Cooking the Books - Southern Living's Cooking For Christmas

Okay, so this is last year's copy and I'm pretty sure they put this bad boy out yearly. But! There are some really awesome recipes in this particular edition.  I'm going to stray a little from my typical review format, since it goes without saying that Southern Living is going to put out a fantastic product.  Since Holiday meal planning can be a little... chaotic, I thought I'd highlight some recipes that are just plain fantastic. Allow me to direct your attention, if you will.

The Basics
Southern Living. Cooking for Christmas. New York: Oxmoor House, 2011. Print

What do you need to know? Southern Living + holidays + recipes = awesome. The end.

The (Cook)book
First, let me direct you to the eye candy that is the front section of this book, which focuses on table settings. Yes, I could look at this stuff for a ridiculously long period of time (seriously, don't take me anywhere near a home store). Even if you don't go all out, this section is great place to get some ideas and inspiration.

And don't pass up the menu section.  Do I follow the menus in books? Ever? No. But this section is a great place to start thinking about putting together your own menu. Plus, it's got recipes. (I'll admit, I mostly come for the recipes).

But let's get to the good stuff: recipes!  This book is stuffed with them, but let me highlight a few of my favorites. (I've tried all of these, so I already know they're tasty and delicious).

Cherry Pecan Brie: This recipe is great. If you get the ingredients together in advance you can churn this sucker out in no time. Mix, pour, serve. And, voila! You've got an elegant appetizer to serve your holiday guests. It looks and tastes wonderful, and no one will guess how little effort it took. And believe me, if you're prepping a huge Christmas (or holiday) Feast, having a few simple dishes on the menu will save you a lot of stress (and sanity; sanity is good). See page 47.

Two-Cheese-and-Honey Fondue: Can you say "nom"? Admittedly, that probably has a lot to due with the heavy cream and the cheese. (Cheeeeeeeese). See page 71.

Grandma Erma's Spirited Cranberry Sauce: Sound familiar? That's because this recipe turned out to be so wonderfully tasty that I had to share it with y'all. It's one of the few test recipes I've done from a cookbook on this blog. I can tell you that I will never serve another cranberry sauce other than this ever again. (You think I exaggerate, but this was my favorite part of last years holidays). And heaven help you if you've been eating the stuff from the can. Stop it. Now. And make this! See page 173.

Recipes I haven't tried but plan to because they look freaking delicious:

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake - the name really says it all on this one, and if you look at the picture that snowflake is way too pretty. (likelihood that I can pull this off: excellent for the cheesecake, slim to none for the snowflake. Curses!). See page 50.

Classic Bake Macaroni and Cheese - sadly, I'm still searching for the perfect Mac'n'cheese recipe. Martha failed me last year, so perhaps I'll go for this on holiday season. If nothing else the sheer amount of butter, cheese and milk should make several family members squirm nicely as they calculate fat content. Heh heh heh. See page 191.

The entire section on breads - What can I say? I like carbs. See pages 201-211.

I hope you pick up the book and give some of these a whirl. There's plenty of recipe to choose from. Needless to say, I'll be first in line for this year's copy. And before you go, let me direct you to one last recipe not in the book: Southern Living's Pumpkin-Pecan Cheesecake. I made this bad boy last Thanksgiving. Perfection.

   

A Memorial Day Feast

So, some you might have noticed I was absent for my usual book review post on Thursday.  That's because my kid brother graduated from High School.  Woot! Regularly scheduled programming will now resume.

I thought I'd do something that would fit in with tomorrow's holiday, so I came up with this recipe for Memorial Day Sliders.  I've made hamburgers aplenty, but I'd never done sliders (a term my mom insists sounds kinda gross; no comments from the peanut gallery).  I was using King's Hawaiian rolls, so I wanted something with a hint of sweet tang to go with them.  This is what I came up with, and they were delicious.  This recipe makes 8 sliders, and can easily be multiplied to serve a larger number.

What You'll Need

Supplies

Large mixing bowl                                                            Knife for slicing

Large skillet                                                                      Paper towels

Spatula                                                                              2 plates

Cutting Board

Ingredients

1 lb lean hamburger meat                                                 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs*

1 large egg, cold                                                                Olive oil

2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce                                                         King's Hawaiian rolls

5 shakes Worcestershire sauce                                        Toppings of choice

Now Let's Make Memorial Day Sliders!

Click for a tasty slideshow!

Place your hamburger meat in the large mixing bowl.  Crack 1 large egg and add it to the bowl, avoiding any shell (I find that this helps the meat stick together better if the egg is still cold rather than room temperature).  Measure and add 2 Tbsp of Hoisin sauce.  If you don't have/ can't find Hoisin sauce you can also use a sweet Teriyaki sauce like La Choy; the key is to use something tangy with a slight sweetness to it. Then add five shakes of Worcestershire sauce.

Measure out 1/4 cup of bread crumbs and set to the side. Now comes the gross the part (also prepare yourself for some painfully cold hands).  Get your hands in there and start squishing everything together until it's thoroughly mixed. There's just no other way to do this; a spoon doesn't cut it (though I suppose you could use gloves if it really bothered you). Once everything is mixed together, add the 1/4 cup bread crumbs and immediately place that measuring cup in the sink (since you just got your meaty hands all over it).  Mix the bread crumbs in by hand, also.

Divide the meat into about 8 even sized piles (I was going to say chunks, but that sounds a little gross, yes?).  Take one pile and squeeze it together to make sure that it will stick. Using both hands, roll the meat into a ball, then flatten it between your palms.  The slider should be a size that fits within the palm of your hand and should look a little bigger than you actually want it to be, since it will shrink while cooking. Place the patty on one of your two plates and repeat this step for the rest of the meat.

Wash your hands (you made need someone to turn on water and squirt you with soap to avoid getting meat everywhere. Safety first!). Pour enough olive oil into your pan to easily cover the base of the skillet.  If you have a grill, you can skip this and the next step and grill that tasty, tasty meat, but you're on your own (having never yet owned one, grilling is not my forte).  Heat the oil at medium heat, about 5 or 6. 

Once the oil is hot enough, add all eight of your sliders to the pan. If your pan's not big enough to do all eight, I recommend cooking them in batches of four.  Spread them around the pan evenly to start with, since you don't want the sides of the burgers to try and stick together. However, once the burgers have started to cook and sizzle for a bit, you'll want to move them all as close to the center of the pan as possible to allow them to cook evenly.

While your burgers are cooking, start prepping your topping choices.  Me? I like onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese.  Sadly, the tomatoes at the supermarket looked downright mealy, so I had to pass on them this go round. Le sigh.  Keep the size of your sliders in mind for your toppings, I chose a smaller sized onion and sliced it very thinly to achieve a perfect fit for my sliders, and the same thing goes for any other topping.  At a loss? Here are some suggestions: onions, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, mushrooms, bacon, pickles, red onion, avocado, basil leaves, toasted garlic, red peppers, jalapenos, relish, salsa, etc. And don't forget our old friends: ketchup, mayo, and mustard!

At some point when you're prepping all your delicious toppings, the burgers should be ready to flip.  The side that was facing down should be dark brown all over with some darker, more cooked spots.  Flip all the burgers and allow the other side to reach the same level of doneness. Naturally, you'll want to watch your burgers to achieve the level of doneness that you prefer. I like mine medium well, so that's what you should get if you follow my instructions precisely. If you like yours a little more or a little less done, you'll have to play with cooking time to adjust.

Take your other plate (the clean one that you did not have raw meat on), and place two layers of paper towels on it. Remove the burgers when they are done and place them in one layer on the plate.  Take some more paper towels, and pat the burgers to remove the excess grease.  I don't really like any extra grease, but I suppose you could skip this step. However, I find that due to the size of sliders, they can't handle the extra grease as easily a larger burger.

Serve the sliders on King's Hawaiian rolls with the toppings and sides of your choice. Chow down, enjoy, and send kind thoughts to those who can't be home having fun grill-fests this Memorial Day. (Miss you Michelle!)

I've been cat-sitting for a friend who's in Air Force Basic Training. Everybody, meet Sebastian's new friend Kat:

Forget polite questions.
GIVE me your cheeseburger, hooman!

   

A Pork Choppy Mother's Day

So, it's Mother's Day (hope you didn't forget!). Why not make your mother something nice for Mother's Day this evening?  Sure, going out to a fancy restaurant for a meal is nice, but why not avoid the crowds and impress your mom with a more personal dinner.  Really, any recipe would do, but these Honey-Garlic Pork Chops are particularly tasty and sure to please. (Unless of course, you're the burn the house down type, in which case Mom might prefer that dinner out.  Just saying).

What You'll Need

Supplies

Plate                                                                                 Measuring spoons

Fork                                                                                  Large cast iron skillet

Small bowl                                                                        Spatula

Measuring cups (liquid and dry)

Ingredients

1 cup of plain bread crumbs                                         2 Tbsp mustard

2 Tbsp flour                                                                      2 tsp minced garlic

Salt and pepper                                                                 2 big forkfuls honey

1 tsp thyme                                                                       4-6 center cut pork chops

1 egg                                                                                 1 cup olive oil

Now Let's Make Honey-Garlic Pork Chops!

Measure 1 cup of plain bread crumbs, and pour them onto your plate.  Add 2 Tbsp of flour, a sprinkle of salt, pepper to taste, and 1 tsp thyme.  Use your fork to mix the ingredients together until they are thoroughly blended.  The fork helps avoid spills, but don't be too vigorous, or you'll slop crumbs off your plate.  You likely won't be using the full amount, but depending on how much you coat your chops, it's better to be safe.  Set aside.

In your small bowl, crack a large egg. If you get shell in the bowl, lightly wet your fingers to easily pull the shell out (that way you don't have to chase the shell around the bowl). Now, measure and add 2 Tbsp mustard and 2 tsp minced garlic.  Take your fork and wipe off any clinging bread crumbs.  Use this to spoon (oh the irony) out some honey.  You want as large a forkful as you can manage per scoop. Allow the first scoop to pour off the fork into the bowl; on the second scoop simply stick your fork in the bowl. Use the fork to whisk together all the ingredients until everything is thoroughly blended (especially the egg).  The garlic may sink to the bottom, but the rest of the ingredients should not be individually identifiable.

Measure and pour 1 cup of olive oil into your large skillet.  Set the skillet on the stove and turn the eye to medium high heat.  While your oil is heating, move on to the next step.

It's time to dredge those pork chops! This is messy and your hands will get a little gross, so prepare yourself.  Take a pork chop and dip it into the bowl of garlic/honey/egg.  Move it around the bowl until all of the pork chop is well coated in the mixture.  Hold it over the bowl to let it drip for a second, then quickly lay the chop on the plate of breading.

Press the pork chop down into the breading repeatedly, moving your fingers all over the pork chop to coat one side. Flip the chop and repeat.  Make sure to coat the entire pork chop. If there are any bare spots, use your fingers to press breading onto them. Set the pork chop aside and repeat for the remaining chops.

By now your oil should be ready. If you're not sure, wet your fingers and flick a small amount of water into the oil. If this causes the oil to pop, it's good to go.  Gently place your pork chops into the pan.  Depending on the size of the chops and the pan that you're using, you may be able to fit more than the two pictured here. If you have to, you can place the cooked pork chops on a plate in the oven at warm until the rest are ready.

Cook on one side until the pork chops begin to turn a very dark golden brown.  You'll know that they're getting close, when you start to see signs of crisping around the edges and sides of the pork chop.  When ready, gently flip the pork chop using a spatula.  Cook on the other side until matching in color.  Make sure to cut into the pork chops to check that they're done; you don't want to serve Mom pink or bloody meat (there is no medium rare in pork; go for well done).  When done, remove from pan and repeat these cooking steps for the other pork chops.

Serve with a plateful of mashed potatoes and green beans and a side salad for a complete meal. And don't forget the present (it is Mother's Day after all).

   

Sweet Sweet Potatoes

There just aren't any good cheesy titles for this. Time for another easy side dish (yes, I'm still riding on the coattails of the holiday dinner; last time, swear!).  This one happens to be my favorite, and being the wierdo that I am, I mix it with practically everything at the holiday meal.  You guessed it: Sweet Potato Casserole! (What's that? You didn't guess?) This recipe takes a sweet potato and turns it into a delicious (read, unhealthy) bit of decadence.  But seriously, despite all that butter and sugar, a serving of this goes a long way; once that casserole is divided 20 ways the impact is slight. As for the origins of this recipe, it's all mine; I made it up by experimenting and adding the basics until I was pleased with the results (the most fun kind of cooking).

What You'll Need

Supplies

Dining plate                                                                Mixing spoon

Dining fork                                                                  Measuring cups

Knife for chopping                                                       Measuring spoons

Cutting board                                                              13 x 9" casserole dish

Large mixing bowl

Ingredients

7 sweet potatoes                                                          2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup brown sugar                                               1 cup pecans

1 cup nonfat milk                                                         Mini-marshmallows

1 cup butter 

Now Let's Make Sweet Potato Casserole!

As usual, begin with your prep work.  Preheat the oven to 350F. Using your knife and cutting board, chop up enough pecans to measure out about 1 cup. Since this is for the topping, and it's a relatively rustic dish, there's no need to be super precise here; if you're over or under it won't matter. 

This recipe calls for violence

On to the sweet potatoes!  I try to pick potatoes that are medium-largish.  You don't want really small ones as there won't be enough potato, but you don't want huge ones that take forever to cook, either. Begin by giving the potatoes a decent rinse. We won't be using the skins, so they don't have to sparkle, but excess dirt can transfer from your hands to the inside as you handle the potato (Blegh!). Use your fork to stab each side of the potato to help release air (Apparently, potatoes can explode if you skip this step, but I've never tested that. Really). Try not to look too demented as your stabbing the potatoes.  Place 2-3 potatoes on your dinner plate and microwave for 8 minutes. Poke with the fork to see if they're done; there should be no hard places.  Repeat until all the potatoes are cooked (I do this as I do the skinning step below).

Peeling (probably cursing)

As your other potatoes cook, begin skinning the potatoes that just finished.  Slice the potatoes in half and let them sit for a couple minutes to cool a bit (Not waiting = curses and burnt fingers).  When ready, begin removing the outer skin from the potatoes.  You can do this any way that works for you.  I tend to squeeze the potato a bit and the peel with my fingers and occasionally a knife for stubborn pieces. Place the sweet potatoes in your large mixing bowl as you go and set the skins aside for composting (or weird dogs that like potato skins, as mine do). Repeat for all the potatoes.

When all of your potatoes are in your mixing bowl, take the fork and mash them up really good.  Make sure not to leave behind any large lumps as this will affect the texture of your casserole. Once mashed, we can begin adding the other ingredients. Measure out 1 3/4 cup of brown sugar, packing it into the measuring cup as you do so; dump this into the mixing bowl. Then measure 1 cup nonfat milk and pour it into the mixing bowl. Microwave the 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter until it has begun to melt and pour this into the mixing bowl.  Measure out 2 tsp of vanilla extract and add to the sweet potato concoction (thought I was going to say mixing bowl, didn't you?).  Using your mixing spoon, blend all the ingredients together until everything is well mixed.  You shouldn't be able to distinguish any one ingredient except for the sweet potatoes by the time you're done.

Spoon the sweet potato mixture into the 13 x 9 inch casserole dish, spreading it out evenly.  Sprinkle your chopped pecans over the top of the casserole until you have an even layer. Do the same with the mini-marshmallows.  I typically use about 4 handfuls of marshmallows, but you're welcome to add as many or as few as you'd like. 

The finished product. Note the marshmallow's color.

Bake the casserole at 350F for about 30-45 minutes.  Cooking time varies drastically depending on the oven and the position of the casserole inside the oven. Just watch the casserole as you cook and remove it when the marshmallows have browned. Do NOT overcook; marshmallows are flammable (thankfully not something I learned from experience)! Serve casserole as a side dish to accompany you're favorite meal.  I find that it goes well with both pork and poultry. 

    Follow @TheBookPantry

Corny and Delicious

Prepare yourself for what is quite possibly one of my most addictive recipes.  When I threatened to exclude it from the holiday menu this year, I was met with quivering lips and watery eyes all around.  Corn Pudding is almost a cross between cornbread and spoon bread (in fact, my recipe is close to my Grandma Kay's spoon bread recipe). This dish is a pudding in the more traditional British sense of the word which comprehends savory flavors (sorry, I've been reading Austen) as well as Jello-like sweetness. And to top it off, it's ridiculously easy for something that tastes so yummy.

What You'll Need

Supplies

Large mixing bowl                                                       13 x 9" casserole dish
Stand mixer

Ingredients

1 stick butter                                                                1 can creamed corn (15 oz)

2 large eggs                                                                  8 oz sour cream

1 can whole kernel corn (15 oz)                                  1 box corn muffin mix (7.5 oz)

Now Let's Make Corn Pudding!

Mmmm. Butter.

Begin by preheating your oven to 350F.  Then, melt your stick of butter in your large bowl.  It doesn't need to be entirely melted, but it won't matter if it is.  Just don't overcook it so much that some of the butter evaporates. 30-40 seconds should do it.

Once you've mostly melted the butter, add two large eggs.  Also add both cans of corn, without draining off any liquid.  (seriously, don't drain; it's really hard to adjust with the right amount of water if you mess this up).

Mix, mix.

Now add 8 oz of sour cream to the bowl. I typically prefer to use Daisy Light sour cream as it cuts the calories of the recipe without sacrificing flavor. (You can also leave off the butter if you really want to, but it affects flavor and fluffiness. Still tasty, but not the same. I discovered this accidentally. Heh heh). Lastly, pour in your box of corn muffin mix.  I typically use Jiffy, but I'm sure it'd work with another brand just fine.

Yay, pudding!

Turn your mixer on to a medium low speed, and mix the ingredients until they are thoroughly blended. It is especially important that the eggs and sour cream get fully mixed in, as they tend to be stubborn.  If you need to break things down further with a whisk, don't be afraid to. (Not mixing properly results in a lumpy pudding, and that's just wrong).

Pour the pudding batter into the 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.  Shake the dish slightly from side to side to get the batter to settle evenly into the dish. 

Bake at 350F for about 40-45 minutes, until the top of the pudding is a golden brown and lightly crusty.

This recipe doubles easily, which is what I typically do for holidays since the dish is so popular.  If you choose to double the recipe, use a 15 x 10" dish and cook for 1 hour to account for the extra volume.  This dish goes with pretty much anything, but pairs especially well with ham or a hearty meat chili.

    Follow @TheBookPantry

A Red Velvet Holiday

Happy New Year from The Book Pantry! This Christmas dinner, I served a Red Velvet Cake for dessert.  Red Velvet Cake is a southern tradition, although it seems pretty popular elsewhere, too. (And, really, what's not to like?). Mine is loosely based off a recipe for the cake in The Boozy Baker cookbook, to which I've made a few alterations of my own (mainly the type of alcohol and the amount of food coloring). The cream cheese icing recipe is my own, but there's only so many ways to make cream cheese icing, just saying.  This is a delicious and pretty cake sure to impress anyone you happen to serve it to.  Despite my usual low-tech approach to baking (enforced only because I lack toys), this recipe needs a mixer. You cannot mix the cake batter by hand and not over mix, thereby creating a tough cake.

What You'll Need

Supplies

2 nine inch cake pans                                          Measuring cups

Large mixing bowl                                              Measuring spoons

Medium mixing bowl                                           Mixing spoon

Small mixing bowl                                               Long serrated bread knife

Stand mixer                                                         Icing knife/spatula

Whisk                                                                  Cutting board

Cooking spray                                                      Chopping knife

Ingredients for Cake

3 cups cake flour                                                  1 tsp vanilla extract, running over

5 Tbsp cocoa powder                                           1 tsp white vinegar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda                                          3 oz red food coloring

1/2 tsp salt                                                           1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup buttermilk                                                2 cups sugar

1/4 cup rum                                                          3 eggs

Ingredients for Frosting

16 oz cream cheese, softened                               2 cups confectioner's sugar

2 sticks butter, softened                                       4 Tbsp vanilla

3 cups pecans

Now Let's Make Red Velvet Cake!

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Time for prep work: Remove your 16 oz of cream cheese and 2 sticks of butter from the refrigerator and set aside to soften until you're ready to do the icing. Also remove your 3 eggs so that they come close to room temperature by the time you need them.  Now, coarsely chop enough pecans to equal 3 cups: that's about 4 handfuls.

Spray your two cake pans with cooking spray.  Pour out a small pile of flour into each pan (click to enlarge photos for an example). Dust the pans with the flour by holding the pan up and tilted and tapping the bottom, rotating the pan as you go to allow a thorough coating.  Once the bottom of the pan is coated, continue this process with the remaining flour around the sides of the pan.  I recommend doing this over the kitchen sink, as it can get a little messy.  Set your coated pans aside.

 

Cocoa Powder! *shakes fist*

In your medium mixing bowl, measure out 3 cups cake flour, 5 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Whisk the ingredients together until they are evenly distributed and there are no large cocoa powder lumps (cocoa powder is sneaky and devious; be thorough in your eradication). Set the dry ingredients aside. 

In your small mixing bowl, measure out 3/4 cup buttermilk (not that non-fat gunk, either; that defeats the purpose of buttermilk), 1/4 cup of rum, 1 tsp vanilla extract (allowing the vanilla to run over into the bowl slightly as you measure), 1 tsp of white vinegar, and 3 oz of red food coloring. Whisk the ingredients together until you have a (very red) smooth liquid mixture.  For a brighter cake add food more food coloring, but be aware that it affects flavor a little.  If you'd like to avoid food coloring altogether, puree 1-2 cooked beets. Keep in mind that the interaction between the buttermilk and the cocoa should achieve a slight red color as it is (woot! Chemistry!). Set the liquid mixture aside.

No shells in this cake!

Place 1 1/2 sticks of butter in your large mixing bowl.  Soften in the microwave if necessary, being careful not to fully melt the butter.  Using your mixer at a low speed (about 2 on mine), beat the 2 cups of sugar into the butter until fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. I recommend stopping the mixer for each egg addition, so that you can fish out any stray pieces of eggshell that might make their way into the batter. (Remember, an easy way to remove pesky shells is to wet your finger before trying).

Set your mixer to medium-low speed (about 4 on mine, but don't turn it on yet).  For this step you are going to gradually add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, alternating between the two.  You want to do this is partial amounts; I typically wind up with four additions of each.  Start with the flour mixture and end with the buttermilk mixture to achieve the appropriate consistency for your batter. Be careful not to go too slowly and over mix your batter.  Over worked batter will result in a tough, chewy cake. (Blegh!)

Divide the cake batter between your two cake pans, scraping the bowl to get all the good bits. Lightly shake your pans from side to side to settle the batter evenly into the pans.  Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes.  Test the doneness of the cakes by inserting a toothpick (or fork prongs) into the center of the cake. Cakes are done when toothpick comes out clean.  Set cakes aside to cool.

Yes, it's upside down.

Once cakes are mostly cool, remove one cake from pan and place it on your icing station (work area, display, wherever you're planning to ice the cake).  Take your long serrated knife and evenly slice off the curved top of the cake, so that you'll have a flat bottom layer.  Offer the cake top to any circling family members that happen to be around. (Vultures!) Loosen the other cake in the pan, but leave in pan until cakes are completely cool.

Mmmmm... frosting.

While cakes are cooling the rest of the way. Wash out your large mixing bowl, so that you can begin whipping up the frosting.  Place your 16 oz of cream cheese, 2 sticks of butter, 2 cups of confectioner's sugar and 4 Tbsp of vanilla in the (now clean) bowl.  Stir the ingredients together with your mixing spoon until you have a thoroughly blended, smooth frosting. You can flavor the frosting with anything you'd like, simply replace the vanilla with your choice of flavor (lemon juice, more rum, orange liqueur, etc).

Spread some frosting on top of the already stationed cake.  (Do not do this if cake is not yet cool, or you'll have a melty, blobby cake and who wants that?). Smooth the frosting across the surface of the cake until you have a decent layer of frosting.  Remove the other cake layer from its pan and carefully place it centered over the bottom layer.  You can cut the top off this one, too, if you want a flat topped cake, but I never bother. Gently spread frosting over the entire cake, beginning with the top before moving on to the sides.  Try to avoid any bare or translucent spots where the cake shows through.  Once all the frosting is on the cake, smooth it out to make it purty.

Yum!

Now, take your chopped pecans and begin coating your cake.  Start with the top center and work your way outward.  You want some white to show through but don't want any bald spots, so try to be even handed.  "How do you coat the sides?" you ask. I grab a small handful of chopped pecans, get close to the cake and toss/press the nuts into the cake.  This is really messy, so have a broom handy (or a pecan loving dog, either will do).  

Isn't it pretty?!

Now, stand back and admire your handy work!  This cake goes really well with postprandial coffee.

Big thanks to my future step-brother, Stevie, for letting me use his Nikon and helping with the pictures. I'm actually in one! Le gasp.  Also, thank you to my lovely friend Jen for doing the second stage icing, thus preventing me from my annual apoplectic frosting rage.  

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Like Buttah

Tonight marks the beginning of my annual Baking Extravaganza.  I'll be sharing the recipes (if not the calories) of this esteemed event here on The Book Pantry.  This evening brings us the Butterball.  This cookie is my Da's favorite (I've only been taunting him about it all week), and I inherited the recipe from his mother.  Since I never got the chance to know my paternal grandmother, I didn't actually learn this one from her.  Instead, I spent several Christmases recreating the cookie from her original, basic recipe (like many cooks, her practice varied from its record).  The result is a tasty, not-too-sweet, slightly crumbly cookie. Best of all, (despite how long it took me to tweak it to perfection) the recipe is probably the easiest of Christmas cookies.

What You'll Need

Supplies

Large mixing bowl                                                     Cutting Board

Wooden mixing spoon (well-loved)                              Cookie sheet

Measuring cups and spoons                                        Small bowl

Knife for chopping

Ingredients

1/2 lb butter, very soft                                                1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup powdered sugar + some for rolling               1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour                                               Salt

Now Let's Make Butterballs!

Start (as usual) by preheating your oven to 350F (yes, I forgot. Again.). Plop a 1/2 pound of butter - also known as 2 sticks - into your large mixing bowl.  If your butter is not already soft from being left out, pop it in the microwave for about 20-25 seconds. Watch it carefully!  You do not want to actually melt the butter; we just want it very soft.  If you melt your butter, the recipe will turn wrong . . . very wrong. (Do I hear gasps of horror? Did you melt your butter? You did, didn't you? Don't worry a tiny amount of melt won't hurt). Anyway, soften your butter.  Then, beat the butter with your mixing spoon until it is creamed.

Chop, chop.

On your cutting board, chop your pecans using your knife in a lever motion, moving across the pile of pecans. Stop occasionally to scoop your pecans back into a pile and repeat until all the pecans are chopped finely. Keep chopping pecans until you've filled a 1 cup measuring cup.  I find that two really big handfuls of pecan halves tend to equal out to 1 cup of chopped nuts. (Yay for measuring: like science, but tastier!)

Confusing amount of salt

Add your pecans to the bowl of butter.  Measure out 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, packing it into the measuring cup as you do so (like you would for brown sugar). Add this to the bowl.  Now, measure out 2 cups of all-purpose flour, making sure to level each cup off before adding it to the bowl. (Freak out when you can't find the flour, curse your cousin for using it all in chocolate-chip cookies at Thanksgiving, make boyfriend put on shoes, *oh wait, I found it! heh heh*). Then, add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla; measure it over the bowl so that you can allow it to run over a bit as you measure.  Lastly, add enough salt to mostly fill the dip in the palm of your hand when your hand is cupped.  Confusing?  See the picture (click to enlarge).

While safe to eat, this raw dough
tastes not so nice.

Mix all the ingredients together in the bowl.  The batter will be very dry, so it takes some time to get everything mixed thoroughly.  Take your time and patiently mix.  If you wind up with parts of the dough that are softer and more buttery than others, those buttery cookies won't hold their shape! 

Once the dough is sufficiently mixed, begin rolling the dough into balls that are about 1 inch in diameter.  To do so, take a pinch of dough and either form it into a ball-shape with your fingers or roll it between the palms of your hands. If your dough is crumbling and refusing to take shape, squeeze it together in your fist; this will mush the ingredients more and allow you to make a ball.  Place each ball on your cookie sheet.  They shouldn't increase in size much during the cooking process, so you can space them pretty close together, about 1/2 an inch.

Bake the cookies at 350F for about 15 minutes until the bottoms begin to tun a golden brown.  You'll have to watch the very edges of the cookies for signs of this browning. Remove the cookies from oven and begin moving them from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack (also known as paper towels on the counter in my house). You'll know pretty quickly if you didn't mix your butter in thoroughly enough as those cookies will have spread out more, perhaps even running together, as in the second picture here.  Don't worry too much if your Butterballs aren't actually ball shaped anymore, though; they'll be more like mounds than balls.

No deep breaths!

Allow the Butterballs to mostly cool.  Pour some extra powdered sugar into your small bowl. While the cookies are still slightly warm, begin rolling them in the sugar until they are lightly coated (so that little bit of emphasis applies mostly to me). Don't try to roll the balls while they're very warm still or your powered sugar will become gunky, which is gross.

Store in an airtight container.  Or, better yet, serve with a nice glass of milk! Enjoy!

Yay, cookies!

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