Coconut Cookies

This weekend I had a ton of cooking to do for various events, whether it be the HOA belated holiday party, Bears game, or monthly book gang meeting.  In my panic, I immediately opted to all of my strong Mexican dishes, but still wanted to attempt the Achilles heel of all Top Chef contestants, dessert.  For these high stress (and also ultra lazy occasions) I have one simple cookie recipe that I can complete in 20 minutes, and it's made with three ingredients that are all in the pantry.

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The Entry That Never Made it - Gingered Sweet Potato Ravioli

The mac and cheese contest that you've become so familiar with, did not originally have a theme.  When the idea first came out, we were getting deep in boundless battle.  I played around with the idea of won ton ravioli for victory.  The day after, the rules were changed and the plan was adapted.

I've been really stubborn to give up the idea of mixing ginger, sweet potatoes, and coconut.  This is another vessel for those ingredients.  Won ton wrappers have an unbelievable number of uses and possibilities- don't be afraid to get creative.  They can be baked in cupcake tins to form crisp shells, stuffed, cut, folded, boiled, sauteed- easy stuff.

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Test Run - Sweet Potato Risotto

Sweet potato risotto- the dish I can never seem to get perfect.  I feel like it has so much potential, and even done poorly has decent flavor.  Why can't I go any farther with it?  Despite my own mishaps with the dish, I've been able to successfully market it to my vegetarian friends.  Due to popular demand, and a spin that made me like the dish a lot more, here is [finally] my sweet potato risotto.

The first time I made the dish, I made a 'classic' preparation, starting with a shallot and butter, then using chicken stock as the liquid.  It didn't suck.  It is however, extremely difficult to pair with.  I continued to make this preparation, adding garlic or other seasonings, for some time.

Months later a tropical twist hit- coconut milk for the liquid.  Don't need butter anymore, but have to season much more aggressively to cut through the thick flavor of coconut milk.  To accomplish this I started the pan with garlic and an insane amount of ginger.  The dish would then be finished with lime juice and zest to cut through.  This was pretty good.  The lime was key to the dish because there was a dire need for acid.

More time passes and the time to think about Thanksgiving arrives.  The last Thursday in November isn't Thanksgiving without sweet potatoes.  To keep Thanksgiving regional, I again ponder how to modify the dish.  I see an episode of Simply Ming where the master ingredients are ginger and cranberries.  Brilliant.

I make the dish for the last time, using fresh cranberries, which also add to the Thanksgiving ambiance.  Here is how to do it:

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