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Recipe: bacon-wrapped boursin-stuffed dates

It snoooooowed! It’s snooooooowing! *running around with joy* I can’t tell you how happy this makes me (and Jeremy and Kaweah)! We’ve gotten over a foot at home and more than 18 inches on the local hill the last couple of days. And it’s not just the skiing, it’s the precipitation we desperately needed. But… THE SKIING!!

my first day of the season at the local ski hill

the prettiest morning commute – on the way to get first tracks!

a quick afternoon ski tour before dark

jeremy pretends to take a rest on a trailside bench

sunset from the trail

Despite the jaunts out in the snow, I’ve finished my baking and packaging and most other holiday-related stuffs. The oven has been working overtime (as have I) and the house smells of ginger and spices and baking. Several varieties of cookies are packed, tagged, and nestled in their gift boxes or gift bags to be delivered. We’re looking forward to wrapping up 2012 with some skiing, Kaweah snuggles, work (it never ends), and good food. If you’re in search of an easy appetizer for a holiday party or maybe nibbles to tide folks over for a big holiday meal – might I suggest this super easy little old party in your mouth?

bacon, dates, and boursin cheese

Three ingredients, minimal preparation, and ten to twenty-five minutes of baking. Say yes with me. And hello, there’s bacon. Start with the dates. I like to use medjool dates as they are large, sweet, and have a nice chewy, almost velvety texture. They are also sticky as all get out. You can purchase them pitted, but the only organic ones I can find are not pitted. It’s not hard to pit them, though. Just take a sharp knife and slit the side open and pop the pit out.

slice the date open and remove the pit

pitted dates, sliced bacon, and boursin in a pastry bag

I made the mistake of cutting my bacon into thirds. In hindsight, I should have cut the bacon into halves since it shrinks when cooked. As for the Boursin, you can let it soften to room temperature and put it in a pastry bag, or keep it cold and crumble it. Either way, the goal is to stuff some Boursin into each date.

piping cheese into the date

wrapping the bacon around the stuffed date

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Recipe: chana masala

Today, my baby puppy Kaweah turns 14 years old. And even though I call her my puppy, even though she acts like a puppy, even though so many people think she’s a puppy… she’s pretty old. So when she turns off her ears and doesn’t come when called (her hearing is perfectly fine, she can hear me open the closet door to her dog treats from across the house) or when she stumbles because her back legs are weak, we are extra patient and understanding with her the way we would be with our grandmas if they were still alive. I don’t generally make a big deal of birthdays, but this one is special, because it may be her last one.

a little salad, puppy biscuits on cheddar, and raw flank steak

kaweah started with her veggies first (good girl)

apples, peanut butter sauce, unsweetened whipped cream

such a patient pup

jeremy blew the candle out

birthday girl!!

We actually celebrated on Thursday, one day early, because our schedules are completely bonkers. The holidays really make me want to do the opposite of what is considered de rigueur. I can get away with some of it, but not the baking. Our local post office ladies ask Jeremy every November if I’ll be bringing cookies for the holidays. And I can’t not give cookies to my vet, because we love him so much. My ace #1 oncologist – he gets cookies for sure. We always gift cookies to the administrative staff in Jeremy’s department. I don’t mind the baking because this is an expression of gratitude. What I do mind is having heaps of sweets around me. Gah! Get them away! To balance out the craziness of holiday baking, I’ve been gravitating toward simple, but awesome savory dishes.

cayenne, garam masala, paprika, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cumin seeds

spices, salt, garlic, onion, lemon, tomatoes, ginger, jalapeño pepper, and chickpeas

This is a recipe that has been eating away at me for a few years – chana masala. My friend, Nicole, brought it to a potluck party in Seattle two summers ago and I loved it. It was a big party, and I never got around to asking for the recipe. By the time I remembered again (months later) I hit the interwebs which 80% of the time lead me to Deb.

grind the toasted cumin seeds

everything chopped, diced, grated, minced, ground, or juiced

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Recipe: shredded brussels sprouts salad

The crush of self-imposed holiday-related deadlines looms large at Butter headquarters. We don’t even celebrate anything in particular and I’ve got a little bit of the freak out going on. So I needed something easy and full of crunchy vegetables to balance the ungodly amount of baked goods I’m cranking out of my kitchen.

brussels sprouts, walnuts, pecorino, lemon, salt, pepper, mustard, olive oil

The first time I had Brussels sprouts was in the NASA cafeteria during a summer internship. I generally loved vegetables as a kid because my mom didn’t cook them to death, but served them bright, fresh, and full of flavor and nutrients. I popped a sprout into my mouth and *squish*. It didn’t taste bad, it tasted sad. Fast forward a decade to my reintroduction to the oft-maligned Brussels sprouts – that time roasted – and we’ve been enjoying a love affair ever since.

peel any discolored or blemished outer leaves

slice thin by hand, by mandoline, or by food processor (slicing or shredding blade)

separate the slices in a large bowl

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