Visions of Vegetables Dance in Our Heads
January 8, 2014
It was a full season baking-wise. A lot of the usual suspects–butter balls, rocky road, ginger muffins, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and a cake or two…. Â And a few new entries–a wonderful gingerbread, which I’ll make again, and my new, personal favorite: cheese crackers, which I’ll definitely make again (maybe even as soon as this Friday for an upcoming potluck.. hmmm). The cheese crackers were a savory alternative to all the sweets; I am very thankful to Susan’s mom, Mumsie, for this recipe. Â Not low cal, but sharp cheesy, buttery and hot (cayenne)
Then, there were these (below) which I made for a loosely-themed Downton Abbey dinner with my newish food group last Sunday (we call ourselves the Dining Divas though I haven’t quite brought myself to use that name).  I tried these little mini phyllo tarts with a greek yogurt-based cream (yogurt, brown sugar, orange juice and orange zest), topped with fresh seasonal fruit and toasted chopped pistachios. A bit odd tasting, not sweet enough, but pretty on the plate. And sugar plums.  Never knew what a sugar plum was, other than something the vision of which danced in our heads.  This is a sugar plum: finely chopped dried apricots, dates and prunes, mixed with finely chopped pecans and/or walnuts, spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and orange zest.  Oh, and rolled in either brown or white sugar. Funny, Jim and I, independently, came up with the same description: fruit cake w/o the cake. Healthy enough and not horrible, but it doesn’t bring ’em back
In addition to all that, we were the grateful recipients of numerous gifts of cookies, toffees, brittles, truffles, breads, liqueurs and boxes of candies…
I am a person in search of a good new year’s resolution. 
Life of Wry 
January 9, 2014 at 6:38 am
They look beautiful! I would love for you to share the cheese cracker recipe….
January 9, 2014 at 8:18 am
From my friend Susan’s mom:
Ingredients
½ lb. well-aged Tillamook/good cheddar cheese, grated
½ c. butter (1 cube), ROOM TEMP [I’ve used as much as 10T in order to ensure balls that stick together]]
1/3 tsp. salt
1 1/3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
4 c. cornflakes, crushed (4 oz.) [Measure first, then crush]
Cayenne or chipotle pepper, to taste ( I like about ½ tsp.; your taste may vary.)
Directions
Blend all ingredients well in a stand mixer or by hand, until they form a firm dough. Roll small balls of dough, a bit smaller than a ping-pong ball, and press them with a fork to flatten them.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 8 min., turn pan, and bake another 6 min. or until slightly brown. Cool and store in airtight container. They keep well for a week (but won’t last that long).
The little balls, flattened, freeze well. Make them ahead for parties or last-minute treats.
January 9, 2014 at 8:26 am
Funny. WordPress is not able to import certain characters–critical ones, like “1/2!”
Okay: For clarification:
1/2 lb cheese
1/2 c butter
1/2 tsp cayenne
It also didn’t like the contraction: “[they] won’t last that long.”