The Occasion: It’s right there in the name. These cookies were made for tea time, a coffee break, or perhaps a late night snack with hot milk or cocoa. They’re a little on the dry side (on purpose) and not too sweet – the perfect go-with for a cuppa something warm. 

The Recipe: This recipe for Vanilla Bean Shortbread Tea Cookies comes from the food blog The View From Great Island. This blog is just brimming with tempting recipes – I will be back, and you should check out the site too. 

But what your guests will remember is how rich and buttery these shortbread cookies are. And even better, there’s only 1 cup of butter (2 sticks) in the recipe, which yielded @ 50 cookies. That’s not bad at all for shortbread. 

Kitchen Tips: I’m often intimidated by cookies that require a rolling pin and cookie cutters. I find it challenging to manipulate the dough to a specific thickness without tearing it and/or sticking the whole thing to the counter. For me, having the right tools and the right attitude makes it easier.

Tool #1: A large, clean counter or workspace. Take a few minutes to clean up and clear the space in advance.

Tool #2: Flour, lots of it. Toss generous handfuls on the counter before rolling out the dough with a thoroughly dusted rolling pin. Dust your hands too so you can press torn pieces of dough together and smooth out the seams.

Tool #3: Use a pastry scraper to lift the dough from the work surface. I do this several times during the rolling process, sometimes flipping the dough like a pancake so I can roll on the other side.

As for the attitude? A laissez faire approach works best for me regarding dough thickness and cookie yield. I always intend to do what the recipe says, but I refuse to freak out if my dough is a touch thicker or thinner. In this case, the recipe called for ¼-inch thick dough and a yield of 2 dozen cookies. My dough was thinner and my cutters were on the small side, so I got about 50 cookies from my batch. Be sure to adjust your baking time though! I watched carefully and shaved a few minutes off the oven time. 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: For a simple, un-sexy, non-chocolate cookie, these were a huge hit. Many compliments and recipe requests were received. (Here it is!) Vanilla Bean Shortbread Tea Cookies offer the perfect excuse to bring out all the pretty cups and plates for a vintage tea party. Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Shortbread Tea Cookies
Recipe source: The View From Great Island
Yield: makes approximately 2 dozen
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

• Cream the sugar and butter together in a stand mixer with the vanilla bean seeds. Blend in the flour and vanilla extract until the dough comes together.
• Sprinkle flour on your work surface, then place the soft dough there and divide it into two disks.  Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.
• While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350F.
• After the dough is chilled, roll it out on a floured surface to about ¼-inch thick and cut out the cookies. Place them on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.
• Put the baking sheet in the refrigerator while you clean up.
• Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes until firm.
• Cool on a rack.

What the heck is Sweetest Day anyway? According to Wikipedia (insert grain of salt here) it’s a holiday for showing love and affection, celebrated in the Midwest and parts of the Northeastern U.S.

I used to roll my eyes vigorously at made-up holidays such as this. But then I opened an online vintage shop – Entertaining Vintage, come visit! – and now I’m a major fan of all gift-giving occasions such as this.
​
Entertaining Vintage offers housewares, items for dining, kitchen and entertaining plus art glass, figurines, dolls, and collectibles both ridiculous and sublime.

Our Sweetest Day Sale features 15% off selected items to treat your sweetie – thru 10/21/17. 

Just here for the food? Well, here you go – enjoy some links to our favorite Sweet Bites. Any of these tasty treats would make a delicious homemade gift for someone you love. They do say – Food is Love!

• German Chocolate Cake Cookies
• Bourbon Caramels
• Salted Caramel Pretzel Cookies
• Port Ganache-Glazed Brownies with Dried Cherries​

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions

The Occasion: A little quiet Me Time. Curled up in a comfy chair, reading another chapter or two with a sweet bite and cup of tea alongside.

The zucchini bread is also good for potlucks, office treats, and bake sales thanks to its ease of transport and ability to be made ahead.

Why It Works: This is an old-fashioned cake that has stood the test of time. Sometimes you don’t want layers and fillings and frostings, sometimes a good old slice of Zucchini Bread (or carrot cake, or date loaf, etc.) is exactly what you crave. Toasted with a pat of butter, if you really want to know. 

The Verdict: Crispy on top, dense and moist inside, and flavorful all over. As a devoted raisin fan, I was delighted to encounter frequent pops of golden sweetness within the cake. Yes, I said it. This is a special treat, not a loaf of bread. Just because it’s not flashy with frosting makes it no less a cake. A tea cake, if you please!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Zucchini Bread with Golden Raisins
Recipe source: The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 small zucchini (1 pound), ends trimmed

NOTE: Small zucchini are best for baking due to smaller, drier seeds

• 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) sugar
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup whole or low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Optional: ½ cup (2 ounces) pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped
• Optional: ¾ cup golden raisins

DIRECTIONS:

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaf pan. Shred the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Squeeze the shredded zucchini between several layers of paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, melted butter, eggs, yogurt, and lemon juice together until smooth. Gently fold the shredded zucchini and yogurt mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not over-mix). Gently fold in the pecans and raisins.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, about 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
• Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving. 

The Occasion: Anytime you want to treat yo self. Or claim your crown as the most awesome treat-baker in the world and bake for others. Mm-hm, they are just that good. We brought them to a Mardi Gras party and yes indeed, the good times did roll!

The Verdict: Thin, dense, and sweet. That sounds like a punchline to a “that’s how I like my lovers” joke, but no, we’re still talking about dessert. And these treats cannot be beat! Go on and get you some.

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Port Ganache-Glazed Brownies with Dried Cherries
Recipe source: Fine Cooking

INGREDIENTS:

For the port-soaked dried cherries:

• 1/2 cup dried cherries, very coarsely chopped (or whole dried cranberries)
• 1/3 cup tawny port

For the brownies:

• 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter; plus more softened butter for the pan
• 3 ounces (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour; plus more for the pan
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt

For the port-ganache topping:

• 1/2 cup tawny port
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped  (about 1 cup)

DIRECTIONS:

Soak the cherries:

In a small saucepan, bring the cherries and port to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Make the brownies:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour a 9-inch-square metal baking pan, tapping out the excess flour. (I cover bottom of pan in aluminum foil first so that it’s easier to remove from the pan once baked.)

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk or stir in the sugar, followed by all four of the eggs and the vanilla.

Stir in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, starting slowly to keep the ingredients from flying out of the pan and stirring more vigorously as you go. Stir until the batter is smooth and uniform, about 1 minute.

If you're using the port-soaked cherries, stir them in at this time, along with any remaining liquid from the saucepan.

Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing it so it fills the pan evenly. Bake until a toothpick or a skewer inserted 3/4 inch into the center of the brownies comes out with just a few moist clumps clinging to it, about 40 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a rack.
​
Make the topping:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the port to a boil. Boil until the port is reduced to 2 tablespoons, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour it into a small cup or bowl. Thoroughly rinse the pan.

​Bring the heavy cream to a boil in the pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the chopped chocolate and reduced port until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is melted.

Pour the ganache into a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Put the bowl in a cool part of the kitchen and let the ganache cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. When it's cool, spread it evenly over the cooled brownies and give the ganache about an hour to set (it will still be quite soft and gooey). Cut into 16 squares – or smaller sizes as this is quite rich. Keep the brownies at room temperature, well wrapped. You can freeze them, too.

The Occasion: Mardi Gras aka Fat Tuesday is coming up next week, ushering in the 40-day period of abstinence and atonement known as Lent. Many people give up sweets during this period, so make sure to get one more really satisfying dessert in there before the cut-off. This bread pudding, which Ilise tweaked from an Emeril Lagasse recipe, might just be the one. 
​
We served this as part of the dessert buffet at our annual holiday open house in December, which had a Mardi Gras/masquerade theme. The dish won hearts and minds right away and may end up on the Request List for future parties.

Why This Works: Comfort food, plain and simple. We made it work for a buffet/open house scenario using an electric warming tray and a fondue pot (over Sterno or a candle) for the whiskey sauce. 

The Verdict: This was a real crowd-pleaser, especially with a healthy dollop of hard sauce ladled on top. By itself the casserole is flavorful with warm spices and bourbon-soaked raisins and the texture is that wonderful mix of crispy on top and melty-luscious down below. The whiskey sauce packs a punch when sampled on its own, but when paired with the bread pudding it’s a culinary love match. Go on and get you some!  Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
Recipe source: Adapted from Emeril Lagasse via Food Network

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 to 14 cups 1-inch cubes day-old white bread, such as French or Italian
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 cups whole milk
• 6 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup bourbon or other whiskey
• Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
• 1 recipe Whiskey Sauce, recipe follows

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put bourbon in small sauce pan and warm up over low heat, add in raisins and keep heat on simmer for another 5 minutes.  Take pan off the heat and let raisins soak up the bourbon.
• Place the bread in a large bowl. Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.
• Combine the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and raisins with any remaining bourbon in a large bowl. Whisk to mix. Pour the cream mixture over the bread, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Transfer the bread mixture to the casserole dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Garnish the bread pudding with confectioners' sugar (if desired) and serve warm with warm Whiskey Sauce.

Whiskey Sauce:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup bourbon or other whiskey
• Pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• In a 1-quart saucepan set over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and sugar.
• Place the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the bourbon in a small mixing bowl and whisk to blend and make a slurry.
• Pour the slurry into the cream mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
• Remove the sauce from the heat, add the salt, and stir in the butter and the remaining 1/4 cup of bourbon. Serve warm.

You know what goes well with romance? Yes yes, honesty, trust, communication, all that good stuff, absolutely. But you know what else? CHAMPAGNE. 

​Little note here to say that of course it is entirely possible and frequently preferable to experience romance without a drop of alcohol. Neither this post nor any of the ETP cocktail posts are meant to pressure anyone to drink who doesn’t wish to or who cannot for any number of reasons which are none of my business.

​But for those who do care for a sip or two, we’ve got some recommendations for sparkling wine to make your Valentine’s Day – or any special occasion – effervescent and extra-special. ​

​We'll target Bubbles on a Budget because really, who isn't on a budget these days?!

​But first ...

Here are a few bottles that deliver on fizz and flavor while keeping a modest price tag ($20 or less). You should be able to find them at most well-stocked wine/liquor stores.

• ​La Marca Prosecco – Italy – about $14
• Freixenet Cordon Rosado Brut – Spain – about $11. Bright pink but nice and dry.
• Gruet NV Extra Dry – New Mexico - $16. This is a little sweeter but not overly so.
• Louis Bouillot Crémant de Bourgogne – France – about $20. We enjoy the Perle d’Aurore Rosé Brut, a sparkling wine from the Burgundy region using Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. 

For a splurge, we recommend one of the Schramsberg sparkling wines. From Napa Valley, prices range from $28 to you-don’t-want-to-know.

Fun fact: Schramsberg’s Blanc de Blancs was used for President Nixon’s 1972 “Toast to Peace” with China’s Premier Zhou Enlai. Schramsberg’s sparkling wines have been served at official State functions by every U.S. Presidential administration since.

​​“Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!” 
― Dom Perignon

The Occasion: Dinner for two. You and Mr/Ms Right (or maybe Ms/Mr Right-Now, no judgement). Reap the rewards of cooking for your sweetie with hardly any fuss and bother. Win-win.

Why This Works: Crab cakes always seem fancy even though they’re simple to make. They taste decadent and luxurious but are not overly rich unless you go crazy with the side sauce.

Plus the simple treatment leaves you plenty of time to prepare the rest of your meal, light the candles, and get dressed to impress.

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: What a delicious and impressive way to show your dinner date that you care enough to put in a special effort.

I will acknowledge that we overcooked our crab cakes by just a minute or two. As you can see in the photos, they turned out more brown than golden. They still tasted wonderful though, so if this happens when you cook your special dinner just dim the lights. Ambiance, doncha know.

This is a perfect example of the freshness of the ingredients making an enormous difference in the overall quality of the dish. Get your crab from a reliable source, such as a specialized fish market or the fish counter at a high-end grocery store. I do not recommend using canned crab.
​
Flexibility is a factor too. Crab cakes can be served in multiple sizes: a small two-bite treat as a cocktail hors d'oeuvre; slightly bigger with a dipping sauce or two as a sit-down appetizer course; or even an entree – larger patties served on a bed of greens with a rich sauce drizzled over. Mmmm.  

Baltimore-Style Crab Cakes
Recipe source: Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Adventures via Food & Wine
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over
• 20 saltine crackers, finely crushed
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving

 
DIRECTIONS:

• In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce until smooth.
• In a medium bowl, lightly toss the crab meat with the cracker crumbs. Gently fold in the mayonnaise mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Scoop the crab mixture into eight 1/3-cup mounds; lightly pack into 8 patties, about 1 1/2 inches thick.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the crab cakes and cook over moderately high heat until deeply golden and heated through, about 3 minutes per side.
• Transfer the crab cakes to plates and serve with lemon wedges.
• Optional: Make a dipping sauce combining a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise with a few drops of hot sauce. Mix, taste, and adjust until you’re happy with the flavor.
• MAKE AHEAD: The crab cakes can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated overnight.

Valentine’s Day is coming up fast – on the face of it a nice day to recognize and appreciate our loved ones, but underneath the surface lurks potential stress over gift-giving. Do I need to give a gift? Have I picked the right gift? What if she/he hates this gift? Even worse, what if she/he doesn’t get ME a gift in return? That’s a lot of pressure to put onto one little ol’ holiday. 

Please pardon this commercial break (What? Self-promotion during the run-up to one of the most Hallmark-iest holidays of all? Shocking.) but I’d like to suggest a quick visit to Entertaining Vintage to peruse a wide range of gift options carefully selected to surprise and delight. 

Not to worry, we’ve got you covered in all scenarios.

Aside from the retail therapy on offer, we at Entertain the Possibilities will share posts to help you celebrate the month of February in style – from recipes for romantic meals, to recommendations for the best bubbly, to playlists packed with seductive love songs.

We’ll also address some of the lesser-known festivities that are packed into this short month. Did you know that February is the time to honor these important things?  

• Free and Open Source Software Month
• American Heart Month
• An Affair to Remember Month
• Black History Month
• Canned Food Month
• Creative Romance Month
• Great American Pie Month
• National Bake for Family Fun Month
• National Bird Feeding Month
• National Cherry Month
• National Children’s Dental Health Month
• National Grapefruit Month
• National Heart Month
• National Hot Breakfast Month
• National Library Lover’s Month
• National Macadamia Nut Month
• National North American Inclusion Month
• National Snack Food Month
• National Weddings Month
• National Embroidery Month

 
Yup. That’s a lot. Stay tuned. We’ll have a lot to talk about this month. In the meantime, pour yourself another glass of romance and drink deep from the loving cup!

Warning: This post represents stream-of-consciousness rambling and oddball connections from within the depths of my brain. Proceed at your own risk.

As a onetime theatre professional and a longtime lover of the creative arts, I am prone to flights of fancy in which I look for below-the-radar connections between diverse things.

We all do this to some extent. Look at a fluffy cloud in the sky and see a wooly mammoth or an ice cream cone. Listen to a piece of orchestral music and picture a waterfall or fawns in the forest. View an angsty painting by Edvard Munch and hear the music of My Chemical Romance blasting in your inner ear. 

Well, when I look at these perfectly kitsch mid-century appetizer plates featuring soulful (demonic?) big-eyed kitties my mind goes to the AWESOME 1960s cult classic film Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill directed by B-movie auteur Russ Meyer. According to Wikipedia, “Meyer is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that featured campy humor, sly satire and large-breasted women.”

​Mr. Meyer died in 2004 and we did not know each other, but I think he would have enjoyed eating his critics’ lunch from these feline-festooned appetizer plates after finally earning recognition and kudos from filmmaking’s Big Dogs including Quentin Tarantino who has named Meyer as a major influence.

Here now, for your camp-loving enjoyment, is the trailer for Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill.

And P.S. if you're interested in the plates check them out at Entertaining Vintage.

Last week I broke the news that the Etsy stork brought a new little sibling to Entertain the Possibilities - her name is Entertaining Vintage, and we think she's beautiful. From time to time I'll offer a post that combines all of the usual ETP interests - eating, drinking, and making merry - with EV's focus on vintage treasures. Here we go!

Hold on to your (gl)ass everyone, in this post we’re attempting to bring together a whole bunch of divergent interests. Let’s see how cohesive I can make it, shall we? Let’s begin.
​
First: Pretty collectibles. Peep that photo again. This group of decorative antique art glass objects in the Bohemian/Czech style which features rich glass colors, loads of gold gilding, and hand painted floral scenes with the signature thick brush strokes shows different applications of this distinctive design style. (Please take a closer look at these items at Entertaining Vintage.)

Finally: Food. Bohemians and Czechs are known for their pastries and desserts including a long list of Christmas-time specialty cookies known as vanocni cukrovi (vah-NAWTCH-nee koo-KRAW-vee). Here are a few recipes that look especially good to us:

• Czech Bear Paws or medvedi tlapicky – cocoa-spice cookies dipped in melted chocolate with almond slivers for ‘claws’
• Vanilla Crescents or vanilkove rohlicky – the tasty quarter-moon cookies are sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar to emulate new-fallen snow
• Czech Jam Thumbprints or dulkove kolacky – similar to jam-filled cookies the world over but with a special Eastern European flair

Hopefully we have piqued your interest in several different directions at once. Use the links below if you’d like to learn more about:

• Eastern European food
• Freddie Mercury and Queen’s tour de force Bohemian Rhapsody
• Bohemian/Czech art glass and collectibles
• The specific blue and amber glass treasures displayed in the lead photo

I’m so pleased to announce that our new online store is now open for business, featuring vintage items for kitchen, dining, entertaining, collectibles, and super-cool items too numerous and diverse to mention here. Entertaining Vintage is our baby’s name and, like every new parent, we think she’s just beautiful.

Please visit the Entertaining Vintage shop on Etsy to take a look, and also visit the Entertaining Vintage Facebook page. Please Like, Favorite, Share and Comment – this will help me a lot as I work to grow the business.

From time to time we plan to integrate items from the shop into the stories here on the blog, such as the beautiful Fenton Baskets seen in the photo above. Fenton Art Glass has been hand-crafting distinctive colored art glass and practical items for over 100 years with factories in Ohio and West Virginia.

Highly collectible, these pretty baskets would make lovely décor for a special occasion table setting or just to gaze upon while daydreaming. Click through to take a closer look: A) Tall, hot pink basket; B) Violet iridescent basket with leafy pattern; C) Pink with hand-painted floral design

To me these dazzling baskets call to mind one of the happiest nursery rhyme songs there is: the legendary Miss Ella Fitzgerald singing A-Tisket, A-Tasket. Please enjoy.