I’m usually not a fan of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. In comparison to chicken thighs, I find chicken breasts too easy to dry out and dull in flavor, reserved only for dishes with lots of other “wow” ingredients. Maybe it’s the bacon in this dish or the top-quality chicken that I used, but this one-dish chicken recipe proved me wrong. The sauce is savory and satiny, the meat moist and tender, and it all meshes perfectly on top of basmati rice. My kids both asked for thirds and I hid the leftovers for myself. 

I took advantage of my already hot oven and put in a batch of oatmeal freezer cookies before we sat down to eat. Despite the fact that it’s May, it’s damp and gray here in Wisconsin — but good weather for baking cookies. Freezer cookies are ideal desserts for busy people. You can make the dough days, weeks, even months in advance, then store it in your freezer until you need it. On the day you want to bake the cookies, simply thaw the dough in the fridge, slice, and bake it. Hot cookies fresh from the oven in minutes!

Chicken and Bacon Pot
adapted from Easy Everyday: Simple Recipes for No-fuss Food

Serves 4

High-quality chicken is essential for chicken breast-based recipes like this one. I used chicken shipped to me from Springer Mountain Farms, which prides itself on their 100% natural, vegetarian-fed and humanely raised (certified by the American Humane Association) chicken.

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz (225 g) bacon, diced
8 oz (225 g) white, button mushrooms
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 shallots or 1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup (40 g) flour
2 cups (500 ml) chicken broth or stock
2/3 cup (150 ml) white wine
1 bay leaf
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
basmati rice, to serve

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish, add the bacon and mushrooms, and cook over medium heat until golden. Transfer the bacon and mushrooms to a plate.

Put the chicken breasts in the casserole and quickly brown on both sides. Set the chicken aside with the bacon.

Saute the garlic and shallots (or onion) over a low heat in the same pan for about 5 minutes. Add the flour and mix well. Stirring constantly, cook the flour mixture about 1 minute, until well blended and nutty smelling, being careful not to burn the flour. Remove the pan from the heat, slowly pour in the stock and wine, and stir or whisk until smooth. Return the pan to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce slightly thickens. Mix in the bacon and mushrooms, then add the chicken, bay leaf, and seasoning. Cover and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Add the parsley just before serving with rice.

***

Grandma Dot’s Oatmeal Freezer Cookies
adapted from cooks.com

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

I freeze this dough in smallish logs, just enough to make about 8 cookies. By freezing smaller portions, the dough thaws more quickly. And because I only bake a few cookies at a time, they are always fresh.

1/2 cup (100 g) shortening
1/2 cup (85 g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup (90 g) flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups (120 g) rolled oats
1/4 cup (25 g) finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Cream the shortening and sugars. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, oats and nuts. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture until just blended.

Shape the dough into 2-inch rolls, like refrigerator cookie dough at the grocery store, on waxed paper. Roll up and twist the ends together. Chill until firm (at least 2 hours) or freeze for later use (place logs in a plastic bag before freezing). When ready to bake the cookies, thaw the dough (only if frozen), then cut into 3/4-inch slices. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet with at least 1 inch separating the cookies. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 10 minutes.

I think there has been more snow in the past 12 months in Ireland than in the previous 11 years I’ve been living here put together. We were hit with a record-breaking cold snap and snowfall two weeks ago that saw school canceled for six days and had us stranded in our house in the countryside on a hill. My husband, raised in Michigan, where they get buried under lake effect snow, braved our road at the start of the snow days to get us stocked up on groceries and coal and turf for the fire. A big pot of warming chili sounded like just the thing to see us through a couple nights. My friend Clare tipped me off to this recipe, and if I wasn’t sold already by the bacon in the title, the beer clinched it. Serve with honey buttermilk cornbread or bacon corn muffins, and you’ve got a filling winter meal.

Things you’ll never find me without though, snow or no snow, are flour, butter and sugar, so it seemed fitting to make snowball cookies to pass the time one afternoon with the kids. These are my favorite childhood Christmas cookie, and even if I have the tree up and all the presents bought, it only really feels like Christmas to me when I make a batch of these. For years I used my mom’s recipe, but these days I use Bon Appétit’s tip to add some ground cinnamon to the powdered sugar you roll the cookies in, and it makes all the difference. Growing up, we called these butterballs, but now I know they’re also called snowball cookies, Mexican wedding cakes and Russian tea cakes. No matter what you call them, it wouldn’t be Christmas for me without them.

Spicy Bacon Cowboy Chili
adapted from White on Rice

Serves 4 to 6

Using the leftovers on the second day, I mixed some of the chili with passata to tone down the flavors enough to pass it off as a Bolognese sauce to my kids, who gobbled it up when served with pasta. Todd and Diane suggest serving this as chili cheese fries, and I don’t know anyone who would turn up their noses at that combination.

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 or 2 red chilies, finely diced
salt
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 lb (1 kg) ground beef
6 strips (300 g) bacon, diced
1 x 14 oz (400 g) can of kidney beans, black beans or pinto beans
1 cup (250 ml) barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional if you don’t want it too spicy)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 x 12 oz (350 ml) beer
grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, diced scallions, tortilla chips, etc., to serve

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, chilies and a pinch of salt (to stop the onions from browning) and cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the ground beef and bacon and cook until it’s nearly cooked through and browned, stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to keep at a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour – the longer you cook it, the more the flavors will develop – adding more beer or water if the chili starts to look too dry. Serve the chili warm with toppings of your choice.

***

Snowball Cookies
adapted from Bon Appétit, May 2003

Makes about 4 dozen

These cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature and reserve the remaining cinnamon sugar.

1 cup (225 g) butter, at room temperature
2 cups (240 g) powdered (icing) sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (240 g) flour
1 cup (100 g) pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely ground
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup (60 g) of the powdered sugar and the vanilla and beat until well blended. Beat in the flour, then nuts. Divide the dough in half and form each half into ball. Wrap separately in cling film and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Whisk the remaining powdered sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl or pie dish to blend. Set the cinnamon sugar aside.

Working with half of chilled dough, roll 1 scant tablespoon of dough between your palms into balls. Arrange the balls on a large baking sheet, spacing them 1/2 inch apart. Bake for about 18 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and just pale golden on top. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then gently toss or roll the warm cookies in cinnamon sugar to coat them completely. Transfer the coated cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Repeat this procedure with the remaining half of the dough. Sift any remaining cinnamon sugar over the cookies and serve.

From not knowing a single other food blogger at the start of the year, I now know many and count them amongst my friends. Who would have thought that the Bord Bia food blogger event back in May would have been such a launching pad for the bloggers in Ireland to start organising their own events, meet-ups, workshops and even the Irish Food Bloggers Association? Two bloggers I’ve come to know, both in the virtual and the real world, are Aoife of The Daily Spud, who in turn introduced me to Adrienne of Gastroanthropology, a fellow expat who lives in London. When I heard that Adrienne was organizing a blogger Christmas cookie exchange, I quickly signed up and wasn’t too surprised to see that from all the participants, Adrienne had arranged things so that I sent a recipe to her and received one from Aoife. Making Aoife’s shortbread was the perfect way to pass an afternoon with the kids when we were all stuck at home last week from the snow, and they were a welcome treat to have with a cup of coffee for me and hot chocolate for the kids. Given how many new people I’ve met because of blogging in 2010, I can’t wait to see who I might meet in 2011.

Piri Piri Chicken
adapted from 30 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4

You could also use boneless, skinless thighs or breasts; if using breasts, just cook them a little longer. I’ve only made the chicken and sweet potatoes from this menu, but if you want to make the rocket (arugula) salad and Portugese tarts as well, you can see the complete menu here. If you made the whole menu, it would be a fantastic spread for entertaining — but if you can actually pull it off in 30 minutes like the title promises, I tip my hat to you.

4 to 6 large chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
1 red pepper, sliced into strips
1 yellow pepper, sliced into strips
6 sprigs of fresh thyme

for the piri piri sauce:
1 red onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 or 2 red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 lemons
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a large bunch of fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Put a large griddle pan on a high heat.

Put the chicken thighs on a plastic chopping board, skin side down, and slash the meat on each one a few times. Drizzle with olive oil and season, then put on the hot griddle pan, skin side down. Cook until golden underneath, then turn over.

While the chicken is cooking, make the piri piri sauce. Add the onion, garlic, chillies, paprika, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to a blender or food processor. Add the zest of 2 lemons and the juice of 1 lemon. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, the large bunch of basil and a splash of water. Blend until smooth.

Add the peppers to the griddle pan. Turn the heat down to medium and keep moving the peppers around. Turn the chicken over.

Pour the piri piri sauce into a snug-fitting roasting tray. Lay the peppers on top of the sauce and push to the side. Add the chicken to the roasting tray with the sauce. Scatter over the sprigs of thyme, then put the tray into the oven. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Sprinkle over some chopped fresh cilantro to serve.

***

Sweet Potatoes with Feta, Lemon and Chili
adapted from 30 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4

1 medium potato
2 sweet potatoes
1/2 lemon
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 oz (50 g) feta cheese, crumbled

Wash the potato and sweet potatoes and halve lengthways. Put them into a large microwave-safe bowl with half a lemon. Cover with cling film and put into the microwave on full power for 15 minutes. (If you don’t have a microwave, simply boil the potatoes on their own until tender.) Once the potatoes are cooked through, use tongs to squeeze over the cooked lemon. (Or if you haven’t used a microwave, add the juice of the half lemon to the potatoes.) Add the chiles, cilantro and feta. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, mix everything together and serve.

***

Almond, Honey and Orange Shortbread
adapted from The Daily Spud

Makes 30 to 35 cookies

With two stir crazy children helping me make these cookies when we were all stuck at home last week because of the snow, I streamlined Aoife’s recipe to just use packaged ground almonds instead of toasting whole almonds and grinding them myself. I went ahead and used the zest of an entire orange instead of just half an orange, and I also didn’t have any amaretto in the house, so I used almond extract instead. Aoife also suggests two variations by replacing the orange zest with some espresso powder and/or replace the almonds and amaretto with hazelnuts and Frangelico.

3/4 cup (100 g) plain flour
1/4 cup (25 g) rice flour or cornflour (cornstarch), or substitute additional plain flour
good pinch of salt
1 cup (100 g) ground almonds
1/2 cup (100 g) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon almond extract or amaretto (optional)
zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup (25 g) powdered (icing) sugar, sifted, for coating (optional)
2 oz (50 g) good-quality dark chocolate, for dipping (optional)

Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).

Whisk the plain flour, rice flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the ground almonds and whisk again.

In a separate bowl, a stand mixer or a food processor, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the honey, almond extract and orange zest to the butter and beat well. Gradually incorporate the flour and almond mixture into the butter. When done, you should end up with a ball of dough that will be slightly crumbly and tacky to the touch.

Scoop heaped teaspoonfuls of the dough into the palm of your hand, roll into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten slightly, either using the palm of your hand or the base of a glass. You should end up with little discs around 1 inch wide and 1/4 to 1/2 inch high.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the biscuits are just starting to darken at the edges. Allow to cool slightly for about 2 minutes, then toss the biscuits in the icing sugar and leave to cool fully on a wire rack. If you fancy dipping the biscuits in chocolate, then chop the chocolate finely and either melt in the microwave (zapping it until barely melted) or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of hot (not simmering) water. Once melted, dip half of each biscuit in the chocolate and leave to set on a wire tray. When cool, dust with some more icing sugar and enjoy with your Christmas tea or coffee.

I’ve made this layered taco salad a few times, each time planning to post the recipe because it’s so easy to make and pretty to look at once assembled. Unfortunately, it’s so tasty I’m never able to resist immediately sitting down to dish up a plate, ruining the picture-perfect ensemble of beef, beans, cheese, avocados and lettuce, so you’ll have to use your imagination on this one. If it helps, think of  your favorite nachos, then imagine them with better, fresher ingredients on a bed of tangy lime-dressed lettuce.

For those in need of a picture, I give you dessert — rocky road bark. Sam is a huge fan of marshmallows but I try to limit his intake. This inevitably leads to opened bags of marshmallows growing stale in my cupboard. This recipe took care of a handful of them and provided a few days of bite-sized after-dinner treats that the whole family enjoyed.

Layered Taco Salad
adapted from Gourmet, August 2003

Serves 4

for the dressing:
juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

for the beef:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeno or serrano chiles (including seeds), finely chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb (450 g) ground chuck
6 oz (175 ml) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

for the salad:
1 firm-ripe California avocado
1 large head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 lb (110 g) coarsely grated sharp Cheddar
1 x 15 oz (425 g) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 x 6 oz (170 g) can sliced pitted black olives, drained
tortilla chips, to serve

To make the dressing, whisk together the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, then add the oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.

To cook the beef, cook the onion, garlic, chile, chili powder, and cumin in the oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is well softened, about 6 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up lumps, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes, then spoon off any excess fat from the skillet. Add the tomato sauce, salt, and pepper to the beef and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To assemble the salad, peel and pit the avocado, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Spread the lettuce over the bottom of a shallow 4-quart dish or other large shallow bowl (for example, a large pasta serving bowl). Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss lightly. Spoon the beef mixture evenly over the lettuce and continue making layers with tomatoes, cheese, beans, avocado, and olives.

***

Rocky Road Bark
adapted from Cook’s Country

Makes 16 pieces

5 or 6 whole graham crackers
6 tablespoons (90 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (40 g) packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 oz (110 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (40 g) mini marshmallows
1/2 cup (50 g) chopped pecans, walnuts or sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, making sure the foil is tucked into all corners and at least 1 inch of foil overhangs the top of the pan on the sides. This will create a type of handle, which you’ll use later to pull out the bark. In a single layer, line the bottom of the pan with graham crackers, breaking them if needed so that they fit tightly.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Scrape the mixture onto the graham crackers and smooth so that the mixture covers the crackers completely. Bake until the caramel is bubbling, about 8 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle with the chocolate pieces, and return the pan to the oven to soften the chocolate, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and use a spatula to gently smooth the chocolate into an even layer.

Sprinkle the marshmallows and then the nuts over the chocolate, pressing lightly with your fingertips so the marshmallows and nuts adhere to the chocolate. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then freeze until the chocolate hardens, 30 minutes.

Grabbing the overhang, lift the foil from the pan onto a cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the bark into 2-inch squares. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

I’m a little jealous of all the heat waves in America lately. After the best June in years here in Ireland, July is turning out to be cold and rainy a lot of the time and we’re lucky to even hit 70°F. But last month, when we had proper warm weather, I was making salads for dinner almost every night and this is one of my favorites. Served with some crusty bread, it’s a perfect main course for a hot (or even not so hot) summer’s night.

And if you’re being good and eating salad for dinner, it’s as good of an excuse as any to splurge a little with one of these biscuits. If you can rouse yourself from the heat enough to melt some butter on the stovetop, then all you have to do is press the dough into a baking dish and leave it in the fridge overnight, making this ideal for summertime baking. I made them for the Irish foodies’ cookie bake-off* at the start of the month, and while at first I was a little disappointed in them (I’d been expecting more flavor from the coffee and Crunchie bars), they grew on me. They’re a grown-up kind of cookie, the kind of thing that’s perfect with a cup of coffee after dinner (or anytime).

White Bean, Salami and Spinach Salad
adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater

Serves 2 as a light main course

for the salad:
7 oz (200 g) baby spinach (or about 4 big handfuls)
1/2 lb (225 g) salami, thinly sliced
a handful of basil leaves, cut into ribbons
2 x 14 oz (400 g) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (100 g) black olives, halved
freshly grated Parmesan shards, to serve
crusty bread, to serve

for the dressing:
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the spinach into a large serving dish. Cut the salami into thin strips and add to the spinach along with the basil, beans and olives.

To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, thyme and salt and pepper together until thick and creamy (or shake to combine in a screw-top jar). Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together gently. Grate over some thick shards of Parmesan cheese and serve with plenty of crusty bread.

***

Italian Chocolate Fridge Biscuits
adapted from Avoca Café Cookbook

Makes one 9 x 13 inch tray

3/4 cup (175 g) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (150 g) cocoa powder
1 cup (200 g) sugar
3/4 cup (75 g) ground almonds
3/4 cup (75 g) ground hazelnuts
1 tablespoon espresso or strong black coffee
1 egg and 1 egg yolk, beaten together
6 oz (175 g) Petit Beurre, high-quality butter cookies or digestive biscuits, roughly chopped
6 oz (175 g) honeycomb, such as Crunchie bars, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cups (175 g) hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Put the butter, cocoa, sugar, ground almonds and ground hazelnuts in a large pot and heat gently, stirring, until the butter has melted. Beat the coffee, egg and egg yolk into the mixture, then stir in the cookies, honeycomb and chopped hazelnuts. It will be very crumbly and rough looking at this stage.

Lightly oil a shallow 9 x 13 inch baking dish and firmly press the mixture into it (the mixture should be about 3/4 inch thick). Leave it to set in the fridge overnight, then turn out and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

*Looking for more cookie inspiration? Check out all these recipes from some other Irish foodies:

• Brown butter chocolate chip cookies
• Chocolate crinkle cookies
• Chocolate melting moments
• Chocolate nut slice
• Chocolate orange cookies
• Cinnamon butterfly cookies
• Cranberry pecan cookies
• Double chocolate pecan cookies
• Lemon rind heart cookies
• Lemon sugar cookies
• Messy choc chip mallow block
• New York Times chocolate chip cookies
• Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
• Peanut butter button cookies
• Peanut crunch cookies
• Sugar-dusted wedding cookies
• Toffee apple cookies
• Triple chocolate cookies
• Vanilla sugar cookies
• World peace cookies

In the US, it’s the day after Thanksgiving today — which means it’s also now officially Christmastime! So I won’t waste any time giving you this cookie recipe, an adaptation of my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but this time with a festive twist to them with the brandied cranberries. For any Black Friday shoppers, a couple of these cookies and a cup of coffee would keep you going through the afternoon sales. For anyone else, do you really need an excuse to eat a cookie like this? A few weeks ago, when I told a friend that I was going to make these, she said they sounded like the perfect Christmas cookie, but I said I couldn’t wait that long to make them. Any recent Thanksgiving excesses aside, you shouldn’t either.

Avoca’s Shepherd’s Pie
adapted from Avoca Café Cookbook

Serves 6

You can prepare the shepherd’s pie in advance, leave it to cool and reheat it later, although it will need more time in the oven (40 minutes instead of 20). For my family of four, I like to divide the pie into 4 individual gratin dishes and 4 ramekins for the kids’ portions, which makes enough for two dinners. This way, I can cook the second batch fresh on the day, as opposed to reheating one big casserole dish.

for the pie:
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 lb (900 g) minced beef (you could also use ground turkey for a leaner version)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs of thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon tomato puree
3 carrots, diced
1 3/4 cups (400 ml) chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

for the potato topping:
3 lb (1.4 kg) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk or cream
1/2 cup (110 g) butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

In a large pan, gently sauté the onion in the vegetable oil for about 10 minutes, until soft but not brown. Add the mince a little at a time and cook until browned. Add the Worcestershire, thyme, tomato puree, carrots, stock and some salt and pepper. Cook on a low heat for 50 minutes, then transfer to a large casserole or pie dish or individual gratin dishes, ready for the mashed potato topping.

Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain well, then return to the pot and add the cream, butter and salt and pepper to taste. Mash well, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Cover the mince mixture with the mashed potato. Run the tines of a fork along the potato topping (this will help it to brown). Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the potato is nicely browned and the pie filling is bubbling. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

***

Brandied Cranberry, White Chocolate, Pecan and Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 16 cookies

You can make these cookies without the brandy if you prefer.

3/4 cup (100 g) dried cranberries
1/3 cup (80 ml) brandy
2 cups (240 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup (170 g) packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup (150 g) white chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (50 g) pecans, roughly chopped
1 cup (80 g) porridge oats

Put the dried cranberries in a wide, shallow bowl and add the brandy, making sure all the cranberries are covered with brandy (you may need to add a bit more). Cover and place in the fridge. Allow the cranberries to soak for at least 1 hour. Place a colander over a bowl and strain the cranberries, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons of the brandy. Set both aside.

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter and brown and granulated sugars until well blended. Beat in the reserved 1 1/2 teaspoons of brandy, the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk, mixing until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients, working until just blended. Stir in the cranberries, white chocolate, pecans and oats by hand, using a wooden spoon. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Use a table knife to scoop and press the dough into 1/4-cup measuring scoops (or roll 90 g of dough into a ball for 1 cookie), and place the mounds onto the prepared cookie sheets. The cookies should be 3 inches apart.

Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Until this summer, I considered sweet and sour pork to be an almost inedible mess of sickly red syrup, mushy pineapple and fatty pork. This Thai version couldn’t be farther from my Chinese take-out fears. Like all good stir-fry dishes, it’s loaded with crisp vegetables and lean meat, with a light yet savory sauce. Though I was dubious of the cucumber in this dish, it’s really tasty and now I sometimes double the amount called for so I don’t have to fight Sam for it.

This chocolate chip cookie is the stuff of legends, or should I say urban legends. It’s commonly known as “The $250 Cookie Recipe,” since that’s the amount Neiman Marcus supposedly charged the lady that requested and received the recipe from its store while at lunch. According to Snopes.com, this amusing but false tale has been in circulation for over 50 years. Interestingly, the merchant and food item has evolved over time from a $25 fudge cake recipe “sold” by a train company in the 1940s to Waldorf-Astoria’s red velvet cake recipe in the 1960s to Mrs. Fields’ cookie recipe in the 1980s. Wherever this recipe came from, it’s my favorite chocolate chip cookie and I would gladly pay it (but thank goodness for the internet, so I don’t have to!).

Pork with Sweet and Sour Sauce
adapted from The Food of Thailand: A Journey for Food Lovers by Kay Halsey and Lulu Grimes

Serves 4

8 oz (225 g) pineapples slices in light syrup, each slice cut into 4 pieces (reserve the syrup)
1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 oz (340 g) pork, sliced (pork tenderloin recommended)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 red capsicum (pepper) or serrano pepper, minced
1 bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 tomato, cut into 6 wedges, or 12 baby tomatoes

Mix the pineapple syrup with the ketchup, fish sauce and sugar in small bowl until smooth.

Heat the oil in a wok or deep frying pan over a medium heat and fry the pork until nicely browned and cooked. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Add the garlic to the wok and fry over medium heat for 1 minute or until lightly browned. Add the carrot, onion, and peppers and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cucumber, tomato, pineapple and pineapple syrup mixture. Stir-fry for another minute. Taste, then adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Return the pork to the pan and gently stir. Spoon onto a serving plate and garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown or white jasmine rice.

***

Nieman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup (225 g) butter
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (170 g) brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (240 g) flour
2 1/2 cups (200 g) blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal, then blend in blender to a fine powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz (340 g) chocolate chips
4 oz (110 g) Hershey bar, grated (I used a Lindt dark chocolate bar)
1 1/2 cups (150 g) chopped nuts (your choice)

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) degrees. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda.  Add the flour mixture to the sugar/egg mixture. Add the chocolate chips, grated chocolate and nuts. Roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375°F (190°C).

I always feel better knowing there’s a can of chickpeas in the pantry, since I can turn it into a quick lunch with some couscous, lemon and diced feta. Or I can turn it into one of my favorite kitchen cupboard dinners — you know the kind, the ones you pull together from whatever you have lurking in the pantry or at the back of the crisper in the fridge, usually on the night before you do your grocery shopping when there’s nothing else in the house — spaghetti with chickpeas, lemon juice, parsley and freshly grated Parmesan, a recipe I picked up from Denis Cotter’s Paradiso Seasons. Jamie Oliver calls this a cousin of pasta e fagioli, the traditional Italian peasant dish of beans and pasta, so if you like that dish, chances are good you’ll like this one too.

But enough about soup. Let’s talk about these cookies. Ina Garten really knows how to make perfect autumn food — first it was her date nut spice bread, and now these cookies. Both recipes use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves that creates an atmosphere while you’re baking them that you want to wrap yourself up in. I gave one of the cookies to the woman who delivers our organic fruit and veg, and the first thing she did was hold it up to her nose to smell it and sigh appreciatively. I said before that the date nut spice bread might be the best thing I bake this autumn, but these cookies are a close contender.

Pasta with Chickpeas (Pasta e Ceci)
adapted from Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
2 x 14-oz (400-g) cans of chickpeas
2 1/4 cups (540 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
3 1/2 oz (100 g) ditalini or macaroni
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a small handful of chopped fresh basil or parsley, to serve
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
crusty bread, to serve

Put the finely chopped onion, celery, and garlic into a saucepan with a little extra virgin olive oil and the rosemary and cook as gently as possible, with the lid on, for 15 to 20 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft, without any color.

Drain the chickpeas well and rinse them in cold water, then add them to the pan and cover with the stock. Cook gently for 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove half the chickpeas and put them to one side in a bowl.

Puree the soup in the pan using a handheld immersion blender. (If you don’t have one, you can whiz it up in a food processor instead, then pour it back into the pan.) Add the reserved whole chickpeas and the pasta, season the soup with salt and pepper, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until the chickpeas are tender and the pasta is cooked.

At this point, if the soup is a little thick, pour in some boiling water from the kettle to thin it down, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve drizzled with good-quality extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with some basil or parsley and Parmesan cheese. Serve some warm crusty bread alongside.

***

The Barefoot Contessa’s Ultimate Ginger Cookies
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten

Makes 16 cookies

2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (170 g) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
1/3 cup (80 ml) unsulfured molasses or black treacle
1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (170 g) chopped crystallized ginger
granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt and then combine the mixture with your hands. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the egg, and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 1 more minute. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined.

Scoop the dough with 2 spoons or a small ice cream scoop (I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup, which is 90 g of dough). With your hands, roll each cookie into a 1 3/4-inch ball and then flatten them lightly with your fingers. Press both sides of each cookie in granulated sugar and place them on the sheet pans. Bake for exactly 13 minutes. The cookies will be crackled on the top and soft inside. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Cranberry oatmeal white chocolate cookies are one of my favorite cookies. They’re buttery, not too sweet, and stay softer than your average chocolate chip cookie. The dried cranberries in the cookies tie in nicely with the dried cranberries in this unstuffed version of stuffed cabbage. Stuffed cabbage (cabbage rolls) is one of those dishes that my mother-in-law makes better than I do and that always takes longer to put together than expected.  In other words, I usually just wait for her to make it instead of making it myself. This recipe is nearly as good as my mother-in-law’s and takes less time to prepare, perfect for when I’m craving stuffed cabbage but don’t want to invite myself over for dinner.

Unstuffed Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage
adapted from Gourmet, November 2008

Serves 4

1 medium head green cabbage, quartered lengthwise and cored
2/3 cup (160 ml) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, divided
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb (450 g) ground beef chuck
2 lb (900 g) plum tomatoes, peeled (or 1 x 28-oz/780-g can whole tomatoes in juice)
1/3 cup (40 g) dried cranberries
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
steamed rice, to serve

We have a fellow expat friend who throws a big 4th of July barbecue every year. There’s a group of expat regulars who go most years, from Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan and New Hampshire, and I always get a kick out of how we all end up in Chris’s back yard in County Meath, so far from where any of us call home. Anyway, Matt took it upon himself the first year we went to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies from his favorite childhood Betty Crocker recipe to bring with us. While I wouldn’t say that I turn to that old American stand-by for inspiration these days, it’s a perfectly good cookie recipe, good enough to earn us the nickname the Cookie Couple ever after. We bring a double batch every year and they’re always eaten up or hoarded within minutes of being set out. I’m told there were some disappointed barbecue regulars the year we couldn’t go when my daughter was born on the 4th of July.

This year, the barbecue was pushed back to Labor Day since our friends were back in the US for the 4th, and instead of dusting off Matt’s old recipe again, I decided to make the consummate chocolate chip cookie from The New York Times that was published last July. I made the dough on Thursday afternoon so that it would have 36 hours to rest before I baked the cookies on Saturday morning. Resting the dough apparently allows it to fully soak up all the liquid from the eggs, resulting in a drier, firmer dough that bakes to a better consistency, and gives the cookie “bass notes of caramel and hints of toffee” (who knew cookies had bass notes?). The real genius touch, though, is Dorie Greenspan’s addition of a sprinkle of fleur de sel on top (though I prefer the bigger flakes of Maldon sea salt). They’ve been blogged about all over the place, and I certainly won’t be saying anything new when I tell you it really is a damn good cookie. As the NYT itself says, “Doubt it? There’s only one way to find out.”

The New York Times Consummate Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from The New York Times

Makes about 24 cookies

I’ve only ever made these using plain flour (instead of cake flour and bread flour) and they turn out just fine. I’m sure the chocolate disks they talk about in the article are fabulous, but I just use plain old milk chocolate chips and the cookies are still good. I like to freeze some of the dough (see note below) to bake some cookies another time. Nothing makes you feel like a domestic goddess like having a stash of frozen homemade cookies in the freezer.

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (240 g) cake flour (or all-purpose)
1 2/3 cups (240 g) bread flour (or all-purpose)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, such as kosher
2 1/2 sticks (280 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups (210 g) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 lb (570 g) bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60% cacao content (or your regular brand of chocolate chips)
sea salt, such as Maldon or fleur de sel

Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds, being careful not to overmix. Drop the chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap directly against the dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. The dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop 6 x 3 1/2 oz (100 g) mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto each baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 15 to 20 minutes (you don’t want to overcook them and make them hard). Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then slip the the cookies onto a wire rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with the remaining dough, or reserve some dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.  (Note: I have also successfully frozen the dough by rolling it into the 3 1/2 oz (100 g) portions specified here, then tightly wrapping each ball individually in cling film and popping them into the freezer. This way you can take out as many as you’d like to bake another day. When you want to bake them, set the oven to the same temperature, but just cook them for a couple more minutes.)