There was a lot of anticipation and smiling from my co-host Chelsey Perkins and me as we readied ourselves for a Ham Radio: Cooking with Amy Thielen bonus side dish on the KAXE Morning Show.
Think of this as our gift to the Hammies. Hamheads? Baconators? Is there a name for the Ham Radio fans out there?
Merry Ham Radio Christmas from us all. And let us know what to call you!
Ham Radio conversations always remind us how stories and food can bring people together — especially if you talk about Christmas cookies and childhood memories.
You never know where our Ham Radio chats will go, and this time, Amy had shortbread on the brain.
"I just got back from London, where I was just, you know, eating as much as I could, even when it hurt, soldiering on, just in the name of research," she said. "And they have a lot of really good bakeshops and they make a lot of really cool shortbreads."
For Amy, cookies are the currency of the holidays. She'll bake her usuals, like a lemon-olive oil thumbprint cookie, along with her mom's traditions of candy, sour cream fudge and toffee. But she'll also try new things inspired by life experiences.
Along with stories of her own cookies, we learned something. Turns out, cookies should not be done on the cheap. Ingredients are key to a good cookie, and Amy explained to us the importance of quality butter with high butter fat and less water. She recommends Kerry Gold or the Land O'Lakes holiday butters.
When the conversation veered toward gingerbread, Amy recommended the 1968 book by the influential New York food writer Mimi Sheraton, Visions of Sugarplums: A Cookbook of Cakes, Cookies, Candies and Confections from All of the Countries that Celebrate Christmas.
Take a listen to this second helping of Ham Radio: Cooking with Amy Thielen about holiday cookies.
We want to hear from you!
Have a question, idea, or cooking story? Drop us a line: text 218-326-1234 or email comments@kaxe.org. We might feature your story in an upcoming episode!
