Snickerdoodles

On my list of favorite cookies, the humble snickerdoodle is in the top three (just under oatmeal-rasin and peanut butter). They are so bad for you...infused with butter and encrusted with sugar...but I figure that if you are eating cookies in the first place, you arent' too terribly worried about nutrition.

Go on, you know you love them. You know you want them. Why not whip up a batch this weekend?

Trav's Snickerdoodles

• 1 stick of butter (not margarine)
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1-3/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 t. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and blend until smooth.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Add to the butter/egg mixture. Stir until completely blended (dough will be very stiff).

Mix the remaining 2 T. of sugar with the 1 t. of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Shape the cookie dough into 1-inch balls and roll gently in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 13 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

Makes 2 dozen.

TIPS:

Do not use margarine or shortening. This recipe needs (repeat, needs) real, creamery butter.

Do not use artificial vanilla, either. It will work, I suppose, but you won't get that wonderful fragrence while they are cooking.

Trav's Shrimp Etouffee

My mom sent me a brand-new rice cooker for my birthday. If you don't already have one of these wonderful little devices, you are missing out on some easy (and cheap) grub. It's treat for keeping a ready supply of hot steamed rice, sure, but it makes short work of Rice-A-Roni boxed dinners as well.

Rice is one of the staple side-dishes for most Cajun dishes. If you've got a batch of rice ready, and if you are in the mood for something spicy, give this recipe a shot.

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Trav's Shrimp Etouffee
(lower-cholesterol version)

1/4 cup safflower oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 medium onions, slivered
6 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 C. vegetable stock (maybe more, see below)
2 t. cayenne pepper*
1 T. Tabasco sauce*
1 T. salt
2 lbs. peeled and veined shrimp
Steamed rice

First, make the roux: cook the oil and flour together in a heavy stock pot, over medium-low heat and stirring constantly, until it turns reddish-brown in color. (Be careful...it will burn easily, and you will have to start all over.)

When the roux is the desired color, immediately add the peppers, onions, garlic, and celery. Cook over medium heat until the onions are transparent (about 15 minutes).

Add all remaining ingredients, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the shrimp is cooked. The mixture may thicken while cooking; add more stock if necessary to give it the desired consistency. Taste the gravy and adjust the seasonings.

Serve immediately over steamed rice, with lots of hot bread on the side and a good, cold beer.

*Use this amount for a "medium" level of spiciness. If you like it hot, use double this amount...and if you want it mild, use half. And there is nothing wrong with skipping the spice altogether, and putting the Tabasco and cayenne out on the table as condiments.

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Variations
(because everyone is different)

1. This recipe isn't just for shrimp...it is equally good with crawfish, scallops, oysters, crab, and clams, too. If you are allergic to shellfish, you can use pre-cooked chicken, ham, smoked sausage, chopped pork, or any combination thereof.

2. If you are vegetarian, you can make a wonderful mushroom etouffee by using 2 or 3 pounds of your favorite fresh mushrooms. Sautee those 'shrooms in a little bit of olive oil until they are shriveled (to concentrate their flavor), then add them to the recipe in place of the shrimp. Even the carnivores will love it.

Canless Marinara

Speaking of spagetti...

I love marinara sauce. I like it over pasta, I like it in my meat loaf, I like it on my sandwiches, I like it in a bowl with some piping-hot garlic bread to dip in it. It is easily my favorite of all sauces.

The trouble with most marinara recipes is, they require you to use canned ingredients. And this works out fine for the most part, especially if you are in a hurry. But when you use canned ingredients, you end up with a sauce that tastes...well, like it came out of a can. All of those preservatives, additives, and metallic flavors aren't going to go away. And if you happen to be allergic to certain preservatives, you are out of luck.

If you want a fresh-tasting sauce without preservatives, you are going to have to start with fresh ingredients. So I created this recipe, a marinara sauce made from only fresh ingredients. (Okay, mostly fresh ingredients...it still calls for prepared sugar, wine, and oil. But if you have access to the fresh stuff, by all means use it.) It is quite a bit more challenging, but the taste is worth the extra time and effort.

Trav's Fresh Portobello Marinara

6 C. chopped Roma tomatoes
2 C. chopped onion
3 T. fresh garlic, sliced thin
1 C. chopped bell pepper
2 C. chopped portabello mushrooms
2 T. olive oil
1/4 C. red wine
1/8 C. granulated sugar
2 T. fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 T. fresh basil, finely chopped
1 t. fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 t. fresh thyme, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes begin to release their juice and the mixture comes to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer (stirring occasionally) for 30 minutes or until the vegetables begin to disintegrate.

Remove from heat. Place a stainless steel sieve over a large cooking pot, and pour the tomato mixture into the sieve. Stirring slowly with a wooden spoon, force the sauce through the strainer, leaving the vegetable skins and seeds behind. Discard the solids, and bring the remaining sauce to a boil.

Add the wine, sugar, and mushrooms. Simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the volume is reduced and the sauce has thickened to your liking (this can take a while...up to 2 or 3 hours for a really thick sauce). This is called the "base," in case you were wondering.

Add the basil, parsley, thyme, and oregano. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the sauce, and add salt as needed. Serve immediately with your favorite hot pasta and a glass of red wine.

Makes about 4 cups.

TIPS:
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For a chunky sauce, add 1 cup of diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup diced bell pepper, and 1/2 cup of minced onion (peel and seed those tomatoes and peppers first.) Add these vegetables at the same time you add the herbs, and simmer until tender. Note that these vegetables will release juice as they cook, which will thin the sauce...so if you want a thick, chunky sauce, you will need a very thick base.
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For a meaty sauce, add a pound of fully-cooked italian sausage or meatballs (or both) to the base, at the same time you add the herbs. Remember, fresh ingredients taste best...so get these meats from your favorite Italian butcher the same day you are making the sauce. It would be a crime to spend this much time making a fresh sauce, only to add frozen Johnsonville sausage to it.
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For a cheesy sauce, stir in 1/2 C. of fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (or both) right before serving time.
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And if you are making a chunky, cheesy, meaty sauce, call me. I'll bring the wine.

The Secret's in the Sauce

It's probably poor form to post a recipe after posting a blog entry about dieting. But, here we are.

This is an adaptation of the sauce that Ant’ny and I mixed up one day. We poured it into a roasting bag with a 7-pound brisket, and it was absolutely amazing. I made a few extra tweaks over the next few months, and came up with a dandy barbecue sauce that I think would taste good on just about anything.

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

1 onion, minced (about 1 C.)
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced (about 3 T.)
1 cup Wild Turkey bourbon
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups Heinz catsup
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
3/4 C maple syrup
2 T. liquid smoke
1 t. crushed red pepper
1 t. ground black pepper
1 t. salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, then pour into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend. If you want a smooth sauce, run it through a strainer after cooking.

Put This In Your Pot and Mull It

For spending a snowy evening at home with your lover, I recommend this hot beverage. The Ancient Greeks considered hot wine to be an aphrodisiac, you know.

Mulled Wine

1 bottle of red wine (I recommend merlot or shiraz )
3 cinnamon sticks, crushed
Peel from one orange, chopped
5 whole cloves, crushed
5 allspice berries, crushed
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup brandy or cognac (more or less to taste)

Place the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange peel into the center of a disposable coffee filter, fold up, and tie into a bundle with cotton string. Set aside.

Pour the wine into a crock pot or saucepan, add the bundle of herbs, and heat gently over low heat until very hot. Add the vanilla and sugar, and stir until completely dissolved. Cover tightly, and heat on the lowest temperature setting until ready to serve (the longer you heat it, the spicier it will taste and the less alcohol it will have). Never allow it to boil...not even a little bit.

To serve, remove the bundle of herbs and stir in the brandy. Ladle into coffee mugs, and garnish with a slice of orange.

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I’ll admit…it is an acquired taste. If hot wine is not your thing, use apple and/or cranberry juice instead.