Three Things

Birthday cookies, re-learning how to entertain, an A+ cookbook

Good morning daffodil and forsythia lovers! Hope everyone had a nice holiday. Here in New York, everybody over 16 is eligible to be vaccinated, and I can’t tell you how good it feels that all four members of my family are either one dose in or registered to be vaccinated. I hope you’re all feeling the same way now or in the very near future. #ThankYouScience. Here are the week’s Three Things.

1. Birthday Snickerdoodles

As usual, no matter how many times I asked my husband what he wanted for his birthday this week, his reply was the same. “Nothing.” How about an air fryer? “No. Nothing.” What about one of those Green Egg grills? “Please don’t.” Your wallet looks like it’s getting a little tattered... “Whaddya mean it’s totally fine.” By the end of the week, I think I had either grinded him down or he just wanted to shut me up, because he finally peeked over whatever manuscript he was editing and said to me “I have a birthday request.” Lay it on me!!! Please! “I want some homemade Snickerdoodles.”

I mean, it wasn’t a complete shock. They’ve been his favorite cookie since he was a kid. (It always reminds me when food writer Alan Richman wrote: “Show me a man whose favorite dessert is something he discovered as an adult, and I’ll show you a man who had an unhappy childhood.”) And, to be honest, it is a pretty perfect cookie. You need nothing more than what you almost always have at the ready: butter, sugar, cinnamon, eggs, flour, vanilla. Sarah Keiffer has pan-banged her snickerdoodles and more than few instagrammers have baked the snickerdoodle flavor into cake form, but I had my marching orders. Cookies. I went to work.

Birthday-Worthy Snickerdoodles

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl using a standing or hand mixer, mix together:

1 cup softened unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a separate bowl, sift together:

2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Gradually mix in the dry mixture to the wet mixture until it’s all blended. Wrap dough in parchment paper and chill for about one hour in freezer.

Remove dough from freezer and form round balls of dough the size of small walnuts. Roll balls in mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (the key!). If you want to make a few celebratory cookies, roll a few in rainbow sprinkles in addition to the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake for 8 minutes and cool on a rack. Makes 5 dozen 2-inch cookies.

Up the festive quotient by stacking them, surrounding with sprinkles, and spearing with candles.

2. Remember Entertaining?

My friend Robin texted me yesterday that she thinks she forgot how to cook for people and I can relate. Last weekend, we dusted off the fire pit and hauled the outdoor cushions up from the basement to set up our patio (always the best day of the year, second only to Daylight Savings Day) so I think this weekend, we’ll start slow, with my Food Around the Fire strategy. That means low-maintenance food that can be made ahead of time and enjoyed with only a soup and a spoon while sitting around a fire, i.e. Chicken Stew with Yogurt (Digaag Qumbe) or Texas Chili (a meat-lover’s dream) or Tomato White Bean Soup (last posted about that on Quarantine Day TWO!) Whatever our future holds post-pandemic, I hope we can hold on to low-key, unfussy entertaining.

3. To Asia With Love

This book, wow. It was just published this week, and I’m guessing you’ll be seeing a lot of it. I have bigger plans for it myself, but for now, there are a few quick things I want to say. For starters, have you seen a more beautiful cover? And the title just feels so right right now. Born to Chinese parents in Australia, Hetty McKinnon grew up conflicted about her cultural identity — it wasn’t until she was a mother when things “clicked into place” and she started to feel the connection to her own mom’s bright, healthy Cantonese cooking. To Asia With Love is an exploration of her personal culinary roots — a mash-up of traditional Chinese cooking and Western influences — and, shot by McKinnon herself on film, the overall effect is like you’re sitting in the kitchen next to her as she walks you through the most vibrant, appealing food I’ve ever seen…Sheet Pan Chow Mein, Mapo Tofu, a life-changing dumpling sauce, and dumplings for all seasons…

I know I get easily excited, but I promise you, this is a special one. If you’re still not convinced, follow Hetty McKinnon on instagram to get a taste of her vibe.

Have a great weekend!

Jenny

Housekeeping

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