Old Fashioned Walnut Cookies

To Gobble Up with Your Root Beer Freeze..... or a Tall Glass of MilkThere's a reason this delectable little treat is the most oft requested at C and H sugar. Technically, the cookie's real name is "Lenora's Walnut Specialties," but I just had to rename it. For here, anyway. I like names that describe what something really is. When a recipe has "Specialty" or "Surprise" in the title, I'm worried that there may be a hidden ingredient treasure from the 1950s, like say pickled beets or Castor oil. Descriptive titles give me a since of security; I know what I'm getting.

But back to the cookies. With only four ingredients, they're fast, easy, and completely addictive. These warm little brown sugar and toasted walnut shortbread are the perfect bitty confection to compliment the caramely tones in the root beer. Ice cream, cookies, and soda; what could possibly be wanting? Happy Memorial Day!

Old Fashioned Walnut Cookies or Lenora's Walnut Specialties

Estimated Cost: $3.50 for about 30

Notes: I made half of the cookies without nuts for my picky little ones.

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar

10 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, plus 30 whole walnuts for the tops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in flour. Stir in nuts. Roll into 1 and 1/2 inch balls. Flatten to 1/2 inch thick. Press walnut half on top and bake for 15-16 minutes each.

Coming Tomorrow:
Prudence Pennywise Tip for Corn on the Cob

Root Beer Freezes with Root Beer Syrup

For Memorial Day Dessert

When I was a teenager, my little sister Heidi had a boy...friend. He wasn't a boyfriend. He was a boy...friend. But he wanted to be a boyfriend very badly. (Pretty Heidi always had boy...friends like that.) To prove his devotion, he would try to make himself useful by running errands. Once the rest of the rowdy siblings caught on to his advantageous affections, we moved quickly. We marched him out to "Ruby's Shake Shop" almost nightly to pick up our order of 10 Root Beer Freezes. (Did I mention I'm one of 10 children?) I'm not proud of myself, but I can't promise I wouldn't do it again for the love of a good Root Beer Freeze. What is so wonderful about a Root Beer Freeze?
Well, when it comes to ice cream and root beer, most people stick to root beer floats. While they are good and comforting, they can be problematic. A blob of ice cream floating around in soda is not the easiest thing to consume. Should you use a spoon or a straw? Half the time you break your plastic spoon trying to mix up the two, and the other half of the time, you slurp up your root beer, and eat the plain scoop of vanilla.

A better solution is the "Root Beer Freeze" which is closer to a shake than a float. The blender does the heavy labor of joining soda and ice cream. But, it can still have troubles. It's tough to get the consistency of a shake, which requires very little liquid, to have enough root beer flavor to pack a punch. The solution? A combination of root beer syrup, fizzy root beer and vanilla bean ice cream.

Remember yesterday when you boiled down Root Beer Syrup to make Root Beer Barbecue Sauce? (Scroll down, my friends.) I warned you to make extra Root Beer syrup. Remember? This is why. You might as well make a jar to keep in the fridge for the summer. I'll make extra extra. If Heidi's boy friend should come around 15 years later, I'd want to be ready to make him a freeze every night for payback.

Root Beer Freezes with Root Beer Syrup

Estimated Cost: $4.00 for four

Notes: Root Beer Syrup is an excellent use for flat root beer.

If you can't wait for the Root Beer Syrup to cool down, try making a hot Root Beer Sundae.

3 cans of root beer

vanilla bean ice cream-use any brand that's on sale

In a medium saucepan, boil down two cans of root beer for about 30 minutes, or until thickened and somewhat syruppy. Cool completely. In the bowl of a blender, combine some root beer syrup, some fizzy root beer, and vanilla ice cream. (I used about 1/4 cup root beer, 1 and 1/2 cups ice cream, and 3 tablespoons syrup for each freeze. Please don't measure-you can't go wrong!) Blend. Transfer to pretty glass. Drizzle with additional root beer syrup.

Coming Tomorrow: Old Fashioned Walnut Cookies

A perfect cookie to accompany a Root Beer Freeze

Baby Back Ribs with Tangy Root Beer Barbecue Sauce

Oh, baby....

Pardon me. I meant to say Oh, baby...back ribs with Root Beer Barbecue Sauce

Sloppy, tangy, meaty indulgence. Ribs aren't your typical Monday night dinner. But you can't very well serve bowls of cereal for Memorial Day, can you? Like most special meats, these ribs are a bit pricey. To lure holiday shoppers, my grocery store had them going for $3.99/lb. I'm hopeful you can find a similar deal, or my name isn't Prudence Pennywise. (Well, actually, it isn't, but I still say you can find a good deal.)

As sinfully delicious as these are, you won't want leftovers as they don't reheat too well. Make only enought to eat in one sitting. Oh don't cry-you can make some again soon. For my family of four, I made 3 lbs. Increase the quantity significantly if you invite my littlest (in age and possibly in jean size) sister Mary Kate. She won't stand for less than half a rack to herself and at 28 she still gets cranky if underfed.

You're going to need at least 24 hours of some easy advance preparation. First, you'll mop the ribs with Dijon mustard, then coat them with a savory spice rub, cut them into sections and marinate them in a fizzy can of root beer for 12-36 hours. Still with me?

Ribs should be precooked before heading out to the grill. Some people boil them, others stick them in the crock pot; I simply bake them wrapped tightly in foil for an hour. You can do that a day ahead, too. Flexible, huh? All they require from there, is a simple high heat fizzle on the grill. If you don't have a grill, they'll do fabulously well under a broiler.

Now, what sends these ribs from everybody's yummy to holiday superlative, is the Root Beer Barbecue Sauce. When you taste it, you won't think "Snoopy's soda pop," but you might glow golden from your fingertips and break out in hymns of praise. You'll need to boil down a couple of cans of root beer until thick and syrupy, and then simply stir it up with smoky barbecue sauce and Dijon.

I'm warning you now-make extra. You'll want extra to dip your ribs in, some on BBQ chicken next week, some to spread on a roast beef sandwich, and some to dip your onion rings in after that. You'll also need to save some plain root beer syrup for the most sensational Root Beer Freeze possible (coming tomorrow). Don't say I didn't warn you.

Baby Back Ribs with Tangy Root Beer Barbecue Sauce

Estimated Cost: $15.00 and worth every penny

For the Syrup:

3 cans root beer

For the Sauce:

about 1/2 cup Dijon Mustard

about 1/2 cup purchased smoky barbecue sauce

For the Ribs:

3 lbs. baby back ribs

1/4 cup dijon mustard

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 can root beer

In a large saucepan over high heat, bring root beer to a boil. Boil until reduced by half and syrupy, about 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature. (You'll have lots extra-plenty for root beer freezes.) In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup each dijon, barbecue sauce, and root beer syrup. Whisk until smooth and set aside.

For the ribs, cut ribs into sections-about 3-4 bones per person. Rub generously with Dijon and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, powder, and paprika. Please don't measure-just eyeball it. Let sit for 15 minutes. Place in large zip top bag and pour rootbeer over the top, zip top and refrigerate. Let marinate for 12-36 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil. Discard marinade. Wrap ribs tightly in foil and bake on cookie sheet for 60 minutes. (At this point you can refrigerate ribs again, or head directly to the grill.) Brush ribs generously with Root Beer sauce and place on preheated grill. Grill for 10-20 minutes, turning once, and basting with sauce often until ribs are nicely carmelized. (They are already fully cooked, so you are just going for that great crispy, burnt sugar coating.)

Coming Tomorrow: Root Beer Freezes with Root Beer Syrup

Radish and Dill Red Potato Salad

Cool and Creamy Potato Salad for your Memorial Day Feast...This potato salad is a bit of a black sheep among its spudly peers. First of all, it has no mayonnaise. (Sorry, Dad-I know how you crave your Best Foods.) No pickles. No celery. No vinegar. No peeling potatoes-oh, don't you love it already? Here's what it does have: fresh and green cooling dill, smooth sour cream, spicy radishes, piquant Dijon mustard, buttery red potato bites, crisp green onions. It's crunchy, creamy, refreshing and luscious, all in the same bite. Dill makes this dish. If you can't find fresh, use good quality dried-the kind where it still smells like fresh dill, not heaps of mowed grass.

Once I made this potato salad in college for my boyfriend (now husband) and his friends, but I forgot to buy dill. It took half an hour to find some kind stranger in the apartment complex with dried dill to borrow. Why I didn't just send my boyfriend to the store is beyond me. Apparently, I waited until he was my husband before marching him off to market for forgotten items.
This time, prepared, I shelled out the $2.29 at the market for a package of fresh dill. I only used a wee bit, so next week I'm making refrigerator dill pickles.

Radish and Dill Red Potato Salad

Estimated Cost: $3.50

Notes: You can make this one day ahead. Be sure to adjust the seasonings before serving-starchy salads can become bland in the fridge.

3 lbs. red potatoes, scrubbed
about 1/2 cup thinly sliced red radishes

about 1/2 cup chopped green onion

1 and 1/2 cups sour cream (I used half light)

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon each salt and pepper

about 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Cut potatoes into 1 inch chunks. Place in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain potatoes. Toss hot potatoes with radishes and onions. Add in the sour cream, mustard, salt and pepper, stirring gently. When potatoes cool down to room temperature, add in dill. Taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Look what's coming tomorrow...

Cucumber Salad with Lemon and Feta and Grilled Garlic Bread

First Course or Appetizers for Memorial Day Here's a lovely and light refreshing salad to provide a cool counterpoint to the spicy and smoky ribs. That's what I was intending. Except at our house, we ate every last bite of the salad before the ribs even got to the grill. I say "we." I ate the lion's share myself because I'm selfish like that when it comes to outstanding spring vegetables. My big brown-eyed little boy moped, "Aren't you going to save any for me?" It was too late at that point. (Luckily I had enough ingredients to make more. Phew.)
Although this salad is exceedingly simple, it's also utterly delicious. Spring cucumbers are so cool and fresh, and suprisingly tasty when coupled with the creamy feta and a light drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil. Though I originally planned this as a side dish, it makes one heck of an appetizer before a barbecue. Especially if you serve it with crunchy grilled garlic bread. "We" ate all that before dinner also.

Cucumber Salad with Lemon and Feta

Estimated Cost: $1.50

Notes: I sprinkled my salad and bread with some chopped parsley for a prettier presentation.

1 medium to large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

about 2 teaspoons olive oil

about 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: chopped fresh parsley

Layer cucumber slices on shallow plate. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with feta cheese and salt and pepper.

Grilled Garlic Bread

Estimated Cost: $2.00

(If you don't have a grill, use an indoor grill pan or the broiler.)

Slice a thin baguette lengthwise. Brush the cut surface with olive oil. Grill on both sides until crusty and crisp. Rub the cut surface with a halved garlic clove. Sprinkle lightly with pepper. Cut into 4 inch servings.

Coming Tomorrow: Radish and Dill Red Potato Salad for Your Memorial Day Feast

Coming Friday: Tangy Root Beer Baby Back Ribs

Memorial Day Shopping List and Menu

Memorial Day is the ideal gateway to summer holiday. It's still cool enough to play tennis, have a picnic, go to the park, go on a hike, take a bike ride, play baseball, or have a lemonade stand. Memorial Day also means it's time to fire up that grill, before summer slips through your fingers. That's what my whole life is doing. If I blink when it's summer, the next thing I know it's Christmas.

I've planned an easy menu that will have you eating well, even though you'll be out and about enjoying the delicious spring weather. Get everything just about ready before you jaunt off for sundry activities. When you get home, you can have dinner on the table in a few minutes and with very little effort. Print out this menu and grocery list and follow along throughout the week.

Memorial Day Menu

Tangy Root Beer Barbecue Ribs

Radish and Dill Red Potato Salad

Cucumber Salad with Feta

Grilled Garlic Bread

Corn on the Cob
Strawberries

Root Beer Freezes with Root Beer Syrup

Old Fashioned Walnut Cookies (Most oft requested recipe from C and H Sugar)

Memorial Day Shopping List

Lots of Root Beer-my favorite national brand is Mug. (You'll need about 8 cans for four people- plus more if you want some just for drinking.)

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Baby Back Ribs-about 3/4-1 lb. per person for adults

Baguette

Your favorite smoky BBQ sauce (I like Famous Dave's)

Dijon mustard

Garlic Powder

Paprika

cucumber (1 large)

Lemon (1)

Fresh Garlic

Feta Cheese

Fresh or Good Quality Dried Dill

Walnuts (about 1 and 1/4 cup)

Green Onions

Red Potatoes (I do about 3 lbs so I can have some leftovers)

Radishes (1 bunch)

Sour Cream (16 ounces)

Corn on the Cob
strawberries (too early for watermelon yet)

Plus Staples like Olive oil, butter, sugar, flour, etc.

Food and Furthermore III

Coming Tomorrow....Memorial Day Menu and Shopping List
Years ago, a little baby girl was born. Pink, pretty, and sugary sweet. But as of last week, she is seven. Pink, pretty, and sugary sweet-with a little bit of independent spice. We're just crazy about her. Even though she made that big mess on the counter.
Because we bake almost everything from scratch, for an extra special birthday treat, she USED to ask for a boxed cake mix. It practically killed me. She wanted a colorful funfetti cake, just like all the other kids (and grown-up, kid-at-heart Uncle Jack). But now she is seven and she knows better. For the first time this year she asked pretty please for homemade chocolate cupcakes with homemade chocolate frosting. It was a proud moment. I used the Devil's Food Cake recipe from The New Joy of Cooking. Make them only if you have more than an hour and you don't mind washing numerous bowls and dishes AND you love seriously, seriously good cupcakes.

Notice the tennis themed cupcakes for the party. We used the colored vanilla melts and piped the shapes onto waxed paper. These ones were for the grown ups.

This is what my little girl wanted for her birthday.

A Hawaiian, Don Ho, pearly shells, pineapple princess, purple ukulele. Now I can't keep my hands off of the darn thing. It's so fun and so easy to play and I can pretend I'm at a luau. Why am I paying money for violin and piano lessons? Forget it kids! Take up the ukulele and let's all be beach bums together.

Furthermore and speaking of expensive lessons, both of my children had a violin performance at an old folk's home.

During the performance, one of the spunky elderly gentleman shouted out, "Is that little boy for sale?" Nope. He's mine and you should have heard him play "Orange Blossom Special." On second thought, I think I really am getting my money's worth.
Furthermore...

It's time to pass the baton for the Arte y Pico Award

Leah at A Corner of My Kitchen. I don't just envy her kitchen. I also want dinner at her house every night. I could even bring my kids! The food is fabulous and family friendly.

Veronica at Supermarket Serenade. Take a look at her blog before you buy something new at the market. She'll let you know what's best to buy and what to do with it when you get home.

Lisa at Jersey Girl Cooks. Lisa shares thoughts, insights, tips, and recipes in her creative cooking adventures.

Jenny at Picky Palate creates yummy and easy original recipes guaranteed to please even the pickiest eaters
Camilla at Enlightened Cooking. Her brilliant ideas for healthy cooking are bright, fresh, and original. You'll be making mousse, ganache, cheesecake, and cookies-and you're still going to fit in your jeans.