The Tomboy's Guide – Page 10 – Confections and confessions as one California tomboy goes from life in the Golden State to Dixieland and back again

Cranberry Walnut Spice Cookies

written by Piper

Last night some friends came over to the house to grill an ambitious collection of meats purchased on an outing to Nashville’s new but already acclaimed Porter Road Butcher. Since the “menfolk” were rather preoccupied with the prodigiously sized pork chops and angsting over the charcoal situation to make sure their selection of gourmet sausages were crisped to perfection, it seemed clear pretty quickly that the dessert portion of this meal was going to be entirely overlooked if I didn’t do something about it. Reb suggested, in the way that men have which they seem to think — for reasons that neither I nor any other girl can discern — is very sly, that I whip up some kind of portable, un-fussy dessert. I returned his conspiratorial gaze and praised him for his foresight. “I’ve got it under control,” I whispered, and immediately began assembling ingredients for the ultimate portable dessert: the cookie. I mixed up some chocolate chip walnut cookies but thought the occasion — a festive but casual gathering on a fine autumn evening — really called for two varieties, so I squinted into the pantry and culled a few baggies and jars as my mind began to formulate a mix of chewy, spicy, nutty and sweet. Thus, the cranberry walnut spice cookie was born. The resulting cookies are crisp around the edges but — when removed from the oven while still soft and allowed to kind of “deflate” on the pan for a few minutes — delightfully chewy inside. The ginger gives them a hint of the flavor that I, for one, associate with molasses cookies; which, for as long as I can remember, have been a cherished family tradition associated with this season. These cookies, studded with golden raisins, tart dried cranberries and walnuts — which you could toast in the oven at 350° on an ungreased baking sheet for 10 minutes if you wanted to afford your cookies even more depth of flavor — are easy to mix up and have a surprisingly spicy taste. Besides, the smell as they bake will fill your kitchen and home with a wonderful buttery, brown-sugary aroma that will be sure to get you in the Thanksgiving spirit!

November 12, 2012 0 comment

Chicken Kiss My Grits: Cooking Blog Meats Seafood Southern

Jambalaya

written by Piper

Okay, I know that Nashville isn’t considered Cajun or Creole country, but hey, country singers haven’t traditionally sung to digital drum loops either so what’re you gonna do? I, for one, can’t limit my jambalaya intake to time spent on the Gulf coast and the bayous (y’know, “True Blood” territory.) And once you try this stick-to-your-ribs, cures-what-ails-ya recipe, you won’t want to wait either. If you don’t already own a cast iron skillet, here’s your excuse to go get one. Seriously. I swear by them, as do most other cooks in the South and across this great land. I’m so passionate about my cast iron skillet that I wanted to stop at the Lodge cast iron factory here in Tennessee, en route from Chattanooga. (Alas for me and luckily for my driver on that journey, it was a Sunday so the factory was closed.) Whether you buy one pre-seasoned or inherit one that’s been seasoned with lard by the previous four generations of your family, this is one cooking implement that no kitchen–Southern or not–should be without.

November 8, 2012 1 comment

Desserts Kiss My Grits: Cooking Blog

Oatmeal Raisin Cream Pie Cookies

written by Piper

Despite living very near the home of the very delightful RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle, Tennessee (click here for my tips on visiting Bell Buckle) I had yet to ever actually sample a Moon Pie or any sandwich cookie for that matter. After making these spectacular little morsels of faintly spiced, tender cookie and a delicate smear of cream cheese, I am champing at the bit to make more sandwich cookies: every combination I can think of! I may have to invest in my own treadmill to work off the consequences of my (very important) research, but I think when cookies taste like these, it’s well worth it. Plus, they just look so darn cute stacked up on a cake plate. Make these the next time you invite friends over for a movie viewing, or, y’know, anytime.

October 16, 2012 1 comment

Kiss My Grits: Cooking Blog Meats

Not Your Mama’s Meatloaf

written by Piper

This succulent, tender meatloaf is made with lean, grass-fed ground beef and, as such, it’s relatively comparable in fat to a meatloaf made with turkey. I happen to have a real grudge against ground turkey, so it’s music to my ears every time I read a study that states with scientific certainty that extra lean ground beef is a suitable substitute for more health-conscious ground turkey, with, obviously, a different host of beneficial nutrients such as iron and niacin. My mom always studded her meatloaf with old fashioned oats and bell pepper instead of the more traditional bread crumbs. With this recipe, I decided to seize the best of both methods and modify her approach slightly by pulverizing the oats in a blender to make a fine grain and combining them with seasoned panko bread crumbs. I use grated carrot to add sweetness, finely chopped or grated yellow onion to add a sharpness, and a paste of roasted garlic for depth of flavor. Served alongside a hearty dollop of mashed potatoes and some butter sauteed green beans, this tastes like the America of Normal Rockwell paintings. Make it for the man in your life tonight. Or, better yet, make it for your mama.

October 10, 2012 0 comment

Kiss My Grits: Cooking Blog Meats Side-Dishes Soups & Stews

Real Deal Red Beans & Rice

written by Piper

I’ll just give it to you straight: red beans ‘n’ rice is not a dish that one eats in California. I didn’t grow up with my mother stirring a large cast iron skillet of anything, much less andouille infused red beans. So upon moving to the South and beginning to date a man from Mississippi with the kind of redneck credibility that I’m keenly aware I’m lacking in, I was quickly challenged to reevaluate my preconception of “red beans ‘n’ rice” as a side dish that I’d never order myself (while disdaining to taste any that Reb ordered and greedily devoured) to a main event worthy of being cooked up in a large batch back in my own kitchen at home.

September 24, 2012 0 comment

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