Happy New Year! I hope everyone gets to enjoy 2010 just the way they want it.

Here are some perfect brownies. They are moist enough, not too dry, not too moist, perfectly rich and chocolately. Need I say more?

If you’re looking for a quick and easy brownie, or a quick and easy dessert, then this is for you. I loved it and will make this recipe again and again.

Tribute to Katharine Hepburn Brownies
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons finely ground instant coffee
2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup broken or chopped walnuts or pecans
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Butter the paper, dust the inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on a baking sheet.

3. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, if you’re using it, and salt together.

4. Put the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and place the pan over low heat. When the butter starts to melt, sift the cocoa over it and add the instant coffee. Continue to cook, stirring, until the butter is melted and the cocoa and coffee are blended into it. Remove from the heat and cool for about 3 minutes.

5. Using a whisk or a rubber spatula, beat the eggs into the saucepan one at a time. Next, stir in the sugar and vanilla (don’t beat anything too vigorously — you don’t want to add air to the batter), followed by the dry ingredients, nuts and chopped chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, at which point the brownies will still be gooey but the top will have a dry papery crust. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the brownies cool for at least 30 minutes. (You can wait longer, if you’d like.) Turn the brownies out onto a rack, peel away the paper and invert onto a cutting board. Cool completely before cutting into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side.

SERVING: These are happy being served in all the typical ways — with whipped cream, ice cream or Hot Fudge Sauce or paired with a glass of milk to allow for dunking. I think they are best at room temperature, when they are at their moistest, but they are also very good chilled.

STORING: Wrapped well, the brownies will keep for 3 days at room temperature or frozen for up to 2 months.

I have a terrible habit… cooking for 50 when only five are around. I think I topped out at 12 liters in my last attempt at soup. Small pots help keep me honest, but I seem to always find a way. This is true with spaghetti – mounds of it left over – always.

This is not a bad thing, especially considering the convention of the frittata!

These are many ways to approach this. I like the day old spagettes, but any older and you might want to freshen the mix by inviting some fresh veg into the equation. Try wilting spinach, frying onions, or adding fresh tomatoes.

Spaghetti Frittata

Start by sparking the broiler and getting an oven safe skillet to medium-high heat.

In a bowl, whisk as many eggs as you need (i.e. about 1 per serving @ 6 – 10 servings). I’ve seen recipes that might discard every other yolk, but I don’t. Depending on your original pasta sauce, you might not need to season the eggs – a softer sauce might require you to add salt, pepper, etc… use your judgment.

Now the fun part – it’s best to work with a slightly warmer leftover so pull your spaghetti earlier or warm in just a tad in the microwave. Fold the spaghetti into your egg mixture and ensure and even coating.

On your medium-high hot skillet, gently and evenly add the mixture. Let in cook on the stove-top for 5 -7 minutes and follow up with another 3 – 5 minutes under the broiler. I like to pull it in the last 2 minutes to add a coating of any gritty sharp Parmesan. Keep an eye on it as broilers are mean, loud, and pushy

Slice like a pizza – um – a pie? A pie.

Serve with a salad or a quartered and salted tomato – all doused with your best olive oil.

The play of textures in this crispy, flavorful, and tender point is bliss and makes a great snack, light meal, or easy take-with-you lunch idea.

Way back in the still-warm days of September, I made my first batch of pickles, shoving them to the back of the pantry, not to be opened until the cucumbers had been given sufficient time to, well, pickle.

It’s been a few weeks now since we’ve opened the first jar and something went a little wrong along the way. The pickles look great. They smell wonderful. The little cloves of garlic in there are absolutely delicious – crisp and filled with sharp dill flavour. However, they are waaay too salty.

I used Emeril’s recipe for Spicy Dill Pickles. All of the reviews written by other people who’ve made them are raving…not one person seems to have had the intense saltiness that my pickles have. I’m pretty sure I didn’t add more than the required amount of salt by accident, so I’m not really sure what happened.

Salt factor aside, these pickles use a nice amount of dill. Next time I attempt pickles, I’m going to be adding a whole lot more garlic, some more chili peppers (these are really not very spicy), and definitely less salt. This recipe would be great if the jars were just filled with garlic cloves…those little guys are really nicely flavoured.

It’s not a big loss though. I only made 6 jars, and they are good in small doses. We’ve been eating them, chopping them up for salads or sandwiches, and the saltiness works just fine in that kind of application.

Spicy Dill Pickles
adapted from Emeril @ FoodNetwork

24 pickling cucumbers (kirbys), each between 3 and 4-inches long
6 small bunches fresh dill
1 small yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
12 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
6 dried small red chili peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
3 cups water
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup pickling salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Place the cucumbers in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

2. Sterilize 6 pint-sized jars and 6 lids in a hot water bath according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Divide the dill, onions, garlic, peppers and peppercorns among the jars. Drain the cucumbers and tightly pack into the jars.

3. Bring a large pot or canner of water to a boil.

4. In a medium pot, combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes to dissolve the salt and sugar.

5. Pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers, leaving a 1/2-inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Tap the jars on the counter to dispel any air bubbles, cover with lids and rings, and seal tightly. Place the jars in the pot or canner of boiling water and process for 15 minutes. Remove carefully with tongs and when cool, store in a cool, dry place for at least 3 weeks before opening.

Note: If tap water in your area is hard or high in mineral content, use bottled water to prevent discoloration of pickles.

I usually make drop cookies, and I usually make ones that are filled with sweetness, decadence, chocolate and other tasty things. However, when I saw a recipe for a cookie that mixed lavender (something I’ve never baked with) with lemon (my favourite dessert flavour), I knew I had to try it. These cookies looked so attractive, I even stuck with the heart shape!

These cookies are a lot of fun. There’s a lot going on…the cookie is a mildly sweet, very buttery type of crisp shortbread, with dried lavender flowers tucked inside. They’re not very lemony on their own (probably because I used lemon juice, and not lemon extract).However, once dipped in the lemon-lavendar glaze, they are undeniably lemon cookies, tart, sweet and packed with the aroma of lavender! The lavender isn’t overpowering (though I’m happy I reduced the amount, as I feel they might’ve been had I used the full amount), but just gives a playful air of lavender that mixes so well with the lemony and buttery cookie.

This is what I would call an adult cookie – perfect for to have with tea, or a light way to end a meal. It’s more refined than your average chocolate chip cookie, and it certainly is pretty! I highly recommend these cookies, especially if you’re a fan of shortbread, lemon and/or lavender!

This is my adapted recipe, with slightly less lavender used:

Iced Lavender Lemon Shortbread Cookies
adapted from Wine Imbiber

COOKIES
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar (or more, depending on the consistency after you add the lemon juice)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract)
1–1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (about 2 large lemons, preferably Meyer)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cornstarch
2–1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers

ICING
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 teaspoons dried lavender flowers
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest (about 1 large lemon, preferably Meyer)
1–2 tablespoons lemon juice

COOKIES
1. Cream together the butter and confectioner’s sugar until smooth. Mix in the lemon juice (or extract) and zest. Set aside.

2. Sift together the salt, cornstarch and flour. Add this to the butter mixture and stir until the flour coats the butter but isn’t completely worked in. Add the lavender flowers.

3. Using your hands, lightly rub the ingredients together until the mixture is no longer dry. You will know it’s done when it forms easily into a dough ball. Try not to overwork the mixture or you will end up with tough cookies.

4. Flatten the dough out into a disc and place in a plastic re–sealable bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to three days).

5. Preheat the oven to 325° F.

6. Take the fully–chilled dough and place it on top of a piece of parchment or a Silpat. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/3 inch. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. (This dough barely spreads, so don’t worry about leaving a lot of space between each cookie.) Remove the scraps from between each cookie and re–form into a flat disc. (If dough has become too soft or warm, re–refrigerate it for a few minutes before attempting to roll it out.)

7. Lift up parchment paper or Silpat and place on top of cookie sheet. Transfer sheet to upper third of oven and bake for about 15 minutes (or until the edges of the cookies just start turning golden on the edges). Allow to cool before icing. If you already decorated the cookies with colored sugar, you won’t need to ice them (although I did both to some of my cookies and they turned out extra–special!).

ICING
1. Whisk together first three ingredients. Start mixing in lemon juice by using one tablespoon at first, then continue adding in only enough to produce a smooth, fluid icing.

2. It is easiest to ice the cookies by dipping the tops into the icing and turning them over onto a wire rack (that has a paper towel under it to catch the drips). The icing will dry on the cookie and not stay sticky.

If you like this, you might also like:

Real Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Spicy Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies