Going Coconuts

(I apologize if you are receiving this for the second time. Some weird Blogger glitch...)

This time of year always makes me feel a little crazy.

I don't need to tell you how long the to-do list is. I'm sure yours is a lot like mine.

Shop for family gifts.

Bake.

Drink.

Eat.

Order stuff online for husband's family.

Bake some more.

Visit Santa.

Buy and set up tree.

Make teacher and bus driver gifts.

Struggle to fit into last year's black skirt.

Bake.

Plan and execute birthday party for youngest daughter.

Care for husband having hip replacement surgery.

Design, order, sign, address, mail 100+ holiday cards.

Create and sustain unique and wonderful holiday memories for children.

Decorate home for Christmas.

Decorate home for Hanukkah.

Make latkes.

Bake.

Take deep breaths.

Bake.

Eat. Drink.

In honor of all this nuttiness, I have been on a coconut cookie baking spree.

I know that coconut is not universally loved. But people who love it as I do, really LOVE it.

Plus it fits right in with my preference for all things chewy and chunky.

And, because sometimes it matters, these cookies are gluten-free.

First there was the almond-coconut macaroons. This recipe came from Cooking Light. I added the chocolate dip and drizzle.

Then, the macaroon mountains, aka chocolate coconut macaroons dipped in white chocolate.

I made them for our annual neighborhood cookie swap.

Don't they look like little snow-capped mountain peaks? I thought so.

And they're that perfect combination of a slightly crispy outside and chewy inside.

The recipe is pretty simple. So that's one less thing to drive you nuts.

One thing to think about before you start - the cookie dough needs to freeze before it's baked, so leave yourself enough time for that.

Also, instead of melting the chocolate over a pan of water, you could microwave it in 30 second intervals, being very careful to stir it in between so it doesn't burn.

Chocolate Macaroon Mountains

adapted from The Boston Globe and Clear Flour Bakery

9 1/4 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)

4 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

5 egg whites

8 oz. sugar (about 1 cup plus 2 1/2 Tbsps.)

1 Tbsp. vanilla

14 oz. pkg. sweetened, shredded coconut

8 oz. white chocolate (optional)

Combine the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates in a large metal or glass bowl, or top of a double boiler. Place the bowl over a saucepan of about 1" of barely simmering water (don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water).

Melt the chocolate, stirring frequently. Remove bowl from over the water and set aside.

In a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar and keep beating until the mixture has the consistency of melted marshmallow. Using a firm rubber spatula, mix in the vanilla, melted chocolate and coconut until well combined. The dough will be thick.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper (or Silpat). Make sure the sheet will fit in your freezer. Using wet hands, form dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each. Place on prepared cookie sheet, and repeat until all the dough has been used.*

Freeze the cookies on the sheet.**

Heat the oven to 350. Bake the frozen macaroons for 16-20 minutes, until the outsides have developed a delicate crust and the tops are set. Slide the parchment paper, with macaroons on it, off the cookie sheet and onto a wire rack to cool.

When cookies have cooled completely, they can be dipped, if you'd like.

Melt 8 oz. white chocolate in a shallow bowl. Dip the top of each cookie into the white chocolate, letting excess drip off. Place back on rack, and allow chocolate to dry completely.

* I couldn't possibly fit all those cookie sheets in my freezer, so I ended up placing balls of cookies on plates, and putting those in the freezer. When it was time to bake them, I just transferred them to cookie sheets.

** Once the cookies are frozen, you can store them on the freezer for up to 3 months, in a plastic freezer bag or container.

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

I love Asian food. Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese. There are some I haven't tried yet, like Malaysian or Laotian. I did see Anthony Bourdain visit Laos once on No Reservations and they were eating tiny swallows (the bird) whole, so I'm not sure if Laotian will be my thing. But I love the rest of Asia, as far as I know. It's the brightness of the flavors that appeals to me - ginger, cilantro, chilies, a squeeze of lime or a sprinkling of mint. And the whole one bowl concept, with many components like chewy noodles, sweet and spicy broth or sauce, lots of vegetables and just enough meat. Yum.

So tonight I tried one of the many Thai soup recipes I saved from a magazine ( Cooking Light). It's not authentic, but when it tastes this good, I don't really care. It had all the right stuff and it was warming and delicious. Here's my adaptation - it may look like a lot of ingredients, but you probably have most of them in your pantry. If not, stock up because you'll want to make this a lot!

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

4 cups water

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 cup snowpeas, cut in half crosswise

1 package rice noodles (5 3/4 oz.), wide or thin*

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

2 tsps. red curry paste*

1 1/ 2 tsps. curry powder

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 can light coconut milk

2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (I used the meat from a supermarket rotisserie chicken)

1/2 cup chopped scallions

2 Tbsps. sugar

2 Tbsps. fish sauce*

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

2 limes, cut into wedges

1. In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to boil. Add spinach and snow peas; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. Add noodles to saucepan; cook 3 minutes, until softened. Drain and add noodles to vegetable mixture.
2. Heat canola oil in pan. Add shallots, curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, coriander and garlic. Saute one minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add chicken broth to pan and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add chicken, scallions, sugar and fish sauce. Cook for 2 minutes. Add vegetable/noodle mix to broth. Stir in cilantro.
5. Serve, squeezing a lime wedge into each bowl. (Don't skip this - it really makes a difference!)

* You can find these items in the Asian section of most supermarkets.

Don't Wait - Bake!

Friends, it was almost two days without power and I've come to a new and scary realization. I am addicted to the internet. To my email, Facebook, food blog surfing, shopping on line, Tastespotting, and to blogging. There's a lesson in all this. I've been wanting to share a couple of things with you, but I WAITED TOO LONG and the lights went out. Metaphorical? You decide. But don't wait too long.
Anyway, the power's back, I'm back. Earlier this week, before the storm, I cooked up some really decadent brownies. If you don't like fruit with your chocolate, like some people I know (Bob), these won't be for you. If you are willing to go beyond the basic brownie and think of this as a holiday sort of brownie, I think you'll be very glad you made them. Rich and fudgy, festive with the cranberries and pistachios, they're easy and quick to make. Find the recipe from Bon Appetit here.

Orange-Scented Brownies with Cranberries, Pistachios and Ginger

Our neighborhood cookie exchange is coming up this week. I'm not sure what I'll be making yet. It could be an old favorite like Cranberry-Coconut Macaroons. Or I might try something different, say a biscotti or a chocolate-dipped shortbread. Whatever I decide, I'll be sure to let you know. There are some things you shouldn't put off.