Homemade Oreos

Just pulled this from the lovely Cupcakes and Cashmere. Stupid easy if you have a food processor. When you first make them, the wafers will seem really hard and the cream might squish out a bit, but over time, the wafers soften ever so slightly and they're PERFECT. I prefer keeping them in the fridge, but they will hold up in the cupboard.

**Note about assembly** This recipe says that you need a piping bag in order to put the put the sandwiches together. I've done without it and it's fine. The piping bag just ensures that you get 'perfect' looking edges, but I just do it with with a teaspoon. I find twisting the top and the bottom in opposite directions as you assemble helps the cream spread out evenly throughout the cookie.

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies >>> I found it only made 20ish.


For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note] >>> I stick with 1 cup and they are plenty sweet.
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract >>> I've used up to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the real stuff
1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
>>>NOTE>>> Resist the temptation to chill the batter. I know it makes it easier to handle when you're trying to roll it into balls, but chilled batter will keep the cookies from spreading as much as they should. For these, you're better off with thinner, crispier cookies rather than taller, chewier cookies (speaking from experience).
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

Compliments Brand Cilantro-Chili-Lime Sauce

A basic sauce you can find in the grocery store that has been amazing on every type of fish I've tried it on - shrimp, pickerel, Arctic char.

Kim Crawford (Marlborough)

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. $18.95. Just tried, totally outstanding.

Pizza Dough

Found this when I couldn't find flatbread for the tomato/mushroom/arugula pizza. I spread it out square in a cookie pan and it worked well as a focaccia type crust. Next time, however, I might either take out 1/4 to allow it to spread thinner or just split the dough in half and make two smaller, thinner pizzas.

Original recipe found here.

Ingredients

* 1 cup warm water
* 2 tablespoons yeast - I used 1 envelope of fast-acting yeast (about 2 1/4 tbs)
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 3 1/2 cups flour
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Pour warm water into a large mixing bowl. The water should be about 85 to 115° F. Test it with your hand. It should feel very warm, but comfortable.
2. Add the honey and salt. Whisk until well blended.
3. Add the yeast and mix some more. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes.
4. Add 1 cup of flour and the olive oil and mix until well blended.
5. Add the rest of the flour (and any other additions) and mix well. The dough should turn into a ball. If the dough does not ball up because it's too dry, add water one tablespoon at a time until it does. If your mixture is more like a batter, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Adding water or flour as needed to get the right consistency will assure you always get a perfect dough. Just remember to do it in small amounts.
6. Once the dough is balled up, place the ball on a floured board and knead for about a minute. This builds the gluten which helps the dough to rise and become fluffy when cooked. Place the dough in a plastic grocery bag or a covered bowl and store in a warm, dry area to rise. I turned the oven on to 200 degrees and put the bowl on top.
7. After about 45 minutes the dough should have about doubled in size. Show it who's boss and punch it down. That's right, give it a good smack so it deflates. Let it rise for another hour to an hour and a half. The dough is now ready to be rolled out. You can punch the dough down one more time if you want and wait another hour or two before rolling out. The choice is yours.


NOTE: This dough can also be made in advance and refrigerated for a day or so, or even frozen. Be sure to let it come to room temperature before using.

Obikawa

South African Shiraz. $9.00 a bottle. Friday night wine!

Wyndham Estates, Bin 444

Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. $15.50 a bottle, so only for special occasions :o)

Italian Peasant Stew Remix

Made by mom. She wings it. Apparently, traditional peasant soup is started with a bacon base and done with cabbage, but yeah, not so much. If anxious about actual measurements, try googling an original recipe. Good for leftover night!

olive oil
garlic
onion
chickpeas
radicchio
veg broth
something tomato-y (see below)
parmesan cheese
fresh parsley
fresh bread

Instructions:
1.) Sautee garlic and onion in olive oil until softened.
2.) Add can of chickpeas, radicchio, and broth. It shouldn't be swimming in broth - it's more like chickpeas with some liquid than a formal stew. Cook until radicchio softens.
3.) Add a dash of something tomato-y - leftover tomato sauce, a bit of bruschetta mix, a partial can of diced tomatoes (something with a little bit of seasoning to it, though I'm sure fresh tomatoes and some salt/spices could also work).
4.) Add Parmesan. Not a crazy amount, but don't treat it like a garnish.
4.) Add however much fresh parsley (or herbs of choice - adding thyme when we were short on parsley has worked) you care for.

The radicchio has a bit of a bitterness to it, but it mellows as it stews and works with the creaminess of the chickpeas. Best served with bread on the side (but gluten-free otherwise).