Guest Post: A Twin in the Kitchen

With the rush of the holidays over, you may find yourself in a rut over what to cook. Never fear, our twin/multiples community is here to inspire you! Guest contributor Clarice Connors is an identical twin who loves writing (she just finished her masters in Journalism) and food (she just started culinary school in January). Clarice shares some memories and a winter appetizer below.

My earliest memories of being a twin involve my sister and I (identical-- 2 months premature and 40 seconds apart) sitting on the floor in my parents' kitchen playing house by stirring imaginary food in my mom's pots, stacking just bought cans of soup, and trying to munch on dry pieces of pasta when my mom wasn't looking. She would give us the grocery bill receipts after a trip to the store so we could go over all the food items we just bought and create imaginary meals. We would store all the receipts in our PlaySkool kitchen packed with plastic food and dinnerware. I think it was our most beloved toy.

As we got a bit older we were allowed to help stir, wash veggies and we were always involved in our Christmas cookie baking. Beside learning to beat eggs, using a cookie cutter and painting the cookies-- the best part was eating the dough. I learned this from my mom early on. I mean, how else are you to ensure the cookies will actually taste good? And now, baking on my own for years...what is the best part of baking (with or without my mom and twin)? Sneaking some of the dough. It is a guilty pleasure I will always share with the two of them.

These days, my sister and I don't get to cook together often since I live in Boston and she lives in Brooklyn, NY, but just this year we threw a Christmas party at her apartment. Basically, we were the cooking duo and guests loved the fact that we would switch off-- one was in the kitchen and the other pouring drinks and socializing. We are a great tag team. Having a twin in the kitchen is excellent because we share the prep process, equally sneak bits of food, and cook with the same amount of energy and fun.

Our holiday menu was extra delicious this year because I prefer more of a savory menu and she is a bartender. Drinks included a peppermint martini (think white chocolate liqueur, peppermint schnapps and vodka), a Canadian inspired drink we called the Canuck (maple syrup and whiskey shaken on ice), mulled/spiced wine, and classic spiked egg nog. Our food menu included bacon wrapped dates, our special secret pork and chive dumplings, homemade mushroom pizza slices, goat cheese stuffed tomatoes, and pecan shortbread "snowballs." So, in short, we love food and love cooking, and when we join forces no one leaves hungry.

Bacon wrapped dates:

1 container (pitted) Medjool dates

1 package bacon

(you can stuff your dates if you like-- I have previously done feta, or walnuts, or pecans, or

Parmesan cheese-- just pick one and stuff!)

toothpicks, soaking for ten minutes in cold water. (this helps the picks to not get dried out and splintery when baking)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. If stuffing, take the item (nut or cheese) and stuff inside the date, there should be a little hole where the pit used to be (neatly so that none is squishing out). Set aside an a baking a piece of parchment paper.

Next, cut the bacon into half slices and wrap around the date, secure by spearing the date with a toothpick. Place on parchment paper lined baking tray, about half an inch apart. Repeat with all the dates. Bake in oven from 13-18 minutes. You want to keep checking to make sure the bacon is cooked. How long you cook it is dependent upon how you like your bacon (crispy-- stay in longer,

chewy...shorter).

I love to eat my dates right out of the oven warm accompanied with some mustard sauce. I combine dijion mustard with the french grained mustard (I use the brand Maille) and a small dollop of honey. Et voila!

Clarice Connors is a writer and culinary student in Boston. Catch up with Clarice on her blog, la cuisine bourgeoise and on Twitter.