Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

What’s The Tea?
I lived in the Pacific Northwest during the early 90s when the Starbucks mania was just getting rolling. And, I embraced it with abandon. To say I like my coffee would be an understatement. It is a daily routine that I find non-negotiable to start my day on a good note. The days when it doesn’t happen are rough…for everyone. My favorite part of camping, when we go camping, is the ritual of making campsite coffee. And, frankly, coffee never tastes as good as it does at the campsite.

However, if my back was to the wall and I had to make a life-or-death choice between coffee or tea, I would pick tea. Every time.

I love my coffee, yes. But I can’t drink a lot of it. I have one coffee a day. Two at the max. Why? Because the way I take my coffee is not conducive to good health. I like my coffee with quite a bit of cream. 2% doesn’t cut it. And while I like my coffee sweet, I do not like it super sweet. And, I do like it with a bit of vanilla flavor. In other words, my coffee is high-maintenance.

My tea is a different story…

I will drink my coffee in the morning. And, for the rest of the day, If I am not drinking water, I am drinking tea. I like it hot. I like it iced. I like it black, and I like it green. I like it freshly steeped or right out of the bottle.

What don’t I like? Sugar. I do not like sweet tea which is fortunate because it makes it easy to grab a mug of hot water, toss in my favorite bag of tea, and get on with my afternoon. Full disclosure, most of the time I am drinking a decaf version of tea or something herbal. Given the amount of tea I drink, if I always drank high-octane tea, I would be a jittery maniac.

Earl Grey is my tea of choice either way. I blame my grandmother. She always had a cup of Earl Grey with a slice of lemon at night. No sugar. I guess that is where I got hooked. Although, I do leave out the lemon. I’d rather have a cookie or two than the lemon. But, that’s just me. But, if you can combine all three into a convenient package like these, so much the better!

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Adapted from Sugar and Soul
Yields 36 cookies

Crisp and buttery, these Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies have just five ingredients plus an easy lemon glaze. They are great for parties, tea time, and they make a delicious snack. And, The longer these cookies sit, the more intense the flavor will become. Read more…

Mocha Chocolate Chunk Cookies

C Is For Cookie
Recently, I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about cookies. It’s not that I have a raging craving, though I am always up for a tasty cookie. The reason is that I am finding it harder to find a really great cookie that I don’t make myself. I’m talking about cookies you can bring as a hostess gift or that work well on a pretty plate for an easy dessert for a dinner party. For years, Taste of Denmark (a.k.a Neldam’s), had some of the best tea cookies around. But alas, they are gone.

Here at the store, we used to carry multiple vendors’ cookie tubs and we still have a couple, but the others have disappeared. Not sure if they were just victims of the pandemic or simply went out of business. (For example, Gianna’s. It happens…)

Many large chain grocery stores are packaging their on-site bakery cookies in convenient economy sizes which can be great for those times you need to bring a treat for a crowd. Do they blow me away flavor-wise? Not really. Although, with apologies to my beloved Oreos and Walker’s shortbread, they are a step up from the everyday boxed cookies on the shelf.

Nowadays you are no longer limited to the grocery aisles to cure your cookie craving. If you have been anywhere near a suburban strip mall recently you will no doubt have seen or at least heard about a certain cookie chain that has taken the country by storm. I have tried their cookies a few times. And, for me, the cookies are too sweet and underbaked. I know that I am very much in the minority with that opinion.

So, for the next few weeks, I’m going to be presenting cookie recipes for everyday eating. These are cookies that, while tasty enough to be considered for the Christmas cookie box, are really for your lunchbox or that three o’clock afternoon snack.

First up, these beauties, Mocha Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I have a hard time refusing anything that has the flavor of coffee in it. Add chocolate to the mix and you have my full attention. These cookies are gooey from the oven but cool to something that is a bit chewier—like a brownie. One of these cookies with a latte in the afternoon can change your whole outlook on life!

Mocha Chocolate Chunk Cookies Recipe
Yields 18 large cookies
Adapted from Cookies: The New Classics by Jesse Szewczyk Read more…

Artichoke Dip Slab Pie

Dip Squared
When I sat down to think about a tasty recipe to suggest for your Fourth of July get-togethers, I was definitely leaning towards pie. After all, a friend of mine had just dropped off a significant amount of rhubarb from his Garden That Overfloweth. And, I had pie on the brain.

But, then I got to thinking that pie would be the easy route. Everyone does pie for the Fourth. Who cares about another cherry pie, ya know?

So, I turned to the realm of appetizers. I attended a party over the weekend where I ate my weight in spinach dip so I figured that might be a good way to go. (Though I don’t recommend eating that much spinach dip—no matter how good it is…)

But then, the fates shown down upon me (Shown? Shined?…I have dip brain.) The only thing I love more than a good spinach dip is a good artichoke dip. And this one comes in pie form. You read that correctly. Pie form. I know! Mind blown…

While thumbing through one of my pie cookbooks, Pie Squared by Cathy Barrow, I found this amazing-looking Artichoke Dip Slab Pie that you can cut up into little pieces for bite-sized noshing while waiting for the hot dogs and hamburgers to finish on the grill. Or you can go with bigger slices for the vegetarians in the group…

Artichoke Dip Slab Pie Recipe
Adapted from Pie Squared by Cathy Barrow
Yields 24 small servings

In this recipe, our favorite artichoke is dip nestled in a delicious cream cheese pie crust. The filling is easy to prepare and completely vegetarian. The cream cheese dough is sturdy enough to hold the filling, but still flaky and tasty. Be certain to select artichokes that are packed in water, not marinated or in a vinegar brine.

Do Ahead: Combine the filling ingredients up to one day ahead.

Note: The crust needs about 4 hours to set up in the fridge before assembling the pie. Read more…

Pecan-Crusted Fish with Crab Salad and Crushed Corn Sauce

Commander’s Palace
When we decided to head to New Orleans, I knew the one thing that we had to do was have dinner at Commander’s Palace, an icon of the New Orleans culinary tradition. It has launched the careers of many a celebrity chef and earned countless awards along the way. There was no way I was not eating at this establishment. I made our reservations the minute the date was available, two months prior to getting on a plane.

By far, the hardest thing we had to do was not eat too much during the day. It wasn’t easy but somehow, we muddled through.

The sacrifice was worth it. We feasted on classic Cajun fare and had to be rolled into our Uber. There was turtle soup (I know, but we had to give it a try). There was gumbo and crawfish. There was also the world-famous bread pudding soufflé.

My choice for dinner was the iconic Pecan-Crusted Fish with Crab Salad and Crushed Corn Sauce. A longtime staple on the menu, the fish was perfectly cooked, the corn sauce was amazing and don’t get me started on the crab on top. Both my husband and I agreed it was the best choice between the two of us (though perhaps not as healthy as we might have hoped).

I wasn’t able to find the exact recipe in either of my Commander’s Palace cookbooks, but I was able to find it online thanks to the Today Show.

Pecan-Crusted Fish with Crab Salad and Crushed Corn Sauce Recipe
Adapted from Today and Commander’s Palace
Yields 6 servings

Crunchy pecans add texture and nutty flavor to mild white fish. The sweet crab salad and fresh corn sauce, round out this signature dish that is not difficult to prepare at home. Read more…