Appetizers/Starters, Dinner, Lunch, Sides

Crazy Crispy Curly Fries,
with Duck Fat and Thyme

I preface this post that I am laughing at the absurdity of myself. And you should be laughing at me becuase I am silly. Fair deal?

A couple of hours ago, I had this craving for french fries. I had to walk over to the post office anyway, so I grabbed a couple of russett potatoes at the shop. So far, so good. Because a couple of my friends have recently started experimenting with those spiral cutters, I decided to pull mine out as well. I’d bought one on a whim 3 or 4 years ago, but it has only seen the light of day about a dozen times (there are only so many zoodles that one can make!). Anyhoo, I preheated the oven, spiralized (is that a word?) my taters and went to find a bit of oil. No olive oil. No veggie oil. Seriously? Need to be better about checking staple ingredients. But I do have rendered duck fat in the fridge (as only Kat would), and some bacon fat too. And butter, though that wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.
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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Valentine’s Day Linzer Cookie Collection:
Vanilla Raspberry Linzer Hearts and
Cardamom Passion Fruit Linzer Hearts

Here we are, continuing the lead up to Valentine’s Day. Every year I seem to make some of these heart-shaped Linzer cookies; each year a new flavor. Everyone seems to love them (har har — love… Valentine’s Day…) and they are easy to make. This year, in addition to my usual Vanilla and Raspberry “standard” Linzer Cookie, I decided to do something a little more unique: Cardamom and Passion Fruit Linzers. While not overwhelming in the cardamom department (which is good, because it can be very overwhelming), it has a nice hint of the spice. The passion fruit jam that I found is excellent. Pleased with the results!
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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Maple Cashew Butter Cookies

I have a love-hate relationship with Valentine’s Day. Hate because it’s a silly, made up, consumerism “holiday”. Love because it is really just another excuse to have a theme in my baking for a few weeks (chocolates, cookies, sweets, desserts…). At any rate, we’re getting closer to the Big V Day, so it was a good excuse to use one of my cookie stamps, and to make these Maple Cashew Butter Cookies. Very addictive and my flat smells amazing. Also, these cookies are a great alternative for those people with a peanut allergy. Cashew butter could also be substituted with creamy Almond Butter.
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Appetizers/Starters, Breads, Dinner, Lunch, Savory Snacks

Grissini-Style Cracker Sticks

So, I am headed to a Housewarming Party this weekend, and never one to show up empty handed, I am making a few snack food type things. First up are these Grissini-Style Cracker Sticks. I made 5 different kinds, which is a bit overboard (who, me?): Toasted Sesame Seed, Poppy Seed, Mixed Herb, Dried Garlic and Plain. If you think that they look a little dark on the ends, that is intentional and is caused by the egg white wash. While these will be served with a dip of some sort, they would also go great as croutons for salad or soup.
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