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Monthly Archives: December 2017
Tonight’s cocktail is an Old Fashioned/Manhattan variation I just had to try. This recipe swaps out Benedictine for the simple syrup/sweet vermouth to provide floral and herbal flavors with the spicy sweet rye whiskey. Served simply in a chilled rocks glass, this flavorful concoction is warm and soothing – perfect for a Friday happy hour relaxation. The history of this cocktail is quite brief, the best reference I found was that is was first documented in David Embury’s 1948 tome, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. I like this cocktail a lot. The Benedictine adds a wonderfully different aspect to the classics it is based on, something that feels special when you sip it. By all means, try this one… it…
Today’s cookie just screams Christmas to me. These delightful powdered sugar coated or glazed spicy gems are fun to bake and perfect for sharing with family and friends. Pfeffernüsse are a Dutch/German/Danish treat typically associated with the St. Nicholas celebration of bringing gifts to children on December 5th/6th. As you can imagine, St. Nicholas or Sinterklaas is partially the basis for Santa Claus and the association of this cookie with Christmas. With a plethora of spices, including black and white pepper, it is believed this cookie also demonstrated the wealth of the household that could bake celebratory desserts with such luxuries. Thankfully, we have easy access to these spices and they are generally quite affordable. That means we can all enjoy this…
With the holiday party and celebration season upon us, tonight’s cocktail is perfect for such events. From my research, it appears this cocktail is well over 150 years old and that it was crafted upon the death of Prince Albert (yes, Queen Victoria’s Prince Consort) at the Brook’s Club in London in 1861. Thinking that drinking champagne might construe celebrating this somber event, the bartender floated Guinness on top to mimic the mourner’s black armbands. The result became this wonderful, yet under appreciated cocktail. Well given that I really enjoy sparkling wines – champagne, cava, prosecco, etc – I just had to try this one and extol its charms. Give it a try and enjoy something a bit different this…
Recently, a friend invited me over for dinner and I planned to bring dessert. I thought what would be better than cheesecake, especially since his wife missed out on the Cheesecake with Smoked Cherries I made this past summer. With a busy day planned before dinner, I knew I needed something that would come together quickly (thereby counting out a full cheesecake!), but I did not want to sacrifice having homemade quality. So, I relied on a 6 pack of Graham Cracker mini-pie crusts to simplify and individualize this simple dessert. The whole process (except for allowing the cream cheese to get to room temperature) took less than 30 minutes. Yes, I said start to finish under 30 minutes. Now to consider how to accent these tiny…
Nothing says Christmas like the smell and taste of lebkuchen. As a child, I remember my mom baking lebkuchen in November before placing them in a tin in a closet for us to enjoy in December. She always said these cookies are so much better once they have been stored a while. Well, my mom’s lebkuchen recipe was lost quite a while ago… so I went online to find a new recipe to fulfill my Lebkuchen desire. Wow, was I ever surprised at the plethora of recipes! So I bookmarked several to try and possibly adapt/combine into a Cooking-4-One recipe. This recipe is primarily based on the recipe from GoodToKnow.co.uk with some aspects added from the Serious Eats recipe. The…
This week, instead of posting a weekly menu, how about I post several cookie and dessert recipes? Building on the few recipes I posted around the holidays last year, let’s start this year’s cookie baking with a favorite – the chewy oatmeal cookie. I have made these cookies many times before with varying inclusions – raisins, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, etc and they are always a hit. These cookies are warmly spiced and subtly sweet, perfect for any time of the year. When paired with a cup of coffee or tea, it is a wonderful way to give yourself (or a guest) a tasty homemade treat. I like them and I believe you will like them too! Save Print Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies Prep time…
I recently received a request for which pantry staples I consider necessary and some organizational ideas. I have to say the question really got me to thinking because I have pantry space many people may not – so I keep many different items that I may not necessarily. With that in mind, I thought ‘what are the items I use regularly or that I want on hand if I need to improvise while making a meal’. Therein lies the conundrum, as I found that with so many more ingredients then I had ever considered before, it was hard to decide what was necessary. So in thinking back to when I first began cooking for myself, I came up with the solution below. I have listed what…
One of the few classic cocktails to include scotch, this cocktail was named after the 1922 Rudolph Valentino movie and first appeared in Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book. This drink’s popularity seems to ebb and flow, but I will wager that if you try it, this scotch based cocktail will become a perennial favorite. I decided to try making this classic using a new single malt scotch I recently found – Glen Fohdry from William S. Grant. This scotch is perfectly enjoyable neat, so I decided why not give it a try in this cocktail. The results were… well, less than impressive. There was a pronounced bitter aspect and unbalance between the scotch and other ingredients, typical of most scotch based…