Cooking Up Holiday Spirit

WVLC hopes that everyone had a joyful and tasty Thanksgiving. Now it is time to start baking for the December holiday season!

This week's cookbook is Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Baking: Classic Flavors for Today's Cooks

Southern Shortbread

From France to Scotland, England to America, everyone loves these buttery-rich and yet delicate cookies -- and everyone seems to have a favorite variation. Perhaps its popularity is due in part to the fact that it is an easy, artless confection, made up of little more than softened butter, flour, and sugar rubbed together with no particular care or technique -- as easy to make as they are to gobble down by the handful. In the South, many cooks give the crumb a toothsome crunch by adding a handful of stone-ground cornmeal. For a more delicate cookie, you can substitute an equal volume of corn flour or cornstarch for the cornmeal.

Makes about 2 to 3 dozen cookies, depending on the chosen size and shape

1/2 cup sugar
Salt
12 ounces (about 2 1/4 cups) Southern soft-wheat flour or soft-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup fine stone-ground white cornmeal
8 ounces (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1. Whisk together the sugar, a small pinch of salt, the flour, and the cornmeal. With your fingers or a pastry blender , work the butter into the flour until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal. Keep blending with your hands until it is smooth. Gather it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it for at least 30 minutes -- until it is firm but not hard.

2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. To shape the cookies you may simply pat the dough flat on a cookie sheet in large rounds or rectangles a little less than 1/4 inch thick and prick the dough at regular intervals with a fork; or pinch off small (1-inch diameter) lumps, roll them between your hands into a tight ball, then press each one float on a cookie sheet with a cookie stamp or the palm of your hand; or lightly flour a flat work surface, dust the dough with flour, roll it out just under 1/4 inch thick, and cut it with a cookie cutter. Transfer the cut cookies to a cookie sheet with a spatula, spacing them about an inch apart.

3. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Let the shortbread cool on the cookie sheet. If you have baked it in one large piece, while it is still warm and soft cut it into pieces about 1 inch wide by 2 to 2 1/2 inches long, or, if in rounds, into wedges, Scottish Style. Let the cut cookie cool before removing them from the baking sheet.

Archives & History Monthly Lecture Series

Jaime Simmons, research specialist at West Virginia Archives and History, will speak about "Digging into the Draper Collection: Researching the Settlement of Western Virginia" at the monthly Tuesday evening lecture in the Archives and History Library on December 7, 2010, at 6:00 p.m. Simmons will provide information on the contents of the Draper Collection but will focus on the process of researching in the collection, how to use the indices and press-marks to access the collection, and how to use what is found in the collection to locate additional information.

Time to file FY2011 Form 470

It is now time to file your Form 470 for FY 2011. Due to recent changes in the E-rate program and the Form 470 you will need to certify the form as soon as you submit. Please contact Jennifer Johnson if you need any assistance in completing the form. For more information on completing the Form 470 visit: http://www.usac.org/sl/applicants/step03/ 

Staff Pick of the Week

Heather's Pick

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

I picked this book up a few years ago because of the title. I hated high school history. The dates. The people who had no faults. This book changed history for me and made historic individuals in American history real people who struggled in their decision making and fought to do the right thing, even if they didn't completely believe it themselves. It also introduce ideas that were foreign to me, like the plague that afflicted many Native Americans before and during the first settlements. Mostly this book got me interested in learning about the events and people who forged the nation.

Interlibrary Loan Clarification

There seems to be some confusion about interlibrary loan services. Section 3.18 of the Library Commission Administrative Rule requires libraries receiving state aid (GIA) to share resources with other libraries in the state according to local interlibrary loan policy and guidelines endorsed by the Library Commission.

The requirement is in place so patrons can receive this basic service at every public library in the state. The local interlibrary code may specify local procedures for interlibrary loan but the service must be available. If you have any questions about interlibrary loan practices, contact Karen Goff.

Joyful Night event at Capitol Complex Dec. 2

Joyful Night, the state's annual tree-lighting holiday celebration will be on Thursday, December 2, beginning at 6 p.m.  All activities are free and open to the public.

The evening's event will include the Posting of the Colors by the George Washington High School Junior ROTC; the tree lighting by the Governor and First Lady; and musical selections by the Cabell Midland High School Marching Band, Rhonda Smalley, director; and the Appalachian Children’s Chorus Cantare Choir of Southern West Virginia, Krista Brown-Trogdon, director; on the North Plaza Fountain Circle of the State Capitol Building. The holiday tree at the North Plaza was donated by Mrs. Helen Herring of Elkview.

Cooking Up Holiday Spirit

This week's cookbook is Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers

Mason-Dixon Corn Bread Dressing 101

Moist, golden brown corn bread dressing has as many variations as there are Southern cooks. This basic corn bread dressing recipe uses two equally popular Southern ingredients, ham and pecans.

-This dressing is best made with homemade corn bread. Southern Corn Bread has the proper firm texture. While corn bread stuffing mix is an acceptable substitute, don't use corn bread baked from packaged mixes--these are usually very sweet and make okay muffins but lousy dressing.

-Bake the corn bread a day or two ahead, crumble it, and let it stand at room temperature to dry out. The corn bread can also be dried in the oven. Crumble the corn bread onto baking sheets and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until dried out but not toasted, 20 to 30 minutes.

-As with Bread Stuffing 101, use homemade turkey stock for the best flavor, and be flexible about the amount of stock used to moisten the stuffing. Be sure the stock is cold (or at least cooled to lukewarm), as hot stock could scramble the eggs.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 ounces smoked ham, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 medium celery ribs with leaves, chopped
1 cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)
10 cups coarsely crumbled Southern Corn Bread, dried overnight or in the oven
1 cup toasted and coarsely chopped pecans
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, preferably homemade
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
2 1/2 cups homemade turkey stock or canned reduced-sodium chicken broth, or as needed

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the ham and celery and cook until the celery softens, about 5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.

2. Scrape the ham, vegetables, and butter into large bowl. Stir in the corn bread, pecans, eggs, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in enough of the stock to moisten the stuffing, about 2 cups. Use to stuff the bird, or place in a buttered baking dish, drizzle with an additional 1/2 cup stock, cover, and bake as a side dish.