Holiday break🛌

Hey there Florida Foodie friends,

It’s the ghost of Christmas future, Thomas Mates! I’m here to show you the ultimate folly of your avarice and convince you to give a non-descript sum of money to an anonymous street urchin so that they may fetch you a fat goose. That’s the moral of that story, right?

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In any case, I have a few days off for the holiday and I am excited to relax and spend a little time in my kitchen.

I’m planning to make some coquito and I may also try my hand at egg nog. I’ve never had a whole lot of luck tempering eggs. Hopefully, I don’t just end up with an alcoholic semi-liquid omelet. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Speaking of egg nog, I have heard some people say that the combination of nog with Sprite or Orange Fanta is delicious. I am incredibly skeptical of this flavor combination, but I’d try it.

Is this something you’ve had? Do you have your own unique food tradition around the holidays? Drop me a line at tmates@wkmg.com and tell me all about it.

OK, let’s get into it.

We have the last new Florida Foodie podcast of 2023 today. After this, we’ll be on a little break for the holidays, but we already have a full slate of new episodes set to be recorded in January. We’ll have updates on those in the coming weeks.

Downpayment on a new life🧁

Kee Gainey spent 25 years as a stay-at-home mom before starting her culinary career. Now, she is a working cook at Nourish Coffee Bar + Kitchen and she also runs her own bakery out of her home, Kitchen Arrabon.

Gainey has a great story to tell, but I can also say that her baked goods are delicious. She brought a mountain of tasty snacks when she came in for her interview and it was all amazing. The newsroom gobbled it all right up. Gainey is also a real sweetheart. She was so grateful for the opportunity to share her gift.

You can listen to her conversation with Candace Campos and Lisa Bell on the latest Florida Foodie.

>You can check out the episode here<

You can also find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube.

Small Bites🍅

Help needed🥫: Last year, 1 out of every 6 people in the United States looked to food banks and food pantries for support. That is a lot of people in need of help. There are plenty of opportunities around Central Florida for you to pitch in and help feed people in need. Here’s a list.

Citrus for sale🍊: Hollieanna Groves is a piece of Old Florida that is still going strong after almost 70 years. The fruit stand is still family-run and they try to keep it as close as possible to how the business operated in the 1950s. You can read all about its history and its future here.

Pirate dinner☠️: Dolly Parton is a national treasure. She is looking to bring a pirate-themed dinner theater to Florida, which oddly enough is something we already have here, but competition is good I suppose. Here’s what we know about the country star’s plans.

Hard to say goodbye🥢: After 20 years in business, a Winter Springs restaurant, Thai Basil, is getting ready to close for good. The owners said they decided to not renew their lease but did not elaborate as to why. You can find out when its last day in business will be here.

Something to try at home 🍽️

Christmas is here and it is the most cookie-forward holiday I can think of. So, of course, I have a cookie recipe to share.

Specifically, monster cookies from Sally’s Cookie Addiction by Sally McKenney.

My wonderful wife and I recently made these and they turned out great. They were not too sweet and had a good amount of salt. There are also a variety of textures with this cookie that make it even more enjoyable.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks of room-temperature butter
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large room-temperature eggs
• 1 cup peanut butter (I prefer chunky but either works)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups whole rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups M&M’s
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Step 1: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high until smooth. Then add all of your sugar and beat until creamed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the peanut butter, eggs and vanilla and beat on high until completely combined.

Step 3: Add the flour mixture and beat together until smooth. With the mixer running on low, add your oats followed by the M&M’s and chocolate chips.

Step 4: Chill the dough for at least 20 minutes, or up to four days. When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350.

Step 5: Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop about 2 tablespoons worth of dough into a rough ball and place it on the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for about 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges turn brown but the middle is still very soft. I actually need to bake these for about 20 minutes to achieve the right consistency, but your mileage may vary on that.

Step 6: Allow the cookies to cook completely on a wire rack before serving.

There are a lot of ingredients, but the process is pretty simple and the result is delicious. It’s like a perfect combination of a peanut butter, chocolate chip and oatmeal cookie.

That’s it for today.

Please, send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.

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Also, please take the time to rate and review the Florida Foodie podcast.

- Thomas