I haven’t been this out of shape in a long time. I’m usually a regular exerciser and runner, even when I don’t always enjoy it. However, in the past years I’ve been beset my injuries, and I’ve had a much more irregular schedule than in the past. I got kind of out of shape. So I thought.

It seems, though, that I got really out of shape. A few little runs, and ankle has been swollen all week. Pulled some muscle in my thigh, and I groan like our basset hound when I walk up stairs. My lower back – typically not the place where I hold stress – requires constant complaining. Plus, my legs have been so heavy, heavy, heavy.

So am I getting old or am I just out of shape? If someone could fill me in, that would be great.

Which brings me to the NFL and the high injury rate. Well, I don’t have a fancy transition here, but American football players must feel a lot worse at my age, even if they are in shape. And we all know what happens when they get old: they do things like sponsor hospitals and medical research facilities.

Anyway, Considering that some folks I know currently have American football commitments, I’d like to give a few party snack recipes that are salty and versatile.

These are my mom’s discovery, and isn’t the name great?

Here are some serving ideas:

>Alone, in a bowl like chips

>Cheese, maybe blue?

>With mini-sausages

>Crumbled into salads

Ingredients

-1 1/4 c. oil (Canola or olive will work fine).

-1 package ranch dressing seasoning

-1 package of dry onion soup mix

-1 tsp. garlic powder

-red pepper flakes, to taste

-1 package Saltine crackers (or off-brand, as we chose)

Note: You can really play around with the seasonings. Add whatever you like.

Method

Mix the oil and spices in a large, airtight container. Add the crackers. Tightly seal, and slowly shake and turn until the crackers are coated. For the next couple of hours, flip the container over several times in order to coat and re-coat the crackers evenly. Let the container sit for at least 3 more hours to spice up before eating.

My sister isn’t much of a cake eater (which is sad because I really, really like making birthday cakes), but she did specifically request a peanut butter-based dessert for her party last weekend.

I thought about making buckeyes – delicious, but not right for a birthday party.

Or a peanut butter cookie cake? Well, I might make that tomorrow, but I ruled it out.

And haystacks were just made in abundance for Christmas.

However, the incredibly wonderful Tandy Moss Cake of my childhood was perfect. Tandy Moss Cake (anyone have an idea why it might be called that?) takes me back to lazy beach afternoons with girlfriends, easy playdates during the long summer, and a body that didn’t regret 3 sneaked slices of cake on the heels of one that had been legally administered.

It’s a very thin yellow cake, plumped up with four eggs and baked on a jelly roll sheet. Then, that cake is covered in melted peanut butter and then slathered with chocolate.

Serve it with the chocolate set, on top of paper plates. Or, sneak a sliver in the middle of the night or after your oatmeal in the morning. Take seconds, even though it’s January.

Tandy Moss Cake

Ingredients

-4 eggs

-2 c. sugar

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 c. milk

-2 tbsp. butter

-2 c. flour

-1 tsp. baking powder

-1 1/3 c. peanut butter (NOT all-natural)

-1 lb. chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Method

Preheat your oven 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 11 x 17 x 1-in. jelly roll pan (or you can use a similarly shaped brownie or cake pan).

With a mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture becomes quite thick and pale.

Separately, heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and cover.

Return to the egg mixture. Add the flour and baking powder. Beat until just combined. Then slowly add the milk and butter, mixing until barely combined.

Spread the batter into the prepped jelly roll pan, and tap the pan to pop air bubbles.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted fork comes out clean and the cake is golden. Cool the cake in the pan.

After the cake has mostly cooled, melted the peanut butter over the stove. Pour and spread it evenly over the top of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes or until the peanut butter has re-set.

Finally, melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or if you’re using chips, you can get by with a microwave melt). Spread over the peanut butter. Allow the cake to sit for 3-4 minutes. Then, cut the cake into squares.

Return the cake to the refrigerator, and allow the chocolate to set. After that, dig in!

I’m popping in for no reason except to show you a photo I found recently. It features me, a blue plastic purse, my little brother P-, and, inexplicably, a baseball.

We didn’t really play baseball as children.

Today is New Year’s Day, and I suppose it’s as good a day as any to give you a failproof challah recipe. I’ve made this one a few times (and I’ve featured this cookbook and its sister book a few times too), and it’s been perfect every time.

December is a big month of celebrating for us (two sets of holidays, plus birthdays, and anniversaries) so, just for fun, I did a little hybrid cooking, and I served this challah, dipped in eggnog with a dollop of maple whipped cream for Christmas brunch.

It’s also great with poppy seeds and with my totally awesome baba ganoush.

New Basics Challah

recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook.

French toast tip follows.

Ingredients

-2 c. milk

-7 tbsp. butter, divided

-1/3 c. sugar

-2 packages (5 tsp.) dry yeast

-4 eggs, room temperature

-2 tsp. salt

-6 c. flour

-sprinkling of cornmeal

-poppy seeds, optional

Method

Bring milk, 6 tbsp. of butter, and sugar to boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, and pour into a large mixing bowl. Let cool until the liquid is between 105 and 115 degrees F.

Stir the yeast into the milk. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Beat three eggs separately. Then add them and the salt into the milk mixture.

Stir in 5 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough becomes sticky. Flour a work surface, and turn the dough onto it.

Wash and dry the bowl.

Knead the dough, adding flour as necessary until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Smear the remaining tbsp. of butter onto the bowl, and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the dough has doubled or tripled in size.

Lightly re-flour your work surface, and turn the dough out. Cut the dough into two halves and then each half into three pieces. Roll each piece into snakes about 18 inches long. Using a little water on the tip of your finger, attach three snakes at the top. Braid the snakes fairly tightly, and then tuck the ends under and seal with a tiny bit of water. Repeat with the other loaf.

Transfer the braids to a cooking sheet that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover, and allow to rise for another hour.

Preheat your over to 350 degrees.

Beat the last egg with one tbsp. of water, and brush over the dough. Sprinkle with poppy seeds (or sesame seeds, etc.) if desired. Bake the loaves for 30-35 minutes or until the loaves are nicely browned.

For eggnog French toast with maple whipped cream:

-Mix eggnog with cinnamon and an egg. Dip 1-in thick slices in the mixture on both sides, and brown the slices in a butter skillet. Top with whipped cream that has been mixed with a few spoonfuls of maple syrup.

 

What did we make this year? Well, a lot! Here are links to some great recipes, plus an MS recipe for peppermint marshmallows, which are great with hot chocolate.

This cranberry cornmeal bread made our brunch really sweet!

And you must make David Lebovitz’s stollen! (Only I added a marzipan log to mine – c’mon, it’s traditional!)

Smitten Kitchen is still brightening breakfast. I made her gingerbread, minus the apple layer, minus the honey, and double the molasses!

Finally, these marshmallows really couldn’t be tastier.

Peppermint Marshmallows

recipe from here

Ingredients

-Non-stick cooking spray (like Pam)

-3 (1/4 oz.) packages unflavored gelatin

-3/4 c. cold water, divided

-2 c. sugar

-2/3 c. light corn syrup

-1/4 tsp. coarse salt

-1/4 tsp. peppermint extract (Don’t add any more than this).

-about 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Method

Very lightly spray a 9×9-in. pan with cooking spray, and spread a piece of plastic wrap over it, with the wrap hanging over the edge. Spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray as well.

Fit your electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Pour the gelatin and 1/2 c. cold water into the bowl of the mixer. Let sit for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, heat 1/4 c. water with the sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Immediately turn the electric mixer on high, and pour in the syrup slowly. After you’ve add the syrup to the gelatin, add the salt. Continue mixing on high for 12 minutes.

Add the peppermint extract.

Spray a plastic spatula with cooking spray, and transfer the sticky mixture to the greased pan. You’ll have to spray the spatula several times. (Note: don’t bother trying to scrap the bowl–it’s just impossible with marshmallows). Spread the mixture evenly on top, and let sit for at least two hours.

Then, using a spraying knife, slice the marshmallows to the desired size. Toss in powdered sugar so they don’t stick together.

Keep them for up to 4 days in an airtight container.