AAR After Hours

Yes, it’s the time of year when our office is being inundated with cookies. Every few days, someone brings in another plate of festive, holiday cookies. Sugar cookies in every shape imaginable, topped with bright frosting and sprinkles, gingerbread men with dashing silver buttons, candy cane twists, macaroons, and too many other varieties to name.

When I was in school, a group of us used to get together every year about this time and have a cookie baking party. We’d give proposed recipes to one of the friends, and she’d buy supplies for all of the recipes. We’d then spend a fun evening baking cookies, and go away with a mix of different cookies. (more…)

In my family, the traditional vegetable for both Christmas and Thanksgiving is brussel sprouts. Did I catch you turning up your nose? Then I ask you, what is it about this vegetable that people hate?

Let me start by assuring you that no, we don’t cook them until they turn gray, soft, and, well…smelly. When cooked in water, I just boil (or steam) them until the little sprouts are a bright green. That’s it. Really, just a few minutes of cooking. I then top them with salt and pepper, or some lemon juice, or even a light cheese sauce, and they’re fantastic. But there are so many other ways to prepare brussel sprouts that are truly delicious. (more…)

Well, perhaps I should call this an un-cooking challenge, because it absolutely can’t involve any heat. Mother Nature has been supplying all the heat I can stand.

I’ve had a particularly busy — and stressful — summer, but was doing all right with making my usual healthy meals. All right, that is, until we started having week after week of never-ending high heat and humidity. Finally, a few weeks ago, something snapped, and I just couldn’t face cooking with any heat, or even eating any warm, let alone hot, foods.

So, I’ve made gazpacho. I’ve had cheese and fruit plates. I’ve had raw veggies and dips. I’ve made salads of every variety I can think of. And I’ve also relied on one of my old standbys, a can of white or black beans turned into a salad.

I always keep several cans of white (sometimes called navy) and black beans in my pantry. To turn them into a salad, I simply drain the juice from the can, and then rinse them thoroughly in a colander to remove all the excess salt and other canned flavorings. Then, after shaking out as much water as possible, I put them in a bowl, add a few other ingredients, either a homemade or bottled dressing, and there you have it, an easy salad with plenty of protein from the beans. (more…)