Don't bring a knife to a gunfight

So, here I am feeling all Christmassy (which doesn't happen) and I thougth - hey, those spritz cookies turned out so well (and easy) the other night I should bake some and give them as gifts!

So I am. Well, I am as of today ...we will see how long this takes me as I can't stand babysitting baked goods.

I digress.

A change from the last time is I discovered that I work close to a Sur La Table cooking gadetry store. Ooooooh, ahhhhh. And I figured I may as well have 2 very good cookie sheets used only for cookies just in case the mood strikes right? Right. I am a firm believer in the notion that if you have the proper tools/gadgets for your task it is more enjoyable and easier to accomplish. Go me! So I have these cookie sheets and I figured I would break them in with this spritz "cookie gift" idea. And since none of my friends really know about it..I can abort at any time and nobody is the wiser.

Let me tell you, if you don't have quality cookie sheets...you are missing out. I hate to bake, but I can appreciate a good piece of baking equipment when I see it and these are. http://www.surlatable.com/nav/i/category/nonstick+baking+sheets/*/price+range/%2410+%E2%80%93+%2424.99/n/217.do?keyword=chicago+metallic&sortby=ourPicks

The ones I have are the cookie sheets. The above link is a picture of both the jelly roll pan with the cookie sheet on the top. The cookie sheet was the 2nd higest rated by CooksIllustrated. They don't steer you wrong. They are $20.00 each and worth every penny.

The brown evenly and there is a large surface for the cookies. I am not even going to show a picture of the cookie sheet I used for the last batch..too scary. Let's just say that I had no business using it and have retired it to other purposes. It's a Christmas miracle that they even turned out.

I had a much longer, wittier blog but then I lost it all (boo hiss) and the moment is gone. Just get decent cookie sheets already!

Christmas Memories

I was feeling extra nostalgic today thinking about how my mom would bake about 12 different kinds of Christmas cookies every year as gifts for her friends. The house would smell like a bakery for a week or so. She was a very good baker (my dad taught her). I would look forward to her baking the Christmas cookies every year.

Before my story turns down the "Lifetime movie" road (because oh yes, it will) I will get on with it.

My favorite cookie was the Spritz. It is like those butter cookies you can buy in the tin from Costco every year. Just a yummy butter cookie. My mom used a pastry bag to make them but since I don't claim to be something I am not...I bought a cookie press. I did a bit of research on cookie presses and found that the highest rated one according to http://www.cooksillustrated.com/ is the Wilton Comfort Grip Cookie Press which you can purchase at your local Michaels.


This baby is under $10.00 and super easy to use.

Making actual "cookies" in the cookie press, well..it takes some practice.

I would like to say that since I am not a baker, I don't have the proper baking pans and cookie sheets. Oh, I have some..but, they are not in the best condition in the world and after tonight it became clear that I need to have a couple of cookie sheets that I only use for the rare occasion when I actually make cookies. I ended up using my only cookie sheet which is warped and therefore doesn't bake the straightest cookies. I went to take them off and many broke apart. That was ok I guess, at least they tasted good. Nice and crispy.

Back to the press. The easy part was putting the patterned tip thing, putting the dough in and using it. What was trickier was getting the cookie to stick to the cookie sheet. I finally figured it out without throwing a tantrum (which was a Christmas miracle) but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. It WAS way easier than rolling out cookies and using the cookie cutter blah, blah, blah. That takes just waaaay too long. This method was easier than that.

I had planned on using the recipe from the "Cooky Book". Raise your hand if your mom had this book! I used to sit and stare at the pictures for the longest time. She didn't make many kinds out of it, but it was my favorite of her cookbooks. I ended up using a different recipe but it was fun just to have the book out.


I was pretty pleased with how they came out, despite my jacked up cookie sheet and recommend this recipe to all of you! Go make some cookie memories :)


Spritz Cookies

Ingredients:

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, beat yolk, cream, and vanilla with fork until
combined; set aside.

2. In standing mixer, cream butter, sugar, and salt at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer running at medium speed, add yolk/cream mixture and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. With mixer running at low speed, gradually beat in flour until combined. Scrape down bowl and give final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain.

3. If using cookie press to form cookies, follow manufacturer's instructions to fill press; Press cookies onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Cool cookies on baking sheet until just warm, 10 to 15 minutes; using metal spatula, transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Turkey Stock

I have had at least 1 request for a recipe for turkey stock (hi Sasch) so here it is! Super easy..the only hard part is getting the turkey carcass. I used to recruit them from peeps I worked with - "hey, after Thanksgiving bring me your turkey bones" it was awkward but I got to make extra stock!

Turkey Stock

• Turkey carcass, bones skin and all
• 1 onion - peel on and quartered
• 3 carrots (unpeeled) or 2-3 hand fulls of the small bite sized ones
• 1 head garlic cut in half - also unpeeled
• 3 stalks of celery - leaves and all
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh thyme (1/2 package) if you have it (leftover from Thanksgiving). If not, never mind. Don't lose any sleep over it.

Directions:
Put the turkey in the largest stockpot (or Nesco oven) you have. You want to make sure that you can fill it with water at least 1-2 inches over everything and when it simmers the water doesn't splash out all over the place.

Add everything else and add plain old tap water to cover by at least 1 inch.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook like that partially covered for at least 3 hours. Then uncover and simmer (Simmer! not boil) for at least another hour.

Strain all the stuff out and yum.

What can you do with this yummy stock? You can freeze it, of course. But the best thing to do is make Turkey Noodle Soup!