Remember the Sesame Street game "One of these things is not like the other?" In the Williams-Sonoma corporate office, Tre Balchowsky was the one who didn't fit the mold. Her shocking pink hair was like a lighthouse in a sea of designer clothes, manicures and meticulously coiffed hair. I instantly knew this was someone I was going to like...a lot!
Since that first day, Tre and I have become friends and we've shared work challenges, career changes and, of course, recipes.
Not long ago she sent me her recipe for cobbler. Now I know Tre likes her cocktails but the amount of booze in this is insane! There is almost a full cup of spiced rum in here. Honestly, I thought the spiced rum was going to overpower the fruit, but it didn't. The flavor of the rum came through but the alcohol didn't. It is a nice balance of flavors and is something I know I'd make again and again, trying different combinations of fruits.
In the baking world, Christmas cookies tend to have Type A personalities; pushy, demanding attention, rigidly organized and highly status conscious. So every once in a while it’s nice to see a cookie with a Type B personality. These Sesame Seed Cookies are very tender with a cake-like texture that's subtle and simply flavored.
The Christmas cookie extravaganza continues with the winner of the 1988 Chicago Tribune's Christmas Cookie Contest: Fay Kuhn's Thumbprints, substituting dairy-free margarine for the butter, of course.
One of my favorite Christmas cookies is Chocolate Pinwheel refrigerator cookies. My mom has been baking ever since I can remember. (Last year she made and froze over 44 dozen of them.)
FYI, Southerners take pound cake very seriously. So much so that when I was interviewing for a position in the Southern Living test kitchen, one of the things I was tested and judged on was my ability to make pound cake.
During my time in the test kitchen I made a number of different pound cakes, but the one that really amazed me was the one that took no baking skills and was the easiest to make. The Two-Step Pound Cake really is just 2 steps and takes minutes to get in the oven. Simply layer the ingredients in the order given and then turn on the mixer. Even if you think you can't bake, this cake is for you!
There once was a spud in the market I picked up and slipped in my pocket. "A latke you'll be", I said with some glee, "And serve you with chicken or brisket".
Would you believe me if I said you could have crispy, hot, savory dinner rolls in less than 1 hour? FROM SCRATCH!
Even though this uses yeast it's made more like a quick bread than a traditional yeast bread. The ingredients are quickly stirred together, put into the pan and set aside for a few minutes before going in the oven. It really is that easy.
It's funny what memories stick with you. For instance, every summer my family would drive from Wisconsin to Massachusetts to visit my grandparents. There were trips to Boston, Lexington and Concord and Rockport. While these were all fun (and educational) some of the best times we had were spent with Grandpa on his walks. He loved to walk and would go out at least once, usually twice, a day. Of course, my sister, brother and I jumped at the chance to go with him because it was a real treat having Grandpa all to ourselves.
One of his favorite routes took him by the old Jordan Marsh store in Framingham. We always hoped he would take this route because the next best thing to spending time with him was a trip to the bakery inside to pick up a box of their famous blueberry muffins. Although the muffins were fantastic, I loved going there for another reason.
Since that first day, Tre and I have become friends and we've shared work challenges, career changes and, of course, recipes. 
One of my favorite Christmas cookies is Chocolate Pinwheel refrigerator cookies. My mom has been baking ever since I can remember. (Last year she made and froze over 44 dozen of them.)
