Latest Obsession

A few weekends ago I was thumbing through my Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook when I came across a cookie recipe that intrigued me.

There are two camps of folks in this world – those that like coconut and those that cannot stand it. I happen to be someone that LOVES coconut. I love the smell, the flavor, the texture and I think visually it is an awesome ingredient. I probably like it most of all because it reminds me of somewhere tropical – like Hawaii!

I make the above disclaimer because these cookies have coconut in them so that might turn some of you off from giving this easy little recipe a whirl.

They are called Jam Thumbprint Cookies. The recipe will make 32 cookies depending on the size you prefer. I also like the recipe because you can create a variation of flavors by using different jams. Thus far, I have used strawberry, raspberry and a strawberry-mango. Each jam flavor brings a different complexity to the cookie.

I had the opportunity to use homemade jam (thank you, Rick Kerfoot) over store bought and I noticed a difference, but either way they are still super delicious.

I am off to the store this weekend to get more coconut because we are down to our last few cookies and I am afraid I will not win that arm wrestling challenge!

¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter – at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut

Jam of your choice (she suggests raspberry and/or apricot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixtures to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 ¼ inch balls. Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop ¼ teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve. 

And finally.....ENJOY! 

Finally a W (not for me)!

Sarah and Ryan were generous to offer up their home for the AACC’s sixth challenge…CHILI!

Who does not love a huge bowl of chili? Maybe someone who is not a fan of beans and gets indigestion easily, but other than those sad sack….everyone does.

I will admit the very traditional chili I was raised on is not the recipe I used for this round. While on a couples weekend last December, Tara and Brandi introduced me to their version of chili and I feel in love. From that moment on, I make what I call “Jenna’s Next Generation Chili.” Going into this challenge, I was confident my chili was updated enough to win without being “too creative.” Seems to be a hit or miss with this group.

Luckily, this time, I remembered to photograph each entry and I even managed to keep my notes to do the winner justice. I owe “Ninja” an apology for the sad blog entry I gave them for their ravioli win. Promise to make it up to you guys.

So let’s get started….in addition to the usual crew, Tori joined us as a guest judge. She helped Geoff dish up the samples so it seems that we were all a little thrown off as to whose chili was whose this time (except for our own, of course).

Chili entry #1 – dark brown in color, no beans, little heat on the back side – nice flavor, but looked a little bit like dog food out of the can (sorry Tim). I am probably in trouble now, but it did…..LOOK! 

Entry #2 – a non-traditional white chili with corn, sweet onion, hint of cheese, white beans and lots of red bell pepper. Strange in appearance, but surprisingly good. I, of course, knew this was AJ’s, but I did not really expect to like it as much as I did. I knew he used chunk of sirloin and they were cooked perfectly.

Entry #3 – this one had corn bread on top of it (reminded me of my meatloaf with the mashed potatoes in the middle) and came straight out of the oven! I have never seen chili baked before – it was fascinating. I thought I tasted Italian sausage, but later found out it was turkey and sirloin. There was a hint of sweetness to the dish and it was a can of tomato soup – surprised again.

Entry #4 – this was mine. Ground turkey, corn, green bell pepper, rotell, beans, light in color, but packed some heat. Jenna B. picked up on the slight sweet/sugar flavor which I think everyone decided was brown sugar, but it was actually 1 envelop of hot chocolate mix. Sneaky, right? Mine also included ½ a can of beer – nobody else had beer in theirs.

Entry #5 – this bowl had large chunks of beef and had an“earthy” flavor to it. I, personally, tasted a lot of fresh herbs – especially sage. It had a great flavor – not too hot, but not sweet either.

Entry #6 – this chili smelled like teen spirit – oops, I mean, beef jerky. I think at one point we were all convinced there was beef jerky in the dish. Lots of garlic and green bell peppers. There was sweetness to it, but it was not over-powering. A good ratio of beef to beans/veggies.

And last, but not least, entry #7 – this definitely tasted like it had a tomato base to it. It had ground beef and kidney beans – this may have been the only one with kidney beans. I happen to like kidney beans, but some people (like AJ) don’t. Weird. This was a very traditional chili. Reminded me a lot of the one I grew up on.

After tasting, tasting and then tasting some more – we voted. Thankfully, by the grace of God, AJ got the win. While his chili was far from the normal chili we all grew up on we all loved it. The ingredient everybody found most shocking that he used was the jar of alfredo sauce. It does sound gross, but it was delicious.

One other interesting note was Jenna B. used elk meat in her chili. I have never had elk meat, but it was delicious in her dish. And Tim did not include beans because he was trying to recreate “Steak n’ Shake.” I had never heard of it, but I guess that’s because it’s a mid-west thing. AJ and Julie knew exactly what it was…..see…you learn something new everyday.

All in all it was another AACC success and the trophy is sitting proudly in our dining room for all to enjoy. Next up? The AACC’s take on Chopped. Should be entertaining. J

Lesson Learned

After finishing my first 1/2 marathon, I decided I would NEVER feel the urge to complete a full marathon. I was reminded of this when completing the ravioli challenge. Unless, I invest in the attachment for my KitchenAid that makes the process a whole lot easier, I will never make homemade pasta from scratch.

I will admit, I was not very prepared for this challenge. It was the Sunday following my arrival home from Hawaii. Of course, I am not complaining about going to Hawaii, but being the competitor that I am, did not, necessarily feel completely confident going into this challenge.

Please keep in mind it has been a few weeks since we all congregated at Jenna and Geoff's house for the meeting and since then we have celebrated Christmas and New Year's so my memory may be a bit foggy.

As a group our assignment was to make homemade ravioli and the filling for the pasta. As usual each entry brought its own unique flavor to the table.

But before I rehash the competition part, I have to give Jenna credit for her beautifully decorated home and her gorgeous Pinterest inspired cheese tray. Loved it!

With the exception of Tim and Nick/Jaime (whom I have decided to start referring to as Ninja -- stands for Nick 'n' Jaime) most of us created ravioli with similar ingredients in the filling. Well...I take that back. I would have to include Jenna M. in there, too because she used 1) goat cheese and 2) a lot more stuff -- almost creating a pesto textured filling. Again, please forgive me....it has been almost a month. And, yes, I fail as a blogger this month.

While the filling was different for each ravioli, I believe all of us pretty much used the same items to created our pasta. Ninja and Jenna M. were all able to use some kind of equipment to help them knead or roll out their pasta. Julie, Tim, AJ and I on the other hand used nothing more than our hands and a rolling pin. This is the part where I have to give Tim huge props because his filling to pasta ratio (I think) far exceeded anybody else's. I thought his pasta was delicious and not too doughy -- like mine. I tried and was even sore from the process of kneading and rolling, but my ravioli was very think and chewy. :(

Ninja's raviolis were the most beautiful. They had perfect shape and form. I was impressed. For a moment I thought maybe, just maybe, they bought them because of how precise each one appeared. They definitely looked professional. I know Ninja went through quite an extensive process to created their ravioli and filling, but again with a month worth of time passing...all I can remember is Jaime talking about the pine nuts and olive oil. For some reason, I am also remembering Ninja's ravioli filling also incorporated chicken into it. None of the raviolis in the picture below was Ninja's entry -- I, unfortunately, failed to capture it.

Well....because my memory is failing me to go into anymore detail....without further adieu....our winners of the homemade ravioli challenge were........

NINJA or also know as Nick and Jaime. Their effort truly paid off and they kicked all of our behinds. Job well you two! You brought your A game and taught is all a lesson in pasta making. Sorry for not updating the blog sooner and going into more detail about your delicious dish!  

After congratulating the happy couple, we all enjoyed a festive cookie exchange and a few more glasses of wine. My cookies are in the picture below. These are my Grandma Smith's famous sour cream sugar cookies. They have become quite popular with all my friends. They are time consuming to make, but totally worth it. In fact, they get better with age!

A new tradition was also born during this AACC challenge -- as you can see below our trophy has been adorned with a new piece of wardrobe thanks to Jenna M's father's wife, who loves to crochet. The new layer of creativity rests on the winner of the challenge to add their own personal accessory to the trophy. I am anxious to see what Ninja comes up with for our next meeting! 

Until we meet again.....