My Mom, most years, makes an amazing assortment of Christmas cookies. After the tree and before the beef roast she cranks out all kinds of goodies. I however do not share in her fervor for baking, at any time of the year. I hate being exact and making something that is only to be eaten after dinner (supposedly). I don’t own a stand mixer, special flours, extracts (except vanilla) or cookie cutters. I did want to make some quick cookies with some almonds I got in a beautiful gift basket from a friend. I searched through the usual suspects- Food Network, Epicurous, Jamie Oliver and didn’t want to go out and buy confectioner’s sugar, almond slivers, or almond extract (= $$) among other “foreign” ingredients. I wanted to use what I had. So like most times I’m stuck with non-fancy, traditional pantry and kitchen items I turn to my Fannie Farmer cookbook. And what did I find? Humble, amazing Almond Spiced Cookies that I pretty much couldn’t mess up! Here’s the recipe - I didn’t have ground cloves, so I just left them out! It’s ok! No stand mixer, rolling pin, or special skills required! Leave out the almonds and spices for just a plain rich cookie.

1/4 lb (1 stick) butter, unsalted

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tblsp cream or milk

1 1/4 cup flour

1/8 tsp salt (my almonds had salt on them so I left this out)

1/4 tsp baking powder

OPTIONAL Spiced Almond ingredients

1/3 cup finely chopped almonds ( I ground mine for a minute in a food processor)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

grated rind of 1/2 lemon

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Cream the butter (beat with a spoon or hand mixer until kinda fluffy). Gradually add the sugar, beating until light

3. Mix flour, salt and baking powder together, add to the first mixture and blend well. Fold in almonds, spices, and lemon

4. Arrange by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheets, 1 inch apart. (I did one sheet at a time b/c of my oven’s uneven temp). Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

5. Cool on a rack if you have one, and share with your co-workers - you’ll be super popular and invited to all the great New Years parties….

Don't you want one?

We had a full house last night for dinner and results watching. My favorite person, Adrienne made some awesome donkey cookies to celebrate. There was much champagne and cheesy pasta - plenty for 6 people. This is an easy dish for a night like this - comfy celebratory food you can eat while watching the tube for electoral results. My mom has made this recipe for years and everytime it tastes better and better. The blue cheese is great - even if you’re not a fan, don’t leave it out - it’s not super strong but balances the saltiness nicely. Here’s how to make it:

Serves 6

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk (try to use whole, but skim works also)

28 oz can of whole Italian tomatoes, drained, reserving 1 1/4 cup juice, chopped fine

1 lb bow-tie pasta

1 1/2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella cheese (about 6oz)

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 2 oz)

1/2 cup diced Italian Fontina cheese (about 2 oz)
1 1/3 cup freshly grated Romano cheese (about 4 oz)

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 3-4 quart gratin dish or a 13×9 baking dish

2. In a heavy saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk and reserved tomato juice in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Stir in tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.

3. In a large pot bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions, until just al dente.

4. In a bowl stir together pasta, sauce, mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Fontina, 1 cup Romano, and parsley and transfer to prepared dish. Sprinkle pasta with remaining 1/3 cup Romano. Bake bow ties in middle of oven 30-35 minutes, or until golden and bubbling, let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Winning Donkey Cookies