Almond Cookies

Here's an "old Dutch Colonial," recipe not house -->

Recipe

3/4 c butter (not a misprint - that's a stick and a half)
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c almonds, crushed

Cream the butter, sugar, and almond extract.  Sift the flour with baking soda and salt.  Beat together the butter/sugar and flour mixtures.  Roll the dough out into about a 12" square.  Brush just enough of the egg onto the dough to cover in a light layer, then sprinkle the almonds on top.  Cut into squares and separate.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Notes

This was totally not my dinner tonight...

Almond-Crusted Cod

I had this recipe earmarked for a bit, and finally got around to it recently.  I've been working through a bag of almonds, and keeping an eye out for cod in the Morton Williams freezer...  Everything else should be sitting around your kitchen.

The Recipe

1 lb cod filet
1/2-3/4 cups almonds, crushed
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp seasoning of choice
salt & pepper

Lay the cod out on a baking sheet.  Mix the butter, almonds, herbs and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and lay evenly on the top of the cod.  Cook for 10-15 minutes at 500.

Notes

I wasn't totally happy with the cooking time from the original recipe.  By 10 minutes the almonds were almost burning but the cod seemed underdone.  So I left it in a little longer.  I don't think you really have to worry about the almonds being overdone, though - you want a nice toasty flavor!

Here's the finished product with orange-tomato broccoli - the secret ingredients for the night were almond and thyme.