Cherry Bomb Cookies

This past week at work, we held a fund raising bake sale and I volunteered to bake. In doing so, I managed to use up all the corn starch and butter I had in my apartment. And I was mighty glad I decided to pick up a 2nd bag of flour.

One of the cookies that I made for the sale are ones that are being a staple of mine when it comes to Christmas baking. They're called Cherry Bomb Cookies. Basically, you wrap cookie dough around a maraschino cherry that still has the stem attached (usually called cocktail cherries) and you bake it like that. They do look like little bombs when they're done.

I can't take credit for the recipe though. I came across it in "Sugar Cookie Murder" by Joanne Fluke. I did tweak the recipe a little though. Not only are the cookies awesome, but so is the book. It's a whole series by Joanne Fluke where recipes are included in the story.

Anyhow, the cookies were a bit hit and I sold them all, which meant I didn't have to bring any home, thus helping my waistline :)

Here's the recipe:

3 cups of Flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Power
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Butter, softened
2 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
2 jars (16oz) of Maraschino Cherries with the stems still attached (you can find them at Bulk Barn and Metro!)
Icing Sugar

A lot of recipes call for un-salted butter. I figure it doesn't really matter. If you're using salted butter, just omit the salt that's called for in the recipe. If you're using un-salted butter, include it. Even sweet foods need a tiny but of salt to bring all of the flavours together.

Before starting, open both jars of cherries and drain in a strainer. Let them sit in the strainer while you make the dough.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F

In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

In another bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add in the sugar and still until it's mostly dissolved. Add in the vanilla. You can also use almond extract instead.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring well after each addition. Once mixed, take a small ball of dough and wrap it around one of the cherries, allowing only the stem to show. Roll it in your hands until a ball forms around the cherry.

Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. They'll still be light in colour (slightly browned on the bottom). You want them to be light. If they've browned, bake them for less time. Transfer them to a rack to cool.

Once cool, put icing sugar in a bowl. Dip the cookies into the icing sugar so that they're all white. Gently shake off the excess sugar.

Now pop one in your mouth and enjoy! Just try not to eat the stem :)

Enjoy!!

Sarah

Lasagna - with lots of garlic!

It's a cold, damp and rainy day here. A perfect day to make some comfort food. I haven't had lasagna in quite some time so I decided it would be a perfect dish to make for dinner.

Lasagna looks complicated, but it really isn't. I even opted to make my own tomato sauce. Since it is December, canned tomatoes are a must. I'm not a fan of tomatoes, but I like to cook with them. I started my sauce with a special kind of tomatoes. A lot of the cooking "pros" and "experts" swear by them so I said "why not". That and I got them at a good price at a local Italian grocery store. They're called San Marzano tomatoes. I could only find whole ones, so I just poured the can into my food processor, gave it a few pulses and I had the base for my sauce.

Here's what you'll need:

1 medium onion
4-5 gloves of garlic chopped,  plus 1 tsp garlic puree
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
1 tsp salt ( I used a special sea salt that I have, which has garlic and basil in it)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 28oz can san Marzano tomatoes (with liquid - crushed or pureed. Unless you like them chunky, then used diced)
1 tub (500ml) of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
1 cup (or more) of mozzarella or cheddar or whatever you have in your fridge, grated
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (maybe a little more)
1 package of fresh mushrooms (or one can, rinsed and drained)
1 lb lean ground beef (if you don't use lean, cook it first and drain the fat off or you'll end up with greasy lasagna)
12 Lasagna Noodles (I use whole wheat ones)
2-3 tbsp Olive Oil (I use extra virgin, but use what you have)

In a large, deep sauce pan or pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Add the Italian seasoning and chili pepper flakes. Stir. Add in the garlic (not the puree!) and continue to cook until everything has softened and smells wicked.

Add in the mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes until the mushrooms have cooked through. Add in the ground beef. Continue to cook until the meat is no longer pink. Pour in the tomatoes. Add salt and pepper. Stir well to combine everything. Allow the sauce to simmer for 20-30 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken as you cook it. If it gets too thick, add some water to thin it out.

While it's cooking, take the 12 noodles and soak them in warm/hot water. Make sure they're completely covered by the water.

Next, make the cheese filling. Take the cottage cheese and place it in a bowl. Add the parm reggiano and half the parmesan cheese and stir. Add in the garlic puree and some pepper. Stir well and set aside. You can use light or regular cheese, it doesn't matter and in my experience, it doesn't change the taste all all.

Once the sauce has cooked for about a half hour, take it off the heat and allow to cool a little. Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.

To assemble the lasagna, you're going to need 4 layers of sauce, 3 layers of noodles and 2 layers of cheese sauce. Start by spreading some of the sauce on the bottom of the pan. Top with 3 noodles. Top that with half the cottage cheese mixture. Top that with some more tomato sauce. Repeat (noodles, cheese mix, sauce). The top layer will just be noodles and sauce and then your grated mozzarella/cheddar and any additional parm reg that you might want to add.

Cover the dish with foil and pop it in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked through and are tender. Remove the foil and top with the rest of the parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and allow it to cook for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is all melted, bubbly and browned lightly.

Remove from the oven and allow the lasagna to rest for 15 or so minutes before you cut it. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a couple of day or if wrapped well, you can freeze it for a couple of months. Frozen individual pieces make a great lunch or quick evening dinner.

Just so you know, my apartment smells amazing right now! LOL.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

Sarah