11 November

Archived Posts from this Category

November 25, 2010

Turkey Cookies

Posted by HI Cookery under 11 November | Tags: , , , , |
[20] Comments 

Turkey Cookies

Turkey Cookies

November: Thanksgiving

Guests are guaranteed to “gobble gobble” up turkey cookies on Thanksgiving! These too-cute cookies are combined with candy to create the famous fowl. And they are photogenic, festive and a favorite for fall functions. It has been our tradition now to take these treats to Thanksgiving gatherings where the hosts are happy to have an alternate dessert to pies at their buffet table. The main parts of the original turkey cookie include Oreos, candy corn and chocolate peanut butter cups held together with frosting. We modified ours with round Nutter Butters, caramel candy corn and marzipan balls secured with peanut butter. Make both versions when you gather together with family and friends for Thanksgiving. They will be grateful for your generosity in sharing these turkey cookies!

Recipe

(Adapted from Coopet Photography)

For each Oreo turkey cookie

  • 2 Oreo cookies (Double Stuff recommended)
  • 1 Reese’s mini peanut butter cup, refrigerated
  • 1 Hershey’s Whopper malted milk ball
  • 6 candy corn
  • 1 mini chocolate chip
  • white frosting
  • chocolate frosting
  • black gel tube icing
  • orange tube icing

Directions

Carefully pull apart one of the Oreo cookies. Gently press the candy corn onto the “double stuff” to make a fan-tail shape. Spread white frosting on the other half of the Oreo cookie. Press together. Refrigerate to set.

Turkey Cookies

Unwrap the chilled Reese’s mini peanut butter cup. Slice a small section off the side for the body of the turkey cookie. Use chocolate frosting to secure the wide side of the Reese’s to the Oreo turkey tail and the sliced flat bottom to the other Oreo cookie base. Put a small amount of chocolate frosting on a Whopper to secure the head of the turkey.

Turkey Cookies

Carefully dab the flat end of a mini chocolate chip with frosting and position it on the Whopper for the turkey beak. Using a small round tip, pipe the eyeballs with white frosting, pressing down lightly with your fingertip on the white points. Dab black gel icing on top of the white eyeballs. Finish the feet details with orange tube icing.

Turkey Cookies

For each Nutter Butter turkey cookie

  • 2 round Nutter Butter cookies
  • 1 potato-shaped marzipan
  • Reese’s Whopper peanut butter-flavored malted milk ball
  • 6 caramel candy corn
  • 1 mini chocolate chip
  • peanut butter, chilled
  • white frosting
  • chocolate frosting
  • black gel tube icing
  • orange tube icing

Directions

Carefully pull apart one of the round Nutter Butter cookies. Gently press the caramel candy corn onto the peanut butter filling to make a fan-tail shape. Spread peanut butter on the other half of the Nutter Butter cookie. Press together. Refrigerate to set.

Turkey Cookies

Flatten with your fingers the bottom of a potato-shaped marzipan. Use peanut butter to secure a Whopper on the marzipan for the head of the turkey. Generously slather on peanut butter on the bottom of the Nutter Butter turkey tail and place on other Nutter Butter cookie base. Secure with more peanut butter and add the marzipan-Whopper body.

Turkey Cookies

Carefully dab the flat end of a mini chocolate chip with frosting and position it on the Whopper for the turkey beak. Using a small round tip, pipe the eyeballs with white frosting, pressing down lightly with your fingertip on the white points. Dab black gel icing on top of the white eyeballs. Finish the feet details with orange tube icing.

Turkey Cookies

Notes

  • The date of Thanksgiving varies annually. In the United States, it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, it is observed the second Monday of October.
  • Thanks to Lisa L. for sending us our first batch of potato-shaped marzipan from Germany. We also found them at World Market here in America.
  • The round Nutter Butter cookies and peanut butter-flavored malted milk balls are available at Walgreens.
  • Use red tube icing to make the turkey wattle (optional).
  • Experiment with different colors and flavors of candy corn for the turkey tail.
  • Thanks to Islander’s brother, Kahuna, for creating the turkey cookies video tutorial above. It is our first YouTube post!
 

November 22, 2010

Cashew Chicken

Posted by HI Cookery under 11 November | Tags: , , |
[2] Comments 

Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken

November 22: National Cashew Day

Islander’s Daddy would cook cashew chicken for his co-workers in the back kitchen of a Hawaii clinic where he currently is employed. Even though they are all in the food service industry, they still go nuts when they find out this dish is on the employees’ lunch menu. This classic Asian stir fry has become a favorite for our family and friends as well. The combination of chicken, crunchy cashews and colorful vegetables wok-tossed in a tasty sauce is a crowd pleaser. Stir up some smiles by cooking cashew chicken in observance of National Cashew Day.

Recipe

(From Daddy)

For the stir fry

  • 3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
  • 1 large carrot, julienned
  • 1 cup snow peas, tips removed
  • 1 cup green onions, green tips only cut into one-inch pieces
  • 1 cup cashews, toasted
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce

  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, sliced
  • 1 ½ tablespoons sugar (we used C&H brand, granulated white)
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce (we used Aloha Shoyu brand)
  • ½ tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons  cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoons water

Directions

Slice the chicken into thin, bite-sized pieces. Cut the stir-fry vegetables and set aside. Prepare the sauce by pouring the chicken broth into a small pot with the ginger slices.

Cashew Chicken

To the pot mix in the sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. In a small cup, dissolve the cornstarch the water to form a paste. Slowly pour this into the sauce to thicken. In a wok or skillet, heat the two tablespoons of oil. Saute the minced garlic until golden brown. Add the chicken pieces and fry until no longer pink. Stir in the vegetables and cook until crisp and tender. Mix in the cashews. Pour in the sauce and stir until all ingredients are combined. Let the sauce thicken a little more. Season with salt and pepper. Discard the ginger. Serve hot with rice.

Cashew Chicken

Notes

  • Add a teaspoon of chili oil or red pepper flakes to the recipe for a spicy dish.
 

November 21, 2010

Gingy Macs

Posted by HI Cookery under 11 November | Tags: , , , , , |
[6] Comments 

Gingerbread Macarons

Gingy Macs

November 21: National Gingerbread Day

Let us shine a spotlight on a spice of the season—ginger—with which we have made a variety of gingerbread recipes, from cookies and cakes to muffins and now macarons. We filled our version of Gingy Macs with basic vanilla buttercream boozed up with cinnamon schnapps! Combined with other condiments, such as nutmeg and cloves, the gingerbread spice blend adds a distinctive fall flavor to these famous French cookies. Gingerbread macarons are our unique take on a blog recipe post for National Gingerbread Day and our monthly entry into the MacAttack challenge.

Recipe

(Adapted from Tartelette)

For the macarons

  • 3 egg whites (fresh, unpasteurized and aged overnight at room temperature)
  • 1 cup almond flour/meal
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • yellow food coloring (we used Wilton brand lemon yellow gel icing color)

Directions

Separate the eggs and age the whites at least the night before. Sift the almond flour/meal with the powdered sugar. If necessary, grind them in a food processor in batches to remove any lumps. Stir in the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Make a simple syrup to stabilize the egg whites by boiling the sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer (or until it reaches a soft ball stage).

Gingy Macs

Whip the egg whites until peaks form. Pour the simple syrup into the egg whites while whipping until stiff and glossy. Stir in the dry mixtures and fold until the consistency “flows like magma.” Tint the macaronage with a little yellow food color to create a soft ginger hue.

Gingy Macs

Fill a pastry bag with a large round tip. Pipe one-inch discs on a parchment paper on top of an insulated baking sheet. Let the discs air dry to develop a thin skin for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Watch the “feet” develop, but be careful not to brown or burn the macarons. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the macarons from the parchment paper. Sort by size and match pairs.  Make the filling.

Gingy Macs

For the filling

  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon schnapps (we used DeKuyper brand Hot Damn Cinnamon Schnapps liqueur)
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar
  • water

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with a pinch of salt until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon schnapps. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Thin to a spreadable consistency with water. Fill a pastry bag with a large round tip. Pipe in the filling and sandwich the macarons together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the filling set. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Gingy Macs

Notes

  • These gingerbread macarons were made by using the Italian meringue method because it stabilizes the egg whites better. This technique has given us more reliable results for macarons made in our kitchen.
  • The medley of the gingerbread ingredients in these macarons is subtly spicy and sweetly speckled but not overpowering—delicious fall flavors are packed into these tiny treats!
  • The cinnamon schnapps gives the filling a slight pink tinge. Use the leftover buttercream as an icing accent for other gingerbread recipes.
  • This is our entry into the MacAttack #13 challenge. See our MacAttack page or search our blog for other macaron posts.
  • The photo prop is of Gingy from the “Shrek” movie series.
 

« Previous Page — Next Page »