Variations: Substitute toffee chips, chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for the peanut butter chips. Or, amp up the peanut profile with flavored peanuts (Planter’s, for example, makes Chipotle Peanuts, Cocoa Peanuts, Salted Caramel Peanuts and Smoked Peanuts). You can also add raisins or dried cherries or cranberries (we’re keen on the dried cherries).

For Halloween, add a bit of candy corn!

You won’t have a triple PB cookie, but you will have something equally delicious.
 
 
RECIPE: TRIPLE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Ingredients

Snack time! Photo courtesy Zulka.

Preparation

1. WHISK together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. COMBINE the butter and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 15 second intervals until melted. Add the vanilla extract and stir until combined and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. BEAT the eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and slightly thickened. Add the sugars and mix well. Pour the peanut butter mixture in and mix well, scraping down the sides when necessary.

4. ADD the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add the one tablespoon of milk and mix again. Add the peanuts and peanut butter chips and stir by hand until combined. Chill the dough at least one hour, up to overnight before baking. When ready to bake…

5. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone bake mats. Scoop out rounded heaping tablespoon and a half sized dough balls and place on the cookie sheets about 2” apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Do not over bake.

6. COOL on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

ABOUT ZULKA

More than 100 years ago, the Zulka family built mills among the lush sugar fields of Mexico, in a tropical area ideal for sugar cane farming. They remain a family-run company, continually investing and modernizing so that these same facilities can process more than six million tons of fresh-cut sugarcane each year.

All of the sugar cane they process comes from local small family farms, owned by hard-working people who are dedicated to producing top quality sugar cane. “We are proud of our workers, partners, and product,” says Zulka.

With most sugar coming from enormous, soul-less companies, it’s a great mission to support. Check the store locator to see where you can buy Zulka products.

You can also find it on Amazon.com in white sugar, brown sugar and individual white sugar packets.

The company will soon be introducing powdered sugar and chili sugar, with a touch of chili spice.

Find more delicious recipes on Zulka.com.

What’s a temakeria?

It’s a fast-casual style eatery featuring temaki, the made-to-order, cone-shaped “hand roll” sushi. Rice, raw fish and vegetables are wrapped in a sheet of nori, seaweed that pressed into thin sheets.

In the case of Uma Temakeria, newly opened in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan (64 Seventh Avenue at 14th Street), the soy sauce and wasabi traditionally served at sushi bars is replaced with a choice of the chef’s special sauces.

Beer, wine and saké, plus tea and soft drinks, are served.

Uma implies “delicious” in Japanese, and this idea is totally uma—a healthful, lower calorie alternative to fast food. We love it, and hope there’s an Uma Temakeria in our neighborhood soon!

Uma Temakeria (pronounced OOH-mah teh-ma-ka-REE-ah) is the first “fast-fine” sushi eatery to open in the U.S., inspired by the temakeria trend in Brazil, which began in the early 2000s in beachfront neighborhoods such as Leblon and Ipanema.

Bringing the concept to the U.S. is Cynthia Kueppers, who left Wall Street to create her vision. All ingredients, including the seafood, are responsibly-sourced, fusing a trend that is growing among American consumers.

You enter the bright space, roomy by Manhattan standards, and go to the counter, where the temaki of your choice are quickly made to order. You can take a seat to dine, or take your temaki to go.

Tofu temaki, one of the vegetarian choices. Just roll and eat! Photo courtesy Uma Temakeria | NYC.

What’s on the menu? First, there are Chef’s Temaki from Michelin-starred Executive Chef Chris Jaeckle (formerly of Ai Fiori, Morimoto and other great eateries such as Eleven Madison Park, Tabla and An American Place), with your choice of white or brown rice:

Prefer a custom temaki? The attractive, enthusiastic counter staff are eager to roll whatever you’d like. Combine your rice with:

 
Most rolls are $5.50 (vegetarian), $6.00 (with fish) or $6.50 (seasonal special); any two rolls with a delicious side salad is $14.00.

The sides are low in calories, each equally deserving to be included with your meal:

 
Chef Jaeckle, please send us the recipes for all three!

HAVE A TEMAKI PARTY AT HOME

Why are temaki (hand rolls) different from other sushi? Because they don’t require a well-honed skill to prepare. Simply grab a sheet of seaweed, add your rice and fixings and roll into a cone.

As the host, you don’t have to do much more than set out the ingredients, buffet-style. The guests roll their own (here’s how to roll temaki).

It’s a great idea for a party. So take inspiration from Uma Temakeria and add some pizzazz to your entertaining. And invite us!

It’s from CookTheStory.com, the website of Christine Pittman, a recipe developer and photographer. Check out the website for more delicious recipes.

“For this recipe,” says Christine, “you combine apple juice and gelatin and then divide it among small jars before putting it in the fridge to set. Then you mix crème fraîche with caramel sauce and whipped cream and slip it on top of the jello. There’s a layer of nuts and caramel between the jello and the crème fraîche. Oh my!”

Note that while many people use the term Jell-O generically, it is a trademark of Kraft Foods, and refers only to the Jell-O brand. Everything else is properly called gelatin.

> The history of Jell-O is below.
 
 
RECIPE: HOMEMADE APPLE GELATIN WITH CARAMEL CRÈME FRAÎCHE

Prep time is 25 minutes. The recipe can be made up to two days in advance.

Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. POUR 3 cups of the juice into a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile…

2. POUR the remaining cup of cold apple juice into a large bowl. Sprinkle the cold juice with the gelatin powder. Let stand for 1 minute. Add the boiling juice to the cold juice. Stir continuously for 3 minutes and then stir in the maple syrup or honey.

3. DIVIDE the apple juice mixture among 8 jars, glasses, or dessert bowls with an 8-10 ounce capacity. Refrigerate until set, about 3-4 hours. Once the jelly has set…

4. COMBINE the walnuts with the cinnamon and ¾ cup of caramel sauce. Divide evenly among the 8 containers. (Up until this point the recipe can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep the containers refrigerated). When ready to serve…

5. MIX the remaining ¾ cup caramel sauce with the crème fraîche in a large bowl. Add about 1/3 of the whipped cream and stir it gently. Add the remaining whipped cream and gently fold it in just until it is combined (it’s alright if there are ribbons of caramel color through the cream). Divide the caramel cream among the containers.
 

These two fresh dairy products are similar, and sometimes can be substituted for each other.

Sour cream is:

 
Crème fraîche is:

Gelatin (also spelled gelatine) has been made since ancient times by boiling animal and fish bones; aspic, a savory, gelatin-like food made from meat or fish stock, was a French specialty centuries before the day of commercial gelatin, and was very difficult to prepare, relying only on the natural gelatin found in the meat to make the aspic set.

Powdered gelatin was invented in 1682 by Denis Papin. The concept of cooking it with sugar to make dessert dates to 1845 and an American inventor named Peter Cooper. Cooper patented a product set with gelatin, but it didn’t take off.

In 1897, Pearle Wait, a carpenter in Le Roy, New York (Genesee County), experimented with gelatin and developed a fruit-flavored dessert that his wife, May, named Jell-O. The first four flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry, and raspberry.

He tried to market his product but lacked the capital and experience, and in 1899 sold his formula to a fellow townsman and manufacturer of proprietary medicines, Orator Frank Woodward, for $450. Jell-O was manufactured by Andrew Samuel Nico of Lyons, New York.

Alas, sales were slow and one day, Wait sold Sam Nico the business for $35. In 1900, the Genesee Pure Food Company promoted Jell-O in successful advertising, and by 1902 sales were $250,000. In 1923 management created the Jell-O Company, Inc., which replaced the Genesee Pure Foods Company, the purpose of which was to protect the Jell-O trade name and to keep it from becoming a generic term.

That same year, the Jell-O Company was sold to the Postum Cereal Company, the first subsidiary of a significant merger that would eventually become General Foods Corporation. Lime Jell-O was introduced in 1930.

Today Jell-O is manufactured by Kraft Foods, a subsidiary of Phillip Morris, which also acquired both Kraft and General Foods in the 1980s and ultimately merged the two companies. There is a Jell-O Museum in Le Roy, New York.
 
 

Finally, we’ve found it with the excellent pierogi from Polska Foods. Yes, they are pierogis that are as good as Nana’s. We rejoice!

Many pierogis are pretty flavorless lumps of flour and potatoes, requiring lots of seasoning, frying, sour cream or whatever to become pleasing.

Polska’s dough and fillings are so flavorful, we ate them plain—although for serving to family and friends, we’d spruce them up with some melted butter, fresh herbs, or one of these 50+ ways to serve pierogi.

The line of authentic pierogi, made in San Francisco, is organic and all-natural. They are shipped frozen, anywhere in the continental U.S., from PolskaFoods.com.
 
RECAPTURING GRANDMA’S RECIPES

Tomek Piszczek, founder of Polska Foods, was born and raised in Poland and knows the real deal. “This is how we enjoyed pierogi,” he states. “All ingredients were from our garden or our neighbor’s farm. We even grew our own grain.”

A real treat, for every day or special occasions. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

After a full year of research and development, the company settled on kosher, award winning, handcrafted farmer’s cheese made without rennet and enzymes and rBST-free; organic heirloom grain and flour; fresh organic vegetables; real sauerkraut made with just cabbage and salt, and even organic herbs and seasonings.

The pierogi contain no preservatives, no MSG, no GMO ingredients, no soy, and absolutely nothing artificial. The recipes use only organic or expeller-pressed oils, and never any trans fats.

The result duplicates Tomek’s grandma’s recipes from Lubiechowa, Polanda: tasty comfort food with superb flavor.

The line is certified organic by Oregon Tilth.

A delicious all-vegetable (and vegan)
version. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE
NIBBLE.

To make the pierogis, you simply boil or steam the frozen pierogi for 8 to 10 minutes or fry or sauté them in a nonstick pan. Then, simply toss with butter, sautéed onions, bacon and fresh sage, or top with sour cream, nonfat Greek yogurt or yogurt-garlic sauce. The results are spectacular.

You can also make a sweet breakfast or brunch recipe with a topping of sour cream and brown sugar on the potato and cheese variety. The line includes:

 
Each is wonderful, and we can’t get enough!

For a retail locator, to buy online or for more information, visit PolskaFoods.com.

October 8th is National Pierogi Day.

Pierogi* are dumplings of Central and Eastern European origin, traditionally stuffed with cheese, fruit, ground meat, mashed potato or sauerkraut. They can be served boiled baked or fried/sautéed, usually in butter with sautéed onions.

Pierogi is the Polish word. In Russian the term is pelmeni (don’t confuse pierogi with pirog, the Russian word for pie); in Ukrainian it is varenyky.

The Polish word pierogi is plural. The singular form, pieróg, is rarely used since a typical serving consists of multiple pierogi.

The dumplings are usually semicircular, but in some areas are rectangular or triangular.

Here’s how to celebrate: 50 ways to eat pierogi, culled from a list of 100 ways at PolskaFoods.com.
 
________________
*Also spelled perogi, pierogy, perogy, pierógi, pyrohy, pirogi, pyrogie, or pyrogy.
 
 
PIEROGI & DIPS

 
 
PIEROGI TOPPERS

Boil, fry or sauté the pierogi and serve:

[1] Pierogies topped with melted Cheddar (photo courtesy Lewis & Neals).

[2] Pierogies freshly made and ready to boil (photo © Karolina Grabowska | Pexels).

[3] Pierogies with sautéed apples (photo © Mrs. T’s).

[4] Garnish your pierogi in different ways (photo © Markus Winkler | Pexels).

[5] A classic garnish of butter and onions (photo © Mrs. T’s).

 
 
MORE ELABORATE PREPARATIONS

 
This should keep you busy through the next National Pierogi Day!