Traverse City Record-Eagle

Sally Ketchum: In The Kitchen

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January 4, 2009

In the Kitchen: New kitchen strategies

By SALLY KETCHUM

For more than 10 years, I've written New Year's resolutions that relate to cooking and kitchen in the year's first column. I've broken some, of course. But it seems that over the coming year, I think of the resolves now and then, and I remember to replace some spices (the old ones are something like children to me: I want them out of the house, but to be here in emergencies) or wash the Austrian dessert plates -- pink, gold and fluted, just to keep them nice -- if rarely used.

Because I am not only trying to take leave from bad habits, but also be a better food and kitchen manager, I have a long list, but I'll keep my resolutions to 10 and report what else is happening in this cottage home of ours.

1. I will make health a major meal-planning goal. Investigate the issue of "organic" food more thoroughly. The issue is complex.

2. I will try a gourmet (or at least very special) meal for two more often, but also have casual, sit-down dinners for guests. Our table seats eight.

3. I will use the grease screen more often when frying, saving a big stove cleanup.

4. When shopping, I will check reduced produce and meats (checking dates and conditions) first, before I start shopping through my list.

5. I will mark the shopping list items with stars on truly needed items and question marks on items that might be nice if priced right. This is important for the three-bag strategy explained below.

6. I will stop feeding the dogs scraps. Their fat is my fault!

7. Plant more leeks. He-Who-Must-Be-Fed dug up this year's crop Dec. 15. For soups and casseroles, I chopped, sauteed and froze a third of the crop, then packed them into small freezer bags. The second third I trimmed roughly and they rest in a crock with an inch of water. The last third I trimmed more thoroughly and those are in those green "save longer" bags. We like Blue Solaise leek seedlings. They do well in northern Michigan. I braise 4 inches of the white part of the leek to serve as a vegetable.

8. I will rotate kitchen towels and hot pads. The worn ones will become under-the-sink rags. I reserved three or four new ones for use when we have houseguests.

9. I will keep the dog dishes spotless.

10. Yes, I'll check my spices twice a year. I like the start of summer and the first of December for this. I sometimes think of spices by season: Summer is basil or cilantro and winter is nutmeg and coriander.

The three-bag strategy and more

Noticing all the two-for-one sales, especially related to holidays -- gravies before Thanksgiving, baking mixes before Christmas, etc. -- inspired an idea. I opened and labeled three paper bags -- December, January and February -- and put them in the mud room. (The mud room is really the furnace and laundry room, but here in the woods, we have more mud than laundry.)

When I see a two-for-one-type sale of foods we eat, I go for it and distribute the items into the three bags. I don't keep actual track; it's like giving lollipops to kids, "gifting" each bag, sentimental fool that I am. This has not only been helpful, but fun. Several times a week, I look into the month's bag for supper ideas. It seems, too, that I save the best for last, so the end of a month is tasty.

What is left the end of the month gets divided into the remaining bags, and a new month is added. I have just added March to January and February's bags. I'll give you a look into January's bag: So far I've removed hot chocolate mix, canned peaches and pears. What's left is egg noodles, three cans of gravy, four cans of vegetables, one four-pack of chocolate pudding, a box of Earl Grey tea bags, two cans of white Albacore tuna, one box of pecan trail mix bars and one bottle Karo dark corn syrup -- all purchased on sale.

I tend to get carried away with an idea, so I am limiting my bags to three. There will be seasonal changes, like the use of the spices above, and I want the ingredients to reflect the best current seasonal offerings, e.g., the hot chocolate this January.

I'll let you know how long I stick with this. In fact, I might expand it to the social calendar this summer. The Andersons can come in June after my bridesmaid, and if she can't make it, I'll put her into July's bag, so -- with the Mullins -- that's full, and I know I'll find some surprises to fill August. It's cool and breezy here then. Houseguests? Bag 'em!

Pecan-Cream Cheese Cookies

1&1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

3 ozs. cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. finely chopped toasted pecans

30 whole pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 1 or 2 baking sheets. In a small bowl, stir or whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again. Gradually add the flour mixture, blending well after each addition. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces, preferably by weight. With moistened hands, divide and shape each piece of dough into 10 balls; you will have a total of 30 balls. Place the balls 1&1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press a whole pecan onto the top of each ball, flattening the ball slightly and making sure that the pecan is firmly embedded in the dough.

Bake for 13 or 14 minutes untel the edges are nicely browned; the tops will remain pale tan. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

-- Lorraine Bodger, "A Year of Cookies, January"

Sally Ketchum is a northern Michigan journalist who writes about food in her work, whether as a subject, theme or motif. She can be reached at ketchum1985@gmail.com.

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