Snickerdoodles

This is my mom's recipe for snickerdoodles. Most people think that snickerdoodles are just regular sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon and sugar. And for the most part, they are. But the cream of tartar is the key ingredient. It gives the cookies a bit of a sour bite that's unique. Don't bother with any snickerdoodle recipe that has little or no cream of tartar, it's just not the same.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift dry ingredients and set aside in a bowl.

3. Combine shortening and sugar in mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix to combine.

4. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet.

5. Refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes to stiffen it up.

6. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Roll balls of cookie dough approximately 1 inch in diameter, then roll in the cinnamon and sugar.

7. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes.

Apple Cake

Fall is my favorite season. As it starts to get cooler and the air conditioner is no longer needed in our apartment I start to think about baking more. I love it when the kitchen smells delicious and the oven warms the whole room. Another favorite thing about fall is apples. Apple picking, apple cider, apple pie, apple cake. Yum! This is a super easy recipe for apple cake that I got from my former roommate Jen. It's moist, crisp and sugary on the edges and takes only about 10-15 minutes to get it in the oven.

Apple Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 cup melted butter

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

dash salt

4 cups peeled and diced apples (6-8 medium sized apples)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan with either butter or oil spray and set aside.

2. Mix sugar and melted butter in a bowl until light and fluffy, then add eggs and mix to combine.

3. Sift dry ingredients together and add slowly to the wet ingredients.

4. Fold in diced apples.

5. Spread batter evenly in greased 9x13 pan.

6. Bake for 45 minutes until edges and top of cake are golden brown.

Kosher Dill Pickles

I finally got around to making some pickles with some cucumbers and dill from the farmer's market a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure what recipe to use, either a vinegar based one or kosher salt brine based. I went with the kosher pickles and it was super easy and totally worth it. These pickles are perfectly crisp and salty. Hopefully I can get some more cucumbers before the farmer's market is over for the season this month.

Kosher Dill Pickles
Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Ingredients:
1/3 cup kosher salt
1 cup boiling water
2 pounds pickling cucumbers, quartered lengthwise
5-10 crushed garlic cloves, depending on your taste
1 large bunch of fresh dill, stems removed, roughly chopped
1 tbsp pickling spice

Instructions:
1. Boil water, add to salt in a large bowl, stir to dissolve salt. Add some ice cubes to cool the mixture.

2. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl.

3. Add enough cold water to cover the cucumbers. Take a plate smaller than the circumference of the bowl and another object to weigh it down and keep the cucumbers under the water.

4. Let cucumbers sit at room temperature 3-4 hours at room temperature then put in sealed containers (mason jars or tupperware) in the refrigerator. The pickles will keep for 1-2 weeks.

Beer Braised Potatoes

What's better than beer, cheese, and potatoes all mixed together? Not much. This is a pretty heavy side dish, we had it with steak and spinach but next time I'd probably opt for something a little lighter with it like a piece of fish or chicken or just a salad.

Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Ingredients:

2 pounds all purpose potatoes or small red or white potatoes

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups of beer

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 tbsp cornstarch

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. If using all purpose potatoes, peel and cut into large but bit sized pieces. If using small red or white potatoes, don't peel and just cut in half or quarters depending on the size of the potatoes.

2. Add oil to large pot or braising pan over medium/high heat. Once hot, add the potatoes. Salt and pepper the potatoes and stir to coat with oil. Once potatoes start to turn golden brown, add the chopped onion and garlic. Stir to combine, cook for 1-2 minutes until onion starts to soften.

3. Add enough beer to just cover the potatoes, bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium/low. Stir to make sure the potatoes don't stick to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Add more beer if the potatoes are sticking to the pan.

A note on the beer: use a kind of beer that you actually like to drink. We had some IPA's leftover in our fridge from a friend and thought we'd just use that even though we don't really care for IPA's. The bitterness of the beer definitely stayed in with the potatoes. Next time we'll use something different to avoid that bitterness.

4. Toss the grated cheddar cheese with the cornstarch and add once the potatoes are tender. Stir to combine and melt the cheese. Add a little more beer if they look too sticky, they should be fairly saucy.