Funny how when I was younger, it did not matter what time the sun came up and what time the darkness began to settle in. But now, I enjoy the daylight hours more than ever. When it is dark at 5pm, I tend to want to go to sleep, and I hate to sleep. I will now have the next six months of increasing daylight hours. But then, just like the never ending circle, the days will begin to get shorter again. Until then, I will enjoy my extra few minutes each day.
Some other “shorts” that I like—the movie “Short Circuit”, actor Danny DeVito and singer Brenda Lee. One of my favorite quotes about “short” is the one that I sign off with for this column each week.....”Life is short....eat dessert first.”
Enjoy these “short” recipes.
GERMAN SHORT RIBS IN A CROCK POT
•2 T all-purpose flour
•1 t salt
•1/8 t ground black pepper
•3 pounds beef short ribs
•2 T olive oil •1 large onion, sliced
•1/2 c dry red wine
•1/2 c Chile sauce
•3 T packed brown sugar
•3 T vinegar
•1 T Worcestershire sauce
•1/2 t dry mustard
•1/2 t chili powder
•2 T all-purpose flour
•1/4 c water
In a small bowl, combine 2 T flour, salt, and pepper. Coat the short ribs with the flour mixture. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown short ribs in olive oil. In a slow cooker, combine onions, wine, chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and chili powder. Mix thoroughly. Transfer the short ribs from the skillet to the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
Remove ribs, and turn the slow cooker control to High. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour with 1/4 c water, and stir into the sauce. Cook for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
SHORTBREAD COOKIES
•3 c flour
•1 t salt
•1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
•1 c sugar
•1 large egg, lightly beaten
•1/4 t almond extract
•2 T lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, salt, butter, and sugar in a bowl. Mix with your fingers until it forms flaky crumbs and lumps. Mix in the egg, almond extract, and lemon juice. Continue to mix until it clumps; at first it may seem very dry. Shape into two balls, flatten into disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least an hour, preferably overnight. Let the dough sit at temperature for at least 10-15 minutes before attempting to work with it. The dough may be crumbly; if it falls apart, press it back together. Allow to relax enough to become somewhat pliable before rolling out. Roll out a disk, one at a time, between two sheets of parchment paper (or wax paper), to a 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness, depending on how thick or thin you would like your cookies to be.
Dip the edges of one side of your cookie cutter into flour and cut out your cookie shapes. If the rolled-out dough becomes too soft to work with, place it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up. Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, with at least 1/2-inch distance between the cookie shapes.
Bake at 350°F for 8-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cookies, until the edges are just slightly golden brown. Remove from oven. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
STRAWBERRY SHORT CAKE
•1 qt fresh strawberries
•1 c sugar
•2 c all-purpose flour
•2 T sugar
•3 t baking powder
•1 t salt
•1/3 c shortening
•1 c milk
•Butter
•Light cream or sweetened whipped cream
Slice strawberries, sprinkle with 1 cup sugar and let stand 1 hour. Heat oven 450 degrees. Grease round layer pan, 8 x 1 1/2 inches. Measure flour, 2 T sugar, the baking powder and salt into bowl. Cut in shortening thoroughly until mixture looks like meal. Stir in milk just until blended. Pat into pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Split short cake while warm. Spread with butter; fill and top with berries. Serve warm with cream.
NEXT WEEK—Chinese New Year
Remember......Life is short. Eat Dessert first!!
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