My love of potatoes knows no bounds. I’m especially fond of breakfast potatoes. This morning when I woke up and started rummaging around in the refrigerator for something to eat on this bright Sunday morning I was instantly drawn to last nights leftover casserole of scalloped potatoes, zucchini, red peppers and ham. “Eat me Erin! Eat me Erin,” it seemed to call from under its snug Press’n-Seal cover. I somehow managed to resist the cheesy temptation momentarily before I moved on to another, slightly more morning appropriate option. I decided to make sweetly spiced sweet potato latkes and bake them. Baking was the ultimate concession as yesterday morning I shamelessly coaxed CK into picking up a box of munchkins for us to snack on all day.

These latkes are thicker than the baked russet potato version that I made previously, and much more hash-brown like in consistency. Don’t forget to top them with your favorite condiments. I prefer sour cream, light of course — sticking with the whole donut guilt theme, but apple sauce or a fruity yogurt would also be a great addition.

Peel & Prep	Grate (the Easy Way)
Combine Potatoes & Spices	Drop by 1/3-Cupfuls
Flatten	Sweet Potato Latkes on Parade

Baked Sweet Potato Latkes (based on the recipe originally published in Women’s Health Magazine)
Makes 12 Latkes

2 pounds grated sweet potatoes
1 medium onion, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray or use a silpat.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Drop by 1/3-cupfuls onto cookie sheet. Flatten with spatula.

Bake for 25 minutes; flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with light sour cream and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Coconut made quite a few guest appearances in my childhood. In 2nd grade, my teacher brought in a coconut, a hammer, and a nail and proceeded to mercilessly beat on the poor things shell until it cracked open. Let me tell you, that was quite a lesson. By the time it was finally opened we were all slightly traumatized and quietly ate our samples of fresh coconut in silence. Then we proceeded to behave like perfect angels for the rest of the day. No one dared to break rank in case the new punishment for getting your name on the board involved carpentry tools.

We rarely baked with coconut when I was growing up, with the exception of using bags of it to cover our annual Easter Bunny Cake. I’m sure I promptly and very indiscreetly scraped the coconut off my slice of bunny, because coconut was”weird” and “gross” and looked pretty but it couldn’t compare to purple sprinkles or jelly beans so “get it away from me!”

I did eventually learn to like coconut thanks to a samples person at Shaw’s Supermarket who gave me a Dixie Cup full of Bacardi Mixers Pina Colada mix (obviously without the rum). Now that was tasty! I bugged my mother all through the frozen foods aisle until she agreed to buy some. I suppose that was my first “cocktail.” I definitely thought I was totally posh drinking what was essentilly a Pina Colada flavored sugar filled milkshake. Ahh…to be 11 again. I would have been much better off had someone just made me some of these addictive mini coconut laden treats.

Coconut Sandwich Cookies (Originally published in the December 2007 issue of Everyday Food: A Martha Stewart Magazine)

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (7 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut (about 2 1/4 cups)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Creamy Vanilla Filling (see below)

Preheat oven to 350, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Place 1/2 cup coconut into a small bowl; set aside. Place remaining coconut in a food processor; pulse until coarsely ground. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter with sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and ground coconut; mix just until combined.

Drop dough by level tablespoons onto two baking sheets, 1 to 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dividing evenly, spread filling on flat side of half the cookies; sandwich with remaining cookies. Roll edges in reserved coconut, and chill until ready to serve.

Creamy Vanilla Filling

Using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup (1 stick) room-temperature unsalted butter until light and fluffy. With mixer on medium, beat in 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (Note: I also added 1 tablespoon milk); increase speed to high, and beat until filling is light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Makes about 1 cup.

I have an obsession with quiche. I seem to be on a never ending quest to find the perfect recipe. This is of course complicated by the fact that I make really terrible pie crust. I’m learning to accept that I may never perfect the art of rolled pastry dough and therefore I stock up on the pre-made stuff. It’s not that bad. In fact, I really like it. It’s crispy, browns well, and makes for an elegant presentation which is not something I can say about some of the hideous stuff I’ve created from scratch.

While I was doing my obsessive planning for the holiday party I found a recipe for a basic quiche that I had clipped and saved. I used it to make a ham quiche and a mushroom herb version, but while mixing up the eggs, cheese, and various vegetables and meats I realized that I had a ton of filling leftover. I was probably a little heavy handed with the extras I’d added but it felt like a horrifying waste when I tossed a bunch of it down the disposal.

Fast forward to earlier this week. I had a bunch of vine ripened tomatoes and zucchinis that needed to find a home (in my tummy) and two leftover pie crusts. Obviously these ingredients just screamed quiche, so I whipped up the below recipe using two pre-baked pie crusts. Remember, quiche is an all day appropriate meal. The more the merrier! Or you can just toss one in the freezer to heat up at a later time. Another thing that I really like about this recipe is that it only uses 4 eggs and 8 ounces of cheese, which you then split between two pies. So not withstanding that whole “bad for you” pie crust thing you’ve at the very least lowered your potential egg and cheese calories (or that’s what I tell myself). Plus you filled up those pastries with veggies galore. That has to count for something. So pull out those leftovers and crack a few eggs. Delicious meals don’t get much easier than this.

Note: If I were you I wouldn’t skip the step that indicates foil lining your baking sheet. Quiche have an annoying tendency to overflow and you will so not enjoy scrubbing your favorite baking sheet or (the horror!!) the bottom of your oven for a week.

What To Do…What To Do…	Dry Those Tomatoes
Slice & Chop	Cook
Fake It With Pride	Grate, No Nibbling!
Whisk	Mix It All Up
Protect Your Investment	Layer
Fill: One For Me, One For You	Sprinkle On Top
Bake	Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner

Tomato and Zucchini Quiche (Inspired by the Basic Quiche Recipe from Real Simple Magazine)

Yields: 2 Complete Quiche and 8 Large and Tasty Servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 tomatoes, sliced, lightly salted and patted dry
2 medium zucchinis, sliced
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
4 eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half
8 ounces Gruyère, grated
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 store-bought frozen piecrust in tins

Heat oven to 375° F.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, zucchini, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Cover and cook until the onions and zucchini are softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and half-and-half. Stir in the Gruyère, herbs, nutmeg, the remaining salt and pepper, and the onion and zucchini mixture.

Place the pie crusts on a foil-lined baking sheet. Scrape the egg mixture into the pie crusts; they will be very full. Top with sliced grape tomatoes. Bake until the filling is set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

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).