It's About Time...

Not unlike Netflix, my baking aspirations are arranged into a bit of an ad hoc queue. Whenever I find a recipe that strikes my fancy, I file it away to bake when the time is right. Sometimes, things make it to the top of the list right away, like the lemon poppy seed cookies that were needed to fill the citrus slot in this year's Cookie Bonanza. Some recipes, however, lurk on the list for eons, waiting patiently for their time in the spotlight.

This recipe for Chocolate-Caramel Thumbprints has been percolating in the back of my mind since last Christmas, when I spotted it on a blog. Since I already had a nutty cookie, and a chocolately cookie in my 2009 lineup, I didn't feel that it was right for that year, and it didn't really fit my lineup this year either, but I felt almost guilty about letting it languish on the list for yet another twelve months, so I decided to take advantage of my unexpectedly quiet weekend to whip up a batch.

As it turned out, it was a good thing that I had so much spare time to devote to these cookies, as their preparation turned out to be excessively time consuming. From the time it took to make and chill the dough, painstakingly form them and roll them in nuts, to making the caramel filling and placing it carefully in each cookie, this recipe just wasn't worth all the effort. Sure, they look spectacular. However, the flavor is just mediocre. The chocolate cookie could use a much more intense boost of flavor, and the caramel centers could seriously benefit from a bit of fleur de sel.

For all of the labor involved in making them, I expected them to taste a bit more special, and a bit less cloying. If your preferences lean toward the simple, and you have some extra time on your hands, I might consider recommending these cookies to you, but as it is, I think you'd be much better served by a variety of other cookie recipes I've featured here at "The State I Am In."


Chocolate-Caramel Thumbprints

adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

1 egg

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

2/3 c. sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

16 vanilla caramels, unwrapped

3 tablespoons whipping cream

1 1/4 c. finely chopped pecans

1. Separate egg; place yolk and white in separate bowls. Cover and chill egg white until needed. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat until combined, scrapping sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the flour mixture. Cover and chill dough about 2 hours or until easy to handle.

3. Preheat oven to 350.

4. Lightly beat reserved egg white. Shape dough into 1-inch bowls. Roll balls in egg white, then in pecans to coat. Place balls 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the rounded end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.

5. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

6. In a small saucepan, heat and stir caramels and whipping cream over low heat until smooth. Spoon melted caramel mixture into cookie centers. If necessary, reheat caramel mixture to keep it spoonable. Allow cookies to cool completely before consuming.

The Path Not Taken...

I had hoped to deliver a series of cheery, action-packed posts this weekend about a planned visit from my friend, and former college roommate Joy, but life is often what happens when you make other plans. We'd planned to go on a hot dog crawl, exploring Chicago's various providers of encased meat products, among other fun activities. Alas, Mother Nature intervened and Joy ended up staying home in St. Louis with the flu. I hope she feels better soon, and that I'll get to see her before another entire year passes...

The Social Network...

Despite dating for a month, somehow, Justin and I had never been on a classic "dinner and a movie" date until tonight. I am in the suburbs for the weekend, so our other options were rather restricted, and a movie just seemed like the logical thing to do. Unfortunately, this week's box office offerings were less than inspiring, so we opted to catch The Social Network, because it was at the end of its theatrical run and neither of us had seen it. Due to the pervasive buzz the movie has received, both of us were skeptical about whether it could possibly live up to the hype. Although the proclamations of its Oscar-worthiness might be over-stated, Justin and I both enjoyed the film.

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin tackles a difficult subject matter -- the creation of a website and its ensuing legal battles -- and manages to create a story that is intensely compelling. He crafts characters in whose fate we feel vested, even if they are not necessarily likable, and he weaves their opposing viewpoints together in a seamless manner. If anyone deserves an Oscar nomination for their work in conjunction with The Social Network, it would be Sorkin.

I was also impressed with the performance of Jesse Eisenberg, whose portrayal of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, may very well go down as one of the most epic assholes in cinematic history. The film version of Zuckerberg comes across as so completely oblivious to the feelings of others and so socially inept, I found myself questioning at times whether he suffered from Asperger's syndrome. If Eisenberg has any social graces at all in real life, then his performance as Zuckerberg was quite the accomplishment.

Oddly, my favorite moment of The Social Network had nothing to do with acting or the script; instead, it came at the end of the film, as Zuckerberg has just been advised to settle his lawsuits out of court, and he gazes longingly at the Facebook page of his "girl who got away." As the image fades to the credits, the soundtrack swells to the tune of "Baby, You're A Rich Man," by the Beatles. To me, it was a genius stroke of song selection -- it captured the moment, and the mood of the film perfectly. No doubt it will be stuck in my head for days...

Based on my highly-scientific polling of my friends, The Social Network seems to be fairly polarizing. People seemed to either love it, or hate it. I think love might be a little strong of a word for me to use, but I did really enjoy the film, and I highly recommend it, if you can catch it before Oscar season.

Let's Hear It For The Boy...

I haven't been up to much lately, but Justin got a bit of happy news. Some time ago, he entered a contest over at Boing Boing to recreate something computer-generated out of traditional artistic media. He opted to capture Tetris in a stop-motion video using folded construction paper. The entry (which is very neat, by the way), garnered him an honorable mention, so I thought I'd share it with all of you:

Sweet And Sour...

If there is a theme to this year's pre-holiday cookie recipe run-through, it would be the presence of thumbprint cookies. As I wrote when I made the chocolate rendition, I felt last year that the only think missing from my assortment was a thumbprint cookie. Since the chocolate cookies weren't right for this year's Cookie Bonanza, I pressed forward this weekend with another attempt to capture the genre. This time, I opted for a recipe for poppy seed thumbprints from Carol Walter's Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets that I had spotted when I was searching for cookie inspiration last month.

In the author's version, the cookies were filled with raspberry or apricot preserves, but when I saw the poppy seeds, my first thought was lemon. I always strive to include a citrus-flavored cookie in my holiday lineup, and last year's entry, Ginger & Lemon Cookies, struck me as somewhat mediocre. Knowing I had room for improvement, I decided to adapt Walter's recipe, swapping fruit jam for store-bought lemon curd, and adding lemon zest and lemon extract to the dough. I prepared half of the dough to the recipe's specifications (just for experimentation's sake), and half using my alterations.

Since I'm not a fan of lemon at all, I preferred the cookies made from the original recipe, which I filled with peach preserves. However, the lemon cookies, which I shared with more lemon-friendly palates, were a rollicking success. My coworkers came by to express their appreciation in person instead of sending emails, and Justin proclaimed them some of the best cookies he's ever had (though he might be a tiny bit biased towards the chef.) The lemon version has earned an instant entrance into this year's Bonanza, so look for them to make another appearance in December...

Though I'm only including the recipe for the lemon cookies, this picture features a combination of the lemon and peach versions.

Lemon Poppy Seed Thumbprints

adapted from Carol Walter

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. poppy seeds

1 c. unsalted butter, slightly firm

1/2 c. sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

zest of one lemon

Lemon curd

Preheat the oven to 350.

1. Whisk together flour, salt, and poppy seeds in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium-low speed until smooth. Pour in sugar and mix until just incorporated. Add the egg yolks, extracts, and lemon zest, mixing only until blended. Stir in the flour mixture on low, in two additions, until just combined. Do not overmix.

3. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Using the rounded end of a wooden spoon (approximately 1/2 inch), make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie, dipping the spoon in flour between each cookie.

4. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and repress the indentations with the end of the spoon. Fill the centers with the lemon curd, being careful not to overfill.

5. Return cookies to the oven and bake 4-5 minutes more, or until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Cool on wire racks.

Cin City...

One of the joys of knowing how to cook, and being in control of my own meal planning, is that I can now make the special occasion dishes I once enjoyed as a child whenever I damn well feel like it. Growing up, I always enjoyed Mom's Cincinnati-style chili (a dish consisting of an unusually-spiced sauce served over spaghetti and several optional toppings), but I could probably count on one hand the number of times she made it. Usually, it was something she would prepare if she was having a soup buffet dinner party for guests, or for a special occasion such as a birthday, if someone made a request. However, it was never something in the regular dinner rotation, because it required lengthy simmering and the preparation of an array of condiments. Regular chili, or spaghetti, was a a more convenient choice.

When I was in college, and teaching myself how to cook, I copied the recipe into my newly-purchased cookbook when I was transcribing all my favorite family recipes. Now I could have it whenever the craving struck, and although I still don't prepare it often, I still enjoy it several times a year. This week, I prepared a batch for a weekday dinner with Justin, and much to my satisfaction, he enjoyed the unique flavor combination. If you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary to infuse some excitement into your dining routine, I'd seriously consider giving this recipe a try.

Cincinnati Chili

from Mom

2 lbs ground round

3 cloves of garlic

1 large white onion, minced

15 oz can beef broth

2 8 oz cans tomato sauce

2 8 oz cans water

2 T. semisweet chocolate chips

2 T. chili powder

2 T. cider vinegar

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 bay leaf

1. Cook ground beef with garlic and minced onions.

2. Drain fat with paper towels.

3. Stir in remaining ingredients.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.

5. Cover, and simmer 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve with spaghetti, warmed and drained kidney beans, chopped onions, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Here Comes The Sun...

There used to be a time in my life when the only way I saw the sunrise was if I'd happened to stay up so late that the sun rose before my head hit the pillow. I am not a morning person; in fact, working a job with regular 9-5 hours is basically a constant affront to my natural circadian rhythm. Now that I do regularly glimpse the start of the sun's daily journey across the sky, I frankly can't see what the big deal is. Usually, there's nothing more than few weak rays of yellow and orange light, and I've failed to understand why it's considered so romantic to stay up and watch the sunrise. Give me a vibrant, technicolor sunset any day!

But this morning, I happened to peek out the window at just the right moment, and was rewarded with an ethereal explosion of color over the lake. It's not enough to turn me into a morning person, but it was beautiful enough for me to grab my camera and capture the experience to share:

Good morning Chicago...