TEXAS COOKING ONLINE * December, 2003 NEWSLETTER *

Cookware Closeout Save up to 80% on special cookware from Calphalon. Applies to certain marked items, while supplies last. Beautiful All-Clad Cookware Purchase $200 of any All-Clad products get a free gift. Special Rebate: $20 with purchase of high-quality Le Creuset Cookware The Holidays are now officially upon us, and the countdown to Christmas reveals only 16 days left to decorate, shop, entertain and, of course, cook. As always, Texas Cooking Online is chock full of goodies to help you through the season, whether it's food for special occasions or everyday good eating. We hope this month's newsletter will make your holidays even more enjoyable John Raven, Ph.B., our barbecue and chili guru, has turned gift consultant with his article Gifts that Really Cook. Since he knows his way around a kitchen and an open fire, he's in a good position to make sound recommendations. And he's invented a new Potato Soup recipe for us. In Holiday Goodies & The NWC Principle, Sidney Carlisle has contributed recipes for what will surely become holiday favorites (Coconut Date Balls, Mincemeat Muffins and Cherry Pie Filling Salad), together with an explanation of the NWC Principle, something that may help you get all the way to January without gaining ten pounds. Trish Bales has two articles this month: Holiday Cocktails, Texas-Style for entertaining friends, and Pralines: Texan or Louisianan? for entertaining your sweet tooth. John Raven edifies and entertains in his Doctor John Q&A column, as usual, with topics ranging from ageing hardwood for the smoker to making chili powder to cleaning cast-iron skillets (always a popular topic). This issue's featured recipe is Almond Toffee with Chocolate, which Patricia Mitchell calls "the best, quickest, easiest homemade candy" ever. It's great to make and eat, and to make and give as gifts. And you won't need a candy thermometer.

Personalized, postmarked from the North Pole, the perfect gift - just $9.95 Special Features Gifts that Really Cook by John Raven, Ph.B. John Raven is making his list and checking it twice. With Christmas fast approaching, you should take a look at his gift ideas for the creative cooks on your list, as well as the not-so-creative, who may need help just opening cans. Holiday Goodies & The NWC Principle by Sidney Carlisle Sidney Carlisle enjoys both cooking and eating, especially during the holidays. She's not about to give up the dishes she loves in the name of "healthy eating" so she draws upon the NWC Principle to keep things in perspective. She shares NWC with us, along with dynamite recipes for Coconut Date Balls, Mincemeat Muffins and Cherry Pie Filling Salad. Pralines: Texan or Louisianan? By Trish Bales Whatever happened to the pralines you got after eating dinner at a Tex-Mex Restaurant? Remember? They came in a plastic envelope and you eagerly awaited the end of the meal when the waiter returned with the bill and the complementary pralines. Holiday Cocktails, Texas-Style by Trish Bales During the holidays, we entertain like mad, typically serving wine and champagne at parties and beer for those all-important holiday bowl football games. However, there are lots of other interesting drinks Texans are familiar with but maybe have forgotten about. They sure can spice up your holiday gathering and, with names like Massacre and Mexican Itch, they make for some very interesting conversation. New Fiestaware for December We have added over 500 new Fiestaware items to our store. We are pleased to offer you a wider selection then ever! Start using colorful Fiestaware at your meals, and enjoy the compliments from your guests. Special look: American Christmas Tree. Great jackets, jerseys, shirts, caps and watches for Texas Longhorns, Aggies and Red Raiders fans. Visit today to find these and many other fun items. Test your knowledge of cooking trivia! This month's question: What is the all-time best-selling cookbook? Our quiz is on our front page, in the right column. Have you read John Raven's latest advice column, Ask Dr. John? This month's column includes, among other topics, patty melts, cooking beans and fajitas and cast iron skillet care. Talk about variety! Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends by Joyce White Down-home desserts: What makes them so good? In this excellent cookbook, Joyce White opens a treasure trove of desserts collected over the years from family and friends whose cooking she admires. Drawing upon her Southern, African American roots, she writes with the sweet side of soul food in mind. Read Our Book Review 24 Days by Rebecca Smith and John R. Emshwiller The engrossing story of how two Wall Street Journal reporters uncovered the financial problems at Texas energy giant Enron Corp., and how their articles catalyzed the company's quick implosion. (Special Politics-Now Texas book review) Read Our Book Review Read more original book reviews in the Lone Star Bookstore Enhance your kitchen with useful chef's tools, fine-looking bakeware and cookware and attractive barware from Sur La Table. Find some great gifts, or possibly something you can't live without. More information New Recipe: Almond Toffee with Chocolate If there's a list somewhere of Top Ten Candy Recipes, this one is high on it. Unbelievably quick, easy and delicious, you'll even impress yourself. As simple as it is, it's important to have everything ready before you start. First, you need about 15 uninterrupted minutes. Don't answer the phone; don't answer the door. And you need a good-sized (3-quart) heavy saucepan -- the heavier the better -- and a stout wooden spoon. Ideally, you should have an 11-inch by 17-inch jellyroll pan with a 1-inch lip on it. If you don't have that, then two flat cookie sheets will do. Line the pan or cookie sheets with aluminum foil, letting the excess hang over the edges, and set them on a heatproof surface. You do not, by the way, need a candy thermometer. 2 cups (4 sticks) butter 2 cups sugar 3 cups whole raw almonds 1 12-ounce package chocolate chips (optional) Put the butter and sugar in the saucepan and, over high heat, stir while the butter melts. Stir constantly while sugar dissolves, and let mixture come to a boil. When a uniform boil is reached, set your timer for 5 minutes. Keep stirring. At the 5-minute mark, the mixture will start to look light and creamy. Add the almonds all at once, and start stirring them in. The almonds will cause the mixture to cool, so it will immediately get thick and some of the butter will separate, and you may think you've made some terrible error, but persevere. Just keep stirring with that stout wooden spoon. When the mixture comes to a boil, again set your timer for 5 minutes. However, you don't really need the timer because -- and this is the best part -- the almonds will tell you when the toffee is ready. That's right. As you continue to stir, the mixture will really start to come together. The butter that separated out will get stirred back in, and the mixture will begin to darken as the sugar caramelizes. At or around the 5-minute mark, you will begin to hear the almonds popping. The heat causes them to expand, which causes a low, dull popping sound. And then you know that your toffee is ready! Pour the toffee out evenly into the foil-lined pan or cookie sheets. Be very careful; it is extremely hot. If you are topping the toffee with a chocolate layer, wait 5 or 10 minutes when the toffee has begun to set, and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot surface. They will quickly melt and become spreadable. Spread the chocolate in an even layer over the toffee. When toffee has cooled completely, it can be broken apart. Store in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container. Some people feel that adding chocolate to this almond toffee is gilding the lily. True, this candy is delicious with or without the chocolate. You decide how you want it. Order up delicious steaks, poultry & seafood from 5-star restaurants Visit the Texas Cooking Food Gift Store for great offers and coupons. Online Groceries: Many of our West Coast readers can now conveniently shop for their groceries online. Click on our link to find out more. Special $10 off coupon with certain purchase. Stop Spyware! Kazaa, Gator and other similar programs have been sneaking their way onto people's computers wreaking havoc to their systems. This malicious set of programs are difficult to remove. They flood the screen with their own pop-up ads, and they open the computer up to a host of viruses. If you have programs like Kazaa, TopText, Gator, WhenU and others on your system, take a moment to learn about the problems these programs cause. We have written a useful and quick tutorial that informs you about them, and how to uninstall them from your computer. Free Catalogs Get Great Savings from These Free Catalogs Clothing Bridal / Wedding Wine & Brew Sporting Goods Hobbies / Crafts Pets _________ Free $25 shopping offer T-Shirt Contest We award T-shirts to ten readers every month. The winners are announced in the first newsletter of the month. (Enter the contest) November Contest Winners Justin B. of Arlington, Texas Margaret H. of Florissant, Missouri Dale J. of Shreveport, Louisiana Woody J. of Roanoke, Virginia Emma J. of Minneapolis, Minnesota Mark P. of Fullerton, California Ronald R. of Corpus Christi, Texas Jennifer S. of Dallas, Texas Cassie S. of Phoenix, Arizona Teri T. of Tacoma, Washington Congratulations winners! We are frequently asked if we award T-Shirts to non-US residents, and the answer is Yes. We have had quite a few Canadian winners, and have also sent T-Shirts to winners in England, Australia, Ireland, Switzerland and Germany. The Rules Since we began our T-Shirt giveaway five years ago, our contest rules remained unchanged. Readers have been able to enter as many times as they like, and their entries were retained in our database. As you can imagine, our contest database has become very large (which is good), BUT much of it consists of old email addresses that are no longer valid. Therefore, we are making the following change in our contest rules: Readers can still enter as often as they like; however, each contest entry will expire three months following the date it was entered and will disappear from the database. This will greatly reduce the number of "names in the hat" and improve the odds of winning. We think this change will result in an even better contest. Subscription / Unsubscribe Help This newsletter is sent to you because you, or someone on your behalf, indicated you would like to receive it when you signed our Guest Book or entered our T-Shirt Contest. If you wish to stop receiving the Newsletter, click here or point your browser to http://www.texascooking.com/unsub1.ihtml If you would like to change your email address, please send an email to txmailbox@texascooking.com. The Texas Cooking newsletter and the Texas Cooking website are designed and maintained by Labnet Web Design. 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