In Jennie's Kitchen

12 Days of Sharing

I have to apologize for being MIA in my posting yesterday. It was a crazy day with IRP's winter recital, class holiday party, deadlines and then we ended it with a mommy-daughter night on the town to see The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center. I hope you stopped by and took a peek in the virtual cookie jar. Gaby, of What's Gaby Cooking, brought some very tempting peppermint bark smookies for the occasion. The cookie jar is now brimming with over 60 recipes from some amazing food bloggers. As for yesterday, I needed to make my dear, sweet daughter the priority. In some ways  the memories and traditions I'm trying to create for her are a way of easing the troubled ones I have from my own childhood. 

Remember the 17 million children that go hungry every day? The face of hunger comes in all different colors and economic backgrounds. After my dad suffered a work injury when I was younger, we went through some pretty tough times. I remember quite often visiting my aunt for dinner and leaving her house with a bag or two of groceries. Thankfully we never went hungry, and were lucky to have family that could help us out. But what if they hadn't been there to help out? Hunger knows no boundaries, and it doesn't discriminate. Falling on hard times, especially during this economic crisis, can happen to anyone.

Traca from Seattle Tall Poppy knows this well too. Do you believe in fate? I do, and there's most certainly a reason Traca and I were brought together. Read her story and you'll see what I'm talking about (and don't miss her recipe for chocolate crinkles at the end). It's so easy to help if you think about it. So, on this last day of the 12 Days of Sharing, take a minute to donate and help make sure no child goes hungry.

• $25 can feed a child three healthy meals a day for one month
• $50 can feed two children nutritious meals for the entire summer when school is out
• $100 provides 25 bags of healthy foods to a family at a local food bank
• $500 provides a child with healthy afterschool meals for an entire year

And in case you need a few more incentives, your donations are tax-deductible, and there's only 13 days left in 2009. Another bonus? Each donation is an automatic entry to win some great prizes, including a Cuisinart Stand Mixer, a Wusthof Knife Set and a Scharffen Berger Chocolate Gift Basket.

cocoa candied nuts

Before I give you one of the best and easiest recipes or a homemade gift this year, I'd like to introduce today's co-hosts. Imagine growing up eating your favorite foods, then one day realizing they're your foe? Rather than let the news get her down, Shauna went to work on recreating gluten-free versions. And if you have any doubts about gluten-free baked goods, take a look at Shauna's cinnamon rolls (even though she says they're still a work in progress). Now if I ever to Seattle, I'll get to see her and Alice on their home turf. Shauna will have some gluten-free rugelach later today, so be sure to visit her over at Gluten Free Girl and The Chef.

Speaking of awesome ladies, Gina brought some yummy egg-free white chocolate raspberry slices for the virtual cookie jar. Talk about kindred spirits. Her blog Change Becomes Change is all about the small steps that make a difference for the greater good.

Now about that quick and easy homemade gift. One of my favorites (and I think everyone else's too), are my cocoa candied nuts. You can use any variety nut you like really, but my favorite for this crunchy, sweet and salty coating are pecans and almonds. It is amazingly easy to make and they look beautiful packaged in clear cellophane bags with a festive ribbon.

spiced apple cider + soft molasses cookies

Ten days left until Christmas, and there's still lots to be done. The kiddies and I decorated a gingerbread house yesterday. Boy will IRP be upset to come home and see the burglary that took place this morning. One gingerbread man was lost in the attack, and I must admit I was an accomplice after the fact. The poor thing had it's head bitten off, so eating the rest of him was all I could to end his suffering.

Today Rachael joins us from La Fuji Mama, and she brought soft molasses cookies for the virtual cookie jar. I want them...now. And look at how cute her little kitchen helper is too. I'm thrilled Rachael is today's co-host. We got to meet in person a few months ago at an event in NYC, and boy does she radiate warmth and love.

Get the recipe for Rachael's soft molasses cookies.

Want to see more pictures of Squirrel?

Now much as I love hot cocoa, these cookies call for a more delicate beverage, so I'm adding my star-anise spiced apple cider to the virtual cookie jar. Put up a batch in your slow cooker and you'll be all set for any holiday parties you have in the next week or two.

Get the recipe for my star anise spiced apple cider.

We're in the homestretch of the 12 Days of Sharing, so while you begin to kick into high gear and busily wrap all the gifts you've bought, please give the gift of a hot meal to one of the 17 million hungry children in this country and donate now. You might even win a brand new Cuisinart Stand Mixer or one of these other great prizes.

Visit me at Oprah.com where I'm a featured blogger along with Rachael, Jen Schall, Michelle Stern, Diana Bauman and tomorrow's co-hosts Shauna James Ahern and Gina Rau.

raspberry walnut rugelach + Jaden's toffee cookies

 

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is watching Miracle on 34th Street (or 44th Street as my 6-year old says) while wrapping gifts. I've been doing it this way for years and can't even remember how my silly tradition started. I have a video tape (yes, I've officially dated myself!) from 1980-something complete with we'd now call "retro" commercials.

Before I get to wrapping gifts, though, we had some lovely Hanukkah family celebrations this weekend. I discovered one of the best latkes recipes ever and plan on making more tonight. I also decided to try my hand at rugelach. The Mr. can remember eating his grandmother's warm from the oven. Since his mom doesn't know her mother's recipe, I consulted a few cookbooks for inspiration. One thing that really surprised me is the lack of sugar in the dough—it's just cream cheese, butter and flour (I added a touch of salt which none of the others call for). With that good news, if you make these with sugar-free jam, it seems they'd be a diabetic-friendly treat for my aunt and uncle.

 

Get the recipe for my raspberry walnut rugelach with step-by-step photos here.

Remember last week when I mentioned how many wonderful people I've met on twitter? Today's co-host is one of them. Jaden from Steamy Kitchen made toffee cookies with a dark chocolate glaze for the virtual cookie jar. As if toffee and dark chocolate in the same sentence isn't enough to be thankful for, Jaden's also posted this recipe on her TLC blog to help raise awareness about the 17 million children who go hungry every day. And if you still haven't found the perfect gift for your foodie friends and family, you still have time to order a copy of Jaden's The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

single serve whipped cream

What a cold, icy, rainy Sunday morning here in Brooklyn, NY. I plan on drinking lots of hot cocoa today and the only way to top homemade hot cocoa in my book is with with billowy spoons of freshmade whipped cream. I discovered a way to make "single serving" whipped cream the other night using this handy little frother I got at IKEA a year ago (see picture #2 below). It runs on two "AA" batteries and cost 99 cents. Making whipped cream doesn't get any easier than this. Just pour some heavy cream in a cup, add a bit of confectioner's sugar if you want it sweetened, then immerse the hand frother and use a stirring motion. In about a minute you'll have fresh whipped cream to top hot cocoa, desserts or sundaes.

 

get the recipe for my homemade hot cocoa

This 99 cent gadget makes that whipped cream.

Now, I don't know about you, but hot cocoa just begs for homemade cookies. Thankfully Jennifer over at Savor the Thyme, today's co-host, made some sweet potato oatmeal cookies. I can't wait to try this recipe myself. Jennifer is also taking part in the Tastemaker Challenge, so be sure to watch her video and then vote for her. 

Whole stole a cookie from the cookie jar?

Jennifer's sweet potato oatmeal cookies

But before you make your hot cocoa and cookies, don't forget all the children who won't even have a nutritious meal to eat today. Make a donation to Share Our Strength to help end childhood hunger. You're donation may even win you one of these great prizes.

I'm happy to announce the link to Oprah.com is finally fixed, so go check it out In Jennie's Kitchen and my other great 12 Days of Sharing co-hosts. And, I promise to get all those links into the virtual cookie jar this afternoon. I took off most of yesterday to spend some uninterrupted time with the kiddies.

homemade cinnamon buns

Hard to believe today is December 12th—only 13 days until Christmas. Today I'm hoping to make either rugelach or sufganiyot for a friend's Hanukkah party. If you have a recipe you love for either, please post a link in the comments! Kate Wheeler from Savour Fare is manning the holiday baking kitchen today as our 12 Days of Sharing co-host. Later on today she'll have a recipe for Pfeffernusse, so be sure to stop by.

Kate's Pfeffernusse

One of my favorite weekend  brunch goodies to make are homemade cinnamon buns. I've had a major addiction to the taste of cinnamon buns since highschool, and have find memories of getting them with my best friend from highschool. While I was pregnant, I discovered that the shop had long closed and set to work on creating a recipe of my own.

 

Get the recipe for these homemade cinnamon buns

While you're getting ready for Hanukkah tonight or catching up on Christmas shopping this weekend, take a minute to think about those in need this holiday season and make a donation to help end childhood hunger. You might even win a Cuisinart Stand Mixer or Scharffen Berger chocolate gift basket to get started with your 2010 baking creations. Thank you for supporting the 12 Days of Sharing and helping Share Our Strength end childhood hunger. Don't forget to check out all the great recipes in the virtual cookie jar. There'll be lots more this afternoon, but first I've got to run out to IRP's art class—today we get to see all the work she's done this semester.

chocolate orange spice cake

I've got a very special event today that called for a new recipe. I was going to wait until after the fact to tell you all about it but I figure since you've all been so supportive  and making donations to the 12 Days of Sharing campaign, it's time to give back with a truly special recipe. I'll be serving it to François Payard and Barbara Fairchild and trying not to get too caught up in the potential hysteria it can induce. Yes, I'd love to win the grand prize—a trip to Vegas Uncorked, but what I really want is to turn out a dessert I believe in. If it tickles the judges fancy, then that'll be the icing on the cake. It's already passed the taste test with the Mr. and the kiddies, and really they're the ones I pour my heart and soul into cooking for everyday. They are the ones that really matter here.

It always helps to start with quality ingredients, and very lucky for me the folks at Scharffen Berger generously stock my test kitchen (and secretly feed my chocolate addiction). I'm also excited to add Scharffen Berger to our list of donors—they've donated a gift basket of assorted chocolate for nibbling and baking valued at $100. All the more reason to go make a donation now, since each one automatically enters you into the giveaway.

peanut butter blossoms + polvorones

Today's co-host is a new twitter-friend Diana from A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa. She's serving up some fresh baked Polvorones, a traditional Spanish Christmas cookie for the 12 Days of Sharing cookie jar. Diana also talks about the devastating affects malnutrition has on children. So, skip your Starbucks fix for the day and put your hard earned bucks where they can make a difference. Donate now. 

Diana's polvorone's look like an edible winter wonderland.

Creating original recipes are my thing but every now and then I come across an existing one that's love at first bite. I had the good fortune to spend my afternoon baking at a Hershey's chocolate event yesterday and finally came face to face with that synonymous peanut butter blossom cookie. You know the one I'm talking about with the sweet chocolate kiss sprouting from the center. Even though I have kids, I've never made or even tasted this cookie before yesterday...but I'd seen it in many a magazine. I don't live in a shack in the woods, and I'm not a baking snob. It just never seemed like a cookie I needed in my repertoire.

Well, that all changed on a cold Tuesday afternoon. Perhaps it was the festive holiday decorations, or the yule log looping on the huge flat screen. Or maybe it's the fact that delicious doesn't have to be complicated. We— a bunch of press peeps and food bloggers, made these cookies from scratch sans stand mixer. It was quite easy to cream the shortening and sugar with just a wire whisk since they were at room temperature, although I'd use real butter when making them at home. I'd also set the kids to peeling open the Hershey's kisses. And there'll be lots to open since the folks at Hershey's sent us home with a generous bagful of assorted milk and special dark chocolate kisses. In the spirit of giving, please take a minute to make a donation to Share Our Strength and help end childhood hunger.

And even though the saying goes "it's better to give than receive", your donation automatically enters you for a chance to win a brand new Cuisinart Stand Mixer valued at $300, because some jobs call for the heavy duty 800 watts of power it delivers. Check out the other great giveaways you can win by just donating now. Getting ready to blog about your favorite cookie recipe? Send us the link between now and December 18th and we'll add it to the virtual cookie jar. And if you need more incentive, In Jennie's Kitchen is a featured blog at Oprah.com, so think of all the people you'll get to share it with.

12 days of sharing

 
designed by Jen Schall

Six years ago my life changed forever. My daughter was born, and while it was very unplanned and has been a balancing act of career, motherhood and my own identity, I've had amazing help along the way. A month before her first Christmas, I looked down into her chocolate brown eyes and realized that she'd be spoiled beyond belief with the generosity and love of my family come Christmas Day. When the Mr. came home that night, I suggested in lieu of buying gifts for each other we visit the post office and get some letters to make the wishes of those less fortunate come true. That year we "adopted" a class from Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Reading their letters, asking for items my own children now take for granted like stickers, coloring books and a teddy bear, brought me to tears. We have continued this tradition of bringing a bit of joy to families in need ever since.

So, I'm very excited to announce a project I've been working on with Share Our Strength as part of their Share Your Season campaign. What if your cherished recipe could help feed another family this holiday season? Well, it can. Starting next Monday, December 7th through December 18th, In Jennie's Kitchen is hosting the 12 Days of Sharing—a virtual cookie swap.