Cookies and chickies (OK guys, here are the recipes)

Gosh, I’m feeling SOOOOOOOOO domestic these days. I’ve actually cooked party stuff twice in one week.

Gotta be a record.

In my misspent youth I not only cooked, I catered. Invented recipes, did the cooking school thing, watched Julia Child the way a dog watches a bone, wrote a cookbook. Made my first Chicken Kiev in the eighth grade (and discovered that a popcorn popper does NOT make a good substitute for a deep fat fryer). Had weekend-long cookfests where I invented recipes, thought nothing of spending two days making one dish.

These days, crockpot soup, sandwiches and the occasional scrambled egg are about as ambitious as I get. Still, with the holidays and all, I keep getting invitations to turn the kitchen into a disaster zone and bring the results to some party or other.

Surprise! Apparently I haven’t lost my touch, and people are asking for the recipes. So, as promised, I’m posting them here. The first is a cookie that I adapted from Cooks Illustrated (one of my favorite magazines, whether I actually cook the recipes or not). The second is a sweet and sour chicken recipe that I concocted many years ago in reaction to the gummy-red oversweetened mess served in most Chinese restaurants.

Farmers’ Market Oatmeal Cookies. Chocolate, cherries, cranberries, hazelnuts and pecans–this is one recipe where really fresh, top-notch ingredients make a HUGE difference. Caution on this one–keep a pan of these in the oven for exactly one minute too long and you’ll have Farmers Market Oatmeal Rocks. I happen to like crunchy-hard cookies but I’m in the minority, so watch your oven carefully.

Cynthia’s Sweet & Sour Chicken. Forget the icky foodcourt version–this one is more tangy than sweet, and the components are grilled/broiled/parboiled/stir-fried separately so they taste very fresh. I used to make this recipe on skewers for catered dos and it was really popular. It’s also not as hard as it looks; there are just a bunch of small steps. If you like the sauce sweeter, add more pineapple juice, not sugar. Even better, experiment with different types of vinegar and tomato preps for the sauce–you can RADICALLY change the style of the dish.

Awwwww, now I’m feeling all Julia-ey, but at least I keep my promises.

Share on Facebook