Chewy Chocolate Meringue Cookies

I found this recipe in Parade Magazine.  It sounded good, so I decided to try it.  I modified it to fit what I happened to have in my pantry.

 

Chewy Chocolate Meringue Cookies

4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
12 oz. baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, plus walnut halves for garnish
1/3 cup chopped Craisins

 

I had some semisweet, unsweetened and bittersweet chocolate left over from other baking projects.  I didn't have quite the 12 ounces needed, so I added some dark chocolate chips to make up the difference.  Once melted and swirled together it made a slightly dark chocolate addition to the cookies.  Use dark or semisweet chocolate, depending on your preference.

 

Melt the chocolate first and then get everything else ready so that it can cool sufficiently to be added to the egg whites.

 

Preheat the oven to 325°.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 

 

Place the egg whites, lemon juice, vanilla and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. 

 

Whisk until the mixture becomes foamy and gradually add the sugar while still beating.  Beat until stiff peaks form.

 

If the chocolate has cooled, you can fold it, the chopped nuts and Craisins, gently into the egg mixture. 

 

When the chocolate has been incorporated and there are no more swirls of white, scrape half the mixture into a large Ziploc bag with the end snipped off. ( I have a whole box full of Wilton tips and pastry bags and never once thought to use it.  But feel free to do that with a medium round tip.)

Pipe 2 inch cookies onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Carefully fold down and refill the Ziploc bag with the remaining batter and pipe on to the prepared sheets.  You can use a clean bag if you don't want to get cookie goop on your hands..

 

Top the cookies with walnut halves and press slightly.  I didn't buy the pricey walnut halves and just  used bigger pieces from my giant bag of walnuts.  I left some NAKED. :-O

Bake for 15 minutes or until the outside it set and dry.  Cool on the pans and then they can be peeled off the parchment to eat or store in an airtight container.

 

These cookies were chewy and delicious and if you didn't know it, it would be hard to tell that they had fruit in them.  I liked the ones with a nut on top and without, so I guess you can decide how to dress up these cookies! 

You might even dust the nutless ones with powdered sugar just before serving.  If you want to be FANCY!

Sweet and Spicy Vegetable Couscous

I really should be dieting.  We have our daughter's wedding soon and those photos will last forever.  But I am so tired of diet food that I made a recipe I found in the Roanoke Times.  I changed a few things, because I do not believe in plagiarism.  Plus, it called for red pepper flakes and they are too hot for me.  Add some in if you like some heat in your meal.

Sweet and Spicy Vegetable Couscous

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red or yellow onions
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots from baby carrots.  Or shred a big one.
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup fire roasted corn  I found a can of these, so I grabbed them up.
1/2 cup frozen tiny sweet peas  The local Kroger's does not carry petite pois, so get what is available.
2 Tablespoons Craisins
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
pinch of salt
a few grinds of fresh pepper
1 cup couscous
2 Tablespoons slivered or sliced almonds, toasted

 

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium.  Add the onions and the sliced carrots.  Cook for a few minutes until translucent and then add the corn and spices.  Cook one more minute. 

 

Increase the heat to medium high and add the broth, peas, Craisins and bring to a boil.  Stir in the couscous, cover and slide the very heavy Dutch oven to a cool burner.  Let it stand for about 6 minutes. 

 

I used this time to toast some almond slices, because I didn't have any slivered almonds.  Then, because I wanted to use this for a main dish and we are omnivores, I diced up some chicken breast and onions and sautéed them in some olive oil. 

 

I added some shakes of the cumin and curry and cooked until the chicken was no longer pink.

 

I served this on top of the couscous with the almonds.  Very yummy.  If I had thought about it I would have added some thinly sliced cilantro.  But it was still delicious.

Autumn Beef and Cider Stew

It has been cold and sort of drizzly.  That means soup or stew weather to me. I found this recipe in the Best of Holiday Shopping from the Roanoke Times.  I changed a few minor things.  It was kind of sweet, but then there are a lot of sweet ingredients.  It was good and even better served with a bit of fresh bread or rolls.

 

Autumn Beef and Cider Stew

1 1/2 to 2 pounds stew meat
4 slices bacon, precooked.  If using uncooked, 2 slices
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (10 1/2 ounces condensed French onion soup  I used Campbell's
1 cup apple cider
1 to 1 1/2 pounds sweet potato, about 3 cups diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries

 

Cook the bacon in a stock pot on medium.  We pretty much always buy the pre-cooked bacon.  It doesn't make a lot of grease, which is one reason we really like it.  So I used 4 pieces in order to get enough bacon grease to cook the stew meat.  Take a very clean pair of scissors and cut up the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.

 

Remove the bacon slices and place them on a paper towel to drain.  Trim the yucky parts off the stew meat and cook them in two batches in the bacon grease.  Place the bacon and cooked meat into the stock pot and season with S&P.

 


Add the condensed onion soup and the cup of apple cider to the stock pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 3/4 hours.

 

After about 1 1/2 hours start peeling the sweet potatoes.  We used a medium large sweet potato.  It is hard to get just the right size hunk of sweet potato.  It should be about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of diced sweet potato.



Add the diced sweet potatoes and the dried cranberries to the stock pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook covered for 20 to 30 minutes.  Check at 20 minutes to see if the meat and the sweet potatoes are tender.  If they, are you're done.  If not, cook for another 10 minutes.

The recipe called for unsweetened cranberries.  I couldn't find any, so I used Craisins.    The sweet potatoes, cider and sweetened cranberries all contributed to a slightly sweet stew.  It was also a little thin, so I decided to thicken it a bit. The next bit is optional, but it thickened the stew nicely and so I recommend it.


1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

 

Put the water in a glass and add the cornstarch.  Stir with a fork until mixed and add to the stew.  Cook until it starts to thicken and enjoy your dinner.

 

We served it with some Potato Rosemary Bread.  And I had some hard cider from Angry Orchard, my most recent, favorite, adult beverage.

I returned from an errand in the kitchen and noticed two uninvited guests observing Lee's every bite. 

 

Here is where I mention that some people, after the children have grown and moved away, develop an unnatural fondness for, and indulgence with, their pets.  We understand we are completely nuts when we allow them to sit and observe our meals.  And I must stress that they are not allowed on the table.  Just allowed to sit on the bench and observe the table.

The dog, however, must remain on the floor.  We're not crazy, after all....

Chicken Salad Sandwich on Croissant

I had two friends over for lunch.  I served the pineapple macadamia nut cake I wrote about the other day.  That was good, but sweet, and you always need to pair a sweet with a savory. I love sandwiches served on a croissant, but that is too big for a tea party kind of lunch.  Luckily the grocery store had some mini croissants for sale.  How many?  Why, twelve of course!

1 dozen mini croissants
3/4 pound chicken breast
2 Tablespoons Craisins
2 Tablespoons walnuts
1 stalk celery
1 Tablespoon red onion, diced small
1 Tablespoon thinly sliced cilantro leaves
5 Tablespoons mayonnaise, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, optional

 

I bought a large slice of chicken breast from the deli in the supermarket.  You could also buy a whole cooked chicken from the deli or just cook some chicken breast, but the easiest and cleanest way is to just buy a thick slice from the deli.  Slice the outside brown part off.  The dog and cat will love that part.

 

Slice the breast into strips and then dice it up.  Then chop through the chicken again so you have very small diced pieces.

 

I wanted a bit of Craisins, but I worried about them sticking to the knife. 

 


So I chopped the Craisins and walnuts together and that worked really well.  Next time I might even increase the amounts to Three Tablespoons each.  They added a nice crunch and a bit of sweetness.

 

Peel the strings off the celery and cut it into strips.  Chop the strips into more small diced pieces.

Thinly slice a few slices of red onion.  Chop them small.

Pull the cilantro leaves off the stems and slice them thinly.

 

Place all the above ingredients in a large bowl and mix with the mayo to taste.  You don't want it too goopy.  Add salt and pepper to taste

Slice open the croissants horizontally.  Try not to slice all the way through.  Then you can open them like a clam shell and they stay together for plating and eating.

Place several generous Tablespoons of chicken salad on each croissant.  Distribute it in the semi circle so that it isn't falling out.  Tidiness is important in a tea party, you know, said the queen with her pinky in the air.

 

If you desire, sprinkle a teaspoon or so of bacon crumbles on top of each sandwich.  This adds a wonderful smoky flavor and a nice crunch.  I didn't mix it in, because the bacon would absorb the mayo and become soggy.  And who likes soggy bacon?  Well, the British.  But what do they know about tea parties??? (Insert smiley face here.)

Raisins in Gin

I have heard that eating a few raisins in gin every morning is supposed to help with arthritis.  My finger joints are tender and swollen these days so I am going to try it out.  Painting isn't helping.  I woke up with most of my fingers tingling.  The others were numb.  It hurts to make a fist.

   

I went to the local ABC store, because for some reason the state of Virginia prefers to sell alcohol rather than letting grocery stores do that.  The very helpful state of Virginia employee there directed me to the pricier version of gin.  I was going to buy a small bottle of generic gin.  He convinced me that the more expensive version has more juniper berries and therefore was more efficacious.  I wonder if he is on commission?

   

I came home and put the raisins in a Ball jar and covered it with gin.  This morning I fished out 6 raisins.  At this point I should point out that I am not particularly fond of raisins.  If raisins are called for in a recipe, I generally use Craisins.  But as Craisins haven't been touted as having arthritis fighting properties, I had to go with raisins. 

I also am not fond of gin.  I find it worse than drinking Nyquil, mouthwash  or maybe kerosene.  I have no clue why people would drink a martini when there are so many tastier ways of getting your alcohol.

   

I decided to try to choke them down in the middle of my breakfast.  And by breakfast, I mean a giant cup of coffee (or two) and an Atkins bar.  Oh, and some Crystal Light to swallow my morning vitamins. You can't START your breakfast with gin, after all, and I needed a few bites more of the bar to take the taste away.

They tasted really bad.  I hate gin.  It didn't matter about the raisins, because I couldn't taste them.  I had six and I will have six more tomorrow and the day after that.  I will work my way through the whole jar and then reevaluate.  I hope they work, so my hands don't hurt and the swelling goes away.  I hope they don't work so I don't have to keep eating them.