Let's Get Baked

Sunday is a perfect day, in my opinion, to bake. No, not the kind that's legal in all the fun states, the kind with measuring cups and flour and butter and sugar.

Actually, I prefer my kind. Not only does the high last longer (very few things bring me greater joy than watching a perfect batch of cookies come out of the oven), but the rewards are far greater: you get to eat something delicious. Also you don't end up laughing hysterically at an episode of My Name is Earle and wondering how you got there.

Now to be fair, if you want to bake and then bake (your choice of what bake comes first), these cookies will probably taste even more out-of-this-world. My only request is that you let a grownup handle the oven and don't use any heavy machinery.

These cookies are perfectly wintery. The oatmeal is toasty and soothing and the dried cranberries add a much-needed shot of bright tartness to these dull, grey days we have to slog through until Spring decided to get her shit together and show up.

Not only that, they're pretty damn easy to make as far as the world of cookie baking goes. No refrigeration or fancy ingredients required, no need to ice pretty designs or do anything more than dump a tablespoon full of dough onto a greased cookie sheet.

I used baking chocolate to drizzle over the tops of these cookies but you could make life easier on yourself and use white chocolate chips instead. I probably will the next time I make these. I recommend using very high-quality white chocolate in these cookies, as the cheaper brands have a nasty, artificial flavor to them. At home, my favorite white chocolate is the Whole Foods brand that comes in chunks, priced per pound.

I also recommend using dried cranberries that are lower in sugar, so not Craisins, for example. Their tartness is one of the nicest things about these cookies.

When I make these again I'm considering adding a little bit of orange extract and topping the cookies with a little bit of orange zest. If you're feeling adventurous, feel free to go ahead and do this. If not, that's okay too. These cookies are extremely delicious-as is but also serve as an excellent blank palette if you're feeling inspired. Dark chocolate chips, chopped pecans, toasted coconut and dried blueberries all could be incredible additions.

So go ahead and bake up this Sunday. It's been a long week. You deserve it. Hope you've got some episodes of Workaholics on demand...

Ingredients:

1 cup salted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups uncooked quick cook oats

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted, optional

12 oz good-quality white chocolate chips (or chunks)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Beat butter and sugars together until smooth and well-combined. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix well.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet mixture and mix just until all the flour is incorporated. DO NOT OVERMIX. 

3. Fold in the white chocolate chips, walnut pieces and cranberries.

4. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a well-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just barely golden brown -- they should actually look a little undercooked in the center.

*5. IF NOT USING WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS: Let cool for a few minutes while melting the white chocolate in a double boiler. Cookies should no longer be hot to the touch when drizzling the white chocolate. Add another sprinkle of crushed walnuts on the chocolate if desired.

Cold as Rice

I genuinely feel sorry for all of my friends and family in the States right now. I do not envy you the current, fearsome cold snap that FROZE Niagara Falls and dumped so much snow on the Northeast that Mayor Martin Walsh of Boston in a public statement legitimately encouraged people to stop jumping out of their second-story windows into the drifts.

Today in Almería it was so warm that I walked around without a coat on. Tommy currently has about 40 sprouted watercress seedlings on our front terrace. I would not trade with you guys for all the paella in Valencia (although I do envy your central heating in a fearsome way).

It's hard to want to do much more than huddle around a fireplace with a gallon of tea and a heated blanket when the weather is so nasty, but you do have to eat somehow. And since driving conditions across much of the country are incredibly dangerous, it's better to cook at home rather than order in and force some poor delivery kid to fight icy roads or go out to eat and take the risk yourself.

Thusly I present to you a 30-minute meal that will warm you up ("stick to your ribs," my mom would say), cost you very little and utilize probably what you already have in your fridge at home: brown rice primavera.

Primavera means spring in both Spanish and Italian, so while the weather outside might still be frightful, this recipe loaded with bright greens will help distract you for a short while. Typically, primavera is a pasta dish. Subbing the pasta with brown rice, however makes it much healthier and gluten free, if that's your jam (#Gluten4Life). This recipe comes together even quicker if you use a rotisserie chicken but you could also just use any chicken you have on hand; give it a quick sauté with EVOO, salt and pepper and you're good to go. Also feel free to add any other veggies you have lying around that need to be used up. I can see zucchini and carrot ribbons both being very tasty. If you want to get crazy, sub the brown rice for quinoa or another grain. It'll be good no matter what most likely

Ultimately, keep your chins up. The cold weather won't last forever, unless you are unfortunate enough to live somewhere like Saskatchewan. Just remember how miserable you are now when you're complaining about humidity in August. Really, which would you prefer?

Ingredients:
1 c. brown rice, cooked according to directions
2 tbs. EVOO
1/2 c. finely chopped red onion
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends snapped off and chopped into 1.5" spears
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. fresh or frozen peas
1 1/2 c. shredded cooked chicken
2 c. chopped baby spinach leaves
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. parmesan cheese to serve

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until fragrant.

2. Add the asparagus and cook just until bright green and tender, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add peas and continue to cook for another few minutes.

3. Stir in chicken and rice. Add the spinach and stir until it is just wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with a sprinkle of parmesan.

Spice Up Your Life

As many of my friends know, I love a good latte.

Pumpkin spice, vanilla, plain old skim milk. My go-to Starbucks order in the winter is, 9 times out of 10, a grande skim latte with an extra shot of espresso. I have tried many of the seasonal varieties as well, with varying results. I found the eggnog latte to be palatable, but overly sweet towards the bottom. The gingerbread latte tasted like a plate of burned Christmas cookies. The toffee nut latte was absurdly delicious but definitely not worth all those calories.

Back in Alicante, I experimented with making my own pumpkin spice lattes with incredible results. I recently bought too much pumpkin for the filling of my Friendsgiving 2.0 (coming soon, I promise!) pie and decided to reserve some for later pumpkin spice lattes.

However when I slit open the vacuum-sealed package today, I was greeted with an unpleasant smell and some very squishy pumpkin. Ever the optimist, I rinsed the pumpkin and steamed it briefly in the hopes that it would perk up. It didn't. It tasted like an acidic dishrag.

Into the trash it went.

But I really, really wanted a pretty latte to perk up my afternoon. Unfortunately they don't have things like molasses or flavor extracts here so both homemade gingerbread and almond toffee were out. What I did have was a cabinet of spices at my disposal and some very good quality coffee, so I decided to experiment.

What I came up with was delicious: a combination of warming, wintery spices and strong-verging-on-espresso coffee topped with fluffy mountains of whipped cream.

Take that, pumpkin spice. You've got competition.

I know it seems like there's almost too much seasoning in the milk but remember that the coffee is very strong and you don't want the flavors of the spices to be masked. Of course if you like your coffee weaker, add less spice.

But if you like weak coffee then I don't know if I want to be friends with you. Dunkin' Donuts drinkers, I'm looking at you. That shit is vile.

Now without further ado, I give you....winter-spiced lattes.

PS: aside from coffee-brewing time, these take about 5 minutes to put together. That's less time than you would have to wait at your local coffee joint. And you don't have to change out of your pajamas.

Ingredients
2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. strong, freshly brewed coffee
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 tbs. vanilla extract
Whipped cream and another pinch of cinnamon to finish, if desired (you're a monster if you don't want whipped cream on this latte, just saying)

1. In a medium saucepan, combine milk and vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine.

2. Add spices and scald milk (heat until it's too hot to comfortably dip a finger in).

3. Combine coffee and milk mixture in two mugs. Top with whipped cream and extra cinnamon.