BELOW STAIRS: Recipes for Readers and Writers

Readers and writers do not live by intellectual sustenance alone—sometimes they need the real thing! I was fortunate in having an Italian mother who came from a very large family of talented cooks. My nana was the best of them, and never used a recipe in all the years she turned out fantastic pastas, roasts, Italian pastries, and pizza. My mother, Flora, was a great cook too, often developing her own special dishes or expanding on family recipes.

Here are some of the best recipes from my childhood. I’ll be updating them frequently, so be sure to check back. And, if the mood strikes me, I might even throw in a Regency recipe, or two!

And don’t forget to check my News page to find out the latest news about my Books.

FLORA’S BEST CHRISTMAS COOKIES

My mom used to spend the weeks before Christmas baking cookies by the dozen.  She’d then store them in tins in our basement freezer, taking them out for holiday meals or when friends stopped by for a cup of coffee.  I have so many wonderful memories of our house smelling like a baker’s dream, and I loved spending time in the kitchen helping my mom and liberally sampling the results of our work.

Here are two of my mom’s best cookie recipes.

Swedish Tea Balls

• 1 cup of butter, softened
• ¼ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together.  Stir in the water and then add the flour.  Mix till blended then stir in the pecans.  Roll into one inch balls.  Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes, at 300 degrees F.  Cool before removing from sheet, then roll the balls in the frosting.  Refrigerate or freeze until just ready to serve.

Frosting:  4 cups of confectioner’s sugar mixed with ½ cup of milk.  Adjust with sugar or milk to get the consistency that is best for icing.

Oatmeal Macaroons

• ½ cup Spry or Crisco
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, unbeaten
• 1 cup sifted flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup oats
• 1/3 cup raisins
• ½ cup nuts

Combine first seven ingredients and mix.  Add the sifted flour and baking soda to mix.  Add remaining ingredients and blend well.  Drop by teaspoons on greased baking sheet.  Press slightly with a fork coated in sugar, or the bottom of a small glass coated in sugar (just press the glass in a dish of sugar – enough will stick to do the trick).  Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-13 minutes, checking to make sure the cookies don’t scorch on the bottom.

Have a great holiday, and enjoy the cookies!

Click here for previous entries:

Flora's Macaroni Salad and Burnt Almond Parfait
Flora’s Roman Veal Scaloppini
Phil Kelly’s Carrot Soup
Pasta with Asparagus and Bacon
Flora’s holiday classic desserts
Flora’s Famous Beef Birds (Braciole)
Flora’s Famous Pasta Sauce with Meatballs