Rugelach

As I mentioned in one of my previous post, I have quite some supply of cream cheese. Well just two packs actually, but for two people it can stretch to bountiful delights. So far I was able to produce tiramisu, cheesecake, red velvet cupcakes, and hazelnut praline cream cheese ice cream. Now to consume the last remains of the cream cheese, I decided to make rugelach to give to our friends, L&M, as a little something to congratulate them for their new abode.

The word rugelach derives from the Yiddish word rugel, which means royal. Rugelach is a Jewish cookie that is shaped similar to a bite-size croissant. The cookie is made out of a cream cheese cookie dough, and filled with jam, nuts, fruits, poppy seeds, cinnamon, chocolate or raisins.

My rugelach that I filled with chocolate

I learned of this cookie way back when I was a teen. My sister J was the one who shared this delight to me. I was lucky enough that she still got the recipe, so I was able to relive the luscious taste that's been lingering on my taste memory bank for so long. Taste memory bank... umm, is there such thing? Anyway... I seemed to have this impression that the cookie had a distinct cream cheese taste, but I have remembered totally wrong. Guess my taste memory is a little rusty!

A shortbread cookie, that's what rugelach taste similar to. I think that's why my H adored it because he does love his shortbread cookies. Even if I recalled the taste of rugelach wrong, my impression of it hasn't changed. It's definitely a classic treat that anyone would have a hard time resisting to not nibble on.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

I wanna be a billionaire, so fucking bad,

buy all of the things I never had.

uh, I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine.

Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen.

Oh every time I close my eyes.

I see my name in shining lights.

A different city every night oh I..

I swear.

the world better prepare,

for when I’m a billionaire.

Matthew Cwalk ★ // - Wingyee ( Track runners ) ~

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

Funny how life works. On Friday night, I was thinking that I would finally get a chance to bake this weekend. Since I had to run out to the grocery store for dinner ingredients quickly, I chose my recipe rather haphazardly. I seemed to recall a chocolate chip and peanut butter cookie that I made once upon a time, that Sally the dog had eaten before I had really gotten my fill.

I baked said cookies last night. I logged into my blog this morning, and reread my last post about the recipe. And I found that I made this same recipe during Labor Day weekend two years ago. What are the chances??? And where on earth did the time go?

In any case, the cookies are still wonderful. Oh my, that Dorie Greenspan knows how to build a super dessert recipe. The woman should be considered armed with butter and very dangerous to the waistline. But, she sure does deliver.

I am happy to report that I have kept these cookies on the stove, behind a tea kettle and big old empty Dutch oven so that Sally cannot steal them. So far, so good. So very, very sinfully good.

For the link to the recipe, I am sending you to one of my most favorite blogs. Rebecca's posts never fail to make me smile, and very often have me laughing out loud. If you haven't read her blog before, you should really consider starting now. Here is the recipe (and a great post).

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

Funny how life works. On Friday night, I was thinking that I would finally get a chance to bake this weekend. Since I had to run out to the grocery store for dinner ingredients quickly, I chose my recipe rather haphazardly. I seemed to recall a chocolate chip and peanut butter cookie that I made once upon a time, that Sally the dog had eaten before I had really gotten my fill.

I baked said cookies last night. I logged into my blog this morning, and reread my last post about the recipe. And I found that I made this same recipe during Labor Day weekend two years ago. What are the chances??? And where on earth did the time go?

In any case, the cookies are still wonderful. Oh my, that Dorie Greenspan knows how to build a super dessert recipe. The woman should be considered armed with butter and very dangerous to the waistline. But, she sure does deliver.

I am happy to report that I have kept these cookies on the stove, behind a tea kettle and big old empty Dutch oven so that Sally cannot steal them. So far, so good. So very, very sinfully good.

For the link to the recipe, I am sending you to one of my most favorite blogs. Rebecca's posts never fail to make me smile, and very often have me laughing out loud. If you haven't read her blog before, you should really consider starting now. Here is the recipe (and a great post).

Homemade Lo Mein

Lo mein is one of my favorite foods. Kind of strange, I know. It's among the lowliest of Americanized Chinese food dishes. It's generally an afterthought on the Chinese buffet tables, or one of those slightly-cold, very greasy dishes that you get at the mall food court. But, I love good lo mein.

I suppose one of the reasons I like the noodle dish so much is that it is connected, over and over again, to fond memories for me. When I think of lo mein, I think of Mother's Day at my Aunt Fran's house. We would all sit around and take an hour to decide what we were ordering from the Chinese take out place. My grandfather would hold court, tallying up what everything would cost, so that we could get the most expensive item possible (boneless spare ribs) for free. Back then--or maybe it's more of a Long Island thing--if you ordered "x" amount, you would get an egg roll free, this amount, and you would get wonton soup, etc, all the way up to the coveted boneless spare ribs. We ordered more food than we ever needed, and probably spent a good deal more than the boneless spare ribs would have cost, but getting it for free made Grandpa happy.

Lo mein also brings me back to my first apartment off campus, and the year I met my husband. There was a decent Chinese restaurant around the corner called Chef Chang's. My husband (well, boyfriend at the time) and I would often drop into Chang's for lunches--you couldn't beat the $5.95 luncheon specials. The one I ordered was always the chicken lo mein, an egg roll, and a cup of hot and sour soup. To this day, picturing that dining room in my head brings me back to the feeling of lazy Saturday afternoons with no responsibilities except to maybe get home early enough on Sunday night to write a quick paper or two.

When I found the recipe that forms the base for my homemade lo mein, I knew I had to try it. After all, I'm kind of a lo mein addict. It turned out perfectly--exactly what I had been searching for. As a bonus, this recipe costs less than a dollar per serving--though it could be more, depending on what you add to it. This recipe is so fast and so easy that we made it almost every week during the first few months after my son was born. And, so, this lo mein joins the memory pantheon. I'm sure, when I taste this dish years from now, that it will bring me back to Jasper's newborn days. It will remind me of the sleepless weeks when we were struggling to get Jasper to gain weight. It will remind me of my seemingly permanent station in the rocking chair, nursing, then sitting together while Jasper slept and I watched the Food Network (or read, if I could get an arm free to hold the book). Jasper will most likely come to remember this meal as "when Mommy was in a big rush." Let the lo mein memories continue.

Homemade Lo Mein

Serves about 4, depending on additions

Base:

3 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs sesame oil

2 cups shredded cabbage from a bag

1/2 cup chopped green onion

8 oz. angel hair pasta

4 Tbs. soy sauce

Optional additions:

handfuls of bean sprouts (in my house, this one isn't an option--it's a staple)

any and all veggies you want to use (I've found that 1/2 a bag of the frozen stir-fry veggies works very well.)

cooked chicken, shredded (I only do this when I have some that I have to use up)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2. Heat oil and sesame oil in skillet. Add any "heartier" veggies that you plan to use--broccoli, carrots, etc. If you are using frozen veggies, throw them in now. Sautee until just slightly cooked.

3. Add cabbage and green onion and saute for about 5 minutes more.

4. Add pasta, and soy sauce, and, if you are using them, the bean sprouts and chicken. Toss so that the pasta gets completely coated in the oil and soy sauce, and so that veggies are distributed evenly.

Enjoy.

Homemade Lo Mein

Lo mein is one of my favorite foods. Kind of strange, I know. It's among the lowliest of Americanized Chinese food dishes. It's generally an afterthought on the Chinese buffet tables, or one of those slightly-cold, very greasy dishes that you get at the mall food court. But, I love good lo mein.

I suppose one of the reasons I like the noodle dish so much is that it is connected, over and over again, to fond memories for me. When I think of lo mein, I think of Mother's Day at my Aunt Fran's house. We would all sit around and take an hour to decide what we were ordering from the Chinese take out place. My grandfather would hold court, tallying up what everything would cost, so that we could get the most expensive item possible (boneless spare ribs) for free. Back then--or maybe it's more of a Long Island thing--if you ordered "x" amount, you would get an egg roll free, this amount, and you would get wonton soup, etc, all the way up to the coveted boneless spare ribs. We ordered more food than we ever needed, and probably spent a good deal more than the boneless spare ribs would have cost, but getting it for free made Grandpa happy.

Lo mein also brings me back to my first apartment off campus, and the year I met my husband. There was a decent Chinese restaurant around the corner called Chef Chang's. My husband (well, boyfriend at the time) and I would often drop into Chang's for lunches--you couldn't beat the $5.95 luncheon specials. The one I ordered was always the chicken lo mein, an egg roll, and a cup of hot and sour soup. To this day, picturing that dining room in my head brings me back to the feeling of lazy Saturday afternoons with no responsibilities except to maybe get home early enough on Sunday night to write a quick paper or two.

When I found the recipe that forms the base for my homemade lo mein, I knew I had to try it. After all, I'm kind of a lo mein addict. It turned out perfectly--exactly what I had been searching for. As a bonus, this recipe costs less than a dollar per serving--though it could be more, depending on what you add to it. This recipe is so fast and so easy that we made it almost every week during the first few months after my son was born. And, so, this lo mein joins the memory pantheon. I'm sure, when I taste this dish years from now, that it will bring me back to Jasper's newborn days. It will remind me of the sleepless weeks when we were struggling to get Jasper to gain weight. It will remind me of my seemingly permanent station in the rocking chair, nursing, then sitting together while Jasper slept and I watched the Food Network (or read, if I could get an arm free to hold the book). Jasper will most likely come to remember this meal as "when Mommy was in a big rush." Let the lo mein memories continue.

Homemade Lo Mein

Serves about 4, depending on additions

Base:

3 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs sesame oil

2 cups shredded cabbage from a bag

1/2 cup chopped green onion

8 oz. angel hair pasta

4 Tbs. soy sauce

Optional additions:

handfuls of bean sprouts (in my house, this one isn't an option--it's a staple)

any and all veggies you want to use (I've found that 1/2 a bag of the frozen stir-fry veggies works very well.)

cooked chicken, shredded (I only do this when I have some that I have to use up)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2. Heat oil and sesame oil in skillet. Add any "heartier" veggies that you plan to use--broccoli, carrots, etc. If you are using frozen veggies, throw them in now. Sautee until just slightly cooked.

3. Add cabbage and green onion and saute for about 5 minutes more.

4. Add pasta, and soy sauce, and, if you are using them, the bean sprouts and chicken. Toss so that the pasta gets completely coated in the oil and soy sauce, and so that veggies are distributed evenly.

Enjoy.