Tasty Treat: Molasses Cookies

Like everyone else who lives in New York knows, the City Bakery makes the best cookies. While their chocolate chips are perhaps most beloved, I happen to think their molasses cookies are even better. Soft and chewy with a nice spicy, ginger-molasses bite, they are everything I want in a cookie. Unfortunately Maury Rubin hasn't revealed his cookie secrets so I have to try every other recipe in the world and tinker with them until one day maybe I'll hit pay-dirt.

It's Official!

So I just committed and bought the domain name for Almost Slowfood! You can now just type in www.almostslowfood.com rather than remembering all that blogspot.com nonsense.

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Tasty Sides: Sweet Potato Latkes

I didn't celebrate Hanukkah until I met the hubby and even then it was more of a hey! Let's go eat some latkes sort of affair. Of course, as a convent school girl from Virginia, I hadn't eaten latkes before and let me tell you, it's a crying shame it took me 22 years to try them. Of course, my sister in law is Belarussian and she use to make potato pancakes, which are incredible, but they aren't latkes. They're in their own category and I plan on begging for the recipe soon.

Super Easy Dinner: Pork Chops with Apples and Sage

When I first met the hubby, I was a good baker, but couldn't cook much beyond scrambled eggs. Fresh out of Fordham University (in Manhattan) where I'd survived almost entirely on the offerings of our local diner, The Olympic Flame (not to be confused with The Flame just around the corner), I wasn't aware that any New Yorkers actually cooked for themselves. The hubby, then the new boyfriend, had a few years on me and knew his way around a kitchen. He suggested I cook dinner for him one night - yeah, he's always been like that - and I bought some chicken breasts and lemons and hadn't a clue what to do beyond that. Well, that evening, the boyfriend came waltzing through the door and showed me how to whip up lemon chicken - delish!

Entertaining: Jelly Cake

Every Christmas Eve, my grandmother, aka Grandmommie, throws a dinner party. My entire family comes as do all of my grandmother's friends. Of course, Grandmommie just celebrated her 96th birthday so, over the years, as the number of grandchildren and great grandchildren have increased, sadly the number of Grandmommie's friends and older family members have passed on. However, at 96, Grandmommie has never been one to act her age. In fact, I'm not even supposed to know her age. None of us are. It's probably a punishable offense that I am plastering the big 96 all over the Internet.

Entertaining: Spicy Caramel Popcorn Goody Bags

Until this year, I always depended on my parents or my in-laws to get us in the holiday spirit. They decorated, they hosted, they provided piles of presents. I never considered hosting or putting up a Christmas tree and my husband, who is Jewish, doesn't even remember when Hanukkah is. We depended on our families to keep us in line and tell us when and where to be and we happily showed up.

Comfort Food: Potato Crusted Quiche

For three weeks running I've been writing about comfort foods. From Jelly Omelettes to Shepherd's Pie, the hubby and I, in agreement with baby girl of course, have been on a rampage of warming, familiar dishes that make you want to curl up in a big comfy chair in front of a fire. Or, in our case, a long camel colored couch in front of a TV. In the coming weeks I'll be sharing with you my favorite recipes for the holidays and for entertaining, but bear with me one more week for yet another fantabulous comfort creation.