Dory in the Kitchen

This is a delightful, light, buttery cookie with a wonderful hint of orange zest that I've loved since I was a child. Thanks to Aunt Shauna for the recipe! Gingerbread Cookies 1 c. butter 1 1/2 c. sugar 1 egg 4 t. orange zest 2 T. dark corn syrup 3 c. flour 2 t. soda 2 t. ground cinnamon 1 t. ground ginger 1/2 t. ground clove 1/2 t. salt Cream butter & sugar. Add egg; beat well. Add orange zest, corn syrup and mix. Sift together all dry ingredients then stir into creamed mixture. Chill thoroughly. Roll 1/4" thick on floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Place 1" apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes in preheated 375° oven. Cool before removing from sheets. Makes 2 doz. cookies.

If you're in need of a quick and easy homemade gift to share with friends, family, or neighbors, give my apple butter recipe a try. These little jars are packed with flavor, lots of warming spices, and tart apple sweetness, and your slow cooker does almost all of the work for you while fragrantly perfuming your home. Ingredients 4 lbs honey crisp apples, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped 1 cup honey 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves Directions Combine honey and spices in a cold crock pot. Add apples and stir. Set temperature to low, cover, and let cook for 7 hours or until the apples are completely softened. Remove cover and allow to cook for one more hour uncovered to thicken. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture and put into sterilized jars.

I kid you not, until this year, I had never ever once baked sugar cookies. Me and cookies, we just aren't a good pairing. I don't like to eat them that much and baking them can be a pain if your butter isn't right, if there's too much flour, if your dough is too warm, etc. If you know, you know. And sugar cookies.....ugh. They can spread. They can be thin and crispy. They can be boring. Not these! This recipe is easy to make and consistently turns out thick, soft, tasty, and shape maintaining cookies. INGREDIENTS 2   Cups   Unsalted Butter, softened 2   Cups   Granulated Sugar 1   tsp   Salt 2   tsp   Vanilla Extract 4   Large   Eggs 7-8   Cups   All Purpose Flour 1/4   tsp   Baking Powder 1/2   Cup   Milk INSTRUCTIONS Cream butter, sugar, salt and vanilla together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes) Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add eggs and mix on medium speed until fully c...

I like to imagine a world where my Grandma's toffee is cut to pieces, wrapped in foil, and traded like currency. It's just that good. Spread evenly in a buttered 8x8" buttered pan: 1 bag  chocolate  chips or 2 Hershey almond bars, chopped. In a heavy saucepan bring to boil over medium heat: 2 sticks butter (no substitute) 1 c. sugar (granulated) 3 T. water 1 T. light corn syrup Boil over medium high heat - to a temperature of 300° - stirring constantly. Pour over chocolate chips completely cover chips but do not stir. Let stand over-night. Place in refrigerator 2-3 hours then break into  pieces . Keeps best in refrigerator.

Because it's Christmas Eve, today, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite Danish dishes: Risengrød. Translating to rice porridge, this dish is typically consumed on Christmas Eve and comes with years of tradition in its simple recipe. Normally you'd serve it with a blanched almond in it, and whoever finds the almond is supposed to get married within a years' time. Obviously, I omitted the almond. Here's how to make my favorite risengrød: In a large and thick sauce pan, add 1 cup short grain rice (either sushi grade rice or arborrio), 1/2 cup water, and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Add 4 cups whole milk (or half and half to make it richer), 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and stir to combine. Return to a boil, cover, and let simmer on low for 30-35 minutes. Be sure to stir it occasionally to keep the mixture from sticking to and burning on the bottom of your pan. Once cooked, serve warm with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon ...

In my humble opinion, the best recipes are the ones that appear to have required loads of time, expert knowledge, and top shelf ingredients, but really require little to no effort. This recipe is one of those. The Forgotten Cookie. You literally make the mixture at night before going to bed and wake up to the most miraculous meringue cookie! My crispy cardamom spiced meringues filled with chocolate and pistachio, will soon be your favorite to make, eat, and gift. Here's how to make them: Whisk two room temperature egg whites, along with a pinch of salt, in the bowl of a stand mixture, just until soft peaks start to form. Gradually add 100 grams of sugar, in small batches, while whisking on high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture is shiny and glossy. To the meringue mixture, gently fold in 1 teaspoon white vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.  By hand, fold in 75 grams of the chocolate of your choice, finely chopped (dark chocolate ...