Perfect Shortbread Cookies

 

 

I don't like making cookies.  Too time consuming and the product doesn't seem worth all the effort unless the cookie is perfect.  This one is...

 Preheat oven to 350° F

 Ingredients:

1 cup of butter ---must be at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
2 tsps. of vanilla
3 cups of flour
1/2 tsp. of salt

 In a Kitchenaid or good mixer with dough paddle inserted, put butter and sugar.  Cream the butter well on low speed.  If you don't have a Kitchenaid, a food processor works with the plastic dough hook but don't overprocess.  Add the vanilla...mix until incorporated.  Add the flour and salt.  Mix until a great dough forms.  Put the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

 Allow oven to preheat while the dough is in the fridge resting.

 Take a 9 x 11 disposable aluminum baking pan and put dough in pan.  No need to do anything to the baking pan.  Press down until all dough fits. 

Bake 15 to 20 until the edges are slightly brown.

Remove the pan from the oven and place on a rack.  Cut the cookies into rectangular shapes while warm (I use my ravioli cutter so the edges look pretty).  Place on a rack to cool.

Technically, you now have perfect cookies.  However, many cooks like to finish these off by dipping in melted chocolate or topping with sprinkles. 

Chocolate topping:

Melt chocolate with a 1/4 cup of Nutella and a little butter in the microwave on low speed until melted.  Add some premade coffee (just enough to make a creamy melt).  Mix with a fork.  Dip one half of each cookie in the chocolate.  Place on rack to cool.  Add sprinkles or whatever.

 

Cookies will keep for a couple of weeks in fridge.

 

Rainy Day Soup

 

 

 

Returned home to Massachusetts from Charlottesville and today, June 6th, it is 46 F and raining.  Cold, rainy weather cancelled the barbecue idea and indicated soup and bread would be a better choice.  Since I always have the ingredients for a soup, I rummaged through the refrigerator and freezer to make a delicious dinner.  Your pantry should include broth (any kind will do), canned beans, flavor mixes and some kind of grain.  Raid your fridge for leftover pasta, veggies or meat.  Add a package of frozen spinach (unthawed) and you have most of what you need to create a delicious soup.

 

Ingredients:

64 ounces of broth

2 cans of beans (lentils, cannelloni, pinto, etc.)

Leftover meat from fridge or freezer (I used one pound of frozen beef which I cut into cubes)

Leftover gravy

1 package of any soup mix (I used a pork gravy mix)

1/2 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese or any Italian hearty cheese

 

Optional ingredients:  (1 whole onion, chopped; 2 to 3 carrots, chopped; celery, chopped)

 

Dump everything into a slow cooker.  Check the flavor after several hours of cooking time and add salt if necessary.  Serve with hearty Italian bread and extra grated cheese.



 

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

 

 

 

 

 

When rhubarb is in season, the fresh stalks make great desserts.  Here is my recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie...

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 lb. of sliced strawberries in sugar syrup

3 slices of rhubarb, cut into one inch pieces

2 tsps. of white vinegar

1 tsp. of lemon juice

2 tbl. of corn starch

 

Two pie crusts (your own or purchased)

 

Mix all of these ingredients in a deep bowl that you can put in the microwave.  Microwave for 12 minutes.  Stir the ingredients well.

 

Preheat your oven to 425F.

 

Roll out one pie crust and fill a deep dish pie plate with it.  The crust should overlap by a lot.

Fill the crust with the cooled filling.  Top with the other pie crust.  *

 

Bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool thoroughly before serving.

 

*  If you want to decorate the crust, be creative.  I simply traced a heart in the center and filled the heart with colored candies.  The cut in the crust allows the pie to vent while baking.