Holiday Special – Christmas Cookies

What’s your favorite holiday treat? Something from your grandmother’s kitchen? Or maybe you have a new favorite from that sweet little pastry shop down the road. Could be you are looking for something new. Shortbread is terrific for the holidays and I promise you will love my Macadamia Nut Shortbread. Or try my holiday favorite – Snowy Pecan Balls. For a hearty treat on a snowy day, bake up a batch of Root ‘n’ Tooty Good ‘n’ Fruity Oatmeal Cookies. They’re just what Santa needs to keep going on his round-the world ride. And how about some Snowman Cupcakes? Gingerbread would be a great choice!

If you are rushed (and who isn’t), Sweet Dream Bars are quick and easy. The chocolate lovers in your family will love my Triple Threat Brownies.

Then there are lovely homemade chocolates and candies! My Chocolate Almond Brittle is positively addictive. And my Chocolate Dipped Orange Caramels are no less delicious. For a luxurious treat, try my Chocolate Truffles. Christmas candies are great on your holiday buffet table and make great gifts.

If you are thinking of something sweet as a hostess gift or stocking stuffer, don’t forget my Death by Chocolate Sauce. (But save some for yourself!)

Enjoy everything the holiday season has to offer and bon appétit!

For a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog Click Here!!

What sweet treats will you be making during the holidays? I’d love to hear from you. Let’s get a conversation going.

Want more? Click here for more seasonal menus! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2011

Christmas Cookies & Snowy Pecan Balls

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. Sure there is more than a little chaos, madness even, but that’s part of the fun. I love all the different traditions, big and small, old and new. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without our favorite carols, tried and true family rituals and favorite decorations. Not to mention some of those once-a-year sweet treats!

One way or another, pretty much everyone ends up in the kitchen during December. For some, the cooking is nonstop. With cookies by the gross and special holiday cakes and pies, their kitchens are a warm and cozy haven of sugar and spice. Others make one and only one special recipe. Maybe it’s great, great, great Grandpa’s punch, Aunt Millie’s stollen or Mémé’s Bûche de Noël. It doesn’t matter that tastes have changed. So what if you prefer a martini over punch or have sworn off desserts. You continue to make that one special treat year after year. Passed down from generation to generation, it’s tradition!

But what about those people who never bake. People like my mother. Mom was the master of the thirty minute meal. Our birthday cakes came from mixes and cookies were sliced off a roll. Except at Christmas. That’s when she pulled out her box of carefully collected but rarely used recipe cards and baked one of Aunt Anna’s Pecan Pies. It’s also when she dedicated an afternoon to making and decorating cookies, first with my sister, Brenda and me and later with my brother.

We didn’t spend days on end in the kitchen or bake hundreds of cookies. A few warm, wonderful hours were more than enough. We stuck to the basics, a simple batch of sugar cookies. With the little portable radio playing Christmas carols in the background, we mixed and rolled, cut out and baked a couple dozen cookies. When we were little we sprinkled them with red or green sugar and slide them into the oven. Once we reached eight or ten, Mom threw caution to the wind and let us decorate them with brightly colored royal icing. I can’t imagine that Brenda and I didn’t squabble a bit but I don’t remember that part. Without a doubt, we nibbled a cookie or two or three as we worked.

By the time I reached middle school, I was baking one or two special Christmas treats on my own. For several years I baked and decorated a Bûche de Noël for Christmas Eve. When I grew tired of Bûche (it’s very sweet), I switched to cookies, chocolate truffles, caramels and pound after pound of Chocolate Almond Brittle. Some I pack up to give as gifts and others are reserved for family feasts, pot lucks and tea or coffee breaks with friends. But my efforts are paltry compared to my sister. Brenda takes holiday baking to a whole new level.

For years Brenda has made dozens of elaborate cookies. Even better, when her children were little, she helped them built beautiful gingerbread houses. It began with the chance find of a gingerbread house mold at a garage sale and the tradition continued on for more than a decade. It could be the season but there is something magical about a gingerbread house. It doesn’t matter if they were created by a fabulous and famous chef or built by a young, would-be artist. They are all wonderful.

Whether you build an entire village in gingerbread, recreate Nana’s special trifle or bake just one batch of cookies, have fun and bon appétit!

Snowy Pecan Balls
I began making these when I was in high school and they are still my favorite Christmas cookies. No matter how busy I am, I always make sure I find the time to bake a batch (or two) of these buttery cookies. Enjoy!
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

4 ounces pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
About 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats.

Put the nuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg and pulse to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar at low speed until it is smooth. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed gradually add the flour-nut mixture and mix until the dough comes together. Cover the bowl and chill until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Using a small cookie scoop or 2 teaspoons, make dollops of batter. Use your hands to roll the dollops into balls. Place the balls onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake at 325 degrees until pale golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Put the remaining confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl. Let the cookies cool for a minute or two and then roll the still warm cookies in the confectioners’ sugar. Cool on wire racks and store in tightly covered tins.

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One Year Ago – Chocolate Truffles
Two Years Ago – Smoked Salmon Mousse
Three Years Ago – Roasted Beans
Four Years Ago – Winter Soup with Pasta, Beans & Greens

Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie? One you bake every year? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going.

Want more? I’ve got links to lots more to read, see & cook as well as a day in the life photoblog! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2012

Puttin’ on the Ritz & Cappuccino Brownies

After graduate school I moved to Switzerland. My original plan was to work a year abroad and then return to real life. Figuring I had twelve months (and not seventeen years) I was determined to see as much of Europe as possible. During my first year abroad I traveled at least every-other weekend. My friend Marie-Claude was a willing travel mate.

Paris was just a few short hours away on the TGV, the fast train, so off we went for a long weekend. We visited museums, went to the theater, snooped around the market at Les Halles and walked and walked and walked some more. Until, standing in front of The Ritz, Marie-Claude let out a gasp, informed me that she needed a break and headed into the hotel. Taking me in tow, she made a bee-line to the bar. That’s when an officious-looking man with a name badge hurried over to us.

Of course, Marie-Claude was casually but respectably dressed. With her kakis, pink cashmere sweater and silk scarf she was preppy chic. Not me. I was dressed like a tourist in blue jeans, running shoes and a backpack. Monsieur Name Badge wanted to know what we were doing in his hotel. Marie-Claude stood tall and announced that we were going to the bar for a coffee. He looked me up and down with disdain and replied, “pas avec les baskets.” Loose translation – “not with your scruffy friend.” In France, all sneakers, tennis shoes, running shoes and anything resembling an athletic shoe or sneaker are called baskets, short for basketball shoe. And at least in those days you did not wear les baskets in a 5-star hotel, not in the lobby and definitely not in the bar.

I thought that being thrown out of The Ritz was pretty funny. It was a first for me. Should it ever happen again, I could raise my fist and defiantly shout, “I’ve been thrown out of a far better place than this.” Disappointed, Marie-Claude did not find it so funny. Not only was she tired but she really wanted to sip a coffee in a grand hotel.

To be honest, her disappointment was a bit of a mystery to me. Didn’t she know that The Ritz Bar was not for coffee? You went to The Ritz Bar for a martini. Or in Paris, maybe a flute of champagne. Like most MBAs my lessons had not been limited to break-even points and strategic planning. In between classes and study groups, I’d happily discovered both The Ritz Bar on Boston Garden and martinis. Not only did I like their taste, drinking martinis gave me the illusion (or maybe delusion) of being grown up and sophisticated. All the more so when sipping one at The Ritz Bar.

Holding our heads high, we left the hotel to have coffee at a small café. I was charmed. And Marie-Claude? Well, not so much, so I apologized profusely.

A month or two later, Marie-Claude and I went on another long weekend adventure, this time to London. Again we went to museums, the theater and of course we visited Harrods. Maybe she noticed, maybe not but Saturday morning I donned a tweed blazer instead of my normal scruffy tourist garb. By late afternoon our energy began to flag. That’s when I surprised my friend by coming to a full stop in the middle of the sidewalk and changing my shoes. After stashing les baskets in my backpack, I casually draped my raincoat over the handy but offensive carry-all.

I was making amends. It was time for tea at The Ritz London. With my friend in tow, I made a bee-line for the Palm Court. I stood tall and declared we had a reservation for Nye for two for tea. Thank goodness, I passed muster and we spent an elegant hour nibbling little cakes and sipping tea in a grand hotel.

Bon appétit!

Cappuccino Brownies
Perfect for afternoon tea or dessert, these brownies are very rich so cut them into one or two bite squares. Enjoy!
Makes 40 tiny squares

Brownie Layer
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 13×9 inch baking pan.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk the flour, espresso powder, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Whisk the sugar and vanilla into the chocolate. Add the eggs one at a time and whisk until the batter is smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Evenly spread the batter in the baking pan. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs adhering to it. Cool completely in the pan.

Cream Cheese Layer
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Put the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl and beat until fluffy with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the vanilla and beat until well combined. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon and beat until well combined.

Spread cream cheese frosting on the brownie layer. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Glaze
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate or a mix of bittersweet and milk chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon instant express powder

Combine all the ingredients in a heavy pan and melt the chocolate and butter over low heat. Stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Generously, if not artfully, drizzle the the glaze on top of the cream cheese layer.

Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 8 hours. Cut into tiny squares and remove from the pan while still cold. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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One Year Ago – Lemon Scones
Two Year Ago – Shrimp with Jicama Slaw
Three Years Ago – Pork Mole
Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

What’s the best (or worse) place to kick you out?!? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Want more? Click here for lots more to read, see & cook! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2012

In the Kitchen – Cookies for Christmas!

It’s raining, it’s pouring and snow is in the forecast.
 It’s a good day to stay in and bake Christmas cookies. This dark day will seem a lot brighter if you fill your house with sweetness and spice. I’ve got three great cookie recipes in Parenting NH magazine this month. Click here to find my recipes for Sugar & Spice Cookies, Snowballs and Double Chocolate Cookies. I’m particularly fond of the Snowballs.

Looking for a few more options? Shortbread is always a holiday favorite. I promise you will love my Macadamia Nut Shortbread. My Root ‘n’ Tooty Good ‘n’ Fruity Oatmeal Cookies are a hearty treat on a cold day, the perfect cookies to help Santa on his route.

If you are rushed (and who isn’t), Sweet Dream Bars are quick and easy. If you’ve got a bunch of chocolate lovers at your house, you can’t miss with my Triple Threat Brownies.

Happy baking and bon appétit!

For a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog Click Here!!

What are you baking this year for the holidays? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

Want more? Click here for more seasonal menus! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2011

Time for Cookies!

Christmas Eve is just one week away. You’ll want to set out a plate of cookies for Santa … here are a few suggestions!

Traditional Christmas cookies… with a twist!
Citrus & Spice Sugar Cookies on Parenting NH’s website
Peppermint Bark Cookies deep in my website archives
Macadamia Nut Shortbread
Root ‘n’ Tooty Good ‘n’ Fruity Oatmeal Cookies

Or maybe you prefer homemade candies!
Chocolate Dipped Orange Caramels
Chocolate Almond Buttery Brittle

Fast & easy … nothing beats a brownie!
Black & White Brownies
Triple Threat Brownies
Peanut Butter Brownies
Sweet Dream Bars

Sweet & spicy gingerbread … a holiday must-have!
Gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting … you can even transform those cupcakes into snowmen!

Want more? Click here for fun and festive seasonal menus! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2011

Mad Hatter Day & Ginger Scones

Break Free from Habit and Convention

Calling all contrarians! Lovers of the unthinkable, preposterous and absurd, October 6th is Mad Hatter Day. You remember the Mad Hatter from Alice and Wonderland. He always seemed to be in trouble with the Queen of Hearts. Although I guess he was only one of many who raised her ire and cries, “Off with his head.” Alice met him at afternoon tea which he shared with the March Hare. The tea totaling twosome drove her to distraction by talking in riddles. Truth be told, we can’t really blame the poor Mad Hatter for his foolish stuff and nonsense. Assuming he really was a hatter, he was most likely crazed by mercury poisoning.

Mad Hatter Day was started by a bunch of computer geeks in Boulder, Colorado in the mid-eighties. Not as a grand gesture or political statement but because they had nothing better to do. Mad Hatter Day is autumn’s answer to April Fools’ Day, but without the pranks. It is a day when everything is turned topsy-turvy. When in is out and out is in; up is down and down is up.

Throughout the year we all smile, accept and even openly champion all sorts of crazy, cockeyed or ridiculous ideas and activities. Why? Because that’s the way we do things! It doesn’t matter if deep down inside it seems ridiculous, it’s the status quo.

So we:

1.  Drive to the gym to exercise,
2.  Wear a necktie to work on a sweltering day,
3.  Work when we are on vacation,
4.  Clip coupons to save money on things we don’t need or really even want but have to buy because of all the money we save!
5.  And spend billions and billions on our hair to make it look natural.

Then again, we:

6.  Drink our morning coffee or tea from a bunch of ugly, mixed-and-unmatched freebie mugs that we’ve collected at conferences, gas station openings and various and sundry events and occasions.
7.  And hang onto an old jacket (or skirt or pants or whatever) in case it comes back in style, even though it hasn’t fit in a decade or two.

Finally, in our hustling and bustling world, we never have time to relax, sit and chat over a cup of coffee or glass of wine because we are too busy:

8.  Multitasking and simultaneously communicating with dozens of people or more with instant messages, Tweets, voicemails and emails,
9.  Not to mention the cell phone which is permanently glued to our ear,
10. Or our addiction to reality television even though there is nothing real about it.

This Mad Hatter Day, take a deep breath, throw caution to the wind and denounce at least one or two of the absurdities you endure the other 364 days of the year. Take a long walk. Leave your necktie at home. Let your hair go natural. Invite someone to tea, use the good china, turn off your cell phone and enjoy a real conversation. Smile and celebrate a day free of some of the ridiculous habits of modern life. Have a wonderful Mad Hatter Day,

Bon appétit!

Ginger Scones
The perfect autumn teatime treat. Call your best pals or that interesting new acquaintance, get out your teapot, the good cups and enjoy!
Makes 12-24 scones

2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Grated peel of 1/2 orange
2/3 cup crystallized ginger, diced
10 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Spiced Cream Cheese Icing (optional) recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter a large baking sheet.

Put the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, spices and orange peel in the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the crystallized ginger and pulse to combine.

Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 3/4 cup heavy cream; pulse until the dough starts to come together in a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, pat together into a ball and knead gently until smooth, 8-12 turns.

Divide the dough into thirds. Pat each portion into a 3/4-inch thick round.  Cut each round into wedges; 4 for large scones and 8 for small. Place the scones about 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with cream.

Bake the scones until light brown, 15-18 minutes. Drizzle with Spiced Cream Cheese Icing and serve warm or at room temperature.

Spiced Cream Cheese Icing
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cream cheese at room temperature
1 tablespoon sour cream

Whisk together the powdered sugar and ginger in a medium bowl. Add the cream cheese and sour cream and stir with a fork until smooth and creamy.

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What’s your favorite teatime treat? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Fly a Kite & Black & White Brownies

There are so many crazy, silly holidays out there. Leave Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Back Porch Night is among my favorites. As are Ice Cream Day, Waffle Iron Day and Teddy Bears’ Picnic Day. May is a particularly busy month when it comes to celebrations. There is Lumpy Rug Day on the 3rd, National Candied Orange Peel Day on the 4th, Lost Sock Memorial Day on the 9th and Dance Like a Chicken Day on the 14th; the fun goes on and on. I think my favorite is Fly a Kite Day on May 12th.

When I was in high school I bought a button with the simple words Go Fly a Kite. I pinned it to my purse or backpack or whatever I happened to be carrying at the time. I bought it because I really liked the sense of fun and freedom that comes with flying a kite. Later it dawned on me that this message was actually a seemingly friendly request to anyone and everything that might have been bugging me to go away. (Take a hike was the preferred “leave me alone” expression in our household.) Anyway at fifteen or sixteen there are lots of people and things that bugged me so I was happy to sport this new not so double entendre.

When I realized that Kite Day was coming I remembered the button. I hung onto it for years. Long after I stopped wearing it, I stuck it up on bulletin boards at college, graduate school and at more than one major corporation. Since I am a bit of pack rat (and by the way Pack Rat Day is May 17th), I figured that the button might still be around. I surprised myself, not that I found it but that I found it in minutes. It is back in place over my desk. Once again it is a personal reminder to soar high and enjoy the day as well as a message to bores, blowhards or bullies to leave me alone.

Getting back to kites, I have never been particularly good at making or flying kites but I still think they are wonderful. A bright, colorful kite flying high in the sky is such a joyful site. There is something about watching a kite bob and weave in a bright blue sky that just makes me smile.

Kites have always been one of my favorite gifts to give and receive and I have given them to kids of all ages. There have been Mini Mouse and Superman kites for nieces and nephews and godchildren. In my teens and twenties, long flowing dragons and rainbows were given to friends as well as my brother and sister. Of these many kites, a few have ended up in trees or suffered crash landings but most brought at least one afternoon of fun. Then again, not all had the joy of a highflying adventure. Rather than soar in the clear blue sky, they adorned college dorm rooms or brought a little color and whimsy to first apartments. A colorful kite wound its way around the walls of at least one or two of my dorm rooms and my first studio apartment. Long flowing tails make particularly good decorations.

The next time the sun is shining and a nice breeze is blowing, why not take your kids or grandkids, a niece or nephew or even the kid next door (ask his or her mother or father first!) to go fly a kite. Enjoy!

 Black and White Brownies
Brownies are the perfect treat to take on a kite flying expedition. I made these brownies by happy accident. I was one cup short of chocolate chips but discovered a bag of white chocolate chips in the cupboard. I improvised and the results were delicious. Enjoy!
24 brownies

8 ounces unsalted butter
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, divided
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch by 13-inch pan.

Melt together the butter, semisweet chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate in a heavy pan over very low heat. Stir frequently and remove from the heat when the butter and chips are just about melted. Whisk to combine until completely melted and smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Slowly add to the chocolate mixture, stirring constantly.  Cool to room temperature.

Put the white chocolate chips in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons flour and toss to coat.

Whisk 1/2 cup flour with the baking powder and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Fold in the white chocolate chips and any remaining flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean; don’t over bake. Cool thoroughly and cut into squares.

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One Year Ago – Linguine with Artichokes

Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good.  ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Collecting Stars, Magic and Memories & Sweet Dream Bars

Children are great collectors. They (along with some adults) collect Barbies, Matchbox cars, teddy bears, angels and fairies, stickers, horses, unicorns, Japanese erasers and something called Pokemon. Some of these treasures are fun for play but many are really just for collecting … and bragging rights. Owning more Polly Pockets or Beanie Babies than anyone in the neighborhood is the ultimate claim to fame for many seven year olds.

When you spend the summer on the shore or in the country, there is lots of wonderful stuff to collect. Frogs are a favorite on Pleasant Lake. There is nothing quite as glorious as capturing your first slippery frog and showing it off in triumph to admiring chums, older brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents. Since they are generally released within an hour, usually less, there are always plenty of frogs to capture or recapture.

The hills and woods around Pleasant Lake offer a change of pace from frog hunting and a break from the sun. The woods are filled with treasures ready and waiting for young collectors. Odd twigs, birch bark, stones, abandoned birds’ nests, pinecones and much more are waiting for treasure hunters. Looking around my parent’s house, there are three generations of old birds’ nests and bits and bobs tucked into odd corners, nooks and crannies.

When my sister Brenda and I were little, we spent the summer on Cape Cod. There were no woods to comb but we found lots of treasures on the beach. There were all sorts of interesting stones and shells to discover. We collected driftwood, beach glass and horseshoe crab shells along with a few sunburns, bumps and bruises.

And then there was the summer we collected starfish. Late one afternoon, Brenda and I were out exploring during low tide. We were in search of anything that looked interesting, killing time until we could swim. We found two starfish clinging to the supports of an old dock. We were fascinated. We decided that we needed to adopt these two strange creatures and make them our pets. We pried them off the poles, tossed them into our plastic buckets with some water and headed back to our rental cottage. My sister was the ringleader of our gang of two and she got me running back and forth to the beach for salt water. We filled the birdbath and welcomed our briny friends to their new home. We named them Pole and Dock.

It didn’t take long for my mother to begin to worry. She knew that she would soon have two dead starfish and two hysterical children on her hands. Before tragedy hit, Mom managed to convince us that starfish, given a choice, would choose the big, cool ocean over a hot little birdbath. We lugged them back to the sea, said a few fond farewells and tossed them back under the pier.

Nighttime is a special time in the summer. Children get to stay up late, play hide and seek in the dark and chase fireflies. Every year my grandmother found an old jar and poked holes in the top for us to catch and collect fireflies. It was a great trick on her part. We would chase the flashing lights, rarely catching more than one or two, but it kept us busy and wore us out before bed. There is something magical about fireflies, like sparkling Christmas lights in July. I no longer chase fireflies, but it is still wonderful to take a moment to relax and watch their dance.

I wish you a great summer filled with magic and special memories. I hope that you can find a moment to watch the moon rise over the mountain or fireflies dance in the dark. Enjoy these warm and wonderful times with family and friends.

Bon appétit!

Sweet Dream Bars
A great treat for your next picnic under the stars. Enjoy!
Makes about 24 bars

Hot shortbread base, recipe follows
1 large egg
2 tablespoons rum or bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 ounces) pecans, roughly chopped
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup grated coconut

Make the shortbread base.

In a large bowl whisk together the egg, rum, vanilla and cream. Add the brown sugar, honey and salt; whisk until smooth and well combined. Stir in the pecans, chocolate chips and coconut; combine.

Pour the nut mixture over the hot shortbread. Bake in the middle of the oven until set, 15-20 minutes. Cool in the pan and cut into 24 bars.

Shortbread Base
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.

In a food processor, process the flour, sugar and salt to combine. Add the butter and process until mixture begins to form small lumps.

Sprinkle the dough in the bottom of the prepared pan. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake the shortbread in the middle of the oven until golden, 15-20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare the topping.

© Susan W. Nye, 2011

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One Year Ago – Lobster Salad

What’s your special summer memories? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my photoblog, Susan Nye 365 or my cleverly named other blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good.

Rainy Days – Vacation Days & Peanut Butter Brownies

I have to write quickly this morning. Two of my nieces are here for a few days. These not-so-little-anymore girls are asleep upstairs. It is like the calm and quiet before the storm. They’ll stumble down the stairs with a few yawns, some mumbled questions and comments. And then, when they are really and truly awake, we will get down to the business of deciding what to do on this rather dreary day.  

 

Which leads to the important question … what do you do with kids in the country when it’s raining? Of course, you can all pile in the car and drive somewhere in about forty-five minutes. Thirty if you’re not fussy about speeding tickets. However, that rather defeats the purpose of spending vacation time in the country.

 

In addition, if you haven’t discovered the dangers of a trip to the mall or the movies or an arcade with ‘tweens and teens, listen up. That funny noise you hear is the sound of your last few bucks being sucked out of your wallet.   

 

If they were younger, we could do the whole camping thing. That’s when you set up a tent in the living room and pretend you’re camping. If you don’t have a tent or it’s too big for the living room, a sheet over a smallish table works fine. You can make fishing poles out of sticks and string and safety pins and fish over the deck or the stairwell. Coloring and cutting out paper fish to catch will keep kids busy for a little while.

  

But my girls have outgrown the tents. As soon the weather breaks, we can head out to explore the damp and dank day. We can do the gnu tour. The challenge is to visit each and every one of New London’s twenty-six gnus and then head over to Sunapee Harbor for number twenty-seven. Brightly painted in a variety of colors and styles, the gnus are good for a few pictures, some theatrical poses and a few laughs.  

 

When we have taken enough photographs to fill several scrapbooks, we can head to the beach. You know you are desperate when you spend an afternoon huddled in a sweatshirt, wrapped in a towel, staring glumly at a fog-covered Mount Kearsarge.  

 

When my sister and I were little, we visited my grandparents every summer. On dreary days, we hung out with Nana in her tiny kitchen. She was always baking something, old-fashioned molasses cookies, hermit bars or blueberry pies or cakes, and she let us help. Baking cookies or brownies is a favorite with my two sleepyheads. I am sure they will be willing if I am able to find the time.

 

Which brings up another complication; how do you keep kids happy when it’s not only raining but you have a ton of work to do (and these few early morning hours aren’t enough?) If you’re lucky, you have an escape hatch, maybe two, even three. You may be able to drop them off at a neighbors (you are a lifesaver Sue! thanks a million Peg!) or they can spend an afternoon at their grandparents. My mother has always liked board games so maybe I can talk her into challenging the girls to a Scrabble or Monopoly marathon.

 

Oops! Times up! I hear footsteps on the stairs, that’s about it for the calm and quiet until tomorrow morning. Have a wonderful summer with family and friends, big, small and ‘tween!

  

Bon appétit!

 

 Peanut Butter Brownies

Whether I have young helpers in the kitchen or not, these brownies are quick and delicious, a great treat for any summer weekend. 

Makes 24 brownies

 2 cups flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9”x13” inch baking pan.  

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

  

With an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter and sugars on medium-high speed until creamy; beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth.

 

 Reduce speed to low, add the dry ingredients and mix in until just combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

 

 Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, about 20 minutes.

 

 Immediately sprinkle the top of the brownies with chopped milk chocolate. Return to the brownies to the oven for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the chocolate evenly over the top of the brownies. Cool completely in pan, cut and serve.

 

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You can find lots more recipes visit my web site at www.susannye.com. For updates, cooking tips and more, follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/susannye or Facebook at www.facebook.com/swnye. You can watch me cook on Youtube at www.youtube.com/susannye ©Susan W. Nye, 2009

A Night at the Oscars & Triple Threat Brownies

They’re counting down to the Oscars. Soon the red carpet will be rolled out and glamorous stars will strut their stuff in gorgeous gowns and dapper tuxedos. How will you spend Oscar night? Snuggled up in your jammies and fuzzy slippers in front of the television munching a bowl of popcorn? Or maybe not. With all the gloom and doom on the news, the cold and snow outside, it may be just the time to throw an Oscar party.

Chase away the winter doldrums with a little glamour. Invite your friends and family to a Red Carpet spectacular. Ask your guests to dress to the nines in their most elegant duds. Your party will be the talk of the town for weeks to come.

Afraid some of your friends will rebel if you ask them to go glam? Try a different, maybe more comical route with a Night at the Movies costume party. Encourage everyone to dress up as their favorite Oscar winning actress, actor or movie. Even the most reluctant participant can join the fun. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt will transform the costume-phobic into Marlon Brando or James Dean. Or throw on some khakis and you are “Out of Africa.”

Hopefully your guests will let their imaginations run wild. With hundreds of movies and characters to choose from they can be anything from smooth and sophisticated to silly and slapstick. A friend of mine once dressed up as Cool Hand Luke. A bit shy when it came to costumes, he chose cleverness over flamboyance. Throughout most of the night he kept his hand in a bag of ice in his pocket. He wandered around, doing the meet and greet and offering a very cool handshake. Now, I’m fine with flamboyant. I’ve gone to Oscar parties as a Hollywood pin-up girl, the witch from the “Wizard of Oz” and a devil in a Prada knock-off.

To start the evening in style, line your front walk with luminaries or tiki torches. Take it a step further and throw down some inexpensive fabric for a red carpet effect. (Don’t forget to remove it after the party or you’ll find it tangled up in your snow blower after the next storm!) And finally, get a few friends to pose as paparazzi. Your guests will enjoy a spectacular, Hollywood entrance.

Once inside a few flowers and lots of candles in glass, silver and brass candlesticks will make the evening sparkle. You can probably find a few Oscar statuettes at a party store if you have the time or inclination.

Let this year’s Oscar nominees inspire your menu. A New Orleans jambalaya for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. A wonderful curry for “Slumdog Millionaire”. A delicious German kuchen with apples or plums for “The Reader”. If all this sounds too complicated, skip dinner in favor of a dessert party. Set out patters with a nice mix of cheeses, nuts and fresh fruit. Satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth with heavenly fudge brownies and your favorite cookies. And don’t hesitate to declare 2009 the year of the pot luck. Let everyone pitch in with their favorite dish or a bottle of wine.

But wait a minute, Monday’s a work day. What if you prefer a quiet Sunday night? Easy, celebrate on Saturday! Instead of watching the awards, play your favorite movie sound tracks and dance the night away. (You’ll still get to spend Sunday night comfy and cozy watching the Oscars in your tatty old robe and fuzzy slippers!)

At least for one night forget the cold, ignore the dreary news and escape with the movies. Have a wonderful evening and,

Bon appétit!

Triple Threat Brownies
These brownies are incredibly decadent, just perfect for a Hollywood party. Cut them into small, one or two bite, squares. Enjoy!
Makes 48 or more brownies

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
2 sticks butter, cut in pieces
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 cup milk or white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9×13 pan.

2. Melt the chocolate on top of a double boiler. Remove from heat and add the butter. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add the syrup and whisk to combine.

3. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the vanilla, espresso and eggs. Mix thoroughly.

4. Whisk sugar, salt and flour together into a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture. Blend thoroughly. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

5. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan; cut and serve.

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Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010