The Ginger Cookies of life

Let me begin this post by stating that, thanks to my dear friend Jessica's post on winter cravings,

I am no longer craving sweets with the same voracity. Thus, I can now make Holiday cookies

without being a slave to them. With this new freedom in mind I share with you one of my favorite

cookie recipes.

Last Winter during one of my visits to Prof. Hubs in Boston, my friend Evelyn and I found ourselves in her kitchen craving Chrismas cookies. In the end, we couldn't agree on what kind of cookies to make so we decided there was no harm in making two recipes. The Russian Tea cakes were good enough, but it was this Ginger cookie recipe that was the great success of the afternoon. I must have made them 50 times since that fateful afternoon with Evelyn. They are the most perfect, chewy, ginger-y snaps... This week I have been invited to my first cookie swap (girlie night of gossip and cookie noshing? SIGN ME UP!) and I think I may bring these-it will be the second time in 3 days that I've made them...they're that good. I have passed the recipe on to many of my nearest and dearest and here I share it with you:

Ginger Cookies

thank you, thank you, Paula Deen...

xo, Desperate Housediva

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the shortening and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and molasses and beat until completely incorporated. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt and add to the mixture. Stir until combined. Roll the dough into balls about 1-inch in diameter. Roll the balls in sugar.

Place 1/2-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Flatten the balls slightly with your fingertips. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (so far...)

The following is a recipe that came together after scouring other blogs that claim to have found a replica recipe for the famous

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie. The truth is, after attempting each of the recipes I could find,

I can say with certainty that none of the replica recipes comes close to the taste of a real Levain cookie.

And yet each of them makes a pretty fantastic chocolate chip cookie in their own right.

After putting together this recipe, I had my dear friend and recipe tester, Ana, give them a try.

She gave them rave reviews and said they reminded of Mrs. Fields cookies.

So it's back to the drawing board in terms of Levain replicas... In the meantime,

Mrs. Fields still makes a mean cookie so the recipe's worth trying.

So far, this is the best Chocolate Chip cookie recipe I've come up with.

Don't forget these cookie baking tips:

-when you're ready to store any cookies: Put them in a sealed container atop a slice of soft bread.

It really keeps them moist and chewy (if, like me, you love a chewy cookie.)

-chilling the dough and the cookie sheet will make for less cookie spread (if you are looking for a thicker cookie)

-Chilling the dough overnight makes for the best chocolate chip cookies, no matter what recipe you're using

(that tip is from Maury of THE CITY BAKERY himself!)

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (so Far)

1 stick butter, cold and cubed

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg

In an electric mixer, or by hand cream all above ingredients

add:

3/4 c. all purpose flour (using only BLEACHED flour will result in less cookie spread)

3/4 c. white whole wheat flour

1/2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

Mix all ingredients with an electric beater until incorporated and a thick, creamy dough is created. Then mix in:

1/2 cups of crushed walnuts

1 cup of {good quality, small} semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat again with electric mixer.

please excuse my graphic design additions...I've been going a bit photoshop crazy these days...

If you have the time, do take the time to work these a bit by hand (knead) like a bread dough. It's not necessary, but they are a bit more Levain-y that way :)

Drop large balls of dough on cookie sheet covered in parchment or, my fave: silpat mat.

Bake 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (depending on desired gooey-ness), or until the tips of the cookies have turned light brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool and ENJOY!!!!

Festival of Lights

It's that time of year again: Chanukah!
In my family Chanukah is synonymous with Latkes. Usually my Dad (though on occasion, my Mom) prepares them annually to celebrate this. As a child I used to invite a friend or two over (usually non-Jewish friends as there weren't a large number of other Jewish families in our town) to light the candles, eat latkes, exchange gifts, and play dreidel. One of these childhood friends wrote to me a couple of days ago requesting that I write a post divulging the secrets of my family's famous Latkes. It warmed my heart in the most wonderful way that she remembered: how amazing to think that the little Chanukkah dinner we shared as children stuck with her after all this time. In her honor I dedicate this:

The Famous Family Latkes

(From the complete American-Jewish cookbook, edited by Anne London and Bertha Kahn Bishov, 1971)

6 medium potatoes

1 small onion

2 eggs slightly beaten

3 Tbsp flour

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

Peel and grate potatoes and onion.

Let stand 10 minutes so liquid will rise to top. Remove liquid.

Stir in eggs.

Add other ingredients.

Drop by spoonfuls into hot, well-greased skillet. (my Dad uses canola oil)

Brown on both sides.

Drain on absorbent paper.

Serve hot with applesauce, or sour cream. (I like both)

Russian Feast, also known as how I spent my Thursday

In honor of semester's end at the College of Midwestia Prof. Hubs and I decided to throw a little party for the Russian students to celebrate all that they accomplished during the past few months...and mostly to bribe them into continuing their studies with the Russian program...

In my eagerness to prepare traditional Russian recipes I decided to (ambitiously) prepare not only a traditional borscht (beet soup,) but also pirozhki (little pies filled with a cabbage mixture,) Khatchapuri (the most delicious cheese bread known to humankind) and an apple cake... I was cooking for more than 10 hours, people (which is why I poached a borscht photo from some other website-I was too busy kneading fresh pirozhki dough to snap pics...) It was actually a lot of fun-though somewhat stressful (I needed Prof. Hubs to stage a Borscht intervention somewhere around 9pm on Thursday and he came to my rescue with more beets, etc.) and I haven't had such sore feet since my days working in the restaurant business. No wonder they require food service workers to wear those dansko clogs!

After all that cooking we finally got to enjoy the goodies-and they were wonderful. Even the actual Russians at the feast found them to be authentically delish (though, admittedly the whole wheat dough that I used for the cabbage pirozhki was not nearly as supple and light as the white dough I made for the cheese Khatchapuri...nor nearly as authentic.) I have included the Borscht recipe and the Khatchapuri recipe, because they were the most beloved (and I already shared the amazing Jewish apple cake recipe in a previous post.) Though the borscht has multiple parts it's worth the effort on a cold winter's day. And you can always do something else (like make Khatchapuri) while the various parts are cooking...

FUN WITH BORSCHT

based on several recipes, including on on SIMPLY RECIPES, one on EPICURIOUS and several featured on prominent Russian cooking websites

(note: this makes enough borscht to fill a large stockpot...or a lot of people.)

INGREDIENTS

vegetable oil

2lbs beef shortribs (the British cut, thick squares, on the bone, as opposed to the thin, long cuts)

1 onion, quartered

16 cups (4 containers) beef broth (low sodium)

8 beets

8 carrots, peeled, chopped into 1/2 inch bites

5 med potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1/2 inch bites

6 cups white cabbage chopped into 1/2 inch square shreds

1 cup dill, chopped

sour cream

s&p

PART I

In a large stockpot heat a bit of vegetable oil to med-hi. Add shortribs. Brown on all sides (total of about 8 minutes) then add onion. Then add one container (4 cups) broth. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover. Cook for 2.5 hours. After that time remove from heat. Transfer shortribs to plate. Trim of bone and fat, shred meat. Set aside shredded beef in fridge. Allow broth to cool (this takes at least 4 hours) and then skim fat from the top.

PART II

Boil beets in water for 25 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Allow to cool, then peel and chop into 1/2 inch bites.

Continue with all of the other vegetable chopping.

Bring skimmed back to stove. Add remaining stock and bring to a boil. Add all chopped vegetables (beets, carrots, potato.) Then lower heat to simmer soup, covered for at least an hour. Stir in meat.

Now you are FINALLY ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor-

Serve soup with a large dollop of sourcream, dill, and salt and pepper to taste.

KHATCHAPURI (Georgian cheese bread)

(note: I'm sure you could just use refrigerated pizza dough rolled very thin for this, but if you have the time, this dough is so silky and supple.)

DOUGH

(recipe by Gil Marks)

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water plus 2/3 cup warm water or milk

3 tsp sugar or honey

2 large eggs

1/4 cup butter melted

1.5 tsp salt

about 3.5 cups unbleached all purpose flour

In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water. Stir in 1 tsp of the sugar and let stand until foamy. Stir in the remaining water, the remaining 2 tsp sugar, the eggs, butter, salt,and 2 cups of the flour. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a workable dough.

Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased large bowl, turning to coat. cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk, about 1.5 hours. Punch down and knead again before use or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

FILLING

1 cup ricotta cheese

1.5 blocks of feta cheese, crumbled

half a bag shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 egg

Combine all cheeses and egg.

ASSEMBLY:

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough to 1/2'' to 3/4'' thick. Cut into rounds (my rounds were about 6'' in diameter.) Fill the rounds with a layer of cheese mixture, leaving room at the edges. Cover with another round and pinch edges closed. (for extra pretty brown-ness, brush little pies with a mix of 1 egg and 1 tbsp water before baking.) Place on a greased baking sheet and bake until lightly browned (in my oven, about 10 minutes.)

I warn you-this is the tastiest cheesy bread product you will EVER EAT:

ENJOY WITH CAUTION-HIGHLY ADDICTIVE

The House Special

Early on in our relationship I took Prof. Hubs through the labyrinthine side streets of NYC's china town to one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants. It's called, iconically, PHO. (That was a joke-they're almost all called PHO, named after the hearty oxtail soup served for breakfast throughout Vietnam.) I think it's on Mulberry near Bayard, but I'm not even sure... I can only find it intuitively using my uncanny New York sense of inner North.

Before even opening the menu Prof. Hubs told me he was ordering 'the House Special.' I was not aware the restaurant even had a house special-nor was I aware that Prof. Hubs was a pro at ordering in Vietnamese restaurants. Surprisingly, Prof. Hubs was correct-they DID have a house special. According to him, every Vietnamese restaurant worldwide (or at least the ones he's patronized) offer it and it's always basically the same thing. Even more suprising was that it was, ironically, NOT Pho. It was, I have since learned, Bún, one of Prof. Hubs favorite dishes in the universe.

Though not actually a bread product at all, Bún is a deliciously refreshing rice vermicelli noodle dish. It's noodles, served room temperature, covered with a green mixture of shredded lettuce, carrot, basil, mint, cilantro, peanuts, lemongrass-marinated grilled meat, and a sweet dressing called Nuoc Cham, which is poured over all... It's sooooo good. It's a wonderful light dinner. Probably more suited for warm weather we balked at convention and made it tonight...and it was amazing. I was a bit intimidated by the long ingredient list and the amount of fish sauce involved (icky smell, no?) but it turned out to be a really simple meal to put together, with very little cooking involved, all coming together in under an hour. With a bit of practice one could probably make it in 30 minutes, which is always a bonus any time of year.

THE HOUSE SPECIAL (Vietnamese Bún)

NUOC CHAM DRESSING

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp sriracha or other chili sauce

2/3 cup hot water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup fish sauce

juice of 1 lime

1 TBSP shredded carrot

Combine all ingredients, allow to cool.

VIETNAMESE LEMONGRASS-STYLE MARINATED CHICKEN

3 chicken breasts cut into strips

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

4 garlic cloves chopped

2 scallions, chopped

3 tsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp fish sauce

juice of 1 lime

squirt o sriracha sauce

Combine all ingredients and allow chicken to marinate as the rest of the Bún recipe is assembled.

ASSEMBLING BÚN

1 package rice vermicelli (or if you live in Midwestia like i do-Pad Thai noodles)

1/2 cup julienned carrots

1 romaine lettuce heart, shredded

4 Tbsp bean sprouts

4 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped

4 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup chopped peanut

Nuoc Cham dressing

Lemongrass marinated Chicken

Cook noodles according to package directions, allow to cool as the rest of the recipe is assembled.

Shred/chop all veggie ingredients.

Cook chicken in grill pan or wok until cooked through. Allow to cool a bit, then chop into bite sized pieces.

Assembling salad: Noodles on plate topped with lettuce, carrots, beansprouts herbs, then chicken pieces, then peanuts, then dressing. mmmmm.....

Guest Writer: Nutrition Counselor

I wrote to my dear friend Jessica in a panic a few nights ago.

Ever since the weather turned cold here in Midwestia (and yes, I've seen flakes in the air-Winter is here!) I've been craving sweets CONSTANTLY- I really just want to eat cookies and cakes all day as I watch movies from the 80's (like Mannequin... Stop judging me...)

In fact, Prof. Hubs even commented that when I have cookies/cakes in the house he can see the hunger in my eyes. Apparently it's even clear to the outside world that I'm really thinking about eating sweets when I should be mentally present in other activities. Hence the reason I wrote to Jessica: She's a holistic nutritionist. I knew that her wisdom would clarify what was happening to me biologically and offer a solution that didn't involve my outgrowing all of my pants. And she did. Since her letter to me I made a few small changes to my meals (oatmeal in the morning, sweet potatoes in the evening) and I'm no longer a cookie monster out on a rampage: I can actually concentrate on other aspects of my life. I asked Jessica to do a guest post on Desperate Housediva about her tips for battling the bulge (or in my case, the cookies) when the weather outside is frosty:

As Winter creeps in, why do we crave sweets and carbs and what can we do about it?

It is totally normal to crave sweets and other calorie dense foods as the temperature drops. Our ancestors had these biological instincts for survival. Your body knows that the changes mean that (in olden days, anyway) Winter is coming and you need to gather some insulation about you to survive the period of darkness and less available foods.

It is normal to be hungrier and/or craving more sweet things at this time. Winter calls for always having root veggies in the house and making one or two DAILY. It doesn't have to be complicated. Squashes and root vegetables come in nature-made oven ready "packages". You can just put them on a baking sheet or wrap in foil and stick them in the oven at 400 for an hour and VOILA! Sweet, earthy, warm goodness that can be easily tweaked to suit a savory or sweet whim! They have the sweetness and carbs you need and crave without resorting to cookies every day. All hail the sweet potato! And squashes in their many shapes and sizes!

For the moments when ONLY a mouthfull of intense sweetness will do, have some Agave on hand (can be ordered off the internet). If you are experiencing a hardcore "jones" for sweets, go ahead and pour yourself a spoonful and savor it before you swallow. This is great for people who are real sugar addicts and trying to wean themselves. Agave does not affect your glycemic levels and is even safe for diabetics. It still does have calories, though, so take it easy. :) When you have a moderate need for sweetness, you can drizzle it over toast or even left over rice with some cinnamon to get a fix.

If you can get your hands on some different grains, too, that will help. Now's the time to have steel cut oats for breakfast and make sure you eat a generous amount of good fats (olive or peanut oils or even *gasp* some organic butter!) with the grains so that you make the minerals "bio-available" to you. Now is the time to explore all of the different kinds of grains, like Quinoa, Bulgur, Buckwheat, Teff, Amaranth, Kamut, Millet, and a whole bevy of others available. These are also readily available on the internet.

Another thing you can do to prevent your biological impulses to put on Winter weight for survival is to keep warm! So, long johns or flannel PJs can also help. The less you FEEL the cold, the less you may crave sweets. Warm teas also help regulate this - both temp and cravings. Just not too much caffeine so that it doesn't make your blood sugars dip or affect your sleep cycles.

If you live in the Northeast like I do, it is hard to get enough sunlight during the Winter. Most people living in the Northeast have Vitamin D defficiencies during the Winter, which has been proven to cause depression and negatively affect your metabolism. Do you have a room with big windows? It is important to get some sun on your skin to keep making Vitamin D. If you can't, then go get a supplement but make sure you look at ingredients and be smart about what else they're slipping you in the pil/liquid you take.

So.... Roots, tubers, and gourds plus warm PJs plus sunlight and you're all set!

Stay well and keep warm this Winter!

If you'd like a more personalized plan or more details, feel free to contact me at

http://websites.integrativenutrition.com/JSlatkoff/Index.aspx
or 732-EAT-TRUE

Initial Health Counseling Consultation is Complimentary

Kasha time

Growing up in a Jewish American household, Kasha was something we ate on Jewish holidays as a hearty side dish to brisket. What is Kasha, you ask? Kasha is whole grain buckwheat groats, toasted, then cooked like rice until it becomes a delicious and fluffy side-dish. It's technically not a grain-it's a fruit in the rhubarb family-seriously! So it's wonderful for people trying to avoid wheat. And it's a great source of amino acids (protein's building blocks,) second only to Quinoa in the pseudo-grain family. It's found in every Russian pantry and most Ashkenazi Jewish homes as well. Here's the thing though-it has a very 'idiosyncratic' flavor. Sort of a bitter, earthy taste that some uninitiated palates don't like. I love it, but that may be because I've eaten for as long as I can remember! Prof. Hubs would eat it for every meal and he claims that most people who try it don't have any idea how to eat it, what kind to buy, and how to prepare it which is why they think they don't like it. I think his hypothesis is true because it seems the only kinds we've been able to find at health food stores (the most accessible option) is the quick cooking kind, and if you try

that kind you will NOT like it. It's really worth trekking to a Russian food store (or to any number of Russian food stores online, our fave:

http://www.moscowonhudson.com ) to buy a bag and go through the whole process. One cooks it as one would cook rice: rinse the grains (like with rice) and cook it 1 part kasha to 2 parts water (also like rice,) starting out at a boil, then lowering heat to a simmer and covering for about 15 minutes. Kasha needs a savory, creamy addition: butter, sourcream, egg yolks, etc.. It's AMAZING with eggs sunny-side up, their yolks mixed into the brown grains. It sings with the gravy from a roast beef or chicken. And it is most delicious when mixed with any of the above AND with sour cream.

It was with Kasha in mind that I created this Chicken Paprikash recipe. I thought it would be a great showcase for this ultra-healthy and hearty side dish...and it really was...

Desperate Housediva's Chicken Paprikash

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 Tbsp butter + spl

ash of Olive oil

S&P

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, cut into thin stips or bite sized pieces

3 cloves of garlic

2 Tbsp (Hungarian) paprika

1 cup chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp flour

In a large dutch oven melt butter and olive oil over Med-High heat.

When melted, add onions, peppers and garlic. Stir and cook until onion is translucent. Push veggies to the outside of pan and add chicken pieces.

Salt and pepper the chicken pieces, stir and cook.

At this point you can reincorporate the veggies. When chicken is cooked through, add paprika. Stir to coat. Add bay leaf. Add chicken broth.

Lower heat to Med-low, cover and cook for 45-50 minutes. At this point, remove lid, stir in flour and sour cream until thickened.

Serve over noodles, rice, potato or buckwheat Kasha like we do :)

Enjoy!!!