Lime Meltaways

I think I confessed last year right around Christmas baking season that my Type A personality shines like rock star. I love to premake as many of the cookie doughs as possible and refrigerate them all because it's just so happy to bake cookies on a day when there aren't mixers and dishes cluttering the sink and dishwasher.  Starting an early morning baking session with clean countertops, an empty dishwasher and refrigerated dough is happiness indeed.   These lime meltaways are an ultra easy and perfect dough to make ahead and stash in the fridge or even the freezer and they bake up in almost no time at all.  There's something about powdered sugar covered treats that can take you right back to childhood.

The recipe is mostly unaltered from Martha Stewart's original--I only added a second toss in powdered sugar because I found that coating the cookies while still warm was essential for the powdered sugar to stick, but also moistened it a bit so they cookies didn't look so white and powdery.  The second coating just adds a dry layer of white powdered sugar.

Lime Meltaways
from Martha Stewart Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

1. Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.
2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.
3. Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with 2/3 cup powdered sugar in a resealable plastic bag. 
5. When completely cooled, add remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar to bag and toss cookies again. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

After the Coma

Hard to believe another Thanksgiving has come and gone already.  A few pics for the family....

Sis did a phenomenal job on the bird--eighteen pounds is a lot of turkey.  Sis also made an artichoke, brie and spinach dressing with a parmesan topping.  Think spinach artichoke dip in dressing form.  Recipe can be found on the Food Network Site. 

I made a pecan(lost the pecans somewhere in this kitchen) macadamia pie and a pumpkin swirl cheesecake with caramel topping.  And while we are all too stuffed to grab dessert for a bit, someone else wasn't...

Dinner, schminner.  Sometimes a girl just needs cheesecake. 

Atta girl....as long as it's mommy's camera. :)  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you a beautiful and happy Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and the many blessings of His gracious provision.   xoxo ~Mary

Pumpkin Mochi

Pumpkin mochi is probably pretty far from traditional Thanksgiving food, but in a country that celebrates being a melting pot of diversity, it only seems appropriate to throw in a more ethnic recipe for a national holiday such as Thanksgiving. My mom always made the full turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy Thanksgiving dinner each year and right there next to the corn casserole was always a big platter of her oft requested spring rolls. We grew up thinking they were supposed to be served at each holiday meal.  My BIL requested that my sister make spring rolls this year because it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them and I would have to agree.  

All that to say that a little less than traditional item is a fun thing to throw onto the Thanksgiving table.   Mochi might  never replace pumpkin pie, but is a great additional dessert to set next to the pumpkin pie. The butter and milk add an ultra creaminess to the chewy mochi.

And just like the chocolate coconut mochi I made last month, pumpkin mochi is super easy and quick to throw together.  

Pumpkin Mochi

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour (Mochiko brand or other)
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
7oz (usually half of a can) sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs well beaten
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 c sugar1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8x8 in pan
2. In a medium bowl whisk mochiko flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla.  Stir in dry ingredients.
4. Pour into prepared pan and tap on counter to release air bubbles.
5. Bake one hour. Remove from oven cool completely before cutting.  Store in refrigerator.

Apple, Cranberry and Chestnut Dressing

While it turns out to be the one and only time a year many of us eat it, dressing seems to be an integral part of the the whole Thanksgiving experience.  Growing up my mom made a phenomenal stuffing...that I ended up picking apart and just eating the bread parts since she made it with tons of pork sausage and celery.  Sausage is more a apathetic passive dislike in my book, but celery?  Shame on me because as much as I sing the praises of produce, I adamantly despise crunchy celery.  Nothing apathetic in my anti-crunchy celery stance. 

When it comes to making stuffing, I've opted for a sausage and celery free version.  But it does have bacon so I haven't completely ruined it here.

You can definitely make stuffing with storebought cubed bread. It's also super easy to make and a great way to use up stale leftover bread.  Cube and bake.  Easy peasy.

Chesnuts are not as easy.  Peeling these suckers are a pain. Just sayin.

I used fresh cranberries since I had leftover from the pumpkin bread.  If you are not the biggest tart cranberry fan, I'd recommend the dried ones here...the tartness of the fresh ones is especially evident when there's no sugar in a recipe to cut the tartness. 

If you like nuts, chopped pecans are pretty spectacular in the dressing as well and add a great crunch.

Apple, Cranberry and Chestnut Dressing

Ingredients

5 cups croutons
8 ounces bacon
1 cup shallots or onions diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diced apple (I used granny smith)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup diced chestnuts
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 tsp dried or 2 tbsp fresh minced thyme
1 tsp dried or 2 tbsp fresh minced sage
2 -2.5 cup low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

In large skillet cook bacon until crisp.  Remove and drain on paper towel.  Pour off all but 1 tbsp bacon grease
Add onions/shallots to pan with bacon grease and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 5-6 minutes.  Add garlic and cook additional 2 minutes
In large bowl combine apple, cranberries, chestnuts, croutons, pecans and herbs.  Crumbled cooled bacon into bowl. 
Add onions and garlic to bowl and toss all ingredients. Add enough broth to soften croutons.
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Transfer dressing back to original skillet and pat down lightly, cover with foil and bake in 350 degrees for 20 minutes then remove foil for 15 minutes to crisp the top.