I don’t have the best of luck with computers.  Last fall, I went through three laptops in the same number of months.  I thought I finally had one that could keep up with me until it crashed and burned last weekend.  So it’s off being repaired and I’m going through major withdrawals.  There’s not much internet surfing, no playing with photos, and zero new podcasts on my ipod for the last two weeks. Ugh!

The geeks tell me that I’ll have my laptop back and good as new in a couple days.  That’s good because I have baked goods to share.  Until then, perhaps you’d like to try this tres leches cake that I made last year for Cinco de Mayo.  Wish me luck!

(image from Glam & Graffiti)

This recipe for baked chocolate doughnuts is another winner from Tracy at Shutterbean.  Imagine soft, chocolaty cupcakes topped with a rich espresso glaze, and baked in a pan with holes in the middle.  There you have it.  It helps that they’re so easy to whip together.  Perfect for mornings after you’ve slept in (just a little). 

So go ahead and enjoy your nutritious, balanced breakfasts this week.  You should; they’re good for you.  And come on back Sunday morning for some baked doughnuts.  They will be worth the wait.

Baked Chocolate Doughnuts
with espresso glaze

Makes 6 doughnuts

Doughnuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2  teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon espresso powder, optional but totally recommended
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat doughnut pan with cooking spray and set aside.  Set a tall, sturdy drinking glass on your work surface.  Line the glass with a large resealable bag or piping bag so that the bag opening extends a couple inches taller than the glass.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, add the remaining doughnut ingredients and whisk to combine.  In two additions, add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients.  Stir to combine.  Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure the flour is incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the prepared bag.  Carefully remove the bag from the glass and cut off a bottom corner.  Squeeze the batter into the prepared pan so each is about 2/3 full.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until doughnuts spring back when lightly pressed.  Set the pan on a rack and cool for 3 minutes, and carefully turn onto the rack to cool.

Place a sheet of wax paper or a few paper towels under your cooling rack.  In a small bowl, combine espresso powder and water and stir until dissolved.  Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl, and whisk in the espresso/water and vanilla.  Whisk in the milk until it reaches the desired consistency.  Lightly dip the top of each cooled doughnut into the glaze and transfer back to the cooling rack.

Notes:
Recipe from Shutterbean.
For high-altitude, decrease baking soda to 1/4 teaspoon.

Tomato Soup with Orzo
Serves 4-6

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano*
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
dried Italian seasonings to taste
1/2 cup orzo
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a large nonstick pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Do not let the garlic brown.  Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, salt, both peppers, and Italian seasonings.  Bring soup to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

If you prefer your soup to be on the smoother side, you can use a hand blender at this point to puree the soup in the pot.  Alternatively, you can puree in a blender in two or three batches.  Do not fill the blender more than half-way, and be sure to cover the lid with a kitchen towel.  Press down tightly to hold the lid in place while blending.  Pour the soup back into the original pot.

Add orzo and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring often, until pasta is just about done.  Stir in the cream and simmer 2-3 minutes.  Enjoy.

Notes:
Slightly adapted from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof:  Recipes You Can Trust.
To use whole-canned tomatoes, add before the garlic and break up well with the back of a large spoon.

I would see recipes for baked treats like Meyer lemon bars, Bundt cakes, or muffins, and the author would usually recommend adding a little more sugar to regular lemons for those “not lucky enough to have Meyer lemons.”  I felt so left out.  How different could they be?  As it turns out, they are quite a bit different.  My local Smith’s grocery store recently starting selling these little gems, so of course I was excited to try them out.

The first time I saw them at the store, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see them again, so I bought a large handful.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make with them, but I knew it should be something simple that would highlight the lemon flavor.  I’m already a fan of lemon curd, so I figured that Meyer lemon curd would be a real treat.  I started looking for recipes, and found this one from David Lebovitz.  He’s never let me down before, so I went with it.

As soon as I cut into the fruit and took a whiff of the orange-lemon fragrance, I knew this was better than a regular lemon.  In slightly longer than no time, I had a luscious and creamy Meyer lemon curd.  And what did I put it on?  Not all that much.  Mostly, I had a sweet spoonful straight out of the jar for dessert for several nights in a row.  And now I know what the fuss is about.

Meyer Lemon Curd
makes about 1 cup

½ cup Meyer lemon juice, freshly-squeezed
1/3 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
a pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Set a mesh strainer over a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, eggs, and salt.  Add the butter cubes and set the pan over low heat.  Whisk constantly until the butter is melted.

Increase the heat just a bit to moderate and keep whisking until the mixture thickens and starts to become jelly-like, about 3-4 minutes.  It’s done when you lift the whisk and the mixture holds its shape when it falls back into the saucepan from the whisk.

Immediately press the curd through the strainer.  Store the strained lemon curd in the refrigerator.  It will keep for one week.

Notes:
Recipe from David Lebovitz
I had no problems with this recipe, but I’ve been known to get a little impatient while making curd and end up scrambling the eggs just a bit.  This can be saved by dumping the mixture into the heat-safe bowl of a food processor and pulsing a few times.
If you have a couple lemons left over, this Meyer Lemon Drop cocktail is delightful.

At first glance, it isn’t obvious that these tasty cookies are made with Nutella.  Even after a bite or two, you will enjoy the delicate coconut flavor enhanced with chewy oatmeal, but you might wonder, “Is there really Nutella in here?”  That’s when the surprise comes in, and BAM, you bite into the smooth and creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread, and it all comes together.
It seems like only a short while has passed since I made these cookies, but since time flies so quickly, it’s actually been close to a couple months.  I wanted to make a Friday treat, and couldn’t decide between two different cookies that I’d seen that week on Pinterest, both from Two Peas & Their Pod.  The first was a coconut oatmeal cookie that practically called my name.  The only hesitation I had about bringing it to work was that not all people are lovers of coconut.  And by that, I mean that the people who aren’t lovers of this ingredient seem to be haters.  The second cookie that caught my attention that week was a giant chocolate chip cookie stuffed with Nutella in the middle.  I was pretty sure this would be a sure hit, since everyone I work with loves them some Nutella.  But I did mention the coconut recipe was calling my name, and so the decision was made to combine the two.  Done and done.

I decided to follow Annie’s method for stuffing her Nutella cookies on Annie’s Eats, and it worked perfectly.  Thursday morning before work, I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper and placed scoops of Nutella on the parchment.  I stuck the sheet in the freezer, and left it there until I was ready to make cookies that night.   And just to make the coconut a little friendlier for everyone, I pulsed it in the food processor with the oatmeal just a bit.  My friends, we have a winner.   
Coconut Nutella Surprise Cookies
makes about 2 dozen cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 cup old-fashioned oats
about ½ of a regular-size jar of Nutella – no need to measure it out

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Measure the coconut oil.  Remove the lid and place the jar in the microwave.  Warm for 30 seconds and remove to stir.  Repeat if necessary until it is soft enough to stir and measure but not melted.  Spoon the soft oil into a one-cup measure and set aside.
3. Add the oatmeal to the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times.  Add the coconut and pulse a few more times just to break it down a little.  Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, eggs, coconut oil and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Add the oatmeal and coconut, and stir to combine.  Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is combined.
6. Using a ¼-cup cookie measure and filling it not quite full, drop the scoops of dough on the prepared pans.  Remove the prepared Nutella from the freezer and pick up a scoop of dough.  Split the scoop open, stuff the Nutella inside, and pinch the dough around it.  Working quickly, repeat with the remaining dough.  Place six cookies on each prepared sheet and place the sheets in the fridge as you go.  It may be necessary to stop in the middle and place the Nutella back in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up, and it starts to get messy pretty quickly.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are set and slightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

Notes:
For high-altitude baking, reduce the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon and baking powder to 3/4 teaspoon.Recipe adapted from this cookie and that cookie from Two Peas & Their Pod.
Cookie stuffing method from Annie’s Eats.

I wasn’t ready to give up on the idea of making my own pasta, so I kept looking, and soon found The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles from the experts at Cooks Illustrated.  If only I’d known how easy it could be.  I didn’t need fancy flour or other ingredients; I only needed flour and eggs.  That was it.  Since trying their formula of 2 cups flour to 3 eggs, I’ve turned out delicious noodles every time.

My favorite way to prepare the noodles is from another food expert, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, in her book How to Eat Supper from The Splendid Table.  In this lovely cookbook, Lynne explains that to make fettuccine alfredo, there is no need to prepare a separate sauce to pour over the pasta.  Instead, the cooked noodles are tossed in a large sauté pan with a few simple ingredients to create a sauce right in the pan.  And that’s where the magic happens.
Fettuccine Alfredo

1 lb. fettuccine noodles (fresh, refrigerated, or dried)
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1 ½ to 2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper
Whatever optional mix-ins you like, such as grilled chicken or shrimp, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, or fresh herbs

Bring a heavily salted pot of water to a boil.  It should taste like the ocean.  Drop in the pasta and boil, stirring often, until it is slightly undercooked.  Fresh pasta will take about 5-7 minutes. Just before draining the pasta, dip a heat-safe cup into the pot and remove about ½ cup of the cooking water and set it aside.  Drain the pasta into a colander.

As soon as the pasta goes in the water, put the butter in a 12-inch sauté pan and place it over medium-low heat.  When it’s just melted, turn off the heat.

Once the pasta is draining, reheat the butter over medium-high heat.  Turn the pasta and cream (or half and half) and any mix-ins you are using into the sauté pan.  Toss everything to thoroughly coat the noodles, 2-3 minutes.  There should be very little cream remaining in the pan.

Turn off the heat and toss in the cheese, about ½ cup at a time.  If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved cooking water one tablespoon at a time and stir until it reaches the desired consistency.

Serve right away.

Fresh Fettuccine Noodles

2 cups flour
3 large eggs

Pulse the flour a few times in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Add the eggs, and process just barely until the dough forms a shaggy ball, about 30 seconds.  If the dough continues to resemble small pebbles, add water ½-teaspoon at time.  If the dough sticks to the side of the bowl, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.  The measurements indicated have always worked perfectly for me.

Dump the dough ball and remaining pieces out onto a dry work surface that is lightly coated with flour.  Knead until the dough is smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes and up to 2 hours to relax.

Tear off about 1/6 of the dough and flatten into a thin disk.  Cover the remaining dough with the plastic wrap.  Run the small piece of dough two or three times through the widest setting of a pasta machine.    Bring the ends of the dough toward the middle (as though you’re preparing a letter for an envelope) and press to seal.  Run the dough, with the short, open side first, through the widest setting again.  Fold, seal, and roll through again.  Now without folding, run the pasta through the widest setting about two more times, until the dough is smooth.  If the dough is too sticky, dust it lightly with flour.  Repeat running the dough through the machine two or three times on each setting (without folding) until the dough reaches your desired thickness.  The outline of your hand should be visible through the dough sheet.   Lay the sheet on a clean kitchen towel, and cover with another towel to keep it from drying out.  Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of dough.

Once all the sheets have been formed, switch to the fettuccine cutter.  Turn on the machine and run a sheet of dough through the cutter.  Separate the noodles and lay them on a kitchen towel covered with another towel.  Repeat with the remaining sheets.  The pasta is ready to cook.  If you’re not ready, you can leave it between the towels for several hours.

 Notes:
*  Recipes are from The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles and The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper
*  The pasta dough works just as well when scaled to one-third or two-thirds

Cookies are probably my favorite thing to bake.  They are easy to whip together most of the time, they are portable, and they please a crowd.  From the time I was a young person when my mom let me bake Snickerdoodles by myself, I have enjoyed browsing cookbooks for new cookies, and more recently, finding them online to tuck away on the pages of Pinterest.  And for real, who doesn’t love a good cookie? And this cookie is definitely one of my faves.  It meets all the above criteria, and as a plus, you don’t even need a mixer to make the dough.  You could be noshing on these cranberry white chocolate cookies soon after the cookie craving strikes.     

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 18 large cookies

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar, light or dark is fine
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons white rum or water
1 cup chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a microwave-safe bowl, add the cranberries and stir in the rum or water.  Place the bowl in the microwave and heat 30 to 60 seconds.  Set aside 5 to 10 minutes to allow the berries to plump. 

In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Stir to combine.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the sugars and stir to combine.  Stir in the melted butter and vanilla.  Add the eggs one at a time and stir to combine.  Add half of the dry mixture and carefully stir in, then stir in the rest of the dry mixture. 

If there is liquid remaining in the cranberries, pour it out and discard.  Add the cranberries and white chocolate to the mixture in the large bowl and gently stir them in to combine. 

Use a large cookie scoop to portion six cookies on each of the prepared sheets.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until just starting to turn golden on the edges.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

 *For high-altitude baking, decrease the baking soda to ½ teaspoon

I thought it would be fun to start out the new year by baking something from the Bouchon Bakery.  I know the cookbook came out way back in the fall of 2012, but it’s a pretty hefty book with so many recipes to choose from.  Actually, that’s not true.  I woke up one Sunday morning in December with the intention of filling the house with the aroma of cinnamon honey scones, but it didn’t work out.  

You see, when I saw the recipe in Thomas Keller’s new book, I knew they’d be perfect for a Sunday morning, but I didn’t actually read the recipe all the way through.  I should have known better with a recipe from Mr. Keller, because these scones required a little preparation the day before.  Whoops. 

Fast forward a few weeks later when I remembered to start the scones on Saturday.  Despite the list of steps and ingredients, these cinnamon honey scones are no more difficult than other scones to make.  The cinnamon honey cubes are the component prepared in advance, and they are worth it.  Honey, cinnamon, and butter are mixed with flour to make a paste, which is frozen and cut into cubes and scattered throughout the scone dough, where they melt into pockets and ribbons of flavor.

Cinnamon Honey Scones
Makes 12 scones

Cinnamon Honey Cubes
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons + 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon honey

Scone Dough
1 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 ½ teaspoons all-purpose flour (152 grams)
2 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons cake flour (304 grams)
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder (12.5 grams)
½ teaspoon baking soda (2.5 grams)
¼ cup + 3 tablespoons + 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar (91 grams)
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes (8 ounces)
½ cup + 1 ½ teaspoons heavy cream (135 grams)
½ cup + 2 tablespoons sour cream (135 grams)

Honey Butter Glaze
4 tablespoons butter (4 grams)
1 tablespoon honey (20 grams)

For the cinnamon honey cubes:
Place flour in a medium bowl.  Add the sugar and cinnamon and whisk to combine.  Toss in the butter cubes, coating them in the dry mixture. Use your fingertips to break up the butter until there are no large visible pieces. Use a spatula to mix in the honey to form a smooth paste.  Press the paste into a 4-inch square on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.  (The paste can be frozen up to 1 week.)

For the scones:
Cut the cinnamon honey paste into ¼-inch cubes and set in the fridge until ready to use.  Lightly sprinkle pastry mat or other work surface with flour to use when forming the scones.   

Place both flours in the bowl of a food processor and add the baking powder, baking soda, and granulated sugar.  Pulse a few times to combine.   Add the butter and pulse several times (about 12-15) to incorporate it into the dry mixture, just until it resembles a course crumble.  Do not over-mix. 

Add the cream and sour cream to the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times until everything just starts to come together.  There will still be a lot of loose clumps; do not over-mix.  Add the sugar cubes to the mixture and pulse a few times to break the cubes into pieces scattered in the dough.  There will still be loose clumps.  Did I mention not to over-mix?

Use your hands to press the mixture together and carefully dump the whole mess onto your prepared work surface.  Mound the dough together and, using the heel of your hand or a pastry scraper, push it all together.  Knead it just a couple times.  Place the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and press it into a 7 x 10-inch block.  Press the sides of your hands against the sides of the dough to straighten the edges.  Wrap with an additional layer of plastic wrap.  Place the block of dough on a pan or other flat surface and freeze two hours or overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a sheet pan with a silpat or parchment paper.  Unwrap the dough and, using a chef’s knife, cut the block of dough lengthwise into thirds and then crosswise into quarters.  Arrange the desired number of frozen scones on the prepared sheet.  The rest can be re-wrapped and frozen up to one month.  Bake for 28-30 minutes until golden-brown. 

For the glaze:
Place the butter in a microwave-safe dish and heat until it is melted.  Use a spoon to carefully skim most of the milk solids off and discard.  Stir the honey into the remaining butter.  As soon as you remove the scones from the oven, brush the top with the glaze. Set the scones on a cooling rack and cool completely.

Notes: 
Recipe adapted from Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel.
This was originally written to be mixed in a stand mixer, so you could easily do that.  I just like using the food processor to contain the flying flour.

So you know what that means.   It’s time to start cranking out the sugar cookies and the pumpkin rolls and the caramels and all that fun stuff.  Maybe you’re on the ball and already there, but I’m not.  Before jumping into the holiday baking craziness,  I wanted to bake something simple.  Something with oatmeal and maybe some dried fruit.  I found this recipe in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook and thought the Cranberry Apricot  would be just right.
I thought I had everything I needed, but when I started measuring out my ingredients, I didn’t have any cranberries.  No worries though.  My baker assistant remembered the dried cherries in the pantry and the recipe was changed just like that.

I think it works. I don’t think I’ve ever made cookies with apricots, but I really enjoyed their bright flavor against the warm cinnamon and ginger spices.  They’re thick and chewy, and even taste great right out of the freezer.  Next time, I may add some white chocolate chips, or maybe toasted pecans.  If you’re looking for something simple and delicious, give them a try.

Cherry Apricot Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 18-22 large cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (290 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 ½ cups (260 grams) old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (164 grams) dried apricots (1/8- to ¼-inch dice)
2/3 cup (112 grams) dried tart cherries
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (300 grams) packed brown sugar
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (173 grams) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.  Stir in the oats and set the dry ingredients aside.

In a small bowl, combine the apricots and cherries.  Set the dried fruit aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed and using the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract.  Continue creaming on medium speed until very pale and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.  Scrape the bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat to incorporate each egg.  Scrape down the bowl as needed.

On low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and mix until just combined.  Be careful not to over mix.  Add the dried fruit and mix until just combined.  Remove the paddle and scrape down the sides of the bowl all the way down to to get any dry ingredients in the bottom of the bowl.

Use an ice cream scoop to portion the cookies in about ¼-cup scoops, placing them evenly apart on parchment-lined sheets, 6 cookies per sheet.  Bake about 13-15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and still slightly pale in the middle.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to them cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing cookies from the pan with a spatula.

Recipe slightly adapted from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook.

Raise your hand if you cook for picky eaters who don’t really care for green veggies.  I have a little secret for you.  Wrap the vegetables in bacon.  I’ve heard it said that an old shoe would taste pretty good wrapped in bacon.  That said, these green beans wrapped in bacon are pretty delicious.  When I purchased the book from Rather Sweet Bakery, I imagined I’d be using it to make scones, cakes, and cookies.  Little did I know that the recipe I’d reach for most often would be for green beans.

Not that you really need to follow the recipe to make them because it’s very flexible.  It says to let the green beans marinate overnight, but more than once I’ve ran out of ambition the night before serving.  I mixed everything together, rolled them up, and stuck them in the oven.  I don’t think anyone cared.  Yes, the ground mustard pairs well with the brown sugar, but if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it.  It’s the long roast in the oven (and the bacon) that makes these green beans taste so good.

First, the beans are blanched for a few minutes, then mixed with a little of this and that and wrapped up in bacon.

Even when they’re only partially roasted, they’ll look good enough to eat.

And when they’re done, you’ll have a delicious side dish to round out your Thanksgiving or any other meal.  The question is, does it still count as a vegetable?

Green Bean Bundles
Serves 6-8

• 1 1/2 lbs green beans, trimmed
• 2-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 ounces bacon, cut in half

1. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
2. Wash and trim the beans.
3. Add the beans to the boiling water and blanch for 3 to 4 minutes, until the beans are pliable but still crunchy.
4. Drain the beans and run them under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel and place them in a shallow ovenproof casserole dish.
5. In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.  Stir in the dry mustard, brown sugar, garlic, and salt.
6. Pour the butter mixture over the green beans, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
8. Make a bundle of 8 or 9 beans and wrap with half a bacon slice.  Place the bundle seam-side down in the same casserole dish used for marinating.  Continue with the rest of the beans and arrange in a single layer.
9. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the bacon is cooked and the beans look wrinkled.

Recipe slightly adapted from The Pastry Queen Christmas