flavor, and many brands come triple-washed in bags. Sounds like a health-conscious cook's BFF... but what about all of the other greens? After all, I haven't given many of them a fair chance: mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, arugula, Swiss chard, kale, escarole. Enter, collard greens. I found a bag of triple-washed and pre-chopped collard greens at Hannaford (my grocery store in NH) for a tad cheaper per pound than spinach. So I gave it a shot... and you know what? I liked it!


Now, this was a trial-by-error cooking experience for me, a collard greens newbie. The typical preparation involves tons of butter, something called a ham hock, and half a day. Going for something simple, I tossed in a few handfuls of greens to some already-cooked brown rice, black beans and onion, wishing for it to nicely wilt like my trusty ol' spinach. Well... it just doesn't cook like that. These greens are tougher, and require more time on the heat than spinach. My first attempt was pretty crunchy.


On day 2, I decided to give my greens a little more TLC. I heated about 1 tsp of garlic basting oil (from Wegmans) on medium-heat, and sauteed chopped onion and more garlic for about 5 minutes, until brown. I added 2 big handfuls of greens, seasoned with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. I covered the greens (as recommended on the bag... I'm not above following instructions) and let them cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. The result was quite lovely; texture- al dente, taste- mellow.

They don't look too scary, right?

Now, I'm not about to call myself the collard greens cooking expert. In fact, I'll even point you toward Paula Deen's recipe if you want to see a more traditional preparation. But because I'm not sure when I might have "neck bone" on hand, my lighter saute was just what I needed on a cool fall day. I ate them in peace, along with a bowl of spaghetti squash marinara!

Pasta Imposta. (Say it like you're from New England.)

Looks like pasta, doesn't it? Well it isn't! It's squash! I put the entire squash in the oven (got the idea from The Pioneer Woman) @ 375 for about 50 minutes, scraped out the flesh with a few forks, and topped with my favorite jarred chunky basil marinara sauce. Woulda been better with cheese... didn't have any in the fridge this time. You can use some freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano when you make this yourself.


I hope my first attempt at collard greens will inspire you to try something new... especially if it's dark, leafy, and green!


Until next time!

Six weeks in!

Hello and hello, welcome to my blog!

Well folks, believe it or not, I have been living in Keene, New Hampshire for six weeks now. My home for the next year. Why Keene? I am completing a dietetic internship through Keene State College. It's a post-grad nutrition program that will lead me to get my Registered Dietitian license. I'll complete a series of rotations within the specialties of food service, community, and clinical nutrition... gaining all kinds of experience along the way.

Right now, I am in the middle of my food service rotation. I'm working at a local high school, learning  about what goes in to feeding kids in the public school system each day. It is giving me a lot to think (and dream) about how I want to use my knowledge and experiences to influence this powerful food system. After all... that's why I'm here!

And just like that, I am six weeks into my program. Over the next year, I will not only be super-busy with my rotations, classes, homework, and internship projects, but also taking advantage of this amazing part of New England! And the best way to enjoy a new place is, of course, to eat your way through it.

I hope this blog becomes a showcase of wonderful things tasted, cooked, baked, seasoned and enjoyed. Thanks for joining me in this new adventure!

Speaking of adventures... some of my fellow interns and I hiked Mt. Monadnock today. It was beautiful! Here's a view from the top. (Kelly W, Emily, me, Jo-Ann, Heather, and Kelly B)