Spice changed my life in 2010

I discovered smoked paprika in 2010. Eureka! Mom sprinkled paprika on deviled eggs, & I used to make Chicken Paprikash with the "regular" kind, but this is another spicy level. It comes sweet & hot. I use sweet, most often with olive oil & sherry vinegar. Here it's on garbanzos (with garlic), red peppers, & tuna for a quickie lunch. After the photo I added nonfat Greek yogurt. I also like/love it on spinach stir-fried in olive oil with onions & maybe garlic, & it's wonderful on a fried egg sandwich. Sprinkle it on before you're finished cooking. It likes to sizzle. Oh, also on sautéed potatoes. And fish. And I must return to Chicken Paprikash. Let's see … why do I love this stuff?

2010 has been an appreciation of spice. I even considered blending spices for Christmas gifts (but didn't do it). Next Christmas, these might be in your stocking:

Tandoori spice mix

2 cloves garlic

2-inch piece of ginger, sliced fine or grated

1/2 t. lemon zest

juice of 1/2 lime

1/4 C. cilantro or parsley

1 T. curry powder or Tandoori spice

pinch cayenne

1 t. salt

I mixed this with a cup of yogurt for a chicken marinade. Then broil.

Mideast spice blend

1 T. minced garlic

1 t. minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 t. ground coriander

1 T. ground cumin

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

Sauté with an onion in olive oil.

*from a NYTimes recipe for chickpea tagine with chicken and apricots. For that, you sauté 4 skinless chicken thighs in olive oil, remove them, add a chopped onion, then the spices, along with 1 C. chopped tomato & 1/2 C. chopped dried apricots. You cook it a little bit, then add 2 C garbanzos & 1 to 2 C. chicken broth. Cook slowly 15 min., then add 1/2 C. bulgur, & cook until chicken & bulgur are done -- 10-15 min. Add salt. Top with chopped parsley.

And this is Epicurious' Indian spice blend. I sprinkle it on cauliflower & roast it with olive oil. Also good with yogurt, chicken, rice...

Not a little country church

Christmas morning I prayed a Spanish Mass at Jesu church in desolate downtown Miami. It's the opposite of a little country church – but it IS pink. A saving grace.

Snowballs

These are my favorites.

Snowballs

1 C. butter (unsalted)

6 T. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 C. flour

2 C. finely chopped nuts (Toasted pecans are best. Walnuts are good. Almonds are terrible. They belong in macaroons.)

Powdered sugar

Cream butter well, then add sugar & beat until fluffy. Stir in vanilla & flour. Add the nuts. Mix. Take small portions of the dough & roll into ropes on a lightly floured board. Cut into even sections. (You can line up the ropes & cut several at a time.) Roll pieces in your palms to make bite-size cookies. Place on parchment-covered cookie sheet. Bake at 325° for 8-12 minutes. They are extremely tender when you take them out of the oven. Yesterday one fell off the pan and crumbled into the drawer under the oven. I tried to taste another while it was still hot & it crumbled in my hand. So don't touch them until cool, if possible. But as soon as they're out of the oven, sprinkle a big cloud of powdered sugar over them while still in the pan. The hot cookies will make the sugar into something sublime. Then, when cool, do it again for a pretty white dusting.

I don't remember where I got this recipe. There are many variations & I've tried some. This is best.

Cutout cookies

We call them cutout cookies. I've made many variations of the rolled butter cookie, & these are best. You couldn't make a richer cookie; they have almond paste & 4 egg yolks! Below is the recipe, from the Oct-Nov. 2010 Taste of Home magazine, p. 78. Here is a link to another site (Get off your butt and bake), where they also love the cookie.

Daria's best-ever sugar cookies

1/2 C. almond paste (4 oz. I had only 3 oz., & that was fine.)

4 egg yolks

2 C. butter, softened

1 3/4 C. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

3 3/4 C. flour

Beat almond paste & egg yolks until crumbly. Add butter, sugar & salt. Beat until light & fluffy. Gradually add flour & mix well. Divide into four sections; shape each into a ball & flatten slightly. Wrap in wax paper & refrigerate for one or two hours or until easy to handle. (The dough will stiffen.)

On lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with floured 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet covered with baking parchment. Bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool for two minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

When I made these yesterday I brought my seam gauge from the sewing room into the kitchen to measure precisely how thick the dough was. I discovered I like thinner cookies; they are crisper than 1/4". Whatever the thickness, these cookies do crisp up as they cool.

The Taste of Home recipe has an icing made with dried egg whites. It is fluffy & dries hard. Next time, though, I'll try a thin powdered sugar & water glaze to let more cookie taste come through. And I'll brush some with slightly beaten egg white & sprinkle sparkling sugar on top & skip the icing. That will be best, because these cookies are great tasting all alone.

Frosting

3 3/4 C. powdered sugar

3 T. egg white powder (I found it at Fresh Market.)

1/3 C. water

Optional

food coloring (red & green, of course)

sugar sprinkles

Beat sugar, egg white powder & water together until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add food coloring, if desired.

Cool cookies first, then frost. Let frosting harden.

Playing cards

It was like being a kid, making these Christmas postcards from fabric, paper, ribbon & glitter. I love thinking of this vulnerable object flying all alone to my friends & family. I sewed the pieces down & let the stitches show on back, placing the address, stamp & greeting around the threads.

The price of perfect

I'm looking for a $5 gift for Clark.It has to be perfect. Last year the limit was $10. I bought him these green scissors because I love them. They are perfect for me. His wan smile told me the sharp little blades were not perfect for him. Our new puppy chewed his perfect gift, & now they're hard to hold. So this year I'm under pressure to produce perfect.

This morning Clark told me he's found my gift, but it was more than $5; he told the man he has a $5 limit, so the man agreed. This means my gift is from a flea market or antiques shop.

I've got a few more days to search for perfect, & in that time I think about Clark -- what he loves & what I love about him. Perfect.

Chocolate caramel truffles

Chocolate is not Christmas. Except …

Chocolate caramel truffles

1 C. sugar

2/3 C. heavy cream (I use organic.)

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (Kallebut, if you can find it. It costs $15 a pound (at Simply Entertaining in Tallahassee) & they only stock it at Christmastime, so you have to horde some for your Valentine's day chocolate heart.)

1/4 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

In a dry heavy saucepan (I use the beloved copper pan I bought in Paris.) cook sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork until it melts, & sugar is golden caramel. Remove pan from heat & add cream carefully. (Mixture will bubble up.) Caramel will harden; stir until caramel dissolves.

Remove pan from heat & add chocolate, salt, & vanilla. Let mixture stand 5 minutes & then stir until the chocolate melts. Transfer mixture to a bowl & cool, uncovered. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or until firm.

With a spoon (I use a cookie scoop.) form 1-inch balls. Roll truffles in 1/2 C. cocoa powder, or coat with 1 C. finely chopped pecans, pressing the nuts in slightly. Chill about 1 hour. Makes about 40.

I made these just before Thanksgiving for a Dec. 4 party, & they kept perfectly. I wrapped them in foil, placed in a plastic box, which stayed in the back corner of the refrigerator, where we couldn't easily reach. Let them come to room temperature before serving.

I think I got this recipe from Gourmet.