CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Adapted from the Joy of Baking web site.
YOU'LL NEED:
Kitchen scales
Large bowl
Electric beater or long-handled wooden spoon
Sieve
Baking paper
Rolling pin
Ruler
Knife
Baking tray
Oven

INGREDIENTS:
350gm flour
250gm butter
150gm sugar
4 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Beat the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla together in a bowl till smooth.

2. Sift the flour into the bowl. Mix it in, making sure the dough isn’t lumpy.

3. Divide the dough into two halves. Wrap the first half in baking paper and refrigerate.

4. Add cocoa to the second half, mix it in till incorporated. Refrigerate.

5. Take out the first half and roll it out into a rectangle 1cm thick and about 5cm wide.

6. Using a ruler and a sharp knife, measure and cut the sheet of dough so that it is exactly 4cm wide and x cm long.

7. Cover the white rectangle in baking paper and place in the freezer.

8. Roll the cut-off dough from the edges into a ball and refrigerate separately.

9. Take out the second half of the dough (with cocoa) and repeat steps 5–8.

10. After 15 minutes, take out the two rectangles. Brush the top of the vanilla layer with a bit of water, and place the chocolate layer edges lined up precisely.

11. Measure down the length of the log, and cut it in half so you have two pieces ½x cm long.

12. Take the second piece and place it on top of the first, so you have a ½cm long log that is 4cm wide and 4cm high, layered vanilla-chocolate-vanilla-chocolate.

13. Using the ruler and knife, carefully cut the log lengthwise into four pieces 1cm wide (and 4cm deep, with alternate vanilla-chocolate-vanilla-chocolate layers).

14. Carefully lift the second piece and flip it so its layers are now chocolate-vanilla-chocolate-vanilla. Do the same with the fourth piece.

15. Cut the checkerboard log in two halves, ¼x cm long, wrap them in baking paper and refrigerate.

16. Take out the first ball of extra vanilla dough, and roll it out into a 4½cm wide, __cm long rectangular sheet.

17. Take out the first checkerboard log and place it on the sheet. Wrap the sheet around its length, sealing the edges with a bit of water if necessary. Refrigerate.

18. Repeat with the second checkerboard log and the chocolate dough.

19. Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Slice the checkerboard logs into ½ cm thick slices, and arrange them on a baking tray.

20. Bake for five minutes. Cool and serve.

Do not feed your pets cookies, no matter how much they beg.

BABY SPINACH AND CHICK PEA SOUP

YOU'LL NEED:
A knife and chopping board
A stockpot
A spatula
A ladle
A kettle

INGREDIENTS:
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bag of baby spinach, washed
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 small potatoes, washed and quartered
1 red onion, sliced
2 chilli peppers, slit lengthwise
4-8 pods of garlic, shelled
a sprig of fresh rosemary
a sprig of fresh thyme or ½ tsp dry thyme
olive oil & salt to taste

1. Fill the kettle with water and turn it on.
2. Pour some oil into the stockpot, and set it on the gas stove over a medium flame.
3. Sauté the onions, chilli peppers, garlic pods and potatoes, with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the herbs and chickpeas, and pour about three cups of boiling water in.
5. Cover, lower the flame and cook till the potatoes are nearly done done.
6. Add the tomatoes and spinach, and more salt and water if necessary. Once the spinach is wilted, turn off the stove.

Apparently, one can add wine early on: after step 3, add white wine and herbs, and after a few minutes, the chick peas and water. I think. Also one can ply one's guests with wine early on, and ensure that they will be too inebriated to tell the difference by dinnertime.

Not that I would dream of resorting to such underhanded means.

MISO SOBA WITH SEAWEED & MUSHROOMS

YOU'LL NEED:
A kettle
A knife & chopping board
A colander
A wok
A spatula

INGREDIENTS:
Soba noodles
2 tbsp red miso paste
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp tamarind paste
One small red onion, sliced
Seaweed
Kale, washed and chopped
10-12 Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
Olive oil

1. Fill the kettle and turn it on.
2. In the wok, fry onions, garlic, and kale in a little olive oil.
3. Add the mushrooms, miso paste, tamarind paste, seaweed, and about a cup of boiling water.
4. Pour the rest of the boiling water on the soba noodles. Drain them in the colander, and add to the wok.
5. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, and serve.

GINGER ORANGE PEKOE TEA

YOU'LL NEED:
Two teapots
A kettle
A knife
A teaspoon
One or more teacups
A microwave

INGREDIENTS:
Orange pekoe tea
Fresh ginger root
Milk or lemon
Honey or brown sugar

1. Fill the kettle with water and turn it on.
2. Slice a piece of ginger root (say about 1-2cm) and put it in one teapot.
3. Measure tea leaves into the other teapot: a teaspoon for every cup, and one more for the pot. This amount can be varied according to taste.
4. When water begins to boil, pour it into the first teapot (the one with the ginger) and let it sit for about a minute.
5. Pour the water from the first teapot into the second, and give it a bit of a swirl.
6. Pour it back into the first teapot immediately.

Now, anytime you feel like a cup of tea, pour yourself a cup from the first teapot, microwave it for about a minute and a half, add milk and sugar (or honey and lemon if you prefer) and enjoy. Since the teapot has almost no tea leaves in it, the tea won't be bitter and nasty. Ginger tea works wonders for colds, migraines, and increasing your empathy cred with girlfriends.