Author Archives: Nancy

PISTACHIO CRANBERRY ICEBOX COOKIES

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With the red and green from the cranberries and pistachios, this is an obvious choice for Christmas cookies.  The dough is a little bit of a hassle to work with — very crumbly — and you’ll get the best results by using a stand mixer.  The end result is worth it because these are wonderful.  The recipe is slightly adapted from Liz The Chef, who in turn, adapted the recipe from Gourmet.  The recipe makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

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PISTACHIO CRANBERRY ICEBOX COOKIES
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookies
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup butter (1-1/2 sticks), softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • ½ cup coarse or sparkling sugar
Instructions
  1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, orange juice, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt, and continue to beat on low speed until the dough comes together in clumps. Mix in pistachios and cranberries.
  2. Gather the dough together and divide into 2 pieces. Shape each piece into a log approximately 1-1/2 inches thick. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the coarse or sparkling sugar onto a plate. Brush each log with the beaten egg, then roll in the sugar. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into ¼-inch slices, and place on cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake until edges of the cookies are lightly golden, approximately 12-15 minutes. Remove to racks to cool.

 

SMOKED SALMON DIP

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A tasty dip always comes in handy, whether to set out for friends and family, or to bring to a holiday party.  One dip that is a surefire hit is Baked Artichoke Parmesan Dip.  And if you’re short on time, don’t hesitate to whip up a batch of Hidden Valley Party Dip — all you need is a packet of the party dip and an 8-ounce container of sour cream — and serve it with veggie sticks and Fritos.  Trust me, no one will complain.

This year, I tried a new dip, and it’s a keeper.  Smoked Salmon Dip, adapted from The English Kitchen, is wonderfully smoky, salty, and savory, owing to the lemon juice, green onions, capers, and dill.  It comes together quickly in the food processor.  One tip from the English Kitchen that I found interesting was: “You don’t need to use best quality smoked salmon . . . I usually use the smoked salmon scraps you can buy in the shops.  You are going to chop it coarsely anyways, and the scraps are already chopped for you.”  I had no idea I could buy smoked salmon scraps, but when I went to buy the smoked salmon at Kroger, sure enough, there they were.  And they worked perfectly.

Smoked salmon scraps

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SMOKED SALMON DIP
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer
 
Ingredients
  • 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ⅓ cup sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 green onion, white and green parts, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
  • 4-5 ounces smoked salmon, coarsely chopped, any gray areas removed
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Fresh dill sprig, for garnish
  • Bagel chips, for serving
Instructions
  1. Put the cream cheese, sour cream, Tabasco sauce, and lemon juice in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add the green onion, capers, salmon, dill, and pepper, and pulse to blend.
  2. Transfer to serving bowl, and refrigerate until ready to use. Garnish with dill sprig and serve with bagel chips.