Texas Pulled Pork (For Crock Pots)

Cooking in crock pots is coming back into style in a big way. How much easier can it get to throw meat, liquid, seasonings and vegetables into a pot, turn on the heat, put on the lid and come back hours later to a hot and tasty meal? Pulled pork is a favorite of mine and here is a great recipe I use. Feel free to use whatever barbecue sauce you like; I prefer plain barbecue sauce. This recipe is written to use a pork shoulder roast, but these can be difficult to get. You could probably use an equivalent weight of pork tenderloins but you will most likely have to adjust the cooking times so the pork does not dry out. Serve the pulled pork on buttered, toasted hard rolls (optional - I like plain old untoasted rolls).

Texas Pulled Pork (For Crock Pots)

1 (4 lb.) pork shoulder roast

1 cup barbecue sauce

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 tbsp. yellow mustard (I like French's Yellow)

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 large onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

1½ tsp. dried thyme (optional)

8 hard rolls, split

In the bottom of a large crock pot (at least 4 quarts), pour in the barbecue sauce, vinegar and chicken broth. Stir in the sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, garlic and thyme, if using. Place the pork shoulder in the crock pot and spoon the sauce over the roast. Cover and cook on High for 5 - 6 hours or on Low for 10 - 12 hours. The roast should easily shred with a fork.

Remove the roast from the crock pot and shred the meat with two forks. At this point you can remove a lot of the fat and the bone from the roast. Return the shredded pork to the crock pot and stir the meat into the sauce, coating everything thoroughly. If not serving immediately, leave the crock pot on the Low setting.

If serving with buttered, toasted rolls, spread both halves of the rolls with butter. Toast the buns butter side down over medium heat until golden brown.  Spoon the pork into the rolls and eat immediately.

Serves 8

Raspberry Streusel Bars

Okay, technically these are not a cookie, nor are they even a holiday recipe, but every year, it's a goal to try at least one new recipe at Christmastime. These bars feature a buttery, flaky pastry crust topped with sweet, delicious red raspberry preserves with a delicate almond streusel on the top. Oh, and as a note...the word 'streusel' is Germanic in origin and is thus pronounced 'STROY-sull' and not 'STREW-sull.' Rant aside, these yummy little bars will happily accompany all your other holiday cookies and will probably become a fast favorite to make throughout the year. Do not try to substitute the preserves with jelly - it will not work.

Raspberry Streusel Bars

CRUST:

2 cups flour

¼ cup sugar

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1½ sticks cold, unsalted butter

3 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. pure almond extract

FILLING:

1 cup seedless raspberry jam or preserves

STREUSEL:

1¾ cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 stick cold, unsalted butter

¾ cup sliced blanched or unblanched almonds

½ cup old fashioned oats

1 large egg

2 tbsp. milk

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients for the crust. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender and combine until the butter is in pieces no bigger than the size of peas.

In a small bowl, mix together the milk and almond extract. Sprinkle the milk mixture over the flour mixture. Lightly stir to combine. Knead the dough until the milk is distributed and the particles begin to hold together. If the dough seems dry, you can add a teaspoon or two more milk until the mixture holds together but is not wet.

Press the dough into a generously greased (use vegetable shortening or butter here - nonstick cooking spray doesn't work and neither does canola oil) 13 x 9" pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake the chilled dough in the center of the oven until barely firm in the center - about 12 to 15 minutes. When ready, spread the raspberry jam or preserves over the hot crust.

To make the streusel, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter in using a pastry blender and again, the largest butter pieces should be no bigger than peas. Do not allow the butter to melt or form a paste. Gently stir in the almonds and the oats.

Beat the egg and milk lightly in a small bowl, then stir into the flour mixture until the streusel is moistened and it forms small clumps. You can add more milk if need be, but do it in one teaspoon increments.

Sprinkle the streusel over raspberry jam, breaking up any large clumps. Make in the upper third of the oven at 375 degrees until nicely browned and bubbly - about 25 to 30 minutes. Let the pan sit on a rack and let cool thoroughly.

Makes about 20, 2½" x 2 1/8" bars (you may get more or less depending on how big (or small) you cut them)

Danish Sugar Cookies

Whether these cookies really are Danish in origin is a matter of debate, but casting that aside, these light, buttery and supremely flaky cookies are sure to please. If you're on a diet, please stay away from these because they use both butter and shortening. Yes, I said shortening! However, the shortening helps to make these cookies so very light and flaky, and the butter helps to give flavor. Do make sure to sift your dry ingredients very well, because that will affect the overall texture of the cookies (flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and confectioners sugar tend to be very lumpy). As a note, this particular recipe is yet another old one - it comes from the 1967 edition of the Electric Company cookie book.

Danish Sugar Cookies

2 cups flour

¾ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 cup confectioners sugar

½ cup cold butter (MUST be cold!)

½ cup vegetable shortening

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Granulated sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Cut in the butter and shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs and the butter is no bigger than the size of peas (sorry, you cannot make this dough in a stand mixer).

Stir in the egg and vanilla; the dough will be fairly soft.

Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, shape the dough into 1" balls; roll them in granulated sugar and place 2" apart on lightly greased cookie sheets (these will spread quite a bit). Flatten to ½" thickness with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar.

Bake for about 12 minutes or until delicately browned (make sure your oven temperature is accurate or you can easily scorch these).

Remove the cookies to racks and let them cool completely before carefully storing in a cookie tin or an airtight container. Be warned - they are extremely delicate and will break easily!

Makes about 3 dozen

Cinnamon Refrigerator Cookies

If you'd like to talk about old recipes, then this is definitely one for you. The origins of this recipe come from one of the old Electric Company holiday baking books (circa 1940s - all I have is a photocopied version and there was no accompanying date). This delicious, crisp cookie tastes almost identical to another similar cookie called a Date Nut Pinwheel, but these are far easier to make, since they're a slice and bake cookie. Delicious, sweet and chewy dates along with the crunch of walnuts (you can sub with pecans if you don't have any walnuts) combine with the warm, feel good taste of ground cinnamon to create a delightful cookie that is amazing when dunked in a cup of hot coffee. There's still time to do a little baking before Christmas, so give these a try...you won't be disappointed!

Cinnamon Refrigerator Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2½ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ cup finely chopped dates

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually cream in the sugars until well-blended. Add the vanilla and briefly combine.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, soda, cream of tartar and cinnamon. Gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix just until the flour disappears. Add the dates and walnuts and mix quickly to combine.

Divide the dough into 3 sections. On plastic wrap or waxed paper (waxed paper is easier to work with), form each section into rolls that are about 1½" in diameter; they probably will average about 8" in length. Wrap up the dough and place into a pan for easier storage.

Chill the dough overnight for best results. 

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the dough thinly (around ¼" or so) and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 - 7 minutes.

Remove the cookies to racks and let cool completely before putting into cookie tins or an airtight container.

Makes about 8 dozen

Chocolate Peppermint Meringues

If you are tired of the same old desserts after dinner, here's something that may pique your curiosity. Instead of serving a heavy slice of cake or a rich slice of pie, consider making these fluffy, weightless puffs of air. The chocolate flavor is delicate and the peppermint flavor is the star. Just one or two of these meringues will be enough to sate your sweet tooth and soothe your stomach. Best of all, you can make these any time of year - they're not just for Christmas.

Chocolate Peppermint Meringues

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

½ cup superfine sugar

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

¼ tsp. cream of tartar

½ tsp. peppermint extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, sift together the cocoa and superfine sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk addition, add the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Turn the mixer to the highest speed it will go and let the egg whites come to soft peaks. Add the sugar mixture a tablespoonful at a time, letting the mixture combine for 1 minute before adding more. At the very end, add the peppermint extract and briefly mix.

Drop the mixture using a small cookie scoop onto the baking sheets. You can also pipe the meringue onto the baking sheets for a fancier presentation, if desired. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and crack the door slightly. Leave the meringues at least two hours or overnight.

Store in an airtight container and do not freeze.

Makes around 18

NOTE:  If you don't want to buy superfine sugar from the store, it's simple to make your own. Measure out your sugar and put it in your food processor. Pulse it until it becomes very fine.

Santa's Whiskers

I'm always on the lookout for new or unusual cookies to make around the holidays. The recipe I'm about to present is most definitely a unique one but by no means is it new (at least to my family). Santa's Whiskers is a very old recipe, but made with many classic ingredients. The base is a regular butter cookie dough but has additions of sweetened coconut, chopped pecans and the fancy red and green candied cherries. The preparation is very simple and baking is even easier. These are 'slice and bake' cookies, meaning you form the dough into logs, then slice evenly and bake. If you are not a fan of coconut, then you will have to stay away from these, because coconut goes in the dough and also on the outside of the cookies, too. You want these cookies to be soft and chewy, so place a piece of bread in the cookie tin to help keep them that way. However, if you like them crisp, by all means, store them normally or in cold storage; the cookies will soften by themselves over time but initially they will be crisper.

Santa's Whiskers

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2½ cups flour

¾ cup finely chopped red and green candied cherries

½ cup chopped pecans

¾ cup flaked sweetened coconut, plus more for rolling

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in the milk and vanilla.

Add the pecans, cherries and flour. Blend just until all the flour disappears.

Form the dough into two 8" rolls. Roll them in flaked coconut; you may have to press a little to make the coconut adhere. 

Wrap both rolls in plastic wrap. Chill the dough well - at least a minimum of 4 - 8 hours, or better yet, overnight. 

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the dough into ¼" slices. Place the slices on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove the cookies to racks and let cool completely. Store in a cookie tin with a tight fitting lid. Make sure to put a piece of bread in the tin to help soften them. These cookies, like many butter cookies, taste infinitely better after they've 'aged.' For best taste, let these sit in a cool or cold place for at least a week before serving.

Makes around 5 dozen

Boursin

When one hears the word 'boursin,' chances are he does not even know what it is. Sure, it's the brand name of an herbed, spreadable cheese product found at your local grocer. Sure, it sounds fancy, ultra-gourmet and probably difficult to reproduce at home. I have to inform you that you would be dead wrong. 'Boursin' is pretty much a catch-all term for a delectable, rich herbed cheese blend that spreads excellently on table crackers or on small slices of bread for tea sandwiches. Homemade boursin recipes are actually quite elusive, so for your enjoyment, I'm providing my recipe. Do be aware that if you are serving this for guests that may not enjoy the flavor of garlic, cut the amount of garlic down from two cloves to one. However, don't get crazy with the garlic if serving to people who adore it - two cloves is the perfect amount. Serve this as part of your Christmas buffets or as an appetizer for any party or family get-together. Happy holidays, everyone!

Boursin

6 oz. reduced fat or fat free cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 medium cloves garlic

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp. fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp. fresh chives, finely chopped

1 tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped

¼ tsp. fresh sage, finely chopped

¼ tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. dried basil

¼ tsp. freshly cracked pepper

In a bowl of a food processor, blend the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. You can also do this in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Grate in the garlic using a very fine grater or microplane and add to the cheese mixture. 

Stir in the lemon juice, herbs and pepper by hand; you don't want to pulverize the herbs down into nothing. Taste, and add more lemon juice, garlic or pepper, if desired.

To shape the cheese, line a small round bowl with plastic wrap and spoon the cheese mixture in. Smooth the surface and make sure there are no air bubbles. Fold the plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate until firm, at least four hours.

To serve, remove the cheese from the bowl, peel off the plastic and place on a decorative serving dish. Allow the boursin to sit at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes before serving with crackers or a sliced baguette.

Good beverage pairings would be a dry to medium bodied white wine (nothing fruity) or a good sparkling wine, such as prosecco or a high quality champagne.

Makes about 2 cups

Snickerdoodles

The origin of snickerdoodles is a bit murky, but the general consensus is that these buttery, spicy little cookies are darn delicious. They're easy to make, although a little time consuming. Make sure you have the freshest spices at your disposal - if you have old spices in the cabinet, chuck them out and start anew; your baked goods will always taste superior. My version of snickerdoodle seasoning is slightly different from modern recipes; instead of just using cinnamon and sugar, mine use delicious, warm nutmeg. Yes, it does make a difference in the overall flavor and if I do say so myself, they taste much better than most versions. Hey, it's the holidays...I can be egotistical for once, can't I?

Snickerdoodles

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1¼ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cream of tartar

½ tsp. kosher salt

2¾ cups flour

SPICE BLEND:

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, then add to the wet ingredients, mixing only until the flour just disappears.

Using a level teaspoonful of dough, roll the dough into balls. Roll the balls in the spice blend, then place about 2 inches apart on slightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the cookies to racks and let cool completely before packing in airtight containers or in cookie tins.

Makes about 4 - 5 dozen

Gingerbread

Gingerbread is a most classic holiday cookie. Rich with spices, especially the wonderful warm flavor of ground cloves, gingerbread is a delightfully soft, chewy cookie that is delicious on its own, but when made into cookies, you can frost them using an icing derived from confectioner's sugar. Feel free to decorate these with colored sugars or any way you choose. My favorite cutters to use when making these are a pine tree, snowman, and a small Santa. My mother likes to use the large gingerbread boy cutter, but keep in mind your yield will vary based on what size of cutter you use.

Gingerbread

¼ cup boiling water

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup Brer Rabbit molasses (not blackstrap)

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, pour the boiling water over the butter and cream until smooth. Add the sugar and molasses and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients and mix just until the flour disappears. Chill the dough until firm. If you want a bit of an easier time when it comes time to roll the dough, divide the dough into quarters before you chill it. Flatten the quarters out a bit, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Chill them, then roll as normal.

Flour a board or use a pastry cloth; flour the cloth well. If you have a sock for your rolling pin, use that and flour it well.

Roll out the dough out to about ¼" thick. Cut with desire cookie cutters and transfer to lightly greased cookie sheets. 

Bake for about 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to racks and cool completely. Frost using a confectioner's sugar icing, decorate with colored sugars and let sit until the icing firms up.

Makes about 4 dozen, based on the size of the cutters

Best Ever Skippy Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie. Seemingly ordinary peanut butter cookies get a treatment of oats and M & Ms - the Christmas ones are best, but you can make these year round with regular M & Ms, too. These cookies are crisp, intensely flavorful and are sure to be a big hit at upcoming Christmas parties and other miscellaneous holiday gatherings. If you have a stand mixer, I highly recommend using it, because once you get all the ingredients together in the bowl, it gets very hard to stir by hand.

Best Ever Skippy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup Smuckers Natural chunky peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1¼ cups flour

2 cups quick oats

1 (12 oz.) bag plain holiday M & Ms (red, green & white ones)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and peanut butter until smooth and uniformly blended. Add the sugars and blend well.

Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients until everything is well-blended. 

You can choose to make these immediately or you can chill the dough (overnight is best) and make them the next day. I prefer to make them after the dough has chilled.

Drop by teaspoonfuls (or use a small cookie scooper) about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove the cookies immediately to racks and let cool completely.

Makes around 6 dozen

Lemon Mexican Wedding Cakes

Mexican Wedding Cakes, or pastelitos de boda (Bride's Cookies), tend to be a popular holiday cookie for many people. These rich little butterballs are typically accented with pure vanilla extract and covered with a dusting of confectioner's sugar. Lemon accented Mexican Wedding Cakes were developed by my mother long ago and they remain a firm family favorite. They are light, delicately flaky and possess a rich lemon flavor. Try this unique twist when making these cookies for your friends and family - it's a great little surprise and supremely tasty.

Lemon Mexican Wedding Cakes

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

 ½ cup confectioner's sugar
2 cups flour
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1¼ tsp. pure lemon extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the confectioner's sugar and cream until smooth. Add the lemon extract, salt and flour and mix just until the flour disappears.

Using a teaspoonful of dough (or a small cookie scoop), form small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. Roll the cakes in confectioner's sugar immediately after removing from the oven (watch your fingers!). Put the cakes on a cooling rack and leave to cool completely. Carefully pack into a cookie tin making sure to put a layer of plastic wrap over each layer. For an extended shelf life, store in a cold environment (a garage is a perfect place). However, do serve these at room temperature, since the flavor will be muted if you serve them straight out of cold storage.

Makes about 4 dozen

NOTE:  If you can't get pure lemon extract, you can use 1 tsp. of freshly grated lemon zest instead.

Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken fried steak is a classic Southern dish and isn't oft seen outside of that region. However, it's so easy to make and uses a minimal amount of ingredients that anybody, regardless of where he lives, can make this dish. As long as you keep flour, spices and canola oil on hand at all times, the only thing you will need to buy are cube steaks and buttermilk. Make sure to blot the steaks well when they come out of the pan - no need to ingest all that extra fat! Serve hot with buttermilk biscuits hot from the oven and if desired, make a white gravy with the leftover frying oil; spoon the gravy over your biscuits and steak.

Chicken Fried Steak (Recipe Adapted from Paula Deen)

4 small cube steaks

1 pint buttermilk

Flour, for dredging

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder, or more, to taste

1 tsp. chili powder, or more, to taste

Pour the buttermilk into a shallow dish. In a separate shallow dish, combine flour (use at least a cup), 1 - 2 tsp. kosher salt, about 1 tsp. black pepper and the garlic and chili powders. Mix well so the spices are well-incorporated.

In a large skillet with steep sides, pour in canola oil so there's about ¼" in the bottom. Heat the oil over medium-high heat but do not let it get so hot that it smokes.

Dredge the cube steaks in the buttermilk until they are completely coated; let the excess drip off, then put into the flour mixture and coat completely. Put the cube steaks into the pan (I recommend cooking two at a time) and cook until the steaks are golden brown and crisp on the outside; cooking times will vary, so you must keep an eye on these or they will burn in an instant.

When the steaks are done, put them on a plate lined with paper toweling so some of the oil can be absorbed. Blot the tops of the steaks with more paper toweling, then plate immediately and serve with sides of your choice.

Serves 4