Cranberry-Honey Spice Pinwheel Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup(s) sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup(s) cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
1/2 cup(s) honey
2 teaspoon(s) freshly grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon(s) ground cardamom, or allspice
2 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 cup(s) whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon(s) ground cardamom, or allspice
1/3 cup(s) canola oil
3 1/2 tablespoon(s) butter, melted and cooled
1 cup(s) sugar
1/3 cup(s) honey
2 eggs
3 tablespoon(s) low-fat milk, plus more as needed
2 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly grated orange zest
2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon(s) almond extract

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Directions

1. To prepare filling: Combine dried and fresh cranberries, honey, orange zest, cinnamon and cardamom (or allspice) in a medium nonreactive saucepan (see Note) over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook, stirring, until the fresh cranberries burst and soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor and puree. If the mixture seems dry, stir in up to 2 teaspoons water. Transfer the mixture to a nonreactive container and refrigerate while preparing the dough.

2. To prepare dough: Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom (or allspice) in a large bowl. In another large bowl, combine oil, butter, sugar, honey, eggs, milk, orange zest, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat the wet ingredients with an electric mixer first on low speed, then on medium speed, until well combined. Add half the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until evenly incorporated. If the mixture is too dry to hold together, stir in up to 1 tablespoon more milk. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 to 45 minutes to reduce its stickiness.

3. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a 6-inch-long log. Working with one log at a time, center it on a 16-inch-long sheet of baking parchment or wax paper. Cover with a second sheet. Press and then roll into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle of even thickness, inverting the dough occasionally to roll out any wrinkles and patching it to make the sides as even as possible. Transfer the dough, in the paper, to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining log of dough and transfer to the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the dough is slightly firm, about 15 minutes.

4. To prepare pinwheel rolls: Place one sheet of dough on a work surface. Peel off the top sheet of paper. Spread half the reserved filling evenly over the dough (it will be a thin layer). Working from a 15-inch-long side, tightly roll up the dough jelly-roll style, leaving the bottom sheet of paper behind. While rolling, slightly stretch out the center to yield an evenly thick roll. Wrap the roll in a clean sheet of wax paper, twisting the ends to prevent unrolling (see Tip). Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the second piece of dough and place on the baking sheet. Freeze until firm, at least 3 to 4 hours.

5. To bake cookies: Position racks in the upper third and center of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one pinwheel roll at a time, trim the uneven ends. Cut the roll crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices using a large serrated knife; periodically turning the roll to maintain a relatively round cookie shape. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Bake the cookies until puffed and barely golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to middle halfway through baking. Immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cut and bake the remaining pinwheel roll.

Sweet apple and potato soup for your holiday

Ingredients

1 3/4 pound(s) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1 small parsnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
salt to taste
6 cup(s) vegetable stock or low-sodium broth
1 dash(es) apple cider
1 teaspoon(s) green Tabasco sauce
finely diced Granny Smith apple and minced parsle, for garnish

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Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with the parsnip, garlic, olive oil and salt. Bake for 45 minutes, or until tender.
2. In a blender, puree half of the vegetables with 3 cups of the stock; transfer to a large saucepan. Repeat with the remaining vegetables and stock. Add the apple cider and Tabasco and heat through. Season with salt. Serve with the diced apple and minced parsley.

How to Trim the Fat From Your Grocery Bill

1. Buy in bulk. It might make you feel like a seventies throwback, but buying grains, cereals, dried beans, nuts, and seeds in bulk can save you a whole lot of cash. Plus, it cuts down drastically on the amount of packaging you need to schlep home and eventually recycle.

Of course, proper storage is a must. Keep grains, nuts, and other dry goods fresh in airtight jars. This will keep pests out and will help prevent the food from becoming rancid. Foods rich in oil, like nuts, are better off stored in the fridge or freezer in an airtight bag. If you can’t consume the nuts yourself, try making maple-spiced nuts as hostess gift to bring to holiday parties. Food co-ops and natural-food stores usually have a pretty good bulk selection, and you can also buy online.

My favorite new discovery is olive oil in a cask. Light, oxygen, and heat can break down oil and make it go rancid, but this packaging keeps the air (or at least most of it) out. Instead of buying eight 500-milliliter bottles of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil for about $20-$25 a bottle (a total of up to $200), check out the Yellingbo 4-liter cask for $60. I know that sounds like a lot of dough to spend all at once, but if you use a lot of olive oil at home, it can be a huge cost-saver. Plus, instead of cleaning out and recycling all those bottles, you can just fold up the box, which is already made from recycled cardboard.

2. Clear out your freezer. Get rid of extraneous ice cube trays and finish up that gallon of rocky road. Look for bargain buys, and if you find a great deal on chicken breasts, for example, buy a bunch (make sure they haven’t passed the sell-by date) and either freeze in the original packaging or rewrap and seal using something like Reynolds Handi-Vac. Use a black marker to write the date you packaged them up and make sure to use them within two months.

3. Go whole. Yes, buying a whole head of broccoli or cauliflower is cheaper than buying the florets. And by the same token, you’re better off going for a whole chicken than skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Right now at Fresh Direct, the price of breasts is $10.99/pound, while a whole chicken is only $1.69/pound. You’ll probably need to buy at least a 7-pound chicken, but the savings are amazing and you’ll get more meals out of that one chicken.

Here’s how to get the most out of your chicken:

Day 1: Just rub a little olive oil, salt, and pepper on it (and push some fresh rosemary under the skin if you want to be fancy) and roast it for 70 minutes at 375º. Enjoy the chicken with some roasted red potatoes. When you’re done, pull the rest of the chicken meat off and store it in an airtight container. Don’t throw the carcass away! Wrap it in foil or put it in an airtight container.

Day 2: Take the chicken and either make chicken quesadillas or burritos with it, or dice it up with celery and grapes and mix with a little light mayo for chicken salad.

Day 3: Place that carcass in a large stockpot and cover it with cold water. Bring it to a boil and skim off any foam that comes to the top. Turn down the heat to a simmer, and skim again if necessary. Add a quartered onion, sliced parsnips, chopped celery, sliced carrots, parsley, and a few whole cloves of garlic, and simmer for about an hour and a half. Since the skin and most of the fat are gone, you can just serve the soup hot, or strain and chill. Make sure to add salt and pepper to taste. And, as an added bonus, water-based foods—like soup—can help you lose a few extra pounds.