Chocolate Chip cookies without chocolate chips. These cookies are super tasty, and stay that way even the next day!

Anyone who knows my cooking preferences, knows that I am not big on baking. Especially not using yeast. Not that it’s my achilles heel, it just doesn’t bring me joy to follow someone else’s recipe (or my own for that matter) perfectly… reading and measuring out carefully with very little room for improvisation.

Not my thing.

However, cookies do have a special place in my heart. Why?

1. I usually have all the ingredients on hand.

2. They don’t take forever to prepare or bake.

3. There is NO YEAST involved

and last but not least, they carry memories upon memories of home.

So, about a month or so ago I was having a conversation with my friend about cookies, and she revealed something awfully curious… she loves chocolate chip cookies but not the chocolate chips.

How the hell does that work??? and no don’t tell me its called a damn Snickerdoodle… that’s not the same thing Betty Crocker.

But, the more I thought about it, the more I understood what she meant… and since I live in in the European ‘land of hard to find chocolate chips that cost a ton for very low generic quality’ I began to think maybe that wasn’t a bad idea.

So, I decided to keep that thought in the back of my head, and try to figure out a recipe that could make the “Elusive Chocolate Chip Cookie without Chocolate Chips”.

A couple days ago, the thought of a white chocolate and macadamia nut cookie from Mrs. Fields’ popped into my head. Torture I have grown used to living abroad.

So I decided to look around the interwebs, and do some research online (and procrastinate doing the research I should have been doing). After awhile, I consolidated all the recipes for “Mrs. Fields’ cookies” but anyone who knows anything about cooking at home from scratch verses commercial franchise is: it can not be the same. For one thing, no preservatives that gives it that extra zing you have gotten familiar with as part of the flavor. For better or worse.

BUT! There was one feature that looked really promising… a call for oatmeal (Havregryn in Swedish) powder (Which is taking dried oats and blending it in a food processor until it becomes powder).

AHA!

Perhaps that is the extra texture I would need to help a cookie stand on its own enough to forgo chocolate chips. So, I altered the recipe per usual (Sorry guys its very hard for me to follow recipes, like ever) but I think this is a good start to something that I will continue to perfect…. try to make some at home, and email me what you think!

Disclaimer: These cookies are NOT cookie monster friendly. They have no crumble factor. They are crisp on the edges and chewy in the center, and stay that way even the next day!

“Dena’s Chocolate Chip Cookie’s (without the chocolate chips)”

You will need:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. real vanilla extract (or 1 tsp. vanilla sugar)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2½ cups oatmeal or Harvregryn (This is measured before it is blended into powder)
*½ tsp. salt (if your butter has no salt)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda (Bicarbonat in Swedish)

Phase 1:

Melt the butter on low until half is liquid and half is very soft. While the butter is melting, make your Oatmeal powder in the food processor (might work in a blender also in very small batches)

When butter is ready put: butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix together thoroughly.

Add eggs and vanilla, stir couple times (but do not mix thoroughly, you will continue to mix after adding other ingredients.)

Mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Makes sure the dough has a nice smooth and sticky consistency. (you can add a spoon of water, cream or milk to be sure its not dry).

Place cookie dough in the refrigerator (15 min or so.) while your oven heats up (375 F or 200 C). Take cookie dough out the refrigerator 10 min before you want to start baking, and let sit on counter to re soften a bit.

(Obviously, you can simply store the dough until you want to use it.)

Drop round balls with a 1 inch (2.5 centimeter) diameter on ungreased cookie sheets, two inches apart, and bake 6-8 minutes. Do not cook until it is really brown on the edges, when you let the cookies cool you will find they are done perfectly.

These bad boys even stay soft and tasty if you accidentally leave them out exposed all night, because you passed out with a tummy ache from eating too many Trust me on this one. Breakfast of champs!

Vietnamese noodle soup: made easy.

It seems I’m on a bit of an Asian kick these days… which is not unheard of since I’ve spent many a day hanging out in Chinatown as a teen. One particular favorite I used to eat at least 3 times per week was Pho or Vietnamese noodle soup. I get cravings for this soup that creep up so quickly its shocking.

Now, I love spending entire Sundays cooking down marrow bones into broth, but this sunday I wanted my Pho- and I wanted it fast. This is what I came up with, and the broth had far more depth then the last take out Pho I attempted in Stockholm- awesome.

Here is the Glögg or spiced mulled wine that I used in my cooking.

Its Christmas time, and in Scandinavia that means time for cups of warm Glögg (mulled spiced wine) at parties. Last year, I had a lot left over from the holidays, so I decided this year the holiday drink should pull double duty and I should think of a couple of ways to use it in my cooking.

The first great opportunity came last Weekend, I was making a pork tenderloin. I crusted the tenderloin with freshly coarse ground peppercorns and allspice. As we all know, pork goes well with a bit of sweet and spice, so I instantly though of using some leftover Glögg for a sauce. You can tweak the flavors any way you like, but using the things I had on hand I made a reduction using:

Pan drippings from tenderloin

Glögg

Dijon mustard

Apple cider vinegar (tiny splash)

Ginger ale

Agave syrup (or honey)

A dash of salt

I started with the Glögg on high heat to scrape pan drippings from the pan and then turned the heat to medium high. I added the rest of the ingredients, in about the same order as listed, allowing each one to blend into the sauce before adding the next. Just use a bit of each ingredient, keeping ratios about the same (except the vinegar, just a small splash and the Gløgg should be double the amount of the other ingredients combined) You can always taste as you go, and tweak the ingredients to your taste. To finish, I reduced the liquid down, cooking until I had a few spoonfuls of a glossy sauce. Done.

Peppercorn & Allspice crusted Pork Tenderloin with Glögg Agave reduction

For my non- Swedish friends, ‘Fika’ is a both an event and verb for a long coffee break people take, where they eat sweets, chat, and drink coffee… Apparently this can happen multiple times per day, because every time I call Claes at work, he is about to have Fika. Hard work this Swedish life.

Ready to roll! Literally.

Svensk Kardamumma Bullar (Swedish Cardamon Buns)

Svensk Kardamumma Bullar (Swedish Cardamon Buns), Kendra Williams-Valentine

This year brought us a lot of cherries, something that really makes you feel like summer… I got to thinking, “What to do to kind some of this cherry cheer for later in the year?” and finally decided to attempt to preserve some in a non specific mixture of:

Brandy (Yes, the liquor)

Agave nectar

A splash of brown sugar (dissolved into enough water to cover cherries, after you add the other ingredients)

A few sprigs of morrocan mint we have growing out back…

Throw everything along with the cherries in a very clean jar, and seal.

Later this winter, I expect to be getting a nice little buzz on while having a couple of these bad boys on top of ice cream!

Don’t forget to remove the pits!

Homemade Pork Cracklins (Fried Pork Skins)

I recently made a trip to one of the most inspiring institutions created by modern man: The butcher. Living abroad adds another special dimension to such visits, as there is no uniform way to butcher meat… as the saying goes ‘there’s more then one way to skin a cat’ well multiply that assumption when it comes to butchering a cow. (Unless you’re in some parts of India, then there is only one way to butcher a cow: 0… more on that another day).

I live in a land where good old rib eye is called entrecote and wrapped up small and boneless… a pleasant cut, but some days I need to go back to my roots and get a nice thick dry aged cut- bones included, just as nature intended.

That is when I go to Taylors & Jones… it’s a British butcher shop on Kungsholmen , here in Stockholm.  Great product and service to match. This visit I went with some lovely pork chops, and of course a few of their popular house made sausages.

Pork chops and skin

Once I got home, I realized I had been gifted another treat I often forget about: a large strip of skin was left on the chops…. I had a flash-

Pork Cracklins were now on the agenda!

(If I was going to bake the chops I may have left the skin on to crisp up nice and flavor the meat)

Pork Cracklins (Fried Pork Skins) may not sound so fantastic is you are not already well acquainted (but if you eat bacon you ought not judge), but for those who know- it’s a snack you grew up with… salty, savory and crunchy.

and to top it all off- I feel a lot better not throwing parts out to waste.

You find this snack all over the world, especially Asia, but from an American perspective its very southern. Back in the day, people cooked down the skins to render out the fat to make cooking lard, and fried pork skin was a byproduct of this process.

This is how I made my little bunch at home:

(If you are making a lot, I suggest cooking outside in a large pot over a fire.)

Slicing Pork skins

1: I sliced the skin into strips and then chopped into rectangles… but you can cut as you like.

Frying Pork Skins

2. I placed my pieces into a cast iron skillet on medium low heat.  I waited for 10 mins, then stirred to prevent sticking. You will notice oil started to accumulate in the pan from the fat cooking off.

Frying Pork Skins (after 10 min.)

3. I stirred again after another 10 mins.

Frying Pork Skins (After 20 min.)

4: Then after about 25 min cooking, the skins were all brown and hard. I scooped them out of the skillet, and then turned up the heat to medium high.

Frying Pork Skins

5. With the heat higher I threw the pieces back into the pan, and they began to pop and crackle (Hence the name: Cracklins). I allowed to cook for about 1 min and then took the pieces out and onto a plate lined with paper towels.

Fried Pork Skins

6. Season with salt and cayenne pepper and enjoy!

I was asked by the awesome hackers and designers at “HOW DO” (A Swedish Start- Up) to teach participants at their ‘hack day’ how to make Chinese dumplings for a lunch time treat.

Its a lot easier then you think… just a lot of prep work and you have an awesome treat… make extra and freeze to revisit another day, your worth it Here’s my take and tips for the dumplings. We went veggie to accommodate everyone, but its just as easy with ground chicken or chopped shrimp (raw is fine), just substitute the mushroom or come up with your own equation: just REMEMBER to keep moisture down in your filling and cook a bit longer. This recipe not written in stone, we’re not baking, go ahead and make it your own…. you can cook a little filling to sample before wrapping to make sure your flavors are to your liking: (Measurements are in both US and Metric versions, for the most part… #difficult)

Tips:

1. When you finish the filling, cook a little  to test taste before wrapping.

2. If you cant get dumpling wrappers, just use wonton wrappers I recommend this fold for wonton wrappers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De8oiSbG6qE (Just twist a little on top and if you don’t want the egg wash hassle just use water: pinch and twist the tops with wet figures to seal for steaming )

3. Keep your wrappers from getting warm by keeping most in the fridge while you work. When they get warm they get sticky.

4. Don’t have a steamer? No worries, use a pan with a tight fitting lid. Place a plate inside it that is slightly smaller, about 1/2 an inch water (be sure it stays below plate) and add a sheet of baking paper on the plate so they don’t stick. Here’s a pic:

Macgyver Steamer

The gang hacking together some dumplings!

Dumplings are serious business

Ready to get my Leek on

Cooked in any style with potatoes alone is enough. Toss in with a white cream sauce and some pasta and your on the road to midweek mischief.  I for one absolutely love green onion/scallion/salladlök , but I now rely on leeks to give me that green onion freshness during the winter as it can stand up to simmering in stews and other dishes.

I really suggest making a nice rustic take on Vichyssoise, (yes, I just threw in some fancy talk for good measure) AKA what I like to call ‘Creamy Potato Soup with leeks’ top with some bacon (plus chive and cheddar) and enjoy.

Potato & Leek Soup w/ Bacon, Chive and Cheddar