Baby It's Cold Outside

The weekend brought with it our Christmas party for work, bitter cold and snow.  With our big party over, and virtually all of the Christmas shopping complete, I feel like I can settle in and enjoy the season.

 Dangerous roads and the extreme cold on Sunday kept me indoors, and put me in the mood for baking.  I found this recipe for Spicy Ginger Twigs on pinterest and tried it out.  I was expecting a light crisp cookie and they are more like mini biscotti's.  Though I was initially disappointed in that, once I had adjusted my expectation, I really enjoyed them.  They have a touch of cayenne in addition to typical gingerbread spices, which gives them a nice heat.  A perfect little treat with a cup of coffee or tea.  It is the second dessert recipe that I have tried in the last week that called for using a pizza cutter.  I love finding new uses for things! 

We were able to try out the tractors snow blower yesterday, and what a difference!  We are so thankful that we have this in what seems to be an early and active winter season.  With light snow in the forecast most of the rest of the week, and mid-afternoon temperatures today hitting about zero, I think that I may just have to find some more tasty treats to keep me busy in the warmth of the kitchen as the week progresses.

Thursday Things

It has been so busy this week, with the last day of school and summer activities getting into full swing without missing a beat. It has left me a little splintered with some tasks half done. So here are a few random Thursday things that I have been thinking about.

::  I had planned on baking cookies two days ago, but the afternoons have been so busy that it just has not   happened.  So this morning as my beautiful room temperature butter stared back at me accusingly, I decided to shake things up a bit and get my cookies baked early.  I am always at my best early in the day, and that time is normally monopolized by lunch making and carpooling before work.  What did I learn this morning?  An added benefit to summer....early morning baking rocks!

::  Virtually any garden item can be harvested and infused in vodka, olive oil or vinegar.  The possibilities are endless.....and delicious!!

::  When I knew that big storms were headed our way last night, I quickly ran outside and cut a few of our newly bloomed peonies, for fear the torrential rain would make them drop all of their petals before I could enjoy them.  Mother nature sure does it up right.  As I mourn the passing of my beautiful lilac flowers, she cheers me up with these delicate fragrant blooms, and reminds me that it is all a cycle and as one thing ends another begins.

Best (easiest). Brownies. Ever.

I tend to make things from scratch, I think something instilled in me from my Gram.  I mean, why buy, when you can bake??  But not everything has to be as laborious as the sourdough starter that I am currently feeding twice daily.  As good as filling your house with the smell of fresh baking, is the kind of baking that comes from a simple, fast recipe that yields the best product and all without breaking out and needing to clean my Kitchenaide!!  I got this recipe years ago from a friend and it is a go to staple in my kitchen, in fact we've made them twice this week! (sharing of course)

Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:
3/4 C. Baking Cocoa
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
2/3 C. Melted Butter (divided)
1/2 C. Boiling Water
2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/3 C. Flour
1 tsp. Vanilla (use your homemade stuff, another easy money saving recipe!)
1/4 t. Salt
1/2 C. Pecans (coarsely chopped, and if you want)
2 C. Chocolate Chips

Method:
In a large bowl, combine cocoa & soda; blend in 1/3 C melted butter.  Add boiling water; stir until blended.  Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining butter.  Add flour, vanilla and salt.  Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until sides begin to pull away from the pan.  Cool & Enjoy!!

Seasonal Breakfast

This, the last week of school has been filled with breakfast treats and later than normal bed times (I'm sure the extended hours of light are contributing to the latter).  We have done Belgian waffles, cereal with luscious whole milk (which now accompanies almost everything and even has my son who doesn't like milk drinking it.  Check out my post here to see how this all came about), and this morning strawberry crumble.  The strawberries are booming and I found last night that we are going to have to be careful to make time to harvest every day, even if it's a small one, or we will be overrun!  I found a cool article yesterday on the kitchn and used one of the variations.

Strawberry Crumble

Big bowl of strawberries (I didn't measure, just used what I had)
Slice the strawberries and toss with 1 Tbs. cornstarch, 1 Tbs. lemon juice and 1/4 C sugar (you can use more, but our strawberries are so amazingly sweet, they really don't need much!  Empty combined ingredients into a 9" pie pan.



Crumble Topping:  1 C Flour, 1/2 C Brown Sugar, 1/2 C Oatmeal, 1 tsp. Baking Powder, 1 tsp. Cinnamon, and 8 Tbsp softened butter.  Cut the ingredients all together with a pastry cutter, my new very favorite kitchen tool!  Sprinkle on top of strawberry mixture and place into a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and browning on top.

Enjoy a very seasonal, yet decadent breakfast!

Snow Globe

Today, moments were spent going about my business from the inside of a snow globe.  Watching the snow drift so lightly down around me, as workmen were in and out fixing the things that all seem to break down when it's cold and snowy, I decided that comforting and tasty treats were going to be my goal.



A buttermilk, pesto and Parmesan bread will go nicely with homemade pasta a fagioli.



To top it off, warm blackberry cobbler ala Pioneer Woman.

I hope your weekend is beginning with the warmth of family within your snow globe.

Wordless Wednesday~Perfect Yolks

Seconds and Thirds Please

When I was wracking my brain for holiday cookies to bring to last weeks cookie exchange, I decided that I wanted to tackle something new.  I love our traditional cookies, but was just feeling like a challenge.  I came across two recipes one from Martha Stewart called Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps, and the other from the kitchn for Chewy Molasses Cookies.  I linked the chocolate ones above, but made a key change with the molasses ones so am sharing it here.

I will say they were both very easy, and quite decadent!  I also really liked that they both were deliciously chewy and stayed that way.  The doughs can be easily made ahead and chilled or frozen and then baked off when you have time.

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

1/2 C unsalted butter

1/4 C orange infused olive oil ( I had a blood orange olive oil that I got as a gift from a friend and it     was to die for!  I was stunned at what a huge difference it made in the flavor of the cookie)!

1/4 C molasses

1 C brown sugar

1 egg

A good chunk of fresh ginger ~ 3 inches, grated

2 1/4 C flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. powdered ginger

1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

granulated sugar for rolling

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Cream butter, olive oil, molasses, and brown sugar together. Then add the egg and whip until smooth and add grated ginger with any juices.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, salt, powdered ginger, Cinnamon and black pepper.  Add to wet ingredients until completely incorporated.  This will produce a soft dough.  Place in refrigerator for 1- hour. (I made the dough the night before I baked them, so just chilled it overnight).  

Take small 1 inch chunks of dough, roll them into balls, then roll them in granulated sugar.  Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.  Once cool you can choose to ice them or keep them plain.  The flavors are strong enough that it doesn't need the icing.  If you ice them a simple glaze made from a mixture of powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and lemon juice is a nice touch!

We are a big chocolate family and the kids loved both cookies, but when they went back for seconds and thirds, it was the ginger molasses that they went after first!

Inspiration Mojo

Today turned out to be one of those days.  The first day back from vacation and there was a lot of catching up to do at work, but it all went smoothly!  This fall has been busy, happy, but seemed to be lacking a little bit of that inspiration that drives me to look at things and makes me want to create.  Don't get me wrong, I have been productive, but just not quite feeling it.

The tide really turned when I was driving the kids home from school tonight.  Like so many other's this fall, the sunset quickly put on a show, changing every second as it reached it's twilight crescendo.  What was different about this one?  I am not sure, the frosty and very windy air, that makes you quicken your step gave it a breathless feel.  Giving me the warmth that winter brings to your soul as you rush in the door at home to ward off the cold.  I snapped a number of shots and I was taken by each one. 

Then I hurried into the house to put together the Norwex order that arrived from one of my shows.  That done, went straight into making cookie dough for a cookie exchange that I am going to on Thursday.  Each dough was decadent and outrageously good raw, I'll share more about them once they are cooked tomorrow!  I then busied myself with a simple pasta sauce all made from garden items that we are storing...(aside, I have no idea why I decided to run a scene from American Horror through my head when I went into the root cellar tonight, but I sure beat feeted it out of there)!  As dinner is simmering away, I sit with a glass of wine and plug in the camera to see if any of the shots look as good SOOC as they did through the view finder.  I asked B to come over and check out the sunset from tonight.  His first comment was wow, so striped and with the deep blue, that looks like the flag.  What do you think??

I think I am getting my inspiration mojo back!

Pure Red Decadence

In B's family, the traditional birthday cake is none other than Red Velvet.  I had made it only once before, years ago, because the kids have always picked other things that they wanted for their special birthday treats.  This year, Sidney requested we roll out the red carpet and that is just what we did! 

This is not a cake for the faint of heart.  It has all of the good, that's truly bad for you in it.  It runs the over indulging gamut from shortening, to butter, to whole milk, to two full bottles of red food coloring.  This treat is as gorgeous to look at as it is sinful to eat.  Just be sure that you don't have your cholesterol checked immediately after.  So without further adieu...

Red Velvet Cake

1 1/2 C. Sugar

1/2 C. Shortening

2 Tbsp. (heaping) Cocoa

2 oz. Red Food Coloring

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Eggs

2 1/4 C. Flour

Pinch Salt

1 C. Buttermilk

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 Tbsp. Vinegar

Cream shortening, sugar and eggs thoroughy.  Make a paste of the cocoa and food coloring and then add to creamed mixture.  Add Vanilla.  Add sifted flour and salt alternating with buttermilk until completely incorporated.  Add soda to vinegar (hold over bowl as it foams up), then mix gently into batter.  Bake in 2 well greased and floured 8" pans at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, cool, split layers (if desired), and ice.

Icing Recipe

6 Tbsp. Flour
1 C. Whole milk 
Cook constantly stirring until thick, cover and cool

1 C. Sugar
1 C. Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla

Cream until very fluffy and no sugar granuals are detectable.  Then add flour mixture to creamed mixture and beat on high until it has appearance of whipped cream.  Ice cooled layers.

Enjoy!



Saturday Treat

This has felt like the ideal Saturday.  After morning cub scouts and chores, the kids both have friends over and the afternoon is full of laughter, rosy cold cheeks and relaxation.  A perfect day for a little quite baking, with a great payout...big smiles. 

These Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies are adapted slightly from a recipe of Ina Garten's and a huge favorite in our household.

1/2 lb unsalted butter, at room temperature
1C light brown sugar
1C granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
2C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 bag white chocolate chips (I've used chopped nuts or toffee chunks instead of white choc before too)

Preheat oven to 350

Cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle.
Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well.  Add the cocoa and mix again.  Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and add to the chocolate mixture on a low speed until just combined.  Fold in the white chocolate.

Drop on baking sheet.  Dampen your hands and flatten dough slightly (this is a huge tip and I use it with most cookies that I make.  It gives them the perfect shape and they spread just right)!  Bake for exactly 15 minutes (they will seem underdone).  Cool slightly on pan, then transfer to cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Christmas Treats

Kolachky's are an old family favorite that has a wonderful cream cheese cookie stuffed with yummy jams.

Today was the day, cookie baking. As I write this, the kids are thrilled to be decorating delicious ginger bread men (I finally found an awesome recipe that tastes great, like a crisper version of the wonderful gingerbread I've been making all fall).

I got my doughs ready this morning and then baked this afternoon, once they'd chilled sufficiently. I did two vastly different cookies and it never ceases to amaze me how simple cookies are. They all virtually have the same base and all you need to do is add a pinch of this here or there and viola. I'm about 8 dozen in and think I'll do one more batch tomorrow. The house is filled with such wonderful warm holiday smells. I think Santa will be pleased with this years treat!

Kolachky Cookies
1/2 Cup Butter
1-3 oz. Cream Cheese
1 Cup sifted All-Purpose Flour
Strawberry or Raspberry Jam
Powdered Sugar

Cream butter and cheese together. Gradually work in flour. Chill. Roll out paper thin on floured board. Cut with 2 inch round cutter. Spread with; jam. Fold 2 edges to center, overlapping slightly. Press down lightly so cookies won't spread too much. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. While warm, sift powdered sugar on top.