Last weekend, a friend and I spend nearly all of Sunday baking cookies.  The bake fest lasted about 7 hours and resulted in nearly 20 dozen cookies.  We each made 3 different types of cookies.

I’d never baked with anyone before, other than my mom and sister that is, but it really was lots of fun.  Before we met, we both picked out a list of recipes we wanted to make and then we finalized it the day of the bake fest.  We then went to the store for all the miscellaneous items we didn’t have.  The actual cooking lasted about 5 hours.  We each made our own recipes but helped each other with ‘issues’, tray rotations, timing, and so forth.  Having someone in the kitchen to talk too and bounce ideas off was great.  Husband was around, but he wisely left the kitchen to the women for the day – although he did help with some mixing, dish washing, and of course periodic tasting!

The cookies?  We each made a variation of white mice (aka Mexican wedding cakes, Russian tea cookies, etc).  I used the recipe in Elizabeth Falkner’s Demolition Desserts.  The result?  Absolutely fabulous cookies that were slightly crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside -  or as my neighbor said after trying one from her gift box “they were like a drug!”. 

I also made the Vanilla Roll-Out Cookies from the article by Dorie Greenspan in this month's Bon Appetit and I made the 'Mike's dark chocolate black bottom bites"  from I’m Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas.  Both of which were great.

What we did we do with all of these cookies?  I gave tins to my neighbors, kept about a dozen, and then (bravely) had Husband take the rest to work so we wouldn’t eat them!

My friend wrapped hers in gorgeous little gift plates and gave them as gifts to friends.  I don’t have the patience for that but she did a great job and the gifts looked wonderful!

This week on Project Foodie we spotlighted a cookbook that not only presents recipes but serves a good cause.  The cookbook, Americans Cook!, is the brainchild of Westchester, NY girl scout troop leader Felice Kaufman.   The cause has multiple facets.  One is supporting the Girl Scouts troop but another effect of this effort is exposing these girls to cooking.  While generations past may have merely been concerned with getting their children to eat their vegetables, in today’s world we have young adults who don’t know anything about cooking!  I’ve had conversations with people in their 20’s asking how to cook the most basic items; like cooking dry boxed pasta!  Obesity and general health issues are increasing while our eating habits seem to continue to decline.  Sure, just because you cook your own food doesn’t mean what you eat will be low in fat, low in calories and high in nutrition but at least you have control over it.

Getting our children (and young adults) to cook involves many steps and no single simple solution exists.  Having said that, I applaud Felice Kaufman for envisioning and executing a creative project for these girls that will not only help them raise money but will also open their eyes to the world of cooking…

I’m either very brave or crazy – not sure which – but this year Husband and I have decided to cook a completely new menu for Thanksgiving dinner.  This will be our first Thanksgiving when we don’t made my mother's stuffing, our favorite dinner rolls, and all the other traditional goodies we’ve always made.  Instead, we’ve gone through Bon Appétit and picked a completely new menu – recipes we’ve never made before.  Here’s what we picked:

• Porcini Mushroom Turkey with Mushroom Gravy
• Three-Mushroom Dressing with Prosciutto
• Smashed Rutabagas with Ginger-Roasted Pears
• Balsamic-Braised Cipolline Onions with Pomegranate
• Cranberry Relish with Apple Cider
• Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
• Apple and Quince Crisp with Rum Raisins

Of these I’ve never had, let alone cook, Rutabagas or Quinces – yet I’m really looking forward to both of those dishes.  We’ve been trying different Cranberry dishes over the years to that one isn’t much of a leap but whole wheat dinner rolls for such Thanksgiving concern me a bit. 

Brave or Crazy?  We'll see. Either way it should be a fun day of cooking…

Photo from Food for Thought

I did some research and the images are from a children's book called Food For Thought by Joost Elffers and Saxton Freymann  (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2005).  While the book is aimed at children, cooks of all ages will enjoy the wonderful images.  And if you're looking for some fun centerpieces for a children' s party or even a fun adult party some of these creations would be great!  These authors also have a number of other books relating to playing with food including a 2008 Calendar called Playing with Your Food.