The Quick, Simple and Sexy Cookie!

 I have never met someone who did not like cookies. I asked several people which is their favorite, and most told me chocolate chip. What if you want something special or different instead of chocolate chip cookies. Have you ever done a cookie exchange with your co-workers, friends or relatives? This is a fun way and inexpensive way to celebrate the holidays at work.

Would you make them from scratch, or say “I will just stop by the store and pick something up.” How much fun is that, for the person receiving them? What if there is a rule, "the cookies cannot be store bought." Would you not participate?

The cookie below is very easy to make,

Ingredients needed:

1 roll of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough

¾ cup coarsely chopped pistachios

½ dried cherries; I prefer the Ocean Spray Craisins brand

½ cup melted white chocolate

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°F

If you have not done so already, chop your pistachios and dried cherries.

Open cookie dough onto a cutting board. With your hand, gently flatten the roll of dough.

Place chopped pistachios and cherries on top of cookie dough, knead into the cookie dough until well blended… knead approximately seven times.

Roll dough into a log and slice into a dozen slices.

Arrange on cookie sheet 2 inches apart, cook for 10-12 minutes. I like to bake my cookies on parchment paper. This way I can remove the entire batch from the heat quickly and cool on racks. (This also makes a fast clean up. Just throw the parchment paper out and clean up is done!)

Once cookies are cool, dip one side into the white chocolate, return cookie to cooling racks until chocolate has cooled.

What is in your meatloaf?

After doing some research on the meatloaf, I can tell you there is not one pinpoint date or country where it might have come from. Some who say it started with the Romans, 17^th century France or even the Pennsylvanian Dutch in the 18^th century. There is a consensus that meatloaf became popular with Americans around The Depression. The meatloaf filled the need to stretch the family food supply while be filling and nutritious.

The ingredients in a meatloaf are just as diverse as its origins. Most articles I read all agreed that Veal was probably the first meat used since it was cheaper than beef. Other items used in meatloaf, vegetables, breadcrumbs, oatmeal, rice, wheat germ even cornflakes. My mom used to make it with oatmeal onions, carrots and two slices of bacon on top. My mother-in-law makes hers with breadcrumbs. There is one constant ingredient in every meatloaf and that is a single egg.

I make my meatloaf a bit differently from both my mom and mother-in-law. I have also tried experimenting by wrapping the entire loaf in bacon before cooking. The recipe that follows makes a nice juicy meatloaf that freezes and reheats without drying out.

Paige’s Meatloaf:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, extra lean

1 pound ground pork

1 egg

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon, dried parsley

2 Tablespoons, minced onions

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

4 ounce can of tomato sauce

Bacon grease

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven 400°F

Combine with hands first eight ingredients until fully blended.

Thickly grease 11” X 7” Pyrex glass baking pan with bacon grease

Form meat mixture into a loaf and place into prepared pan

If you have extra bacon grease, gently rub to outside of meatloaf then season with salt and pepper.

Pour tomato sauce over top of meatloaf, covering the entire top and sides.

Bake in oven until internal temperature is 160°F