I have hidden, sneaked, stuffed and murmured this recipe. I have not shared it. In fact, to this day I recall being asked for it and conveniently ‘forgetting’ the request. It is so good, such a shoo-in for hitting hero-like status—that one does not want to share the spotlight.

I made this recipe this Christmas for Santa, along with my kids who were decorating fiends, because the existing cookies we had made and stored in the freezer were simply, unequivocally, arguably, undeniably not good enough to leave with the sentimental glass of moo. No, in fact if gifts are being given, the cookies adorning the nearby plate should be heavenly, unsurpassed, the utmost and highest quality our kitchen can muster under late-night circumstances. And not just any cookie would do: it had to be our specifically shaped, soft buttery, melt-in-your-mouth lovingly-caressed-with-a-frosted-knife cookies.

The truth is, I couldn’t thoughtlessly pass along this treasured, well-hidden recipe without some namesake event. Not even blessing Santa was reason enough for me to share; but in the spirit of a New Year and the cumulation of a gift worthy of 365 days I give you this recipe to assist, bless and befriend you for 2007. This coveted, frosted sugar cookie recipe is my 2007 gift to you. It has been in hiding for over 15 years.

It should land in lunch boxes, make your children a star on their birthdays, find you new friends, party-crash any number of diets, ring in the next nearest celebration, buy you time at work, redeem you when needed, stand as a gift of love and/or buy you forgiveness. These cookies can be cut in hearts, cars, trucks and stars, and in the life of my children have been shaped into soccer balls, baseball and beach balls, Christmas trees, rockets and globes. We have formed stockings and pumpkins, sunshines, bats and easter eggs. Who gives frosted cookies anymore? They are such a scarce treat that even when I bring them to school, my boys’ friends eyes grow wide in utter amazement: “these, these are homemade?” and gobble them before you can sneeze. You would have thought I received the Pulizter or ran the iron man, they were that impressed.

These cookies will improve your standing in 2007. Santa loved them, my brothers love them, my boys love them, my friends love them, my sons’ friends adore them, and why shouldn’t they go weak in the knees? To you then, and hats off for all those resolutions going forward into 2007; herein lies the recipe to accompany your ongoing celebration of [all other] resolutions accomplished.

Frosted Sugar Cookies
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond flavoring
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt

(Good to double). Cream butter and sugar, add next 3. Add dry mix, refrigerate 1 hour plus (overnight fine). Roll 1/8 inch thick, cut shapes, bake 375 for 7-8 minutes.

Frosting
1/4 cup softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 - 1/2 cup milk or cream
food coloring

Blend all, add desired amount of food coloring. Let cookies cool then frost.

Tis the season to cream butter and sugar, turn cocktails red and green, crunch candy canes for peppermint bark, and come up with foodie gifts like eggnog pound cake. I made 6 mini loaves with this recipe, then wrapped, ribboned and labeled them to spread around the eggnog love. You can freeze a few extra loaves and if you are [tip-of-the-hat] well organized, use extra pound cake for a seasonal trifle (use pound cake in place of ladyfingers or ‘cake layers’ used in most trifle recipes). I just tucked away a few loaves for a future Chocolate Rum Torte (coming soon to a blog near you).

I have had this recipe cut and pasted (the old way with a scissors and paper) into a 3 ring binder for years. I have no idea where it came from, but am grateful to have it. Someone else who was grateful? My 3 year old neighbor who, after last night’s dinner at our house, was given a token mini eggnog pound cake. I cannot contain a smile when I think of him licking—yes, licking—it all the way home (unabashed appreciation warms any cook’s heart; especially a 3 year old who estimates it is so good it should be licked). Here, the recipe for lickable eggnog pound cake:

Eggnog Pound Cake
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup eggnog
1 cup coconut
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract

Cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Well. Mix after each, just to blend: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup eggnog, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup eggnog, 1 cup flour. Add coconut and extracts, stir just to blend. Pour into greased, floured 10 inch bundt or 6 mini loaf pans (for gifts or freeze some for later) and bake at 325 for 1 1/2 hours (I did 1 hour for the mini loaves).

Note: Feel free to omit the coconut flakes/shreds and extract; sub 1/2 tsp rum extract.

Whew this stuff is good. It should stay a secret, it really should. It is one of those recipes I had to ‘get over’ sharing, because it is so simple and yet comes across as such a gourmet gift (the secret is out!). And it isn’t just the fancy ribbon and cellophane I wrap it in for annual Christmas gifts: it is addictive good. My kids were begging me to make it, so we did: today. And we are snowed in so we had nobody to gift it to except ourselves—yum, pass the hot chocolate (note to self: bake goodies often when snowed in).

My neighbors have enough class not to beg for this, but after we deliver these specially wrapped packages, they fall all over themselves thanking me and telling me they couldn’t wait to receive their peppermint bark (you know who you are). And now see, due to this lovely tomato talking blog, you have the recipe for yourselves.

I see little boxes of peppermint bark appearing at Trader Joe’s; I get emails from Williams Sonoma telling me it is time to buy theirs and every time I scoot past a shelf at Starbucks, there it is, staring me in the face: more peppermint bark. But guess what? I don’t buy it, I make it and now you can too:

Peppermint Bark
2 Lbs. white chocolate, cut into slivers (I buy bulk from Trader Joe’s)
12 crushed candy canes
1-2 tsp peppermint oil/flavoring

Unless I am oddly lucky every single time I make this, you don’t need a double boiler. I just use the microwave. Smooth talk works. Using glass or Melamine Bowls (I love mine), place chocolate in microwave and heat 30 seconds. Remove and stir vigorously for 10 seconds (I use a Silicone Spatula). Repeat 2 more times. Stir like mad on the last round to remove all lumps, and no lolly-gagging. You can always heat it up more but you can never remove burnt chocolate. Really, it will be fine. My 4th and 5th graders make it (note photo of my son cutting the chocolate). When it is all melted, stir in candy canes and peppermint. Place on parchment on cookie sheet, spread out to desired thickness (I aim for 1/3 inch) then tap the counter with the tray to smooth top. Place in fridge to harden. I know, too easy. (Oh, and I often halve the recipe for those short-term self-indulgent cravings aka snow days).

By the way, if you don’t have one, buy an Ice Cream Maker. I have never gotten past page three in the little pamphlet that comes with it, having gotten addicted to the simplest vanilla ice cream (page 1) that takes me 2 minutes instead of 2 hours to make. It is cheating, really, and the peppermint ice cream (page 3) is a stand-alone favorite in our house (especially when grandpa comes over):

Peppermint Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint oil/flavoring
4 or 5 crushed candy canes

Start ice cream maker, quick throw in milk plus sugar. After 1-2 minutes pour in cream and flavorings. Hold breath. Release breath: you have to wait 25-30 minutes. Crush 4 candy canes, insert into ice cream a few minutes before it is finished. Store in freezer.

And then there was cake. I just ran across a Peppermint Chocolate Cake via Megnut and though I haven’t made it, I can very nearly taste it and will be making it to top off Christmas dinner this year. All for the love of peppermint.

I have to eat these in private because I cannot get them in my mouth fast enough (the resulting fist-in-mouth can be quite embarrassing). If you make enough to share, these ginger-infused pecans are awesome for pre-dinner munching with cocktails.

I sometimes package them in cellophane with twine, colorful ribbon or handmade labels for a nice hostess or holiday gift. I would tell you they keep well for a week sealed at room temperature, but I doubt any will stick around long enough for you to find out.

Ginger Sugar Pecans
5 cups pecan halves
½ cup sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground ginger
2 T honey
2 tsp olive oil

Toast pecans in single layer on rimmed cookie sheet at 325 for 10-15 minutes. Shake once during baking. Combine sugar, salt, ginger in small bowl and set aside. Mix honey, 2 T water and oil in sauté pan; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to medium, add pecans and cook for a few minutes until liquid has evaporated. Immediately throw into sugar mix and toss well—these are fabulous warm or at room temperature. They taste even better on day 2 when the flavors have had a chance to settle.

I forced myself to attempt canning this year. I am intrigued by all the canning, preserving, drying and curing that were so critical to survival not too long ago. People figured out ways to make their food last, to use methods to keep food not only safe but sweet and/or savory. It impresses me that the chemistry and artistry of food culminates so inherently in the act of canning. I am fortunate to capture the essence of just farmed foods as a privilege, rather than a necessity. I like the idea of keeping this skill alive, if just in my own life, to honor the many women who preceded me, to appreciate their labors of love, and the time they spent preserving food. Of course my efforts pale in comparison but it was a treat and remains a privilege to make preserves of my own.

For me, preserving is an opportunity to enjoy bites of summer in the dead of winter. Opening a jar of chutney provides a moment of kitchen zen when ‘dinner is served’ out of a homemade jar and saves me loads of time when I am trying to put dinner on the table in a hurry. I love canned chutneys and jams, butters and relishes because they make the most amazing hostess gifts. Just last week I was enjoying dinner with my extended family and brought 2 jars of blueberry chutney to serve with pork chops. It was so easy to transport, and all of the loving prep had occurred months in advance!

Pork Chops & Blueberry Chutney
(I use 1/2 inch pork chops, but 1 inch pork chops from the BBQ or a pork loin would work well too).

4 pork chops (more or less depending on how many mouths you are feeding)
garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt & coarse pepper (KS&CP)
Olive oil & butter (OO&B)
Blueberry Chutney (recipe follows)

Pat dry and rub both sides of pork chops with 1 tsp garlic and small pinch of KS&CP. Warm 1 T each of OO&B over medium high heat. Brown both sides of chops 1 minute. Place chops in oven for 10 minutes just to cook through or until instant thermometer reads 140. Serve with blueberry chutney on side.

Blueberry Chutney
(Hats off to Christina’s for this just-altered recipe, a famous chef who satisfies palates daily on Orcas Island (part of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State). She is an icon in our corner of the country):

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweet white wine
2 cups chopped red onion
1 T minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried red chilis
1 cinnamon stick
3 tsp peeled, grated ginger (I use a microplaner—love it!)
1 T whole coriander seeds
5 cups blueberries
1 cup golden raisins

Bring all ingredients—except berries and raisins—to a boil. Reduce and simmer 30 minutes. Add berries and raisins and cook gently for 10 minutes. Can, freeze or refrigerate. Makes 6 pints, serves as many meals with no hassle.

Note: try with roasted or grilled turkey breast as well, maybe pass around the table on Thanksgiving as an alternative to cranberry sauce. Great on day-after turkey sandwiches! Christina serves it with fish; it keeps well in the refrigerator for 3 weeks, but feel free to freeze it in jars for longer! I used standard canning procedures; a proud lineup of blueberry chutney adorns my pantry shelves.