As 2007 quickly ticks down to 2008, I sit in my pajamas at 4 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon listening to football commentators babbling on the TV and preparing for more holiday snow to cover the ground. It seemed like an appropriate time to take a look back at what I’ve cooked this year. Outlined below are some of my favorites.

During my nostalgic trip down memory lane I noticed that the images of these dishes actually illustrate our move back to Cambridge in June. The black granite countertops of our old kitchen are replaced by the light stone countertops and our infamous free Red Sox World Series table from Jordan’s Furniture.

In addition, I remember bringing my silly Butterfly Cake to Easter Dinner with Chris’s family and the rave reviews that accompanied the consumption of the Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake I made for his grandmother’s birthday. We moved into our new apartment and celebrated by scouring our brand new oven when a glass dish full of homemade macaroni and cheese exploded. I baked scones, attempting to recreate the amazing breakfast treats Chris and I ate at an inn in Vermont, and I tried to give everyone in his office sugar shock with weekly deliveries of whoopie pies and cookies. We redesigned Erin Cooks and I finally let my guard down and shared with you all of my favorite party recipes including the top secret artichoke dip. Frankly I’m not sure how or if my hips and thighs will survive 2008, but rest assured I’m not intending to stop cooking anytime soon.

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!
<3 Erin

January - Sweet Potato Biscuit Makeover
February - Soup Not a “Stoup”
March - Nutella Knows Best
April - Butterfly in the Sky
May - Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
June - When Recipes Attack
July - Erin and the Secret of the Scones
August - My Big Fat Fluffy Brownies
September - Edible Bribes
October - Haunted House in a Box
November - Toll House Pie Redux
December - Super Top Secret Artichoke Dip (Begrudgingly) Revealed

Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without gifts to yourself and this year Chris skipped that cookie downing middle man, Old Saint Nick, entirely and treated himself to an amazing new Canon EOS 40D camera. Obviously I thoroughly benefit from this gift as well. Since picking up the camera a week ago we’ve shot practically everything in the house and have now moved on to food.

I had several packages of puff pastry in the freezer left over from the holiday party that I mistakenly purchased to make Spanakopita. What can I say…I had a lot of recipes on my mind that day. So after searching around online for a bit I decided that Ina Garten’s Apple Turnovers were the way to go. Ina is smart and fabulous (or her assistants are smart and fabulous) and someone came up the idea to use orange juice and orange zest in the turnover filling instead of lemon. It’s scrumptious! And I’m completely fascinated by puff pastry. I kept turning on the oven light and crouching down to peak at it bubbling and growing in the oven. I tend to regress quite dramatically during the holidays due to all of the stress and sugar so this probably means that your 5 year old will love watching the baking process too.

These spiced apple treats will actually receive double billing today as I plan to serve them to my dinner guests this evening for dessert, heated and topped with rich vanilla ice cream. I figured it would be appropriate since they’re all coming over to watch the Pats and Giants game. Let’s hope the Pats don’t get too many “turnovers” tonight or everyone is going to be very very sad.

Zest	Freshly Squeezed
Peel	Dice
Measure	Toss
Lightly Flour	Slice
Fill	Fold and Seal
Brush	Sprinkle
Vent	Touchdown!

Apple Turnovers (originally published by Ina Garten)

1 teaspoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/4 pounds tart apples, such as Empire or Granny Smith (3 apples)
3 tablespoons dried cherries (Note: I used dried cranberries)
3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch kosher salt
1 package (17.3 ounces, 2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the orange zest and orange juice in a bowl. Peel, quarter, and core the apples and then cut them in 3/4-inch dice. Immediately toss the apples with the zest and juice to prevent them from turning brown. Add the cherries (or cranberries), sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Flour a board and lightly roll each sheet of puff pastry to a 12 by 12-inch square. Cut each sheet into 4 smaller squares and keep chilled until ready to use.

Brush the edges of each square with the egg wash and neatly place about 1/3 cup of the apple mixture on half of the square. Fold the pastry diagonally over the apple mixture and seal by pressing the edges with a fork. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, make 2 small slits, and bake for 20 minutes, until browned and puffed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Twas the day after Christmas and the elves are exhausted but Erin and CK can’t wait to get started! For kitchen gadgets galore were bestowed on their heads and there are more brownies, and pastas, and people to be fed.

Santa was definitely kind to “Erin Cooks” this year (I think it was the cookies). I can’t wait to test out dishes from my cookbooks, try to break my bread making curse with the help of a new bread machine, and whip up some silky smooth soups with the assistance of a handy dandy immersion blender. Now where I’m going to store all of these items remains to be seen. If you come over for dinner I suggest opening any closets very very slowly just in case. I have a feeling that potato ricer packs a mean punch. What was your favorite kitchen gift this holiday season?

From left to right: potato ricer, bread machine, microplane grater, stainless steel slow cooker, Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis, immersion blender, Mac’s Salt & Vinegar Gourmet popcorn, New Pizza by James McNair, The Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown, Digital Food Photography by Lou Manna, a pie spatula, and the Williams-Sonoma Beef & Veal Book.

There’s a brief scene in the movie The Holiday where Kate Winslet decides to cheer up Jack Black by making him Christmas Fettuccine (start around 3:20 on the video above). So if it’s good enough for Kate Winslet, it’s good enough for me. I attempted searching around a little bit to see if this was a common practice that I’ve been missing out on, but it appears that unless I grew up in an Italian family Fettuccine really isn’t a go-to holiday meal. Although I did find it in a menu for “An Italian Holiday Party” on Cooks Illustrated (you’ll need to have a paid account to view the details though). So break out the green pasta, zest up a lemon or two and enjoy something a little less traditional during your holiday get together.

Fluffy Parmesan	Zest & Juice
Heat and Melt	Boil the Pasta
Warm the Bowls	Combine
Mix	Merry Little Christmas

Fettuccine Alfredo (Originally Published by Giada De Laurentiis)
Serves 6

18 ounces fresh fettuccine
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Drain.Stir 2 cups of the cream and the lemon juice in a heavy large skillet to blend. Add the butter and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the pasta and toss. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, and Parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Add the lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

Note: Cooks Illustrated suggests heating your individual serving bowls with hot water before plating. This will keep the pasta and sauce creamy longer. No one wants to eat congealed Christmas Fettuccine!

We have evil “Shovel Men” at our apartment. They are in league with the “Crack of Dawn” commuters. Ever since it started snowing in Boston our apartment complex hired a team of men to keep the walkways, courtyard, and driveways clear. I truly do appreciate their dedication. What I don’t appreciate is that they have a shift at 3:00 AM. In two weeks I’ve been woken up numerous times to the “harmonious” sounds of loud pounding, digging, and salt spreading. Now, if the “Shovel Men” are in hibernation for the evening than without a doubt the “Crack of Dawn” commuters will start scraping their windshields at 6:00 AM. I’m ready to move into our spare room for the winter.

Anyway, I’ve been up since around 3:30 AM and I’m now sick of trying to watch “A Walsh Family Christmas” on YouTube, so I decided to cook something. It had to be brainless and quick; something that didn’t involve any frantic KitchenAid noise. My mom’s Peanut Brittle seemed like the way to go. This crunchy treat is created completely in the microwave and it takes less than 10 minutes to make from start to finish (not including cooling time). You’re going to freak when you try it.

In my sleep deprived state I’m kind of nutty myself (thankfully I’m on vacation) so we’re going to call this dish: Mummy’s Microwave Peanut Brittle. Except when I read “Mummy” I think of that Doctor Who episode where a creepy child wanders around London eerily inquiring to everyone it meets, “Are you my mummy?” See…I told you I was a little off today.

Mix	Microwave
Meanwhile: Butter	Add Vanilla & Butter
Microwave Again	Add Baking Soda
Pour & Swirl	Are You My Mummy’s Brittle?

Mummy’s Microwave Peanut Brittle

1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup
1 Cup Peanuts
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

In a microwave safe bowl, stir together the sugar, syrup, salt, and peanuts.

Microwave the mixture on High for 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Be careful! The bowl may be very hot. Use pot holders when moving it in and out of the microwave.

Gently stir in the tablepoon of butter and the teaspoon of vanilla.

Microwave again for 30 seconds.

Stir in the teaspoon of baking soda (do not be alarmed, the mixture will thicken and change color) and quickly pour onto a buttered cookie sheet. Tilt the pan to spread. Note: It will not cover the entire sheet.

Cool completely. Break into pieces and share with a friend (maybe The Doctor if he shows up in his Tardis).

I’ve had the Avon Jolly Express cookie cutter set since 1992. When I first used the kit (way back when I was 12 years old) it came with prepackaged gingerbread mix and icing. Pretty revolting stuff, but you better believe I made that train and then ate the whole thing while watching Home Alone on VHS. You can’t find these cookie cutters anywhere. Not even on eBay. Believe me I’ve tried. For the last three years the Jolly Express has been M.I.A — with my mother claiming that she had given the kit to me, and me proclaiming that she most certainly hadn’t. So guess what we found in my mother’s attic when I was home in Maine a few months ago? Need a hint? See below.

Practically an Antique	Complete With Old Icing Stains
Too Lazy to Make Proper Dough	Cut Out Cookies
Make Icing	Fill the Bag
So Many Choices	The Naked Train
Chugga Chugga	Chugga Chugga
Chugga Chugga	Chugga Chugga
Chugga Chugga	Chugga Chugga
Chugga Chugga	Choo Choo!

Obviously I had to enter my little creation into YumSugar’s Gingerbread House Contest. Hopefully they don’t mean “house” in the literal sense? We’ll see!