Almond Jewels

Every December, I make lots of cookies to share with friends and family. Due to this year's pandemic, I might not make as many cookies, but I will still enjoy the ones that I do make. Mom has a separate recipe box devoted just to cookies, so I can always find something to try out. These Almond Jewels are a hit. 

The recipe is a basic shortbread that gets dressed up with sliced almonds. Shortbread is a quick cookie to make because the entire batch is made in one pan as a sheet, then cut into the desired size after baking. When I made this batch, I cut some jumbo cookies and some bite-size cookies. No matter what size you cut the cookies, they will disappear fast because they are so delicious.

Almond Jewels 

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Heat over to 300. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in egg. Add flour and mix well. Spread in a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with almonds; press almonds lightly into the dough. Bake at 300 for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

Turkey with Cornmeal Dumplings

After Thanksgiving, you might have more leftover turkey than you know what to do with. Here is a terrific recipe for leftover turkey. Now, there are some people who see no reason to make something out of the leftover turkey when you can just enjoy the turkey as is. But then you might never try the tasty recipe. 

This recipe makes a thick stew that is a bit like Thanksgiving in a bowl--turkey, cornbread, and gravy. Next time that I make this recipe, I might add some chopped celery for more Thanksgiving flavor. The dumplings are made by dropping in spoonfuls of batter into the soup base. My first few attempts did not result in dumplings, but later attempts did result in good-sized dumplings.

Turkey with Cornmeal Dumplings 

• 3 cubes chicken bouillon dissolved in 2 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/3 cup flour blended with 1/2 cup cold water
• 3 cups cubed cooked turkey
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup flour

Over medium heat, stir dissolved bouillon and blended flour until thickened. Add turkey. Stir together well cornmeal, baking powder, salt, poultry seasoning, egg, milk, and flour. Drop by tablespoon into gently simmering sauce. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. Enjoy!

Apple Slices

Apple Slices are a Chicago bakery standard. They are a variation on double-crust apple pie, but baked in a sheet pan and topped with glaze. The result is somewhat closer to cookie bars than pie. My favorite memory of apple slices are at Little Bohemia Restaurant. Every meal included soup, delicious rye bread, a main course, two sides, and a dessert. Grandpa usually got the apple slice dessert or, sometimes, the peach slice.

This treat could be made with just about any filling. Apple is the most common filling, but you can find peach, pumpkin, cherry, and many other varieties. When I made this batch, I did take a shortcut by using canned apple pie filling. If you have time and fruit available, you can make your own filling.

Apple Slices 

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 21-ounce can apple pie filling

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. milk (more or less)

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until crumbs form. In a measuring cup, combine water, egg yolks, and lemon juice; pour over flour mixture. Blend with a fork. The dough will be moist. Press half of the dough into a 13x9 jelly roll pan, using fingers or a small roller to push dough to cover the pan. Cover the dough with the pie filling. Roll out other half of dough on a floured surface. Carefully place dough over the pie filling and pinch edges. Cut several slits into the top dough for steam vents. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Allow to cool.

Make the glaze by blending the ingredients together. Vary the amount of milk to get the right consistency. Spread glaze over the apple slices. Allow glaze to harden. Slice into 2 or 3 inch squares. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Prizes

During Fall, pumpkin-based products pop up everywhere. Recently I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box, so I had to give it a try. These cookies are delicious and amazingly soft. I highly recommend these cookies. This recipe makes dozens of cookies, so you will have plenty to share and still eat many on your own. And, as an added bonus, your house will smell amazing after baking these cookies.

I did not have pumpkin pie spice on hand, but it is easy enough to make your own. For this recipe, I add more spice than what is called for by using 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice. You can easily vary the spices to suit your taste.

Pumpkin Prizes 

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugars thoroughly. Add eggs. Beat well. Stir in pumpkin. Sift together dry ingredients; mix with creamed mixture. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet. Bake 350 for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy!

Chicken Congee

Congee is a rice porridge that is quite versatile. Some recipes cook the rice much longer so that it breaks down more, and some recipes add more water for a more soupy consistency. When I was in China, congees were often served for breakfast (comparable to oatmeal) with salted duck eggs.

When I made this dish, I used basmati rice, but any type of rice would work, just adjust the cooking time accordingly. Also, I used boneless chicken, but you could use bone-in chicken removing the bones as you shred the chicken. There are many variations of congee, mostly savory. Next time, I might try a sweet variation with ginger and fruit or honey.

Chicken Congee

• 1 pound chicken
• 5 cups water
• 1 cup rice
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 4 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• black pepper, to taste

Place the chicken in a large pot and add the water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes minute, until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from the water. Bring the water back to a boil, add rice, return to boil. Then, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Meanwhile, shred the cooked chicken. Add shredded chicken, green onion, ginger paste, sesame oil, and ground black pepper. Enjoy!

Marbled Cookies

I recently made these cookies for a classic Saturday night at Mom's house. Luckily the weather was pretty good, so we spent time outside. It was fun to see many of the nieces and nephews and just hang out. The current family dynamics were on full display with some sibling rivalries resulting in rough housing that fortunately did not result in injury despite multiple close calls.

These cookies are classic butter cookies with vanilla and chocolate dough twisted together. The dough is quite basic. Like most butter cookies, the dough can require some manipulation and needs to be refrigerated before baking. The resulting cookie has a marbled mix of chocolate and vanilla. Like most butter cookies, these are nicely crisp.

Marble Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 tsp. flour
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until fluffy. Gradually stir in the flour until well blended. Divide dough in half. With hands, work cocoa into half dough until well blended. Using both hands, roll each half of the dough into an 18 inch rope. Twist the ropes together; fold in half to form a 9 inch rope and shape into a smooth rope. Wrap airtight and chill for several hours or overnight. Cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place one inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 to 14 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Saucepan Oatmeal Cookies

When the weather is too warm to turn on the oven but you still want cookies, give these cookies a try. They are easy and quick to make on the stovetop and taste a bit like a peanut butter cup. The cookies need to cool and set for one to two hours before being stacked or stored, but can be eaten while still warm. Also, these cookies freeze well and only need a few minutes out of the freezer to be ready to eat. 

I used peanut butter when I made this batch. In the future, I might try another nut butter such as almond or cashew butter for a different flavor. The corn syrup gives the cookies a bit of shine and sweetness. I think the amount of sugar can be reduced a bit, but will be just as good with a little less sugar.

Saucepan Oatmeal Cookies 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups oats
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup 

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and cocoa; stir in milk. Add butter. Bring mixture to boiling; boil vigorously for three minutes. Stir in oats, peanut butter and corn syrup. Return to boil. Remove from heat; stir until slightly thickened. Immediately drop by teaspoon onto wax paper. Cool. Enjoy!