Sweetie Petitti

Iowa Layered Salad

2012-02-01T04:00:00.000-06:00

Martha Stewart's Iowa Layered Salad

Many years ago, I came across an article in Martha Stewart Living about an Iowa farm picnic. I can remember the beautiful pictures of a fantastic picnic on a picturesque Iowa farm. Having grown up in Iowa, and having friends with farms, I can honestly say I have never enjoyed such an event as it was pictured. But that is what Martha does best! One of the recipes was for a layered salad which I did find on her website titled Dig Deep Layered Salad. How unromantic is that? There is no reference to that gorgeous article, and the title alone would turn me off. However, this is one of my favorite pot luck dishes. It is relatively healthy, unusual in many ways, and so delicious. It really works in any season, and compliments just about anything. And trust me, after it has been dug into and you scoop the leftovers into another bowl, it just gets better. There is really nothing in here that wilts or gets soggy, so it holds up great as leftovers. You'll have to make a trip to a healthy store to find the hard wheat berries. My Whole Foods has them in bulk, and not only are they delicious, they are cheap.

Hard Wheat Berries

I also made a few changes. I used white balsamic vinegar instead of white wine vinegar, so I didn't add the sugar to the dressing. Also, I bought a bag of shredded slaw. I am a girl without a real grocery store right now, and the Super Target I was shopping at had some pretty bad looking Napa cabbage, which is my favorite. I decided to shortcut it with the prepackaged. It works, but my old supermarket (that I dearly miss) had a packaged fine slaw with no purple cabbage or carrots in it. That would have been my ideal choice if I couldn't get a good Napa cabbage. I also use only enough grated carrot to cover the top, I think 5 cups is a lot of carrot. It also depends on how close I am to the top of my serving dish, I like to fill perfectly. This is the bowl I always use to serve in, so I have the recipe figured out pretty well. So, what are you waiting for? Get in there!

Iowa Layered Salad

2 cups hard wheat berries

6 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 c white wine vinegar

4 tea dijon mustard

1 ½ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

1 T sugar

½ t. celery seed

1 cup olive oil

1 head (2 ¼ cups) chopped celery

1 cup dried cranberries

10 oz. blue cheese crumbled

1 small cabbage shredded (5 cups)

5 large carrots, shredded (5 cups)

Place wheat berries in saucepan cover with 2 qt. water, cover and boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Drain. Place in bottom of large (4 qt) glass serving bowl. Mix lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, sugar, celery seed, and whisk in olive oil. Drizzle 2 T dressing over wheat berries. Cover berries with celery and 2 T dressing. Cover celery with cranberries and half of blue cheese and 2 T dressing. Toss cabbage with 4 T dressing and layer over blue cheese. Top with carrots and remaining blue cheese and remaining dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. Serve at room temp.

Dig In!

Here Comes The Bride!

2012-01-28T16:13:00.001-06:00

Don't you love a wedding? I made these cookies for a wedding shower, and since the wedding was so close to the holidays, my friend decided to host a shower after the wedding, which I think is a great idea. How fun for the bride, and her friends and family to reminisce about the big event! I also made an early batch of Valentines. So here we go...and stay tuned, I am getting ready for my first give away! I am excited, I hope you are too! So for now, get in there and bake!

Craft Day!

2012-01-23T09:41:00.000-06:00

Red Neck Wine Glasses

Photo Fabric Pillows

Over Christmas, Christina wanted to make gifts for her friends, and of course I am all in, but she HAS to help. I don't generally ask for help when the project involves an oven, but a craft project for her friends meant it would be a project for us both! So a shopping trip to Hobby Lobby and a day in the sewing room. It was the perfect ending to Christmas vacation!

The first project was redneck wine glasses. Nic joined the fun on this one. I came across these at a Dirty Santa party and everyone passed these silly glasses around. When we discovered how easy and cheap they were to make, I had a group of friends over with glue and jelly jars and we made 4 dozen. When the kids came home for the holidays, they decided they wanted some too. You will need glass candle sticks, little short ones. We found them at the dollar store and at Hobby Lobby. You also need a jar for the top. I saw them all over the internet with Mason jars, but the ones we had were the faceted jelly jars. You will also need glass glue that dries waterproof, a little sandpaper and some fingernail polish remover with acetone.

You need to gently sand the top of the candle holder, and wipe with the acetone and wipe the bottom of the jar as well. Lay a ring of glue on the bottom of the glass and place on table upside down. Top with the candle holder (also upside down) and be sure it is level. Keep it where it won't get bumped and dry overnight. We found that setting the jars on the lids was more stable than the candle stick, they are top heavy, and can slip making it a little crooked. We found some cool stickers that are all the letters, and Christina put her friends initials on the label section of the jars. Pretty cute. Then she put her glasses in some home made fabric bags and tied them with ribbon. Of course Christina's aren't wine glasses, they would be soda glasses.

Then to the sewing machine for photo pillows. We started with a photo of her and her friends that we printed on photo fabric. The brand I use is no longer available, but we printed the pictures on various types of silk. You should be able to find a similar product at the fabric store. I should have paid closer attention to the types, because the thinner silk wasn't great. We bought a black and white print for the back of the pillow, and she chose different solids for the fronts. Everything was cut 15"X15" for a finished pillow of 14"X14", and we just appliquéd the photo to the solid fabric. We also bought some white pom pom trim.
Basically you appliqué the trimmed photo to the solid fabric first, anchoring and stabilizing it with some fusible interfacing. Then you need to baste the pom pom trim to one side of the pillow (on the right side) and then sew the two side together, right sides facing, leaving a small opening. Stuff the pillow and then hand stitch it closed. They turned out great, an easy and fun project for college kids! So now, back to the kitchen, I have baking to do!

Grandma Tilton's Cinnamon Rolls

2012-01-14T09:08:00.000-06:00

My husband does't talk about a lot of food memories, unlike me who remembers every meal of every event in my life! But he does have this obsession with his Grandma Tilton's cinnamon rolls. His mom was happy to send him the recipe, and I sort of sat back thinking he might try them some day. I vaguely remember him doing it, but I can't remember how they turned out. So I decided as I was getting things done ahead, that maybe I could make them to the point of the last rise and freeze them. Then, in the morning I could take the thawed rolls out and bake them up for an amazing surprise!

Grandma Tilton's Cinnamon Rolls

1 package yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water (under 110˚ F)

1 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt

Scald milk and remove from heat. Add butter, sugar, salt and allow to cool. Note that most times yeast doesn't rise, it is because it has been killed. Yes, murdered by too hot of a liquid. Use an instant read thermometer and make sure that nothing is over 110̊ . In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the scalded milk and 1 1/2 cups of flour until smooth. Add yeast mixture and mix and then add 2 eggs and mix well. I use the dough hook so it is always on a slow speed. Add another 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix until smooth and elastic. Knead for about 7 minutes. I add flour in small amounts until the dough cleans the bowl as it is kneaded. Remove from bowl and place in oiled bowl and cover with a cloth and let rise a few hours until doubled in size.

Roll out on floured board, I did one half of the dough at a time. Roll to a large rectangle. Drizzle a little butter, about 3 Tablespoons, melted on the dough, and then sprinkle brown sugar and chopped nuts (I used walnuts). You want the toppings to reach the edges of the dough. Begin to roll on one long end and tightly roll the dough. Cut into slices about 2"-3" thick. You can make them bigger, just adjust the baking time. Place the cut rolls in a 9x9 square pan that has 2 Tablespoons of butter and a little brown sugar and chopped nuts on the bottom. Repeat for the other half of the dough. Cover well with plastic wrap and then with foil and freeze.

A note: There were no measurements for the butter, brown sugar and nuts, but I always err on the light side. These are not health food to begin with. If they are a little dry on the day we bake them I can always whip up a little confectioner's sugar glaze. But since the bottom of the pan will be a little gooey and caramelized, I thought they would be fine.

So here's what I need to change. I do not like the brown sugar, I am not a fan of that dark gooieness. I cut the rolls too small thinking it would make portions easier, but they really were a tad dry, I think big rolls that are a little doughy in the center is the way to go, but I did put a bit of glaze on them, and that helped. They smelled fantastic, they tasted good, but they are not my favorite. (And I forgot to snap photos of the finished rolls!) I have an old standby for a traditional, non brown sugar, no nut, cinnamon roll that I will blog soon. But hey, these are what Scott loves, they are his memory, and thankfully he knows how to make them!

Aunt Evelyn's Ham Balls

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

Aunt Evelyn's Ham Balls

I know, they sound nasty, but hang in here with me. You won't be disappointed. First, let me fill you in on Aunt Evelyn. She was my Great Aunt, married my Grandpa's brother. They were so much fun, never had kids, and they came to visit us every summer for the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival. Uncle Paul had been a musician back in the 30's and 40's. They were very special to me because my Grandpa passed when I was pretty little, and I was always around in the summer to hang out with them at the Bix Fest.
This is her recipe, and it is classic 50's food. I am sure they ate this over rice for dinner, but it is one of my favorite things to make as appetizer. It sure beats Costco meatballs, and you know who you are out there, buying those! I always make more, meatballs are so time consuming, and freeze them for later. Scott's favorite pizza is ham and pineapple, so little tiny meatballs would be perfect for his pizza. Sounds like a blog for a cold winter's night!

1 1/2# ground ham
2# lean ground pork
2 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
1 cup milk (a little more may be necessary depending on the moisture in the ham)

I run the meat through the grinder attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer, and mix it well. Form meatballs, keeping them uniform size. I like them one-bite size, and I did make some little ones. Bake in a well oiled cookie sheet at 350 for about 30 minutes. Roll them about frequently, and baste with the sauce a couple of times.

Juice from large can of pineapple chunks
Combine
1/2 cup juice with 1 cup dark brown sugar
add 1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Heat sauce to melt sugar, and place the cooked, drained meatballs and the sauce in a casserole and bake 15 minutes, add drained pineapple chunks and bake 15 minutes more.

Now, confession time. I make this recipe, as is, and the men especially eat it up. But while at work one day, we were sampling a sauce we sell called Tiki Pork. It is a pineapple based sauce with a little heat in it, courtesy of a little ginger and red pepper. Not necessarily spicy, but a little residual heat, and darn if it isn't good. So I bought this sauce for my Aunt Evelyn's Ham Balls and served them at our New Year's Eve party. They were fantastic, and I will tinker with my recipe to recreate this updated taste! Happy 2012!

So long to 2011, on to the New Year!

2012-01-02T12:19:00.001-06:00

Happy Joe's Taco Pizza

So I am a bad holiday blogger. Part of it is work, well, a lot of it was work. Plus I was without my big oven from Thanksgiving until somewhere around the 15th of December, and of course those last 10 days really ramp up at work. So I did cook and bake, but I was a little lax on blogging. I decided before I do a quickie on what I did accomplish, I would look at the year that has passed.

In January I posted some sewing projects, and that makes me think I have got to get back in there! I also made crack pie (yuck) and macaroons (yum, the meringue, coconut kind, not the trendy ones).

In February I made lots of Valentine sugar cookies, some fresh garbanzo beans and I made a cookie in honor of the best dog ever. We also drank Dark and Stormys, and I am thinking how good that tasted!

In March, I cleaned my copper, no small feat. I also made a fantastic Mardi Gras pizza and welcomed spring in the South.

I was pretty busy in April. I made a lot of Easter cookies, and cookies for the premiers of Something Borrowed. I blogged a lot! And I even baked for the Royal Wedding watch party. Well, it isn't really baked, but it is the future King's favorite cake! One of my more popular blogs appeared too, but more on that later!

May was really all about the cookies. Frosting For the Cause, graduation, my handyman and lots of others. It was also Mother's Day, so I wrote a tribute to my mom.

June was all about the cookies again. Seashells, Frosting for the Cause again, the Mailman, and Cars 2, among others. I did make a gorgeous dinner and blogged it lest anyone think all we eat is flour and sugar!

July was a hodge podge of blogs. Of course the 4th of July and my birthday. But also some barbecue and an assortment of cookies, my favorite would have to be Bigfoot.

There's just too much in August to pick. We became empty nesters, I had a family reunion that could only have happened because of this blog, and another popular post I will get to.

September was busy and I did a rerun. But I baked a lot of cookies, my favorites being for the sorority girl.

October was all about our amazing trip to Wine Country, St. Helena and meeting my chef crush, Michael Chiarello.

November was all cookies until I recreated our Bottega dinner. Then my oven died.

There were no sugar cookies in December, how sad is that? I made some green tomatoes though, and found an old family recipe and story that was published on the Smithsonian Magazine online.

Minnie's Chocolate Pie

But I have to highlight the big 2 posts. They continue to generate emails and comments and page views. The first is Happy Joe's Taco Pizza. Every Iowan it seems loves this stuff, and I get many comments from people who are happy to see how to make it at home. It is not the exact recipe, but for this girl, it takes me back! The photo is up top.

The other post is Minnie's Chocolate Pie. The movie The Help was a blockbuster no doubt, at least here. I have had many versions of chocolate pie and fudge pie, but it was fun to do this blog and share it. I even had a blogger friend down under baking it! But the last comment was the best, she reminds me I left out Minnie's key ingredient!
Here's to 2012 and all it holds. May it be happy, healthy and prosperous to us all!

Holiday Happiness!

2011-12-19T07:36:00.000-06:00

My baking bloggers are posting all their fantastic creations, and then there is me. No loving from the oven here. I finally got the thing fixed, and I will have to reconsider my next oven when I move. But the world of retail has been taking up a fair amount of time, and just spending time with my family has seriously been my priority. So instead, today, I decided to go back in the vault, and post one of my favorite Christmas pictures. These sweet kids are in college now, and my daughter still bristles at the sight of Santa. She was never much of a fan. It has to do with a Big Barbie that did not make it on to the sleigh one year. This kid can hold a grudge!

Schart’llat

2011-12-14T15:32:00.000-06:00

Schart'llat
I would love for you to go to the Smithsonian Magazine blog called Inviting Writing to read the story I wrote for them about schart'llat. But here it is in a nutshell, if you insist. The invite to write was a call for stories about Christmas cookies that mean a lot to your family. We have many family recipes, and schart'llat is so unusual in many ways. First of all the spelling is likely found only in Faeto, Italy. The pronunciation and description of the pastry is similar to other southern Italian regions where they call it scallidde. But I don't have anywhere to reference this recipe, other than my dad, Pasquale. He remembers them from his childhood, and I remember them from mine. With the advent of the internet I was sure one day to find them. But it wasn't until I was back in Faeto and asked my new friend Peppino and he know what they were and provided the spelling, but no secret family recipe. Here is the way I made them, and there is room for changes for sure. If I am ever lucky enough to go to pastry school I would know what to do, but for now, they get very puffy. I suspect it is the large quantity of baking powder.

schart'llat a.k.a. Pasquale's Italian Wonders

Pasquale's Italian Wonders

7 eggs, beat well
add 2T sugar while beating
add 1 teaspoon salt, 2 heaping teaspoons baking powder and
4 1/2 cups flour
Knead in 7 Tablespoons melted Crisco until dough is smooth.

Rest the dough covered for 5 minutes, and cut in half. Roll out as thin as possible and cut into long strips with a fluted pastry wheel. The strips should be no wider than 1/2". Roll it into a spiral, pinching as you go, because when it hits the hot oil it will puff and unwind.

Fry in hot oil (about 338 degrees) until browned and flip them over to cook evenly.

Drain on paper and you can store them covered. When ready to serve make topping.

1 cup honey
1/2 sugar (I don't usually add this)
1 T water
1T lemon juice
Stir on stove until thick and slightly amber colored. Drizzle over schart'llat and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Traditionally they are stacked in a pyramid shape before the topping. I like them in a smaller group on a plate.

These take me back to another time, another house and my dad standing over the hot oil trying to make them look like his mom's. And here I am, all these years later, a different house, trying to make them look like his. Full circle. Merry Christmas. Pull out an old family recipe and get in there and bake!

Pasquale's Italian Wonders on the Smithsonian Magazine

2011-12-12T19:19:00.000-06:00

So I have been working some loooong retail days, and my oven is still on the fritz. But I am hoping to get these little Italian Pastries made. I hope you will head over the the Smithsonian Mag online and read about a family tradition of ours, Pasquale's Italian Wonders. I am hoping to make them on Tues or Weds, so stay tuned for photos and a blog post. Ho ho ho!

Green Tomato Appetizer

2011-12-09T10:03:00.001-06:00

Green Tomatoes never had it so good!

So I may have bragged a little about my puny garden this summer, herbs, peppers and cucumbers galore. Tomatoes? Well, not so much. Thankfully my friend Rosalie planted tomatoes, and although she didn't get big red, juicy ones in the heat of the summer, she had a bumper crop of green tomatoes this fall. And being in the South and all, ya'll know we kind of covet green tomatoes. The first thing that comes to mind is Fried Green Tomatoes, and they aren't bad. But, ever since I pulled out the fryer for the most amazing fries, I have been toying with what to fry next. This dilemma too is a bit of a Southern stereotype, "Ya'll, what am I gonna fry for dinner?" Which really is a bit of a joke, it isn't really like that here! Since I am not a fan of the whole cornmeal breading, I decided to borrow a better idea for these green gems. The best part, I made them ahead and froze them until I was ready to serve!

Rosalie's Green Tomato Appetizers

Green Tomatoes
Goat Cheese
Cream Cheese
Fresh Herbs (or dried)
Eggs (just a couple)
Panko
Balsamic Glaze

So basically, I sliced the green tomatoes (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick) and let them dry out a bit on paper towels.

Mix goat cheese and cream cheese with the herbs. Any combination, the cream cheese is really more of a binder for the goat cheese which tends to crumble a bit. I don't measure this kind of stuff, and honest, you can't really go wrong. I would have chopped up garlic, oregano, basil and chives, but I used Penzey's Tuscan Sunset instead. I love this stuff.

Then I piled a little mound on top of each tomato and put the pan in the freezer.

Take the frozen tomato and cheese, and dip them in beaten egg and then coat well in Panko. Place them back on cookie sheet (not on paper towels) and freeze again. When they are froze, peel them off the sheet and place in a baggie or freezer container until you are ready to use them.

Preheat oven to 350, and bake the tomatoes on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes. They should be browned and the cheesy mound should be very soft. Serve with a drizzle of Balsamic glaze and a glass of wine. So, what are ya'll waiting for?

Getting In the Spirit

2011-12-06T12:43:00.001-06:00

I admit my weaknesses. Goat cheese, Pinot Noir, 71% Dark Chocolate, (preferably all on the same night), and Christmas decorations. I have 3 trees in full regalia. The family tree choc full of all those ornaments I pick up on trips, given to us at parties and those made in grade school. The second tree is in the dining room and is white and covered in snowmen. Note: Never tell people if you intend to collect something. I have more damn snowmen than I know what to do with! And the last tree is my favorite. It's only about 5', fills a corner of my kitchen and is covered in kitchen stuff. Cooking chefs and santas, copper pots and pans, whisks, silverware, petite fours and glass cheese. I love it! One friend brought me Christmas okra, a huge okra, like 6" and it's painted like Santa. How funny is that?! I also have a huge assortment of Williams Sonoma ornaments from years past. No big surprise there. The most beautiful is a glass Waterford chef Santa.
Years ago when we lived in Atlanta we started the killer dessert party tradition, Lance and Sue brought us a German Baker Nutcracker ornament. I love the ones that stir great memories!

And, instead of a star on top, there's a chef's hat!
Because I work retail in a business driven by food holidays (think Thanksgiving here), I have a pass to get Christmas up early. And since my oven is on the fritz, I am decorating instead of baking! So, what are you waiting for?

A Foodie Kind of Christmas

2011-12-05T07:57:00.000-06:00

I think I am like a lot of foodies out there, where the Christmas list involves all kinds of things that friends and family can't imagine I don't already own. Just because I work in the greatest kitchen store ever, and rarely come home without a bag, does not mean I have everything! A few of my things are found at WS, I work there because I am addicted to kitchen stuff. I have been reading lots of blogs and magazines with chef's, foodies, and expert's top picks for the holidays. I am almost a little embarrassed that I own so much of what they think we need. But there are other things on my list, I think they are things everyone will love! So here's what's on my list:

Ultimate Cookies by Julia Usher
I don't own a single book about cookie decorating. I am thinking this could be a good place to start!

The Merchant of Sonoma by William Warren
This is the story of Williams Sonoma founder Chuck Williams. I really want a signed copy, but I don't think Mr. Williams is doing any book tours in his 96th year. But he is certainly my idol of good food, good wine and kick ass kitchen stuff!

Big Green Egg
I have wanted to buy this for Scott for years, but he never seemed too interested. Now we keep thinking we should wait until we move. But since we keep putting off the move, I really want one. My mover extraordinaire can move the massive Green Egg...

VitaMix 200
So I have been wanting this for awhile, but I am holding out until my other blender dies. Unfortunately, the other blender is no ordinary blender, my Waring Blender is 18 years old. Way back, when my sweet baby girl was on her way, my hubby decided we needed a good blender for margaritas. (A parenthood requirement I guess) It is Williams Sonoma green and will not die. It has high and low speeds and a glass container, and although sometimes it seems to be smoking and smells like it is going to die, it keeps on going. We rarely drink margaritas, but I do make salad dressing and smoothies in it. Since I am the daughter of Pasquale, we do not replace anything that has not yet expired.

UGG Boots
I have the original high kind, but my daughter will be the first to tell you, if you are not 5'8", you ought not wear the high ones in jeans. They make you look shorter. So I would like a pair of cute boots I could actually wear in icky weather, without socks (I HATE SOCKS). I think these would do nicely.

Shearling Flip Flops
I don't know why UGG has not mastered this one yet. I have an old pair of no-name shearling flip flops that I have worn out. I like something on the bottom of my feet, but not necessarily the top. These are a little more "athletic" looking, but I kinda like them. But no faux shearling for me, and there must be shearling on the top straps too.

Pink Jacket
I am training for the Avon breast cancer walk, a marathon and a half, to take place this spring. I need something warm and water resistant to train in. Plus, it's pink, what a happy color!

PJs
I love cotton Pjs for sleeping, and these are so darn cute! I love everything I have ordered at Garnet Hill. And since I am a friend of theirs on Facebook I get lots of great promo offers.

Shades
Sunglasses do double duty for me. They have to cut the glare of course, and they have to sit properly on top of my head. That's where I keep them. These are polarized and the colors are so true in bright daylight. Truly the best glasses I have ever owned. My old ones ruptured at the bridge, probably from pulling them up on my head, but they were well worn. Time for new ones Santa!

Gadgets I don't need but would be fun to have
A gnocchi board. Never made them, but it's made of wood and looks like something from an old Italian lady's kitchen.
Silicone oven mitt. I have burn tracks all over my arms, I think this would be a good idea. Plus, Scott could use it on the new Green Egg.
Hard Boiled Egg Design Molds Okay, these are really silly, and I don't have little kiddies around, but I am intrigued...and I do love hard boiled eggs!
Cool Utility Knife I do not need this, but I think it so cool. My utility knife now is from Cutco (not a fan) and the handle melted. Not cool.
Stump I have made Bouche de Noel before, and when we got this pan in the store we joked this was the Southern version, a stump! I am planning on getting it on clearance after Christmas. It is not exactly flying out of the store, and I know I would love making it!

So that's it! I honestly don't care if I get a single thing. Really. Well, I would like the pink jacket. But I am really just so happy to have the kids home, bake, watch movies, have all their friends hanging out. It is all about family for me. I hope you get what is most important this holiday.

Nuttier Than A Fruitcake...Still!

2011-12-01T10:23:00.000-06:00

So yes, I used this clever title a year ago here , and even the same old elf in the photo. But just because I changed my friend's original cookie recipe once and loved it, does not mean I will leave well enough alone. So you can get the original back last year at the link, but I have updated it once again. I love the elf, he must be 50 years old at least. I wish he was a little more flexible (must be male, hahaha!) because I could envision him all over my kitchen this Christmas! But, he does appear in most of the shots, so appease me, please. It may have been that soaking liquid I nipped on, but I had an exceptional time baking these delicious cookies!

As I stated before, I find that mixed dried fruit available at Christmas a little nasty. No cherry I have ever seen is that red or, gasp, green. There are so many chemicals in preserving the other fruits, I just couldn't go there. And don't even get me started on the whole repackaged bulk stuff. I know it comes in enormous boxes and a nice employee is scooping the fruit into plastic containers and weighing it. I have seen them doing this in my little market while shoppers pass by, achooo, just sprinkling their germs about. I know, I am a little nuts, so fruitcake seems like a good idea.

Fruitcake Cookies

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup whiskey
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 1 1/2 Tablespoons milk
1 # pecans, chopped
1 1/2# mixed dried fruit (I use raisins, dried cherries, cranberries and blueberries, and dates)
1, 11oz bag chocolate chunks
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups whole wheat flour

Soak the dried fruit (not dates) in whiskey for an hour or so, stir them often so they all plump up. Measure off 1/2 cup of the whiskey for the cookies, set any remaining liquid aside. In stand mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar. Add all other ingredients and sip that leftover whiskey while you mix this all up.

Drop by tablespoon on greased sheet and bake at 350º. Cool on pan and move to rack to cool completely. Store in covered container.
Way better than fruitcake, and really, fruitcake-like all the same. So, what are you waiting for? Get in there and bake!

Just a little nip....

Give Thanks

2011-11-22T08:50:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite days of the year. We'll sit around the table as a family and hold hands and pray for those who need our prayers and give thanks for our amazing gifts....count your blessings and give thanks!

A Happy Birthday Away From Home

2011-11-18T08:57:00.001-06:00

So this summer on my journey around the Midwest, I caught up with my cousin Joyce and her husband Alain from Canada. At our many cousin reunions over the years I had met their children, but we haven't had a reunion in years. So when Joyce asked me to send cookies to her daughter, in graduate school I said sure, but where did the time go?!

She originally wanted something that would reflect Elise's love of Chinese Art and Antiquities, so Joyce got lost on the cookie cutter web sites, "Who knew?" was her response! Tell me about it, it is amazing what is out there. But no Chinese soldiers or Buddhas, so we went with the more traditional birthday fare!

Happy Birthday Elise! I know your Mommy misses you....

Cookies....

2011-11-11T09:59:00.001-06:00

So volleyball has finished, and work has begun! Tis the season, and things really ramp up at work, so life takes a different twist! I have been baking pretty regularly, and have a few cookies to share.
First some Alabama Alpha Phi cookies for a neighbor.

Then I helped out with the Chi O bakes sale fundraiser. I did some Chi O cookies and I wanted to make the blue swirl cookies to be like the Make A Wish star, but they aren't pretty enough to share...of the dozens I made I shot a picture of a bad one! The cookies were pretty simple, I made a lot, hopefully they raised some good money for a great cause! I have been buying up the Greek letters for the sororities and frats, and some of them I dislike in a mean way. That omega (farther down) is a real beast to unmold, and the design is thin and fragile after baking. I opted for some fat letters from an old set, since these particular cookies were in a bake sale, I knew fragile would not be good!

And then I did a few birthday surprises. An 18th for my friend's daughter who was almost a Halloween baby! And hopefully Meghan's cookies were okay because Priority Mail took almost 10 days to get to her! I experimented with a new meringue powder, and the dark green was kind of blotchy. I was not terrible pleased. But the taste was actually better than the other meringue powder I use!

And finally a few cookies for Thanksgiving. I will be baking up more of these in the last week and change before turkey day! And then it is all about jingle bells and elves! I can hardly believe the season is upon us!

So, what are you waiting for? Get in there and bake!

Secret Recipe Club: Short Ribs and Truffle Parmesan Fries

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

It's time for another Secret Recipe Club! My last two Secret Recipe blogs have really been pretty easy for me to choose what to make, but this month I was really overwhelmed! First off, Barbara from Barbara Bakes is yet another long lost soul mate, and stalking, er, reading dozens of posts on her blog, was really quite fun. She is a Mass Comm major, (me too) obviously a cook, baker, blogger and her photo shows her in a Tuscano apron. I may own one very similar to that!

She had some great things to choose from, but when I read her post on Short Ribs, I knew I found my recipe. Her husband raved about them, and after our amazing dinner at Bottega I knew Scott would appreciate my attempt at short ribs. She used a recipe from Simply Recipes and served hers with caramelized onion mashed potatoes, but I decided to make Parmiagiano Truffle Fries like we had at Bottega.

The first big change I made in this recipe was that I brined the ribs first for about 4 hours. If you have never brined your meat, you are missing out! I am no chemist, but I look at it like this, after you drink too many margaritas and eat too many chips and salsa, you retain water...sort of the same idea. Brined meat is amazingly juicy and tender. If you choose to brine just one thing, brine your Thanksgiving turkey. You will thank me later! I used a half cup of the Williams Sonoma brine dissolved in enough water to cover the short ribs. I only cooked 6 ribs instead of 12, and my other change was that I first served them right from the oven instead of chilling the cooked ribs overnight and skimming the fat off. My hubby works at home, and if I had these braising all day and he came down from the think tank for dinner, and I gave him a turkey burger, well, he'd be a little unhappy. To compensate, I upped the baking time and lowered my oven temp. We took a walk after dinner to keep the cholesterol moving! To be fair, we ate the leftovers the next day after taking off the hardened fat, and warmed them stovetop. Scott decided they were even better. Here is the recipe.

Short Ribs
from Barbara Bakes, that she got from Simply Recipes!

6 bone in beef short ribs
salt and pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped ( I love carrots and added more than her recipe)
1 bottle good, dry red wine (I went Spanish Grenache)
3 cups beef stock (does anyone actually sell veal stock?)

Preheat oven to 300°. Over moderate heat, heat the olive oil and brown the short ribs (patted dry) on all sides. Work in batches so the pan is never crowded. Remove from pan, and saute the onion, celery and carrot in pan until browned. Remove, and deglaze pan with the wine and reduce liquid by three quarters until thick and syrupy. Return short ribs and veggies back to pan. Add the stock to cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, cover and bake for about 3½ hours. They should be fork tender.

Truffle Parmesan Fries
From Napa Style, Michael Chiarello

Russet Potatoes
Ice Water
Peanut Oil
Truffle Salt
Fresh Grated Parmesan

So this is new for me, I don't fry often. I followed the Napa Style recipe pretty close. I sliced the potatoes thin, like match sticks, a perfect job for a mandoline. Then I soaked them in ice water because this apparently makes them crispy. I am not a frying expert, so I took his word for it. I fried them first in 325° oil and drained them. Then before serving I fried them crispy in 375° oil. I do not keep truffle oil on hand, which is what they drizzle on the hot fries at Bottega. So I used Truffle & Salt which worked beautifully.

Top with the cheese and serve with the short ribs and a nice glass of red wine from Chiarello Vineyards. Ahh, reliving my vacation!

Thank you Barbara Bakes, I am coming back to make Mardi Gras King Cake which looks delicious and is a great Mardis Gras staple in this part of the country, but I have never made my own! Also check out the other reveals in the Secret Recipe Club below.So, what are you waiting for? Get in there and cook!

Day of the Dead Cookies

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

So Halloween is just a memory, and I have no candy to rummage through. No Take 5 Bars, no Hundred Thousand Dollar Bars, no Dark Milky Ways. Oh well, my new blue jeans will be thankful. So growing up we had this day off school, All Saints Day. It is the day to remember the loved ones who have passed. In the Mexican culture, it is Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. This day, you tap people on the shoulder to remind them that dying is a part of living. All a little creepier than Halloween if you ask me. But while I was baking Halloween cookies, I decided to do a few skulls. I had a limited amount of colors made for the cookies and just went with them. I would have loved to add some blue and red and really went to town, but I am decorating cookies between volleyball tournaments and work. So, here we go, I guess we officially kick off the holiday season. Time to make the Thanksgiving menu and order Christmas cards....what are you waiting for?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-27T18:10:00.003-05:00

Wouldn't you be disappointed if I didn't make Halloween cookies? I did it rather last minute, and I have to say I am a little sad to not have a group of teenagers around this weekend to cook for and help with costumes. I was truly that crazy, crafty mom who planned the costumes every year. We had some good ones, and lots of great trick or treating memories. It was so fun when the kids were little because I could sort of talk them into costumes. Nic always loved to dress up! My favorite Halloween picture is this one.

They are both wiped out after trick or treating, and Nic had been a pirate with those eyebrows and mustache! Christina was only about 6 months old, but she was strollered all over the neighborhood anyway!

Christina refused any kind of costume until she turned 2.

Then I took advantage of the boy girl thing and made them cowboy and cowgirl. She was all for it because she got boots, and Nic got a gun!

Even as teenagers, we would try and come up with great ideas. The 50's girl in a poodle skirt is a classic, and one year all the girls went as athletes and ref. Easy and not terribly embarrassing at a coed party. My favorite of Nic was the John Belushi character Bluto from Animal House.

Okay, I have embarrassed my kids enough...I probably don't want to know what they are dressing up as this year!

So I didn't do a lot of cookies, but I really like the sparkly pumpkins which might make an appearance at Thanksgiving as well. I used the smaller gingerbread man cutter for my mummies this year, but I think I like them bigger. And the ghosts are just basic, you can't really mess with the simplicity of a ghost.

I bought the witches hat cutter this summer, and I like its crooked design.

The spider on the web at the blog header are a favorite of everyone. They are large, but they are a show stopper.
So hopefully we'll get a few kids here, and hoping you all have a great Halloween!

St. Helena

2011-10-25T21:39:00.000-05:00

So the last day of wine country was pretty tame. We decided to do a few drive bys to wineries just to get a peek, no tasting. Sebastiani and Ravens Wood are both close to the square in Sonoma, and both will get a real visit next trip.

We skipped breakfast and were a little hungry by the time we hit the Oakville Grocery. On the main drag in St. Helena, it is a cool deli, cheese shop, coffee bar and grocery with a great selection of local products. I resisted buying anything because lunch was just a few miles away. Every foodies destination in St. Helena after the Culinary Institute of America, is Gott's Roadside Tray Gourmet. This place rocks! It is jamming with people, and boasts a very extensive menu.

It was hard to decide what to order, but we opted for draft root beer, a cheese burger and onion rings for Scott, and a turkey burger and sweet potato fries for me. A $33 lunch, and it was delicious. The burgers were served on an home made egg roll, deep yellow in color. The rings were hand battered and light, and the sweet potato fries were spicy and thin. We devoured a fair share of it.

Now to taste wine. Ugh. We started at Beringer because we wanted to do the tour and hoped the walk would help us with the full feeling from our large lunch!

The caves were very cool, hand dug over a hundred years ago, the casks were antique and the tour guide was full of stories and lore. It was very interesting to learn how a couple of German immigrants made their way. Sadly, Beringer is part of a large corporation now, but thankfully the charm of the caves and gorgeous homes and gardens remains. We knew Beringer wines were readily available, so we opted to do the reserve tasting. Our plan was to take a case of various wines home with us, and then we would get the rest through our new "wine club". We had 3 openings left in our case, so what to buy? We enjoyed the reserve wines here, but maybe because we weren't really in the mood, we just couldn't decide on anything we loved. So we hit the road.

We headed to down town St. Helena, and hit Olivier Olive Oils which has had a presence in Williams Sonoma for years. I was curious to see what else they carried and was surprised to see a few WS products there. The staff was really knowledgeable and the store was quite charming. Next we went to Wood House Chocolates. Wow. This is one beautiful chocolate store. It was fun to just look around. I bought a couple of cool Halloween things for the kids and Scott and I split a couple of small pieces. We then headed down the road to St. Helena Olive Oil Company. I really enjoyed this store. They have many tasting areas set up, and I am still thinking about the jalepeno olive oil. It was fantastic. I just couldn't think about bringing back olive oil, and now I am planning my order. I really want their t-shirt which says, Lessen your dependency on foreign olive oils....clever play on words. I did buy an amazing pasta sauce and some great herbs here.

Our last winery of the day was V. Sattui. This is a great winery, full of life. There is a cellar room with the barrels aging and a little history. There are gorgeous picnic grounds and a deli, shop and tasting bar. We tasted everything here, no small feat! We had no problem filling up that case, as none of their wines are available retail. I even bought a few other things including an huge salami, like we had when I was a kid. This is a great stop in wine country, and I wish we took our Gott's to go and ate outside here!

A quick pass through Yountville to pay another homage to Thomas Keller and Michael Chiarello one more time, and sort of eyeball things to put on the itinerary for the next time.

But a few notes about this trip for someone heading there. A friend told me, "Remember it is just grape juice". It is rather fitting. And in all the wines we tasted, well over 50 one ounce tastes, they do at times seem to run together. Some really taste awful and when you get one you like it is very exciting. Not everyone likes them all, and you really are not under to pressure to purchase. However, if you really love the wine somewhere, it is worth thinking about their wine club. We joined a red club and are looking forward to some wine shipped throughout the year. These are wines we can't go up the street to buy. There are places with $20 wines and $300 wines. I honestly never tasted a super expensive wine that I was blown away over. I hope some day I will. There are hundreds of wineries, and you could spend a month there and never get to them all. Sharing a tasting was honestly the smartest thing we did along the way. I never thought I would get tired of wine, but alas...
Finally, we also hit up a couple of tasting rooms, and both specialized in small winery labels. We just didn't love them. They have upwards of 40 labels, and you buy 5 tastings at a time, so you can't really get through them. But I think buying at the winery was really the most fun. I am happy to be home, and have been inspired to cook again after all that great food and wine! So, what are you waiting for?

Bottega and Chef Chiarello

2011-10-21T17:55:00.001-05:00

So after the first two days of biking, drinking and eating, I called "Uncle". The following morning we headed to Sonoma square for breakfast at Basque Boulangerie. It was only okay, Model Bakery is the standard by which all bakeries in Wine Country are compared. So we then headed to Corner Stone Sonoma. This is an intriguing place. There are various gardens set up with different artists and landscape artists having put their vision in a confined space.

Like most art, some of it was bizarre, but one that really stood out was these silver clouds hanging from trees. The clouds were made from chicken wire and really looked like storm clouds. And hanging from the bottom of these clouds were hundreds of crystal baubles. They caught the sun and sparkled in great contrast to the storm clouds. I was intrigued. There were amazing shops full of architectural pieces, garden pieces, lots of artsy objects that were different and distinct.

There was a cafe, but since we had breakfast and were looking forward to an amazing dinner, we passed. But they were stoking the fire and it smelled delicious. Of course there is a wine bar but we passed. I know. You have every right to be disappointed in me.

We headed back to the hotel, had a little nap, and awoke refreshed, and amazingly, thirsty! We had a few hours before dinner, so we headed to Yountville for some strolling. First stop was Bouchon Bakery. I was so disappointed to find they had a small fire and were not up and running at full capacity. There were no French pastries, macarons, breads etc. I was bummed. But we did buy some caramel corn and toffee (Scott's weaknesses) and a crazy thing called a Thingamajig. I can't remember for sure though. It was a Rice Crispy treat with caramel on top, bathed in chocolate and adorned with a little fleur de sel. Delicious! And no, we did not eat all this before dinner! We had to have a little moment of reflection at the great Thomas Keller establishments, Bouchon, Ad Hoc and French Laundry. Gorgeous settings and all terribly unpretentious. At least until the check comes. I dream of dinner at French Laundry, but Scott would never enjoy it to the degree I would. It is also nearly impossible to get a reservation, unless you carry an American Express Black Card. If you need someone to share this experience, give me a call, I am great dinner company!

There is a small shopping center called the V, and we strolled in and out of the shops, there is also a beautiful wine store with tastings and an impressive assortment of wines. Not just the oddball ones, and we'll talk about that later. Behind this little mall is the entrance to Bottega and the store Napa Style. Both are the brainchild of Michael Chiarello. Napa Style was first. I have been ogling over their catalogs for a long while, and in person it is full of charm.

It is exactly the type of store someone like me falls for. It is truly designed for the entertainer who loves a home with personality and charm. I could gush about so many things there, but you should look at the website yourself. You know I have been working in a similar type of retail establishment for 14 years, but I cannot lie. This store has so much personality. There is also a wine tasting bar, which was fortuitous. So tasted the selections in Chef Chiarellos winery. We loved a lot of them, and chose a few to take home. We also discovered if you bought his wine there and took it to his restaurant they would waive corkage. So that was a win, win. We did some serious shopping here and had it all sent home for us. I also made my Christmas list. The next day, Scott wanted to go back...what? Yep, he loved it as much as I did!

Then to the HIGHLIGHT of the entire trip. First let me tell you about me. I am a blogger, love to cook and bake. I am also addicted to reality TV. I TiVo every Top Chef, including Just Desserts and Masters, Hell's Kitchen, and a few others. I also watch all the Top Chef reruns. I love it. Chef Chiarello of Bottega had a show called NapaStyle on Fine Living which I am pretty sure I have seen them all. He also has a show on The Cooking Channel called Easy Entertaining. This what I love about his vision. It isn't food that blows people away with its crazy components or plating. It is food that brings people together. Food that showcases his heritage (yep, paisano, like me) and his very beautiful home in Napa Valley. The food may seem pretentious to some, but it is simple and beautiful and I love the feeling his shows, his store and his restaurant evoke. I'm a fan, plain and simple.

So as we shop in Napa Style the gals tell us that Chef is indeed in town and generally comes to the restaurant when he is. Of course I knew he was in town, because I saw him at the airport. I sort of slunked around the men's room exit, but I missed him somewhere, but I did tweet that I would see him later in the week for dinner! Among my purchases was the Bottega cookbook and they told me he would personalize it for me. Yea! Another for my collection! So dinner...We were seated outside, a gorgeous evening. Our waiter was charming and adorable, named XXXXX from Turkey. Very attentive but not annoying. He was happy we had our Chiarello Vineyards wine and promptly opened it for us. They start you with some fantastic bread and Chef's signature spread, Salsa di Parmigiano. You can Google it, but I have a blog about it that I have been writing for a few months, coming soon I promise. I have found other uses for this delicious spread. Also of note, are the charming copper tumblers. I love these little guys, and I have amassed a nice copper collection. I love the warmth of the color and hope Santa paid close attention to my obsession with these.

We began the meal with Monterey Calamari crisped with Arborio Rice Flour and Aioli Nero. The calamari were delicious. The Aioli Nero was basically an aioli with squid ink that made it black and rather tar-looking. It was really delicious, but we laughed and laughed with black teeth and tongues. After being married for 25 years, it was hilarious. On a first date, it could be a deal breaker! Our pasta course was Calabrian Sausage Lemon Ricotta Tortellini with Spicy Brocolli Rabe, Tomato-Pork au jus, and Mostro Oro Olive Oil. There were some tortellini with the sausage which was deep red and spicy. The other tortellinis had the lemon ricotta which was bright and fresh. They were truly delicious. Both of the first courses were ample for sharing.

So on to dinner. I hate to complain. I spend a lot of time alone these days, and I usually eat vegetarian on those nights. I was hankering for a nice piece of beef. Like rib eye, not a filet (ew!). It was not to be, the rib eye did not make the menu this night. So I went with the Wood Grilled Loin of Grass-fed Lamb, Saffron Braised Potatoes, Green Onions, Pistachio, Pesto and Rosemary Scented Lamb jus. I do chops at home but not loin, and I enjoyed this beautiful cut of lamb. Everything on the plate was right. Scott ordered Smoked and Braised Short Ribs with Whole Grain Mustard Spaetzle, Sicilian Pickles, Quince Paste and Smoky Horseradish jus. The meat fell off the bones, and Scott requested I duplicate this at home. It was terrific, and the mustard spaetzle was so flavorful. I also ordered the Truffle-Parmigiano Fries because I just knew they would be good. I was right, and I seriously wanted to eat the entire plate of them.

We relaxed a bit before dessert. Finished the wine of course, and ordered coffee. Scott ordered the Molten Chocolate Cake and I ordered the Fig Crostada. We happily munched away, and as I went to take a bite, Scott said, "I wouldn't stick that in your mouth just yet." Shut up....he was approaching our table! Yes, I met the famous Chef Chiarello. He is handsome and sweet and unassuming. Scott graciously took our photo and he chatted with us so easily. I told him if he opened a Napa Style in Nashville, it would need a little leather, but I would happily manage it! I am an even bigger fan! It was certainly an anniversary to remember! Next up, our last day in the valley.

Wine Country

2011-10-18T11:54:00.000-05:00

So first off, Happy Anniversary Baby! Today is 25 years of wedded bliss. So to celebrate, we did the wine country thing. We started in San Fran and dinner at Boulevard. Very good, the company was exceptional! The next day, a hike in Muir Woods with a few hundred of our closest (not) friends, and then to Sonoma.

First meal was at a girl and a fig right on the historic Sonoma square.

Delicious from top to bottom. Seasonal, beautiful, and we dined outside. So besides the annoying flies (which are everywhere) it was lovely. The next day was a biking adventure. Getaway Adventures was our tour operator. We met at the Napa River at 10 a.m. and biked, drank and ate until 5 p.m.

We hit Etude, Domaine Carneros, Madonna, Boon Fly Cafe and Adastra. We counted 24 tastings of wine and I seriously was ready to go home afterwards. And I mean home, like Tennessee. I was so over wine. But...nothing a good nights sleep can't help you shake.

So back at it again, but this time in a car. We decided to head up to the Healdsberg and Geyersville area. We stumbled into a coffee shop along the Healdsberg square, and the young girl recommended Bella. Looking at the map this winery was way out, so off we went. We first hit the Dry Creek General Store which was pretty cute.

Then along the winding roads to Bella, which was the highlight of the trip.

Charming and small, lots of bikers, great wine, charming caves, and the crush pad is right there and you could watch it in action. We could have spent hours at Bella, and wish we had picked up a lunch to picnic there. But then we would have missed Diavola.

It is a pizzeria and salumeria on the "main street" in Geyserville. They start with a picardie glass of long, fresh made grissini. Oh my. We shared the roasted romaine salad with grilled shrimp, and our pizza was the Sonja. It was prosciutto (made there) marscapone, arugula and tomato. Delicious. On the table is an olive oil infused with hot Calabrian peppers, much tastier than crushed red pepper on a pizza. Then we ordered dessert. Scott had a root beer float with Salted Caramel Gelato and Brown Butter Gelato, Malted Chocolate Cookie and Caramelized Rice Crispies. The pastry chef recommends stout instead of root beer, but Scott wouldn't go there. He loved it with the root beer. I had Italian S'mores. Caramelized White Chocolate Gelato (an unnecessary component) Gianduja Chocolate, Hand Made Sambuca Marshmallows (be still my heart) and Hazelnut Cocoa Nib Short Bread.

It came with a little cauldron of hot coals from the pizza oven to toast my marshmallows. I soooo loved this. I ate both of them. And to no one's surprise, I could not take another sip of wine all day. Which was fine, since we went to Frances Ford Coppola Winery.

We affectionately called it the Disneyland Winery. I am glad we didn't miss it. It is a stunning place with a pool, cabanas, gorgeous setting and lots of movie memorabilia. It was fun to see the awards, the photos and there was even some stuff besides wine for sale. The wine is okay, but we weren't crazy about it. There are lots of people here. My favorite wine is the Sophia Prosecco in the little pink can. I am a total sucker for packaging, and I love a little sparkle but cannot drink an entire bottle on a whim.

Then we drove and drove. It was stunning countryside and we mapped out the next day's adventures. I really wanted to see the petrified forest, but $32 for the two of us to walk in the woods was a little steep. I could get a nice Pinot for that!

We stumbled upon the Culinary Institute of America, where I spent more time than anywhere else thus far, and Jimtown Store which to my dismay was closed.

Back at the hotel a little Campari and soda settled my stomach, and a good nights sleep was on tap so we can start it all over again. Next up, dinner at Bottega. I am a huge Michael Chiarello fan...

Secret Recipe Club Loaded Colossal Cookie

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, I admit, September and October, thus far, have been busy beyond belief, and contrary to what it may look like, we really do not eat cookies all the time. I am just throwing together soups and salads that are quick and not necessarily blog worthy. So today is the reveal day for the Secret Recipe Club, this is my second month in the group, and here we go with....cookies! I honestly wanted to make Orrechiette with Roasted Garlic Puttanesca, but I have been alone so much coming into this reveal, and then I had company but no time, so I opted to not do savory. I am going to make that, one of these days, but today, I went cookie. Loaded Colossal Cookie! Not boring old sugar cookies like I make in my sleep. Cookies my college kids are going to LOVE!

My blog assignment this month is Heavenly Treats and Treasures, and don't we sound like a perfect match! I was overwhelmed by how many things I wanted to make! Her bio is almost a mirror of my own. Southern mom, empty nester, mom is a great cook, loves to cook and bake. She even did a post about a William Sonoma product, the Emile Henry Pizza Stone, which she baked cookies on! What an idea, and I can do it with a discount! I think she is in Florida, but I am not sure. That is one thing about The Secret Club is you become a blog investigator, or blog creeper, depends on how you look at it!

What caught my attention with this recipe was first the picture. It is a giant cookie baked in an iron skillet. How fun is that? Total Southern right there. It reminds me of those kitschy Southern restaurants where you drink out of Mason jars and dessert comes in cast iron. I had to do it. Especially since the recipe is adapted from Jacques Torres, and is called his Secret Recipe Cookies. I mean he is Mr. Chocolate after all. Then I continued to read, and the recipe makes 3 batches of dough which she recommends making each a little different with chocolate chips, nuts etc. I love this idea from top to bottom. She used milk chocolate with almond, dark chocolate and almond toffee. I knew I would drop in some Halloween M&Ms, I miss those holiday treats around the house. Actually, I miss the kids who eat those holiday treats, around the house. My empty nest, is, well, especially empty. I am one who cries at a good commercial, and this month everything is having that effect on me. Baking care package cookies is very good therapy.

The recipe from her blog follows, but I hit a speed bump. I did indeed use the fall colored M&Ms, (which match my house perfectly, how Stepford is that?!) and I also had some leftover Guittard white chunks, and I threw in some bittersweet Guittard as well. So instead of 2 pounds I went more like 2½ pounds. My bad,ha, not bad at all! Then, I knew, buried in a cabinet, I had 2 cast iron pieces. It's been awhile, so as things are mixing I go and get my 12" skillet. Ah ha! I don't have one. I sell them. A lot of them. But I actually own a pot and a deep 8" skillet. (And frankly, they look pretty cruddy.) Not at all good for this. Then I remembered the summer clearance sale. I picked up a very cute copper tarte tatin pan. It is only 9", but like I said, cute. So I decided since Mr. Chocolate is French, it would work! I packed the dough in and popped it in the oven. I made giant cookie balls out of the rest of the dough.

I froze one tray of dough balls and then froze them in bags for future baking. Wouldn't my movie friends be excited if we were watching some great flick and I had cookies baking? One giant cookie for each? Great idea. Then I baked up a few cookies to mail to my favorite Oklahoma Sooner.

Ingredients:

1 lb. unsalted vanilla bean butter, browned, cooled, and chilled* (or if you prefer, use 1 lb. unsalted butter, softened at room temperature) seeds from 1 vanilla bean

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour* - the original recipe called for pastry flour, but I also didn't have any on hand so I followed her lead and substituted a blend of cake flour and all purpose flour, which approximates the protein/gluten ratio of pastry flour. To make 4 cups of pastry flour whisk 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour + 1 1/3 cups cake flour together. You'll have about 3/4 cup more than you need for this recipe, so save the remainder for another use.

3 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 pounds of high quality chocolate chips, wafers, or chunks - semisweet, milk, dark, or whatever combination you like. She recommends using Scharffen Berger, Callebaut, or Valrhona chocolate if you can get your hands on them. I concur, and I used Guittard. You know, discount.

The first step was making her vanilla bean brown butter. This is new for me, but I love brown butter, and decided I needed to make this for the full effect. Here are the directions from her post. Cut each stick of one pound of unsalted butter into quarters. Add butter, 1 vanilla bean and the seeds to a medium saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally, until the butter turns golden and smells nutty. If will foam and then begin to clear when it is almost ready. Remove butter from the heat and cool it slightly. Remove the vanilla bean, then cover and place it in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes, until it's the consistency of softened butter. I browned the butter and then added Vanilla Paste. I think the effect will be similar and it works when there are no vanilla beans in the pantry! And let me tell you...when I took this out of the fridge and chopped it up to soften a little quicker, the aroma was amazing. I have a BIG idea for this...stay tuned.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12" cast iron skillet with canola oil. Or, if like me you only imagined you owned a cast iron skillet, grease a copper tarte tatin pan!

In the bowl of your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well before adding each one.Add vanilla to the egg mixture and beat until well blended.

In a separate bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.Add 1/3 of flour mixture at a time to the batter, using an on/off pulsing motion until just about incorporated. After you add the last 1/3 of the flour, stop mixing just before it's all incorporated. Add the chocolate, a little at a time, mixing on low speed just until incorporated.

Spread 1/3 of the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for about 25-30 minutes on the center rack, just until golden on the edges but still soft in the center. Don't over bake!! It will continue to bake in the skillet when you remove it from the oven.Cool on a baking rack for about 10 minutes.

She offers a recipe for a caramel drizzle on her blog, but I opted not to use it, since I will be taking this to my daughter. And remember, there are 2 sections of dough left. Which means, a box for Nic and some frozen dough for an emergency!

This was pure pleasure. I eat dough, not cookies, and this was tasty. Again, I was alone, so I had no one to taste the finished product before reveal. This is a keeper recipe, and I am going to hunt out some pastry flour to try it again. Many thanks to Heavenly Treats and Treasures, and I will be back some chilly fall night with her orecchiette. What are you waiting for? Get in there and bake! But first look around at the other reveals. As a footnote, I baked up a couple of cookies when my hubby returned (he looked everywhere for the colossal one, but it had already gone to college!) They were so delicious right out of the oven. That browned vanilla butter was delicious!

An Oldie But Goodie, Pumpkin Bread

2011-09-28T10:06:00.002-05:00

Yes, it is a rerun, but this is what I am baking for my daddy. It is delicious stuff!
Volleyball season kicks off which means lots of travel, packing healthy, yummy, convenient food and endless hours in the gym. I am so excited! After 6 years of this, I am a bit of a pro, and there are a few things I always bring. Popcorn, popped in my Whirly Pop, plain or kettle, it is the best snack for on the road. Good for the digestive system! Banana Bread, I have blogged many times about my banana bread. The recipe is here and it never fails to please. It is low fat, or at least it was until I added the chocolate chips, and it stays very moist. I like to bake it and freeze it well wrapped in foil and then cut down the middle and then slices, so the pieces are a little smaller and more manageable.

So I poked around my freezer for bananas and was disappointed to only find three black ones. That's just one loaf, so what else am I going to bake? The oat bran bread was already in the oven, but I didn't think that would go over well with 16 yr old girls. And, by the way, I added a cup of freshly grated carrots to the oat bran bread, what a great addition! A little more crunch, and it got me thinking about all the other possibilities.

Then I rummaged around the pantry and found a can of pumpkin leftover from the fall. Hmmm, I perused my tub file for a pumpkin bread recipe, because I usually make pumpkin muffins and I was out of chocolate chips, so I needed something different. I found one that was cut from Southern Living, no idea what year, but the little blurb next to a picture that is cut off reads Brother Boniface bakes daily at Mepkin Abbey in Charleston, South Carolina. It is common for persons in religious orders to take the name of a Saint. Sadly I cut the picture off and when I went to the website of Mepkin Abbey I didn't see a Brother Boniface in the photo, nor any mention of a bakery. However, these entrepreneurial monks are mushroom farmers, and sell them at local stores and even have a few recipes on their website. Isn't the internet amazing!?

Now a little aside about St. Boniface. It is the name of my childhood church in Clinton, Iowa and is very dear to my heart. I made my first communion there and spent many Holy Days of Obligation there. It is a gem in a very unassuming place. St. Boniface was the Patron Saint of Germans and is recognized as bringing Christianity to the German's when he cut down the Oak Tree of Thor and dared the mighty Thor to stop him. A big wind came and blew the tree down and the people were drawn to the power of God. He died in 754, so the legend was passed. Clinton, Iowa was a very German community, and the church of St. Boniface is thankfully well preserved.

So it was decided I would make Brother Boniface's Pumpkin Bread. I liked the looks of the recipe, lots of spices, a whole can of pumpkin (because what can you really do with a ⅓ of a can of pumpkin in the fridge?). I altered it with walnuts instead of pecans, I used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour and I used buttermilk instead of water. The bonus, it makes 2 big loaves and it's delicious! Now it isn't lowfat, low in sugar or anything like that, but dang, it is moist and satisfying!
So, get in there and Bake!

Brother Boniface's Pumpkin Bread
4 cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon ginger
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 can pumpkin (15oz)
⅔ cup water (I used buttermilk)
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts for me!)

Beat first 14 ingredients at medium speed with a mixer until moistened. Fold in nuts and pour into greased loaf pans.
Bake at 350° for an hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans and turn onto a rack to finish cooling.So, what are ya waiting for? Get in there and Bake!

Sorority Cookies

2011-09-20T09:25:00.000-05:00

Ah, the Greek Life. When I went off to college in 1982, I decided to rush. Some lady called my mom and said I would need to go to this afternoon tea party and meet the nice sorority alumnae in our area, I did, they all wrote me a rec and I got my first choice, Chi Omega. Those were the days. I think the fact that I was oblivious helped out a lot. I had no expectations, I had no airs about me or inflated ideas of my family's wealth or standing. I wasn't raised that way. I wanted to be in a sorority because I was 16 hours from home and knew NO ONE at the University of Colorado. After one week of skits, warm iced tea (there's a good oxymoron), countless interviews and lots of singing, I was a pledge with a couple of hundred sisters. I learned the Greek Alphabet, the mythology stories about Persephone and the pomegranate seed, the rituals, the handshake and tolerance of all those girls! At the start of my Junior year of college, I had transferred to the University of Iowa. I tried out Chi O there, and the truth is, I was not a fit. No big deal, at that point I was focused on graduating on time (what was I thinking).

So fast forward to present. My son left the biggest fraternity, the U.S. military, for University and my daughter to a nice, small liberal arts school. As the year got underway, I started hearing the rush stories. Friends of my kids at large state schools in sorority rush with nearly 2,000 girls. Valedictorians and Salutatorians not getting bids, girls getting dirty rushed and not getting into any house, and girls crying and stressing over which house is for them, only to get cut. What is this? My son went through rush, probably the oldest one at 21, and found a great house, great guys and it made his transition much easier. His nickname is Gramps, and he is the happiest he's been in a long time! He is a Lambda Chi just like his dad. And my daughter, well, she stressed over the whole deal as well, she knew that being a Chi O would be cool since her mom was one, but in her heart of hearts she wanted to be a Phi Mu. So Phi Mu it was. As soon as I got the message, another mom and I went to the Greek store and I discovered the colors were rose and white, that it is the second oldest fraternity in the U.S. and the lion is their little mascot. So, after spending a fair amount of cash on note pads, cups, key rings, pens etc., there was only one thing left to do. BAKE!

How fun this was, and I can hardly wait for my friends to call me for Greek Cookies. So many sorority events, I am happy to be the Phi Mu baker for the next 4 years! So what are you waiting for? Call me!

Baby's First Birthday

2011-09-15T11:35:00.007-05:00

I love it when things come full circle. About 5 years ago, an associate at WS had her just graduated (college) daughter come to work part time for the holidays. It was so fun to get to know her, she went to the same high school that my daughter was just entering, and her life was unfolding, an exciting time. She moved off to Houston after the holidays and got married. Christina and I helped out with some babies at the wedding so the parents could enjoy the ceremony without hiring a babysitter in a hotel room. And then last summer, I made baby shower cookies. So you can imagine my delight when she emailed me and said they were having a 1st birthday party and she wanted cookies! Full circle. She had her invites done at Tiny Prints which is an adorable site that I chose for graduation announcements. Wonderful company to work with. She wanted the cookies in the color scheme of the invites which were in the pink family. We decided on little pink and white birthday cakes for half of the favors, and then the #1 and a monogram in the others. I actually decided the monogram one. The set of numbers I ordered turned out to be pretty tiny. And personally if I am going to eat a cookie, it better be a good size. My dilemma with the dang numbers came with a Third Birthday I did this summer, and I really wanted a rounded three. This was what I got. Little. So I added party hats to her 3's. The little L monogram worked well for baby Leighton's party. She has some stickers to seal up the bags, so I never saw the completed packages, but it seems everyone was happy. Especially little Leighton, how wonderful to have a 1 year old!

Hey Good Cookie!

2011-09-13T09:32:00.005-05:00

So what a busy fall! After the kids left, I had to get the place into selling shape. I have been traveling to volleyball games, I had 25 hungry volleyballers and a few parents for dinner (can't believe I didn't take pictures) and now I am preparing to have the last garage sale of my life. Honest. I have done it once, and getting ready to move, I am doing it one last time. I am NOT moving all this stuff!

But tucked between work and play, I have done a little baking. My friend Amy had an engagement party and wanted the muted colors of fall. She asked for flowers, and I love the rustic look of these. The sparkle makes them fun, but the subdued colors are very pleasing to the eye. So feast your eyes, but trust me when I say they were tasty too! So, what are you waiting for? Get in there and bake!

The Secret Recipe Club Artichoke Salmon Patties

2011-09-12T07:00:00.003-05:00

I've always wanted to be a member of a secret society! This group of bloggers has a fearless leader named Amanda and secret Bat Cave called the Secret Recipe Club. Every month we get a blog assignment. Our job is to hit this blog, take a look around, get to know the blogger and make something from their blog. But you never let them know. Until reveal day that is, then we blog hop and read all about our secret recipe adventures. There are a lot of us out there, so hop about and see what we all found.

For September I was assigned a blog called Ground Cherry. I had to do a little Googling on a ground cherry as I had never heard nor seen one. They are indigenous to Central and South America and sound rather interesting. But no chance the little guys would grow in the violent heat of Memphis. The blog is all about sustainable cooking for one, and focuses on gluten free. Perfect! As a new empty nester, I am now cooking just for two, but it is way easier to make more than freeze leftovers. The recipes were light and fresh and focused on seasonal ingredients, although I am not sure where my new blogger friend is located. I decided to steer away from baking, because I seem to do an awful lot of that. I was looking for dinner, something light and quick.

My first peek at a recipe was for a Mac and Cheese. Okay, I know, not light and usually not healthy. But doesn't everyone love a mac and cheese. I haven't made it in over a year and thought it might be a nice change. But Ground Cherry had made a recipe that was supposed to be a little healthier using pureed cauliflower and squash. He/she was not terrible happy with the results. I love it when a blogger is okay telling you that something is not great. I especially love it when they offer suggestions to make it better. I decided this was not the best choice for me. With my empty nest, "someone" seems to hover in the kitchen, and pureed vegetables in his mac and cheese would not go over well! A few weeks ago I blogged a yummy quick dinner I made of crab cakes and grilled salad. So when I found Ground Cherry's recipe for Salmon Artichoke Patties I knew I found dinner. What I loved was the simplicity of the ingredients and easy to prepare. My confession, however, is that I have never bought canned salmon. So a new adventure for me. The recipe is basically salmon, marinated artichoke hearts, oregano and egg, a little cornmeal to bind and mustard. I used a little dijon. The ingredients whipped up in minutes and my patties cooked in less than 5 minutes. I served it with a grilled salad and dinner was served. The patties are light and delicious. Scott asked for some chopped onion next time, he likes a little crunch. But here's the best part. Salmon is cheap and very low in calories, and high in Omega 3 which my hubby needs more of! Perfect. I squeezed a little lemon on my patties, Scott likes a little tartar sauce (he's a dunker).

Black Chocolate Sugar Cookies

2011-09-06T08:15:00.008-05:00

I peruse a number of blog regularly (see the list), and hopscotch about from there. Lilaloa is an amazing sugar cookie baker. Her trademark is chocolate dough which I have mentioned before. The contrast of the chocolate with the royal icing is stunning. She puts it all out there, tutorials, tips, recipes, the whole package. She is a generous artist, because not everyone shares their tricks. I don't really have any, although one day I will put my own tutorial out there because I am also pretty specific about things. But trust me, nothing earth shattering, and I do a good job on cookies, but Lilaloa is a cookie artiste! So a week or so ago, she started posting Halloween ideas, and her great idea was to take her already fabulous chocolate dough and drop some black in it for the perfect black cookies. I knew I had to try this.

Last weekend was the opening weekend for college volleyball, and our team is black, purple and white. I am certain you know where I went with this. All I could see in my mind was purple disco dust on those black cookies. So I went to town. I did the M, the sword and some rounds. I had ONE day to mix, chill, roll, bake and ice. It was definitely a last minute decision, not full of precision. But a team of volleyball players don't really care too much about your royal icing being too thin and bleeding. Really, no one even mentioned it. I made her recipe for End-All Chocolate Cookies and this time I used the shortening. The last time I made this recipe, I opted not to. I probably should have done all butter, because thanks to Tropical Storm Will, the air in Southern Mississippi was a little soggy, and the shortening has a tendency to keep the cookies softer. But this dough rolls fantastic and holds its shape during baking. The M cookies however were too soft and tended to break. Again, no one seemed to mind!I went with the purple and black and white. A little black and purple disco dust, some black coarse sugar, a few polka dots. What's not to love here. It was a great weekend, good volleyball, a very nice group of parents and players. Looking forward to a fun season and many more cookies. What are you waiting for!

Happy 50th!

2011-08-31T08:48:00.007-05:00

Don't you love a birthday party? This weekend one of my cousins turns 50 and is having a bash right around the corner in San Diego. It is also college volleyball kick off so, I am heading to the courts. I am sorry I won't be there because these are the cousins I spent my summers with at Lake Delavan. Paul is the oldest in his family and was always the serious one. He made mazes and read lots of books, I guess that it is no surprise he is a doctor today. His sisters Mitzi and PJ were my buddies and we ran around together for weeks. The younger boys were Pete and Phil, and if we were desperate for money to go buy cinnamon toothpicks, sweet tarts or Pixie sticks, we would hide Pete's security blanket. It was worth a quarter or so in reward money. I'm sure my Aunt Tootsie was aware of our operation, and a couple of quarters would send us on the mile trek to the candy store. We really weren't terrible kids, we just had a mild sugar addiction! We even all went back to the lake for a reunion when our own kids were little and it sure was fun, but not quite the same as those days of the 70's. So when my cousin Patti (she was PJ, I guess she out grew that) sent me an email asking to order cookies for Paul's birthday, I was feeling a little silly for not thinking of it myself. Shipping cookies always poses a little problem with timing because you can never really count on the post office. And they must dry thoroughly before stacking them. So between my real job which has been a lot of hours and other cookie orders, I whipped up a few dozen cookies for Paul. Now these are not works of art. These are happy birthday cookies. This is not a black tie party, but a party with many family, friends and kids coming. I told Paul to think of the cookies as a collaboration between his sister and cousin. No guesses who the brains of the operation were all along! I am happy Patti thought of it, and I will be there in spirit! Hope 50 is fabulous!

It's A Boy!

2011-08-28T14:13:00.007-05:00

So real quick, I did a boy shower recently, and I loved these cookies. The more I make the more I am convinced that I like them simple. Blue and white was she wanted, no polka dots (darn, I love polka dots) and no glitter. Okay, I kept the disco dust away!
And since I had a little leftover dough, I had some random shapes for a few miscellaneous events. Pretty straightforward, nothing exciting, just "eatin'cookies". Of course I made one special one lest someone forgets about me.

Super Hero Cookies/No Kid Hungry

2011-08-24T09:20:00.006-05:00

Did your kids have a warm healthy dinner last night? Yea, mine too. But sadly there are a lot of kids going hungry right here in the U.S. This past weekend I had the privilege of working at my favorite kitchen store and manning the sugar cookie decorating station. For a $5 donation, kids (or adults) could decorate 2 Marvel Comic Super Hero Cookies. It was a great event, albeit a little messy! But having done many sugar cookie classes in my home, I know you will only have to chase those wayward sprinkles on the floor for a year or so! And thankfully, royal icing washes out pretty well.

All the proceeds go to No Kid Hungry/Share Our Strength. This website is full of information on how you can help, and for the foodies out there, there are many, many ways. Please take a look and pledge your support. You can participate in area events, host a bake sale (up my alley!) and simply make a donation. There are also products for sale at said kitchen store that send a portion of the sale to No Kid Hungry. So there are many ways to help.

So on to the cookies. My favorite kitchen store sells the cutters, they include Hulk, Spider Man, Iron Man and Captain America. I baked plenty of all, but I was thinking Spidey was still the fan favorite. Wrong! Captain America flew out of the cookie bin for decorating, and perhaps that is because there is a new movie and "stuff" to promote it. The boys also really like my Hulk cookies with the tinted dough. I used a little green and black in the dough and made decorating him much easier! But regardless, we had plenty of cookies and lets just say an abundance of icing! Kids like to decorate their own cookies. One little girl just loved layering all those colors and the sprinkles and wow, those little cookies were 2" high. Her dad calmly suggested that she would be more comfortable eating the cookies in the store than in his car! One little boy took half an hour to decorate one cookie, and did an amazing job. His Grandpa was astounded and didn't know that this little boy had such patience and artistic eye. I was impressed. And of course lots of little ones showed up in their t-shirts and masks of their favorite super heroes. It was a fun day. When all was said and done, I decorated a few myself. Yes, Ironman is missing. I dropped him, so he did not make it to the photo shoot. Oh well. What are you waiting for? Get in there and bake, AND make a difference!

There Will Be Salad

2011-08-23T09:07:00.008-05:00

You bet there'll be salad. For as long as I can remember we have always had a green salad with dinner. My Dad is Italian, my Mom is Serbian, and both cultures eat green salads. These are not crazy composed salads, no jello, no chunks of vegetables. Lettuce, vinegar and oil. Sounds boring right? Well, on the contrary. As a kid it was iceberg lettuce (I am not sure Romaine was available then), vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, both sprinkled on top, and a little salt and pepper. We did not toss it until we were ready to eat it, so the salad came to room temperature, and was perfect every time. I hate a cold salad. Over the years the salad has morphed with only Romaine, olive oil, maybe a balsamic or rice vinegar, sometimes we toss some feta and olives or blue cheese. But believe me when I say, there will be salad.

When I got married, I still made the Petitti salad every night. Scott was not interested. He wanted lettuce, shredded cheese and French dressing...eee gads! So for about 25 years, I ask every night, do you want a salad? If he says yes, then I dig out some shredded cheese and French dressing. Not really inspiring. He has branched out and had feta and olives, maybe a little pancetta, but it is always dressed with this vibrant orange dressing. And not just any French. It has to be the orange kind, not deep California French, he describes it as Pizza Hut French. And don't even think of trying to make this yourself!

So the salad routine is fine, it has worked for 25 years, no big deal. If I am in the mood, I may make a Caesar salad, even Scott loves this, and it is my go to for a pot luck. Many nights we'll toss in shrimp or chicken and call it dinner (no French in sight!)

So, one hot summer day I am perusing the Web, and the local food editor features Salad Fridays this summer. And there one afternoon I found a grilled Romaine salad. The post is here, and I could hardly wait to make it. The original recipe is from Guy Fieri, and you know that I hate to follow a recipe. I used the same ingredients for the most part, but I didn't measure anything. Now you can see Guy's recipe if you need quantities, but I like more vinegar than most people, and after years of daily salad making, I can eyeball it pretty well. I also think this recipe, or rather this method, has some real possibilities, and I am excited to make more versions. I found these small, compact heads of Romaine in the produce section. I peeled off the outer leaves and sliced them down the middle. I drizzled them with olive oil and a little salt and pepper. In a small fry pan, I cooked up a little pancetta and diced red onion. When I buy pancetta, I have it sliced pretty thick and the layers divided with the wax deli paper. I usually buy many slices and leave it in the freezer and use a slice at a time. I find it easier to chop after it's been cooked. The pancetta renders its own fat, so if you need any additional oil, it won't be much. When the onion is soft and the pancetta crispy, remove it from the pan and add a little more oil and some balsamic vinegar. Heat it through and remove from the heat. Meanwhile grill the Romaine, indoors or out, cut side down until it is charred. Lay the lettuce in a bowl, cut side up, top with a little blue cheese, the onion pancetta mixture and the warm balsamic. This salad is amazing. So amazing in fact, that Scott begged to have it the next night. We tried it with regular bacon the next time, and ate a whole head of Romaine each....it was that good. Praise the Lord! I am never buying French dressing again!

Legal Sugar Cookies

2011-08-20T07:38:00.006-05:00

Every once in awhile I get a free pass on cookies. "Do what you think". This week was my first 21st birthday project. Now I need to order a beer mug for sure. But the mom and I talked about the interests, the school etc. This young man and my son went to school together for a few years, and I was happy to be a part of his birthday!

I made a few dozen in the orange, black and white color theme, and his mom loved them, I am pretty sure a 21yr old boy in college would say, hey these are cool, let's eat them! So providing the Post Office did their part, he should be celebrating with cookies and his first beer. *smile*

My Empty Nest

2011-08-19T08:08:00.003-05:00

So the kids are gone. They are now part of much bigger things than high school. University, College, teams and jobs. How exciting. Nic left a few weeks ago and I did cry. He is so far, and so old. I mean, when did my little boy turn 21. It seems like 18 was just yesterday. But then Christina. Off on her new adventure. It was a little sad, but the mom who tears up at commercials and can sob at the airport (if I see a goodbye), well, I didn't shed a tear. She is going to have fun. College should be fun. I loved college.

So I couldn't send her without cookies. I like it when her friends remind her that her mom is a great baker! So here are the cute Millsaps M and volleyballs I sent for the team on bonding night. Here's to a great experience.

Minny's Chocolate Pie from The Help

2011-08-11T14:12:00.002-05:00

"I'm not from the South, but I got here as fast as I could". As I have mentioned before, my sweet Southern friend gave me that little sign. I am a Midwesterner, but after living in the South for 20+ years, I should qualify as a naturalized Southerner by now, right? I found the book The Help very interesting and frankly not far from the South I experience here today. I have no interest in a controversial blog, but our paper had an article on The Help and its food, and I knew I had go there!

When you think of Southern Food, it is no secret that much of the socially elite Southerners didn't cook their own "Southern Cuisine". Much of the food we associate with the South was the food made by The Help. The movie touches on this as well. I love the fantastic cuisine of the South, and was happy to see a few recipes printed in the paper that the food stylist and her helpers used for the movie. The article can be found here, and the Black Eyed Pea Salad looks delicious, but I would have to eat the entire thing on my own. The fried chicken recipe is a Southern staple, I have been soaking my chicken in buttermilk and Crystal's Hot Sauce for as many years as I have lived south of Michigan. So I opted to make Minny's Chocolate Pie. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, let's just say that Minny's Chocolate Pie plays a starring role. In the article, the stylist says they made more than 50!

I had never really thought about chocolate pie until I moved to Memphis. It is on the menu at all the BBQ joints, and is also called fudge pie, but my own pies tend to filled with fruit. I thought back to my childhood, and I can remember my mom took me to Bishop's when my dad was out of town. It was essentially a cafeteria, slide the tray and choose your food, and there at the end, every time waiting for me was Chocolate Ambrosia Pie. It was a chocolate pie, but it certainly wasn't anything we ever ate outside of Bishop's. I was enamored with the chocolate curls on top of the whipped creme. I mean this is 1979 we are talking about! And after a quick search, I find they are still in business, not in the location I went to those few times, but just a town away. And that pie? You can buy the whole thing for $8.49. That's a far cry from the Southern chocolate pie for sale just down the street for $17. I even found a few recipes for Bishop's pie, but they all use instant pudding mix. I guess my palate wasn't fully developed in 1979. I am making Minny's for hardly anything. Chances are if you are a baker, the ingredients are in your pantry! And it is way better than a pudding pie.

Minny's Chocolate Pie from The Help

1 refrigerated pie crust
1½ cups sugar
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ teaspoon salt
1-5½oz. can evaporated milk (Double check your can, they also come MUCH bigger!)
1 teaspoon vanilla (you know what kind to use!)
Whipped Cream for serving

Fit crust into 9" pie pan. Crimp edges and prick bottom and sides (I forgot to do that).
Preheat oven to 350° (I used convection at 335°). Mix sugar, cocoa and butter in a mixing bowl. Add eggs and beat with a mixer 3 minutes. Add salt, milk and vanilla. Pour filling into shell and bake for 35-45 minutes or until edges are brown and filling is slightly set in the middle. Cool completely before serving.
Can be refrigerated or served at room temp. You'll also see the pie as a double crust pie in the movie in a scene. But most often Minny makes a single crust with a big dollop of whipped cream!

The recipe calls for a refrigerated pie crust, and yes, I went there. I love home made pie crust, no doubt. But trust me, this pie is so rich, so decadent, the crust plays a pretty small role. Of course for unsweetened cocoa I used Pernigotti. The evaporated milk makes the filling smooth as silk, the pie is just delicious. I must admit though, that my pie looks a lot juicier the the pie in the movie. But trust me, you will enjoy it as much as Minny's admirers (and enemy) enjoyed hers! So, what are ya waiting for? Get in there and bake!

When Life Gives You Dough, Make Cookies

2011-08-08T07:22:00.000-05:00

There are lots of times I am baking up a storm with a purpose. Perhaps a few dozen for a friend or family member. But when you have extra dough, what is a baker to do? It's a lovely dilemma. This is when I go pawing through my bins of cookie cutters and start thinking of what I would like to attempt to decorate. Cookie cutters I have never used.

I have some great antique ones, but I was not happy with the results, some children's characters', those will require some time to decorate. But there in my freezer were some miscellaneous hearts and stars, some anchors and squares, just some basics to remind me that I never got around to doing all the 4th of July cookies. Enough to satisfy a few, but not as many as I ambitiously planned when I was rolling dough. It works like that sometime. But it is nice when you are doing an order and have all this great frosting and there in the freezer is a bevy of cookies ready to go.

I did these to take to my childhood friends and a few relatives on my Midwestern road trip. They were a hit! Never mind they were intended for the Fourth, a birthday party or a thank you. They're just cookies...and no one ever complains! Back to the road trip soon. And I suppose at some point I will have to cook too. Thanks for hanging around. I will, get in there and cook!!

The Great Road Trip: DeKalb IL

2011-08-07T11:35:00.017-05:00

My Parents Pasquale and Joan and my Grandparents Ed and Helen

So we continue our journey on the Great Road Trip, the second destination in the 1700 mile journey, DeKalb, IL. Perhaps best known for its namesake corn, you see the signs all over the Midwest, birthplace of barbed wire and it is also home to Northern Illinois University. Most important, the home of my mom Joan. She grew up here with her 4 sisters and brother, my grandparents Helen and Ed, and her Grandfather. I visited with Christina, my sister Lori, my cousins Chantal (her 2 children) and Susie, their mom my Aunt Jeannie (my mom's sister) and of course my parents.

Susie, Susie, Chantal and Lori

So in good form, our first stop was the Serbian Cemetery. This is where my Great Grandfather Steven Miskin is buried. He was quite a figure in the Serbian community and I have been to his childhood home in Trbinje, Bosnia. This cemetery is very different from Mt. Carmel in Chicago, here the Serbs have a small corner of a large cemetery. The names can be quite hard to pronounce, but like my Italian side, they came here willing to do whatever it took to be Americans. They worked very hard, they sent much of their money back to the homeland to help the other family members, and they embraced America. The Serbs in DeKalb still tend to this little cemetery, paying tribute to those brave immigrants.

We drove by the old houses, and took pictures trying to remember what it all looked like 40 years ago. My Grandfather was a tavern keeper, and Ed's Tavern was a short walk across the backyard from the house I remember so well. It was a small tavern with a loyal customer base. It was nestled in a neighborhood so many patrons walked there. During WWII, Ed framed a photo of every neighborhood serviceman and hung them on the walls. The young men would return and give Ed a patch from their battalion, squadron or unit. He made a large banner that hung as long as the tavern was there. My mom now has this banner, and it still smells faintly of cigar smoke and beer, or perhaps it is the wonderful memories that we smell. The banner is one of the most complete of WWII patches. We have encouraged her to find a home for it where it can be preserved and admired, but she is afraid it would end up in a drawer in the archives of museum.

This is just a snippet of the banner

As a kid, I would go into Ed's through the back door. There was a large rounded fridge and he always had Chocolate Kayo Pop in a bottle. If I helped him wash glasses in the warm water with the fuzzy heads, I could earn a pop and maybe a pickled sausage. I never ventured to try a pickled egg. I thought being in that bar was the most wonderful thing. There was a Hamm's Beer sign, (sing along, Hamm's the land of sky blue water...) and the sign changed or moved. I can't remember. I always thought that Hamm's was from Wisconsin, and as a kid, that was my second favorite place, Delavan, Wisconsin, but alas, it is from Minnesota. Oh well. A few years back, the new owner of the house and tavern let us have a look around and took us into the tavern. It just didn't stir any memories. It is great to think back to that era. Men don't stop in and have a beer with the guys on the way home anymore. And they can't really take the wife out for a drink in the neighborhood. But wouldn't that be fun? I will do a blog on Ed's and the photos I have.

We then went to the Catholic cemetery where Ed and Helen rest. My mom has lost 2 of her sisters, and both have had ashes scattered here. Losing my grandparents is one of those memories that makes my heart ache. I was in 2nd grade when Ed passed. It was really hard for me to understand. I was in high school when my Grandma passed, and to this day the smell of roses brings back her funeral. It is all I can remember. I still look for Jergen's Lotion in the original formula, my Grandma used it every day, and smells just like I remember her. As we left the cemetery, I passed the grave of John Manekitis (I know I spelled this wrong). He and his wife are buried together and I never knew them, but I know the name so well. My Grandma had a cat maned John Manekitis. We always thought this was a funny name when we were kids, but he was apparently someone they all remembered and John (the cat) was a great pet. Walking past his grave made us all giggle as we thought about our funny and loving family. Maybe someone will name their pet SweetiePetitti one day. You never know!

We had dinner in DeKalb with my mom's best friend from grade school. They have their 65th class reunion later this summer. That is amazing. This photo is from a few summers ago, but my mom and Pauline have maintained their friendship for over 70 years, and much of that before the advent of the internet. They haven't lived in the same town for almost 60 years. Isn't it amazing waht Christmas cards and phone calls do to maintain a friendship?

The next day we took a long walk around the campus, gorgeous! And then before we hit the road for the next chapter, we went to the church. St. Mary's Catholic Church. The church opened in 1901, and was truly a neighborhood church. My mom and her siblings all attended the school there, and my mom would go to church every morning before school and on weekends to play the organ for Mass. My mom and dad were married in this church 59 years ago. Sadly, there was a fire in the mid 70's which took much of the grandness of church with it. Today, it is a little bare, and needs a little care, but the stained glass windows remain some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. We all said a little prayer and hit the road. The next stop is Clinton, Iowa.

The Internet Shrinks the World:Family Reunion

2011-08-05T06:22:00.000-05:00

The Great Road Trip Continues

So I blog about a lot of stuff. I get a little feed back from Blogger that tells me what people are hitting with their searches. Apparently Faeto, Italy has brought me a few searchers, and here they found the food I love. And Faeto, Italy again, where they would learn about my trips there and the charm of Faeto and Celle. I am very proud of my Italian hometown. My Grandfather and Great Grandfather as well as my Grandmother all came from this charming mountain village. Another Faeto, Italy post is here with some of those details and a tribute to my dad and his ancestry. Periodically I get a comment from someone who has ancestors from Faeto. The names are familiar from the streets, the cemetery and sometimes the same as mine. Petitti.

So one day not so long ago, I got a comment from a Bob Petitte. He thought his family name had changed from Petitti. He told me about his grandfather coming over, and his dad going to his cousin Patsy's farm in Dundee. Hmm. I was curious. My dad and Grandfather are both Patsy, also known as Pasquale. And, they lived on a farm in Dundee. He left his email so I contacted him and gave him some info and asked him what else he knew. He sent a picture that made me, my dad and my Uncle Mike all drop our mouths. It was of his grandfather and his great uncles. And there in that photo is my Great Grandfather. The exact photo found on his tombstone in Mt. Carmel. We were related.

The tallest gentleman is my Great Grandpa Vito Petitti

When we began planning the summer adventure, I emailed Bob and he agreed to have dinner with our entourage. So we found a pizza place, casual, loud and perfect for our large 20+ group. Bob is just a little older than I, but his grandfather was the last of something like 11 children, so his family tree is essentially a generation behind mine. It also means that most of Bob's family tree has passed. How wonderful that we could introduce him to all these new relatives.
I have started a new blog called Faeto in hopes that people will google and get there. I would love to have a meeting place and find family, friends, distant relatives. We hope one day to have a Faeto reunion. Now that would be quite a story!

The Great Road Trip: Chicago

2011-08-04T07:28:00.001-05:00

So as I said earlier, I took the great Road Trip. We headed North out of Memphis and headed to Chicago. We needed a little break on the road, so a quick stop to the Raggedy Ann and Andy Museum seemed perfect. Arcola, IL is a charming town with a little Amish influence. The nice lady at the Train Depot turned Tourism Office was full of info, most specifically that the museum was gone. The founder of Raggedy Ann was named Gruelle, and this is his hometown. There is a great deal of Raggedy Ann memorabilia, but no museum. We hit one of the charming shops in town and were seriously disappointed there was no Raggedy Ann dolls (except the $50 collector edition), and no Raggedy Ann cookie cutters. The sign on the Interstate sure brings a handful of people in, but the town is not capitalizing on that silly little rag doll that could be the bread and butter of this charming town. We swung by the Hippie Memorial simply because it was there, not impressive, but hey, we went! We arrived to Chicago and the next day Christina headed to camp. I had one full day with my Uncle Mike. He is actually my first cousin, once removed (I think) but how awkward is that? Uncle Mike's mom, and my Grandpa were siblings. So he was all gung ho when I wanted to do some family history in Chicago. We started at Mt. Carmel cemetery where my Great Great Grampa is buried. We also made a little trip to see the grave of one of his notorious neighbors. I doubt they were acquainted in life, Capone was South side, and Vito was North side. Then we went to the Showman's Rest Cemetery (just wait there are more cemeteries to come!) I remember as a kid hearing about the circus train that went up in flames and the 50-60 circus workers and performers who perished. I heard about tombstones in the shape of circus animals. Well, I had to see this, and thankfully it wasn't a huge out of the way trip. There are 4 large elephant statues that mark the area where these and other performers are buried, but their graves are quite humble. It was sad to see the graves of the unknowns who died in that tragic fire. Uncle Mike and I are glad we saw this little cemetery, but it was not as grand as my childhood memory had pictured it. We passed many old and beautiful cemeteries on our route. I told my Uncle Mike that I had seen a book of Chicago Graveyards, and wasn't he relieved I hadn't bought it! (Wait until he gets his copy in the mail, thanks Amazon!!!)

We then ventured to Greek Town. Now I have no Greek blood, but I LOVE Greek food. It is very similar to the Serbian food my Grandma (on my mom's side, we will get to that cemetery in a few days...) made. I have yet to find an amazing place in Memphis for Greek food. So Uncle Mike and I had lunch outside with the fountain trickling and a gorgeous breeze off Lake Michigan. We had Saganaki to start, and I had an appetizer assortment platter with fresh pita. It was sensational, hummus, spicy feta, fish, olives, eggplant. Washed it down with a little Greek wine. And off we went!The next stop was my Grandpa's meat market on the corner of Paulina and Taylor. What a fantastic location, so great in fact, that there is a large medical center there. Not that I expected an old building with a slip of a paper receipt hiding in the walls (I do have a great imagination), but that would have been fun. We drove down Taylor Street which is commonly called Little Italy. Much of the land was taken over by the University of Chicago, and that community has been slowly displaced over the years. We stopped at Rosebud, a famous Italian restaurant and had dessert. Spumoni Gelato and a Cannoli with 2 Cappuccinos. Again we sat outside and enjoyed the mild weather. And then we went inside for a peek at the bar. It looks like the kind of place the Rat Pack would hang out in. If I had been born 45 years earlier, I would have been a total Dean Martin groupie.So the last stop of the day was the North Avenue Food Mart which was my Grandpa's. It was there long after the meat market closed, so I was hopeful. We drove through such quaint areas on our way, and then down North Avenue. It was bustling with people and businesses and it seemed to get a little more run down as we neared our destination at 2654. The building was shrouded in construction scaffolding, nothing of the building was really visible. Another defeat. But as I craned my neck to see anything, it dawned on me that so many members of my family walked on this sidewalk, and that was enough for me to take home. The day was amazing. I saw so much of Chicago and felt connected to my dad's past. I would love next time to spend a little more time, see more of the neighborhoods and taste more of the great food these areas have to offer.

We finished up the day at Mike's daughter and son-in-laws house with their daughter. Hmm, first cousin twice and three times removed? Seriously. Cousins, period. I love my family, I consider myself very lucky! Next up, the amazing family reunion!

A Jubilee Celebration!

2011-08-02T09:26:00.007-05:00

I have returned from the 1760 mile, 10 day road trip. We spent 35 hours in the car, visited 41 relatives, hit 6 states and crossed the Mississippi River 5 times! It was an awesome adventure. It began with Chicago and volleyball camp for Christina. It culminated with a huge Jubilee Celebration in Dubuque, IA. I have so many stories to tell, I hope you will indulge me. But first, the cookies I made for the Jubilee. My Aunt Joyce is a member of the Sisters Of Charity of Blessed Virgin Mary. She is a nun. July 31 was her 50th anniversary as a BVM. I am writing a blog on the whole event, but I had to bring a little something for the honoree. I hand carried a tin of cookies 1.000 miles for her. They were fun and colorful, and the reviews were great, so they didn't suffer any ill effects on the great road trip! I had originally wanted to make nun cookies with little black and white habits. The consensus from my cookie critics was that they were appearing more like Death Eaters from the Deathly Hallows and not at all fun and celebratory. So they did not make the trip, nor the photo shoot! So hang tight. Lots of great stories, photos and food to come! What are ya waiting for? Get in there and bake! (Especially if the AC is on!)

A Happy Birthday Happy Birthday!

2011-07-24T10:20:00.007-05:00

It's a birthday for twins! What fun...I was thrilled to make birthday take home favors for the Grand-Twins (also known as the Twinkies) of my favorite boss.
She is the proud Gramma of the twins, and their little sister. It makes me tired just thinking about all that energy! Sara loved the colors of the Lily inspired shower I did awhile back and wanted the same bright happy colors for her cookies. It was my pleasure. I sort of did his and her colors for the twins, and hopefully they matched the little girl twin's Lily party dress. Hopefully there were a few leftovers for those exhausted parents!

M and M Monster Cookies

2011-07-22T08:32:00.004-05:00

So yes, I have a few new cookbooks hanging about. Covers that beckoned me from afar. And then the mood or necessity arises for me to bake, and there I am back in my family file of recipes. Back to the tried and true. Most people have a recipe box. I have a recipe tub file. Whatever works, right!? I've settled on M&M Monster Cookies. A recipe given to me by a gal I worked with one summer in my dad's offices, about 25 years ago, Tina Coyne. (Wonder where she is?) The cookies are full of stuff, have a peanut butter base, and are pretty dense. I remember the recipe making a large amount, so everyone is happy!

It has a pretty extensive list of ingredients, but no flour. But the recipe does take enormous amonts of oatmeal, peanut butter and eggs. It calls for a one-pound bag of M&Ms which I'm certain they sold 22 years ago. Now, however, I could only find a 14 ounce bag. So buy 2 or add in some chips! The recipe makes 90+ cookies that are scooped with an ice cream scoop, so they are pretty big. I do have a few of these flourless cookies, see peanut butter cookies from my very first post. It was rather nostalgic for me to look back. My first post was after sending Nic off to college, 18 years old. A lot happens in 3 years. Everything went as planned to a point. But 2 dislocated shoulders later, Nic is heading to U of Oklahoma this fall. And Christina is heading off to college. A new phase for everyone.

I used my Kitchen-Aid mixer, and the dough was teetering on the top of the bowl, mind you it's a 6qt. bowl. So you'll need a big bowl, heavy mixer, (or strong arms) and time. I baked 9 cookies to a sheet, 12 minutes baking time at 350 Convection Bake. They don't really spread much, but because of their size I doubt you could fit a dozen on a sheet. I know a batch this size is overwhelming to many, so stay organized, and do it in steps.

I used a medium size scoop from you know where. These cookies aren't great made small. Size matters! Remember to move the sheets from front to back and upper shelf to middle shelf halfway through the baking time.
They are a perennial favorite around here. They travel well, taste delicious and are truly satisfying. So, what are you waiting for? Ge in there and bake!

M & M Monster Cookies
6 large eggs
1 pound light brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons white corn syrup
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 pound butter, unsalted, softened
1 1/2 pounds peanut butter, smooth or chunky
9 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 pound M & Ms
Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and mix well. Add everthing else and scoop with ice cream scoop. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until golden. Do not overbake!

The Mason Dixon Barbecue

2011-07-17T08:59:00.008-05:00

This post is about Barbecue, but first a little history lesson.
For those of you unfamiliar, the Mason Dixon was a line of demarcation set up in the late 1700's to divide the British Colonies during colonization. In the 1820's it became a border of the North and the South. The funny thing is people refer to it today, but I don't think anyone knows where it really is. I was thinking here, in the deep South, or maybe Atlanta area, but it actually divides Pennsylvania and Delaware from W. Virginia, Virginia and Maryland. Who knew? Thanks Wikipedia.

One of my Southern friends and I like to have Mason Dixon meals. She brings the deviled eggs, the cheese grits, pecan tassies, the typical Southern fare. I bring the eclectic dishes that have been morphed from the melting pot of industrialization. Ceasar salad, spanikopita, lasagna. But no where is that imaginary line more prevalent than in Barbecue. So here is my little list of differences.

Southern Smoked Ribs

Beer Can Chicken on the Grill

PART OF SPEECH
North-Barbecue is a verb-"We are going to barbecue this weekend."
South- Barbecue is a noun- "We are going to eat barbecue this weekend."

MEAT
North-chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, pork chops, steak
South- Pork in most states, beef in Texas

METHOD
North-Direct heat over charcoal
South-Indirect heat with lots of smoke

SAUCE
North-Ketchup, mustard, relish
South-Barbecue sauce, vinegary in the Carolinas, sweet and smoky in the South, mesquite to the West.

CONDIMENT
North-lettuce, tomato, pickle
South-slaw, yep, the slaw goes on top of the meat on the bun for pulled pork

So, as you can see, my tongue in cheek list demonstrates the big difference. Semantics. Years ago, when I sent an invite to the baseball team for a " Barbecue", people were surprised when we grilled burgers and brats. And one of the first years in Memphis, my cousin and her husband (a Louisiana native) came to visit and we grilled ribs. Rookies. You don't grill ribs on a grill. You can, but trust me, after 20 years in the South and much experimenting, you smoke ribs. Slow, for 5 hours or so, with a little smoke, pecan, apple, hickory, whatever you like, and some home made sauce.

I've learned a lot living here. We still invite friends over to grill out. Steaks or chops on the grill. But we also invite friends for barbecue, ribs or brisket, smoked for hours and basted with sauce. Either way it's dinner and it's delicious. So, what are you waiting for? Fire it up!

As Seen On TV

2011-07-13T06:18:00.000-05:00

I like to watch TV. There I said it. I really thought my career would be based in television. I have my regular programs. Usually the Today show in the mornings. CBS Sunday Mornings on Sunday. The reality shows, Bachelorette, Survivor, Big Brother, Pawn Stars, Whale Wars. I know, pretty pathetic right. Let's not forget Finding Bigfoot. I also TiVo Hell's Kitchen and Top Chef. I'm not a huge fan of the Food Network shows, but always enjoyed Michael Chiarello and the irreverent Anthony Bourdain.

I don't usually go back and hunt down recipes I've seen made on the shows. I think of a cooking demo on TV like a recipe in a cookbook. Read it through, understand what the idea is, and then improvise. I have gone back to a Top Chef Just Desserts recipe because it was Rice Crispies and Nutella, and then there was the 4th of July and the Today show s'mores.

I am normally not a cookie bar kind of person, but I really love a s'more. Toasted marshmallows are one of my favorites. This pastry chef, Anne Thornton made her s'mores with a graham crust, melted chocolate and toasted marshmallows. Not exactly earth shattering, certainly not original, but I was happy someone figured out all the proportions in the crust for me! She also added some smoked chipotle chili powder to give hers a kick. I opted not to. The verdict. Um...yum. I cut them very small and we all ate a lot of them. I mean they were good. The best part was I whipped them up in no time. A great standby recipe for sure! So what are ya waiting for? Watch a little TV and get in there and bake!

Obsessed With Bigfoot

2011-07-10T18:55:00.008-05:00

Okay, I know it may make you chuckle. But tonight is the finale of Finding Bigfoot on the Animal Planet. I have always had this crazy thing about Bigfoot. As a kid, I remember the mysteries of Bigfoot, the Bermuda Triangle and Loch Ness Monster. I was intrigued. I looked (look) for Bigfoot any time we are driving through a woodsy area. I have never had a Bigfoot encounter, and frankly I would rather I didn't. But I sure wish someone would bag one.

Pikes Peak National Park

My dad spent most of his middle age hunting all over North America. He spent the night in many remote areas, and he says he is sure he would have seen or heard a Bigfoot or an alien if any existed. I know he would have loved such an encounter. Frankly, if he had a Bigfoot encounter, he would be standing next to this guy in his game room.

Alaska Brown Bear

So one night this summer as we watched Whale Wars (a show I refuse to discuss on my blog), a commercial came on for a show called Finding Bigfoot. We were beside ourselves. In the Memphis heat, after a day on the bike trail, or by the pool or at work, we love to gather for some great mindless summer TV. Sometimes we even watch on the porch, but most of the time it is too hot, even at night! So we decided to watch. It is hilarious. I have learned a lot however. There are many people who have had Squatch encounters. They have baited him with Zagnut bars (who knew?). He howls, high or low pitched, there are hunters on the show that are proficient at each call. And one hunter is rather Squatch-like and he is always the one they use to recreate the photos. These are no kill Squatch hunters, so even if they find him, there will be no stuffed Squatch at the Smithsonian. Just photos and video that we will all doubt.
Of course I was compelled to make cookies. Nothing extravagant. I just had some cookies in the freezer and some left over icing and I did a quickie cookie job for Squatch. Don't judge.

Tonight in the finale, I'm sure if there is any great scientific proof it'll be on the Today show in the morning. For now...keep your eyes peeled. There is a site devoted to Bigfoot sightings and he has been spotted right here in Western Tennessee. How cool is that. I have no Zagnut bars, but I do have some killer cookies! Happy Baking!

I Scream For Ice Cream

2011-07-09T05:30:00.002-05:00

Chocolate Gelato

I always loved that ice cream ditty as a kid. But the truth is, I make ice cream about one time in the summer, I guess I am not exactly screaming for it. But it is sooo easy to make, and people just can't believe you made ice cream. As one of my friends always asks, "Did you know they sell that at the grocers in multiple flavors, already made?" Yea, but that's no fun.

On a recent trip to Michaels, I found these cute ice cream accessories. I need hobby retail therapy, I cannot help myself... I bought them. Now I had to make ice cream! Cute cardboard sugar cone covers and the little swirly colored cups with lids and little wooden spoons. Oh, I covet those little wooden spoons. I decided with a house full of hungry fireworks watchers it seemed the perfect dessert for a hot 4th of July.

Both types I made are custard based. Basically they are cooked dairy and eggs. I did run into a few issues, and found a solution. I made both Peppermint Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Gelato. My first problems came when I was cooking the custard. The first one separated into a thick gloppy mess. I knew the eggs didn't scramble when I added the cream, so they crossed the line back in the pot. A quick whir in the blender smoothed it out perfectly.

I use something called Peppermint Snow for this ice cream. It is crushed peppermint in a jar, and is sold at yes, WS during the holidays. When it hits the clearance table in January, I buy up 3 jars for a cool summer treat. Check out these bon bons from last summer. I think the ice cream would be tasty with some chocolate chunks instead of chips too. I used what I had.

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
3 cups half and half
¼ cup light corn syrup
6 egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla paste
½ cup peppermint snow
½ cup chocolate chips or chunks

Bring 2 cups of half and half and corn syrup to a simmer in a saucepan. Remove from heat. In a metal bowl, whisk yolks and sugar and carefully add the hot cream into the egg/sugar mixture while constantly whisking. You do not want to scramble the eggs. When the hot cream is all blended in, pour back into the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the custard is thick. You want to be able to trace a path across the back of a spoon with your finger. DO NOT BOIL. If you do, note the above instructions, all is not lost.

Pour the custard through a sieve set over a bowl. Add half of the peppermint snow and stir until they are melted. It will turn the ice cream a dirty pink. This is the time to add a little pink food coloring if you like to make it prettier. Add the vanilla paste and the last cup of half and half and mix well. Cover and chill thoroughly for a good couple of hours.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and process according to the directions. Add the last of the peppermint and chocolate chips and stir in before freezing. It is best within a few hours. If it freezes longer, let it sit out for 10 minutes before scooping.

Then I went to Chocolate Gelato. Gelato is made with milk vs. cream, so it is a little lower in fat, but the curdling issue is still there. I ran into custard problems again, it seemed to curdle a little, but did not thicken. So I blended it and then put it back on the stove and it thickened rather quickly. This gelato is made with both bittersweet chocolate and Pernigotti Cocoa. To say it is rich would be an understatement. The gelato is best served right after it is made so it is smooth and creamy.

Chocolate Gelato
3 cups whole milk
6 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
½ cup chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 Tablespoon vanilla paste
¼ cup Pernigotti Cocoa

In a saucepan bring milk to a simmer. Remove from heat and in another bowl whisk eggs, sugar and corn syrup together . Slowly add hot milk while whisking to be careful to not scramble eggs. Return it all back to saucepan and cook on low stirring until custard thickens and you can draw a path across the back of a spoon. DO NOT BOIL. But if you do, see above, it is salvageable.

Pour custard through sieve into a clean bowl. Add chocolate and stir until it is melted. Then add vanilla and cocoa. Mix well and chill a few hours before processing. Put into ice cream maker about 30 minutes before you wish to serve it. It tastes best when smooth and creamy.

A note on ice cream makers. I use an old Krups machine. Basically it has a bowl that you put in the freezer for about 8 hours. You then put the chilled ice cream mixture in it and there is a paddle like attachment that goes around the inside of the bowl and scrapes off the frozen mixture. It's a pretty easy machine. I know people who swear by the White Mountain ice cream makers with the rock salt and the crank or motor. I have never had the pleasure of using one, so I can't judge. I just got my free Kitchen Aid attachment ice cream maker that came with my new mixer, but I see no reason to use it. I will probably regift it. So go get your cones and your wooden spoons and cool off with a home made ice cream.

There Will Be Cakes

2011-07-07T07:54:00.000-05:00

My favorite holiday has come and gone. The 4th of July brings back terrific childhood memories. Summer days floating in black innertubes on Lake Delavan. Fireworks at the school "in town". Sparklers by the box and the parents with the familiar warnings, and the black snakes that we would light and watch shrivel over the pavement. I don't remember any specific food, but we had "lake food" all summer that we were there. Boiled hot dogs, home made bratwurst on the beach, ice cream sandwiches and drumsticks dripping all over our swimsuits. And then 2 days later...my birthday!

What I remember NOT having was coolers of water, soda and Gatorades, boxes of packaged snacks, bowls of candy laying around. How is it that we didn't die of thirst without cases of water on ice? And soda was never in the fridge. We would sometimes beg to go into the Log Cabin (a bar) and get a Coke on tap in the frosted plastic cup with the pastel striped straw. The straws would adorn our sand castles. If we were hungry throughout the day, we never complained about it. Frankly, my mom and Aunts couldn't get us out of the water.

The local grocery store was called Sentry. After a little Google, I found it is still there. New owners, and I couldn't find the Lake Delavan cake on the site. It is the cake my mom and aunts would buy, chocolate, white icing and the sides were covered in chocolate jimmies. I don't remember loving this cake, I remember it as a fixture of my summer at the lake. So, as the birthdays approached, mine and Christina's, I thought I might reproduce this cake.

Christina requests chocolate cake every year. No exception. I prefer and angel food cake, as you may know if you read about my birthday last year. So it was two cakes this year. Hers and mine. Devil and Angel. I went to my favorite website, epicurious.com and perused recipes. Why would I bother with the 500 cookbooks I own? Jeez. I am far too dependent on my Mac. So here are the results.

Chocolate Lake Delavan Cake

Angel Food

I opted for a seven minute icing on the angel food, tinted purple (Christina's request). The cakes were a hit! Delicious! Another year passed...Happy Baking!

Sharing Your Birthday

2011-07-06T05:45:00.000-05:00

Yes, I share my birthday. Eighteen years ago (on July 3), I went and saw my OB on a Friday morning. I had been on bed rest, swelling to kingdom come in the Atlanta heat and I was sure he would say," let's get this baby out." But he apparently had to get to the lake to enjoy his 4th of July, and he sent me home. I was allowed one outing to see the fireworks, and I had a scheduled C-Section on Monday. "But that's my birthday!" I protested. He was pretty sure I would go into labor over the weekend, so no big deal. Of course, that was not to be. We headed to the hospital bright and early on July 6. I spent the day with a pitossin drip and my very overdue baby was born. Christina looked like she was 2 months old. And I was given the most special birthday gift a mom could ever have.

So sharing a birthday over the years has been interesting. When she was young, I could throw her party on whatever day was most convenient, close to the real day. On the actual birthday, we would decide where to go eat and I would make a joint cake. Growing up, my sister and dad had birthdays next to each other so my mom always made 2 heart cakes and they said Happy Dad on one, and Birthday Lori on the other. For a number of years, Christina and I had the same tradition. The cakes were usually made last minute, "gotta get that picture!".

Because the birthday is so close to the 4th, you never know where we'll be. Or where the friends will be. You can't always get all those friends together that close to a holiday. We have spent a few on the road as well. The header picture is one of my favorites. That is our birthday in 2002. We are having breakfast in an old time family diner in Albany, NY on our way to Cooperstown for a baseball tournament. Needless to say we had a store bought cake that year!

But both of my kids want a commercially decorated cake with colored frosting and some cool design. So it has been a balancing act for 18 years. Scott likes to be in control of the cakes, so that means he calls the cake lady. One year our cake looked like a hamburger...hilarious. Admittedly, we often have a couple of cakes. Sometimes I am not baking and the store bought deal is the only cake. Other years, I whip up those hearts at the last minute so I don't have to eat that store bought cake. I don't mind baking a cake. I am not a fan of decorating cakes. Crazy right? Lay out a few hundred sugar cookies, and hours later I am still decorating. Give me a cake, and I will slop on the icing and quick write if I have to. Just not my thing.

Last year Christina was away, so I got my very favorite (I made it of course). This year, it is 2 cakes. Hers and Mine. Devil's Food and Angel Food. I'm okay with that, the fact I make both. It is a banner summer, probably the last where both kids are home all summer, I am enjoying the many parties, the abundance of teenagers in the pool, the wet towels all over, the half empty cups left upstairs. In a short month, it is going to be very quiet here. So bring on the cake, the candles, the friends. Happy Birthday to us! Stay tuned for the cakes and Happy Baking!

It Must Be Wedding Season!

2011-07-05T06:35:00.000-05:00

There are certain things I really hate to do. Making beds is one. I don't know why I detest this job so much, but I would really rather just close the door. However....I do make it. At least on days that I am the last one out, that is sort of the rule around here. Last one out has to make the bed, seems fair, right?

For Christina's graduation party, we were working on the menu for a few days, adding and taking away items, and my friend Rosalie was having a party the day after ours. We compared notes, and she offered to make deviled eggs for me. Hmmm, there's another job I really hate. I'll make egg salad every day, but deviled eggs, no way. She made me dozens of the little buggers with a tiny slice of a home made pickle on top. I just love Southerners. So of course, I had to think of a little reciprocation.

Back in April when I was making the cookies for the Something Borrowed premiers, Rosalie came over and saw the cookies and loved them. And why not, they were pretty cool! She said she had a friend recently engaged and was hoping I would have a few extras. As things go, I make a few extras, but since I was driving hundreds of miles to drop off the cookies, I hated to not have a few extras along, and I left her empty handed. So this week she is throwing a shower for the happy couple and I am naturally, making cookies. Engagement rings and little cakes with some heart accents. Just for her!

And as fate would have it, I got a phone call from a woman who was at Rosalie's party. She was getting together with her kids for the holiday and they all have July anniversaries. She was hoping I could whip up a dozen cookies in 2 days. Normally it wouldn't happen, but when the cookies are spread out and there is dough in the fridge, why not! So here are her wedding cakes, which I really love to decorate! Happy Baking!

The 4th of July!

2011-07-02T08:05:00.008-05:00

My favorite holiday is upon us. The 4th of July brings back terrific childhood memories. Summer days floating in black innertubes on Lake Delavan. Fireworks shows that we oohed and ahhed at, laying on our backs on top of worn quilts. My own children have vastly different memories. No cousins to be found, many baseball fields, the country club, the beach, or our own little hamlet's fireworks. But no matter where we are, there is something magical about the birthday of our country. So naturally, we bake.

I am the first to admit that I am inspired by many cookie bakers. Cookie mavens like LilaLoa, Sweet Sugar Belle and Sweetopia. These are the blogs I read all the time. Accomplished women like these offer tutorials, tips, hints and great inspiration for bakers like me. I am small time (for now!) and appreciate that they are so willing to share their wealth of knowledge. LilaLoa says on her blog, she is terrible at keeping secrets and will tell you everything. I love that! She is a very humorous writer , kinda like someone else I know. But truly that is why many of us blog, it is sharing information, accomplishments, and ideas. I always try and give credit where credit is due. SweetSugarBelle inspired me to do the black outline on the stars and stripes, and I think it made a huge difference. LilaLoa makes a lot of her cookies chocolate and that dark background gives it great effect.

The black outlines remind me of my sister Patti. She is about 8 years older than me, so when I was just learning to color in the lines, she would come along and outline those pictures in darker colors or black and then gently color them in. I was so taken with the effect, I copied it and did it with my own kids. So why I didn't think of doing it on cookies, I don't know. But I love it. So here is the Patriotic Roundup.

Share and Share Alike

2011-06-24T09:09:00.002-05:00

Okay people, did your momma not teach you those basic lessons about sharing? Apparently, people throw their manners out the door when cookies are involved! I posted (tongue in cheek, mind you) about the Good Doctor who did not like sharing his chocolate biscotti my mom made, with his staff. So once he fessed up, she made some just for the staff. Everyone was happy. I worked around physicians offices for many years, I know that as soon as the Good Doctor turned his back on those cookies, the staff would swoop in. And it is a large staff at his offices, so he gets a bye on the sharing thing.

However, about a year ago, I posted some cookies I made for the Post Office. My little local P.O. I know what kind of a bad rap the P.O. gets, and I understand. Sometimes I feel like such a nuisance to the people working there. But when they squeezed Nic in for a passport renewal on his 3 day leave, I was pretty thankful. And, as most of you know, when I am thankful, I bake.

I admit, I was a little surprised when I was back at the P.O.a few days later, and no one ever mentioned the cookies. Not even the woman I gave them to. Okay. Well, this last week I was shipping out cookies (showers, birthdays and Father's Day) my family had a lot going on. My favorite P.O. guy was taking care of me and we chatted a little about my "perishable" box. I told him I was shipping the world's best sugar cookies, but then I mentioned he had to have tried them, the big platter of stamps, last summer, anything familiar here? But, nooooo. They were not shared last summer. He never saw them. So there is only one thing to do. Make cookies for Willie.

I know he is retired Navy, because we would talk about the military when I was shipping Air Force boxes out. So I decided some anchors and maybe some 4th of July themed cookies. I have seen some neat ideas around the web and thought they would be perfect. So thanks Willie. And no, you most definitely do not have to share!

Squarkie's Love Bugs/ Frosting For The Cause

2011-06-21T05:55:00.001-05:00

Frosting For the Cause is a website that changes every day. Baking bloggers like me volunteer to post one day and write a little something about how cancer has touched our lives. The posts are inspirational, sad and truly heartfelt. I did my original post on May 25 focusing on breast cancer and my sister's battle. I was happy to do my post back in May, and offered Paula a pinch hit post. I am a sugar cookie baker with an ever growing cookie cutter collection, and when I found the VW Bug cookie cutter I thought of Squarkie, and her battle with Pancreatic Cancer. Squarkie is my mom’s youngest sister and she was diagnosed at the young age of 52. She lost her battle after 4 years.

Squarkie, whose real name was Helen, was the “cool” aunt. Back in the 70’s we spent our summers at the lake, and Squarkie had the coolest VW bug. My cousins and I were barely teenagers, and she was single and so hip to all of us. I can still see her in her bell bottom jeans, her big glasses and that VW driving to the soundtrack of my childhood.
Pancreatic cancer struck around 43,000 people in 2010, and nearly 37,000 died of the disease. It is one cancer that shows no significant decline in detection or mortality over the years. It is often not diagnosed until the disease has advanced. Pancreatic Cancer is a nasty disease, and Squarkie braved her treatments for years. I still have a letter I wrote her the day before she died. It was addressed and ready to mail. I don’t suppose I’ll ever let go of it. As I edge closer to my fifties, the reality of her diagnosis becomes quite real. She was so young.
In Squarkie’s honor, I made these VW Bugs in the hot colors of the 70’s. Squarkie’s bug was white, but her personality was full of color. Sugar cookie and royal icing didn't seem exciting enough to share, you can find them on my blog under recipes. The recipe I am sharing is for Czechoslovakian Cookies. When I got married, I asked my Aunts for a treasured recipe. Squarkie passed this one on to me. Part of the beauty of a recipe box is the handwritten cards of people we love and miss. This is the recipe exactly as written. She had very specific instructions once they were baked!

Czechoslovakian Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 cups sifted flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup strawberry or apricot preserves ( I use SaraBeth strawberry rhubarb)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add yolk and blend thoroughly. Add flour and nuts and mix until blended. Spread half of the mixture with fingers in 8X8X2 pan. Cover with preserves to ¼” of the edge. Carefully cover with remaining half of mixture with fingers. Bake at 325° for 1 hour. Cut into small squares while warm. Make coffee and invite Squarkie over.

Happy Baking.

The Good Doctor Cookies

2011-06-20T09:26:00.005-05:00

Last summer I wrote all about the Good Doctor and how much I love this man and what he does for my mom. I also touched on the cookie sharing thing, a theme going on around here, and of course his wardrobe, and that pen! Well Jo, (that's my mom) asked for sugar cookies for the Good Doctor. He may be getting a little tired of the chocolate biscotti every month. No, that could never happen! I think she just wanted him to have some cute sugar cookies like I made her "geriatric pediatrician" and our family's own up and coming doctor! It is my pleasure mom. I hope he loves them! Happy Baking all!

Bridal Shower Cookies

2011-06-19T06:53:00.001-05:00

I did these cookies for my sister and her daughter for a bridal shower they were throwing. They loved the lingerie cookies I did a few years back, they are here. But those were for a chilly fall day. It is summer, and I really wanted to lighten up the colors.
I mean, it isn't like we are wearing black lace undies under our white jeans right? So Patti thought the colors were along the line of the Minnesota Vikings. So I softened that idea a little with lavender and pale yellow. So pretty, I wouldn't mind a few of these in my drawer! My apologies for the photos, just as I was getting the hang of a light box, I blew a bulb. Seriously? I really just want to write. I need a resident photographer... Happy Baking!

Sparkly Sea Shells

2011-06-16T07:10:00.001-05:00

Last year I sent my mom some sea shell cookies for her birthday. They are found here. My original idea was to make them pale pink. But the color got away from me and they ended up to be colorful cookies. No worries, it's all about the taste, and my mom loves anything I bake her! But after reading a post from an amazing sugar cookie baker LilaLoa and she posted her seashells that were pure white, I knew I had to make them again. Simplicity speaks volumes. I think my mom is going to love these cookies! One caveat...when I took the picture, I knew I needed a little brown sugar sand. I only had dark brown sugar, and nothing could be further from the gorgeous white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico in St. Pete Beach. Hope you had a happy birthday mom!

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies

2011-06-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

Back in 2008, when no one was reading my blog but me, I made these amazing chocolate cookies. It was a blog written in the heat of the moment, but that is indeed what blogging is about, right? You learn a little about me, and get to cyber-taste something delicious! These cookies are my daughter's favorite, and I can't really remember what we used to call them, because since that post in 2008, we call them Pissed Off Sports Mom Chocolate Makes It Better Cookies. I am a coaches dream parent. I bake out my frustrations.
I confessed in that post, that chocolate is not my downfall, but sometimes I do crave a square of really dark chocolate. Not chocolate chips, (yuck.) I recently picked up a Lindt 85% cocoa bar, passing on the chili infused one which is my favorite, because I knew I would share with Christina. She knows the hiding spot. Yep, I hide chocolate. Hey, if you spend $3 on a few ounces of chocolate that you truly enjoy, hide it. Anyway, in the Lindt selections was a new dark bar I had not seen, with sea salt. Hmmm, I like that idea. I love salted caramel gelato, and I thought about these chocolate cookies I sometimes make because it is the slight taste of salt in contrast with all that chocolate that I love. So back to the food processor and time to tweak this recipe! I chose Maldon Sea Salt, which is what is referred to as a dry, flake salt. It is very popular with cooks because you can crumble it easy in your fingertips. Try to not crumble it on the cookies, it is the jagged flakes that give the cookies a better appearance and the salt bite.

The original recipe from the early nineties made something like 9 cookies. Make that 9 HUGE cookies. Even with 2-3 Tablespoons of dough, it will make a couple dozen. I decided to make these even smaller yet. Just watch that oven. 8 minutes would be the max time, try it shorter and give them a few minutes to cool, you want these little killers chewy!

Pissed Off Sports Mom Chocolate Makes It Better Cookies
5 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon Instant Espresso
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 Cup flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
Maldon Sea Salt

Process chocolate and sugar with steel blade for 2 minutes or until fine. Add butter, eggs, coffee and vanilla. Blend until fluffy. Scrape down sides.
Add flour and chocolate chunks. I use these. Process using on/off pulse until just combined. Do not over process.

Mound dough onto sheets in 1 Tablespoon clumps about 2" apart. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with Maldon Sea Salt, just a few crystals. Bake 8 minutes at 350, rotating sheets halfway through. Cookies should be slightly firm to touch, but careful not to over bake. Cool on rack. It only takes one to find a more peaceful place.
Makes about 4 dozen

A Colorful Shower

2011-06-10T05:55:00.000-05:00

When my friend told me she was throwing a wedding shower I knew I would be baking. She loves the letter cookies, I have made them for an alphabet shower she threw, where everyone was assigned a letter. I made them too, for a pre-play dinner when we all went to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This shower however was pure Southern. I wish I could remember all the stuff she made, but here is what I recall, deviled eggs with smoked salmon, pulled pork BBQ sliders, shrimp grit cakes, cherry tomatoes stuffed with pimiento cheese, pecan tassies and banana pudding shooters. She is, hands down, the best Southern cook I know. So I made L, P and R cookies for the bride, groom and their new last name. When I was ready to decorate I had her give me the color scheme. I love that she went total Lily Pulitzer colors, such fun to work with, primarily hot pink and lime green. The cookies would look great with the centerpieces, the napkins, the Chinese lanterns flickering in the trees, and knowing Melinda, she probably matched too!
I decided to add in a few paisley cookies and a couple big plaque cookies to keep the assortment interesting. I thought a tray with the 3 letters may be a bit boring. I did the bride's initial with a pink base, the groom's in a green base, and the new last name is a mix of the 2. I added a little orange and blue to keep it all Lily-ish. Great fun! So, what are you waiting for? Get in there and bake!

Cars 2 Cookies

2011-06-06T13:17:00.000-05:00

So we know I have a little cookie cutter problem. I just organized them, and counted them (BIG mistake). I will not reveal how bad this little problem is, but I am really thinking about how to store them more efficiently. So when the new Cars 2 cookie cutters came into William Sonoma this week, I had to make them. Remember, no one pays me to endorse or try or whatever. I am a meager, hourly employee.... I made the Star Wars cookies a few years back, you can see them here. I did not see all the Star Wars and was Googling to figure out what a Boba Fet was. They later came out with the transportation cookie cutters, and whoa, they were intricate, I took a pass.

Like many of the cookie cutters sold here over the years, these are what you classify as a plunger cutter. They imprint the dough with the design. As you can see here, they bake up great. I use dough bands to keep the dough even, and chill the cookie dough well before rolling. Now of course as soon as you put the icing on the cookie, you pretty much lose your blueprint to the intricate design, and they really become free hand designs. These cookies are a little small for as much detail as they cram on it, and if you are doing this as a project with kids, I would not go all out on the decorating, because these need to be done is steps and can take hours. Trust me. I bake thousands of sugar cookies, most with a lot less detail than these, and I found them to be rather time consuming. But how cute are they?
Lightning McQueen Francesco Finn McMissle and of course MaterThey turned out adorable, even the grown up kids in my house were impressed. I guess maybe I should see the movies!

Simple Summer Dinner

2011-06-05T09:02:00.010-05:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I cook pretty much every day. The thing is I forget to blog about the savory stuff, mainly because it usually isn't very pretty, tasty, but not always pretty. After a long day last week, I was really in the mood for a flavorful dinner. There is nothing that will rock the gastronomy world here, but it is a testament that good food is sometimes the simplest to prepare.

It started with a lovely organic chicken. I gave him a quick bath, tied his wings together and seasoned him well with some blend from Penzey's. I basically grabbed a few different jars from the pantry and shook them in my hand and slathered them on the bird. No oil, butter or extra fat here. I opened a cold one and took a nice long sip...the first sip is always the best! You can use any kind of beer. My husband worked for Coors in college as a campus rep, so you usually find that in the fridge around here. Stick the opened can where the sun does not shine and balance him on the hot grill. I heat the grill on high and keep it in the med range while cooking. I stick some onion in the neck cavity and lightly cover the top with foil so the steam from the beer is sort of caught. You can see what he looks like about a half hour into it, and note the grill needs to be smoking pretty good. You can see by the lead picture what he looks like in an hour. How perfect is that? Need I try and tell you how delicious it was? And simple (the only dirty dish was the serving platter!) So while the bird was smoking away on the grill, I boiled up some wheat berries. I buy them at Whole Foods, and discovered them making an amazing salad I found in a Martha Stewart magazine years ago. That is another blog. But I love these little wheat nuggets, they are delicious and have a chew to them. So I bring them to a boil and then simmer for about 40 minutes. Check for doneness, but I like them a little al dente.
I chopped up some pepper, tomatoe and scallions and made a mustard vinaigrette and tossed them with the wheat berries. Delicious. I have been eating it for days, and just sprinkle a little more dressing on when I serve it.
Vinaigrette
6 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 c white wine vinegar
4 tea dijon mustard
1 ½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 T sugar
½ t. celery seed
1 cup olive oil

And finally, I really was in the mood for something sweet. We love frozen yogurt, but the craze here is serve yourself. Don't even get me started on this. I was reprimanded on another blog for complaining about these stores, and was accused of not supporting local businesses. Nothing could be further from the truth. I do not eat public food. Period. Those bins of topping and the hoards of kids are a major turnoff to me. And then you pay, holy moly, they charge .40-.50 cents an ounce. It adds up in a hurry. I am happy to pay more for a superior product (it isn't), great service (I have to do it all myself) or even a great atmosphere (um, nope). So I made my own frozen yogurt. I took 2 cartons (16 oz. each) of Oikos 0% fat, plain Greek Yogurt. I mixed in a tablespoon of vanilla paste and ¾ cup of sugar. I ran it in my Krups ice cram maker for 20 minutes and had a creamy, tangy frozen yogurt. This is not like TCBY, this is like Pinkberry. I love the tang, but it is not for everyone. I have plans to try other flavors. But what a delicious dinner, and easy. So what are you waiting for? Get in there and cook!

Here Comes The Bride

2011-05-30T09:07:00.009-05:00

Ahhh, wedding season. I used to read the engagement and wedding section and see names that I recognized, perhaps an older sibling to one of my children's friends. This summer we turn a corner. One of Nic's friends is engaged to get married next summer, and one of my friends daughters is getting married. What? Didn't I just cater her high school graduation? How can this be possible? It's like dominoes, they all start to go once someone jumps. She is a nice girl, and I read all about her engagement on their wedding page and my heart swelled with happiness that young love is alive and well. I also got married right out of college, and the naysayers be damned. We are celebrating 25 years this fall.

I made cookies for the hotel baskets, and we decided on wedding cakes. I have a few different wedding cake cutters, but I really wanted a particular one. Perfect time to buy! I ordered it from ecrandal and let me tell you, the cutter is gorgeous, the service was top notch and when she sent me an email that her husband was "making the cutters today" I almost fell out of my chair. Put that on my list of dream jobs. This is the ultimate family run business, if your cookie crazy like me, I guess. Even the packaging was perfect. So here is a sampling of the cookies, and the lighting is terrible at the end, I blew a bulb in my brand new light box. Seriously? This photography thing is wearing me out!

The wedding colors are celery green and a bright purple/pink. So I decided to do the cookies mostly white, lots of sparkle and a few accents of pale green. I found the perfect ribbon color to accent the bags. Once I started with the piping bag, I just couldn't stop. I have to admit, these are my favorite. I love the piping and the sparkle. Thankfully she didn't ask for all 60 the same...at least not that I recall! I loved doing different things to them! So have a blessed wedding Miss Megan, and many years of happiness!

Not Goodbye, But See Ya Later!

2011-05-27T16:41:00.011-05:00

So tonight is the going away party for a friend I made back when my daughter transferred in the 4th grade. We were instant friends. For many reasons. First off, everyone thinks we're sisters, which we think is hilarious. It's because we both have very dark brown eyes and amazingly fine hair, and I don't mean fine, like really great, I mean fine, like feathers. She is also one of the most brutally honest people I know, shoot from the hip comedienne and would do anything you needed. We became friends through volleyball. Her daughter is tall, like her, and plays front row, mine is short, like me, and plays back row. We have traveled to many a venue, ragged on about terrible coaching, and stayed up late having many cocktails. This is us in the French Quarter after a day of watching volleyball. Our beautiful daughters will cringe at this 5th grade shot! Trust me when I say they outgrew the awkward stage nicely. This is the girls at graduation on either end of the group!One of our craziest memories is the White Trash party we and a few other couples (all having had a temporary brain lapse) put in an auction. The bidding went WAAAY up and we threw a party at my house no one is likely to forget. We didn't miss a detail from our clothes to the decor to the food. Trust me when I say you never want to host this party. People fall into character and forget where they are. And let's just say this party alone will keep me out of any political race. PC is wasn't.

She is moving to Nashville next week. (Yes, we are also moving to Nashville, please do not ask me when.) She has more urgency than I to get settled. She has one headed off to college, but she has another who will be a sophomore in a new high school. And her husband has been working full weeks in Nashville for a few months now. I have no sense of urgency. I want to relax this summer and enjoy my kids last summer together. When they head off to school in August, I'll put the sign out. It'll be a lot easier to keep clean. When I got the evite for the partyI knew I would have to whip up some cookie goodness. I have brought her rejects over the years, and tonight she gets her very own! I bought the guitar cookie cutter thinking of my son the musician, but decided what a perfect cutter for a family moving to Nashville, home of country music. (Yes, I know a guitar has 6 strings and these look like a ukelele, but I could not fit 6 strings...) I searched the web and found some cute ideas, I liked the "Nashville or Bust" idea, and I saw a lot that said "We'll miss you". But I won't miss her, since we are moving to Nashville sometime soon. So between house hunting and actually getting there, I won't have time to miss her. We will pick up where we left off here in Germantown. And how lucky we both are to move to a new city with old friends!

Frosting For The Cause

2011-05-25T05:35:00.002-05:00

Lori and I on Lake Arrowhead
This post is for Darlene, Mary and Lori. Breast cancer has struck each of them. Darlene is my mother-in-law and she has been cancer free for 17 years. Hooray! Mary is married to my brother EJ, she has been cancer free for about 10 years. Hooray! And then Lori. My big sister, business partner, friend and nemesis. My mom was afraid we would never be friends. She is just 6 years older, so I was never old enough to be included in any of her cool plans. I always wanted to be her. She had long brown hair, I had scraggly blonde, she had boyfriends and I had Barbies. She got her license and I got a 10 speed. I was always 6 years behind her. Somewhere around my senior year of high school when she was out of college, we became friends. Inseparable friends. Now, she lives in L.A. and I live in Memphis. She has cancer, and I don't. So I am making cookies in honor of Lori and all women who are fighting. This is a guest post for Frosting For the Cause and I hope you will check it frequently. A baker/blogger like me posts there daily to tell about courageous women and make donations for the cause!

When Lori finally decided to share her diagnosis with the family, her email subject was "Water skiing saved my life." She is an amazing water skier and you will see her and her hubby Scott zipping all over Lake Arrowhead in the wee hours of the morning before the amateurs take to the water. She had a massive wipe out and called me to tell me how bruised up she was. I assured her that she would be fine, but she went to the doctor anyway. Whew! Her doctor told her to keep an eye on the bruising and tenderness and come back if it didn't heal in a timely manner. The bruises disappeared, but the tenderness in one breast did not. She went back and had an ultrasound. The tumor they found would never had been found on a mammogram. She was very lucky. So after surgery and treatment we wait for the follow ups and the magic words of cancer free. When I was deciding what to bake to honor her, I had a dilemma. I am all about sugar cookies, but the new Cancer Lifestyle that Lori has adopted excludes white sugar. So I whipped up some kooky water ski cookies at home and shot a few photos. But I knew these delicate cookies couldn't make the trip to California.

When I went to California for her surgery, I made "no white sugar" cupcakes specifically for the Frosting for The Cause. They are adapted from a recipe from Mäni's Bakery cookbook called Sweet and Natural Baking. The recipe shows a gorgeous cake, but cupcakes are more fun. These cupcakes really need to be stored in the fridge, and I wasn't sure where I could take sweets when I was in California, so these were for Lori to enjoy. I decided when I returned home I would make up a batch of ribbon awareness cookies to give to a local breast clinic. I have a friend who works at the clinic and I thought maybe I would make the cookies for the women who work there and support women in the fight every day.

Chocolate Raspberry Fortress Cupcakes

makes 24
CAKE
2¼ cups unbleached flour
¾ cup cocoa powder, natural, not dutch (there is a difference, here it is)
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1¼ cups Fruit Sweet (a fruit juice concentrate found at the healthy store)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water
3 large eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pan with liners. Sift flour, cocoa and salt into a bowl. In a large bowl, mix with a hand mixer butter, fruit juice concentrate and vanilla. When well combined, gradually add flour mixture. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water and alternate adding eggs and water to the batter mixing well after each addition. Spoon into cupcake cups to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. Cool completely on rack before frosting.

MOUSSE FROSTING
3 Tablespoons Fruit Sweet
2 Tablespoons honey
¼ cup grain sweetened chocolate chips (he calls for malt sweetened, but we like these!)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2⅓ cups heavy cream (yes, I know, a lot of whipping cream...)
¼ cup natural cocoa

Fresh Raspberries
Chocolate Drops

In a small saucepan, heat the Fruit Sweet and honey until warm. Do not boil. Remove from heat, add the chocolate chips and let stand until they melt. Stir and add vanilla and whisk until smooth. Cool for about 20 minutes.
Place the whipping cream in a large bowl and whisk in cocoa and whip until soft peaks form. Add the cooled chocolate and beat until stiff. Do not overbeat. Frost the cupcakes and garnish with raspberries and chocolate drops. They are delicious. The whipped cream frosting is so light and tasty. They could use more raspberries, maybe a layer of raspberry jam before the mousse frosting. Any way you make them...just get in there and bake!

Graduation

2011-05-24T11:25:00.005-05:00

They Mary Tyler Moore toss!

So, I have been cooking up a storm. But not blogging. We hosted a large grad party here and I made pretty much everything (with a lot of help!) We had about 70+ guests and the weather was fabulous! Very proud of Christina and her graduation was a great time. Here's the cookies I made.
I'll be back tomorrow with a guest post, and more cookies in the oven! So, what are you waiting for? Get in there and bake!

The Cobbler's Kids Brownies

2011-05-18T06:57:00.000-05:00

You know the saying, "The cobbler's kids have no shoes". He was too busy with his real customers. We all know a good cobbler would do a little bartering and get his kids shoes. Maybe not custom made for them, but shoes, none the less. My family lives this saying. The food blogger mom, who makes hundreds of cookies, but is sometimes too tired to cook real food, or, gasp, has no sweets in the house for them. What? No rejects? Not one cookie in the freezer, (which holds hundreds), can be given to a sugar craving family member? Well, no. Get over it. I have a million cookbooks, bake something. I admit, I usually have a box of Duncan Hines on hand for these types of melt downs, but I was unarmed when Mr. Sad Face started rummaging (that chaos in the pantry is my order!), looking for brownie mix. I diverted his man-handling my numerous types of flour, by agreeing to bake him brownies.

If there was a Duncan Hines lurking in the pantry, anyone in my family would just bake them up. I usually do a little doctoring, adding sour cream, chocolate chips, nuts whatever is on hand. But I had no easy mix today. So naturally, when I grabbed the box of Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Wafers, I knew I would never actually follow their recipe on the back of the box. If I baked the Guittard brownie recipe with orange zest, cranberries and almonds, I would be a happy baker. My family would feel betrayed. There are a few things I am not allowed to "fancy up". There are links to some of my favorite ingredients that you may not be familiar with, things I like to use and write about. So here's what I did.

Cobbler's Brownies (adapted from E. Guittard)
1 1# box E. Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Wafers
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup buttermilk
4 large eggs, room temperature
1⅓ cups sugar
1 Tablespoon Trablit
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup pecans (I love Landgraf Pecans from Oklahoma)

Preheat oven to 325° (I set to 315° because I use convection). Spray a 9X13 pan.
Heat chocolate, butter and buttermilk in double boiler until melted and well mixed. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Add vanilla paste, Trablit and salt. Mix and add melted chocolate and mix thoroughly. Add the flour and mix until combined. Mix in pecans and put into prepared pan and bake about 25-30 minutes. The top will be shiny with a thin crust on it. The soft center will solidify as it cools. Whatever you do, do not over bake these. What a waste of a pound of chocolate that would be! Cool a good 2 hours before cutting. They are delicious cold!You can look at it this way. The cobbler uses only the finest materials (ingredients) for his paying customers to maintain his high standards. So when he breaks down and makes those shoes for his kids(brownies in my case) he uses those top-shelf ingredients. Just so they know, they may feel like they are not the number one priority, but in fact they are the reason for everything we do, including just breathing. So, what are you waiting for? Get in there and bake.

Big Jim the Handyman

2011-05-13T17:44:00.009-05:00

I can proudly say I am a very handy girl to have around. Being the last of 5 kids, and a full 7 years after the rest of them (I was an afterthought) my dad took full advantage of having me around. I was no replacement for a son, but I built a sauna with him, mowed the lawn (not without a little bitching mind you) and worked in the garden. As I got older, I would call home and ask my mom if I could speak to the plumber, electrician, carpenter or butcher, depending on what sort of dilemma I was in. Sirloin or toilet flapper, he could answer just about any question. His favorite answer is "jiggle the jiggler", I guess my toilets run a lot. When I was in college and I sheared off the thermostat in my apartment carrying furniture down the hall, he and my brother-in-law talked me through putting in a new one. A thermostat! That's a big project for a college girl! So now life is a little crazier, I still call my consultant for help, especially in the meat case, but when I have a big project to do around here now, I call Big Jim. Who, by the way, is not big at all, he is skinny, and feeding him gives me great satisfaction.

Now he doesn't do anything that I can do myself. No dimmer switches or light fixtures, no painting or minor repairs. Big Jim puts in gas lines, moves cabinets, does plumbing and guts and retiles my shower. He is the most meticulous person I have ever met, and that is a good thing. My tiles are perfectly plumbed, my gas line was dropped in with precision, and there isn't a drip or leak anywhere. I think he kinda likes my family. When my son told him about a death threat he received by a very sketch employee where he worked, Big Jim was a little riled about it. He would help us out in a crisis no doubt.

So we are in the middle of the master bath remodel. I won't get into details, but let's just say I am very ready to have a shower in my own bathroom. Big Jim has a lot going on right now, and everyone thinks their job is more important than the other. (Who? Me?) So last week was his birthday. He has walked past hundreds of sugar cookies on my dining room table in the past months. I have given him a reject or two and I made a few Easter cookies for him. But for Big Jim's belated birthday, he got cookies only a handyman could appreciate. Or earn! So happy birthday Big Jim and thanks for the great job you do for us!

Something Borrowed Premiere

2011-05-11T15:08:00.000-05:00

So, it appears the cookies from the mini Memphis premiere were a hit. I recieved a comment on my blog from the first Something Borrowed and was invited to make cookies for the Atlanta premiere which was hosted by the author Emily Giffin. Having made 200 of these cookies already, I had a pretty good idea how to tackle them the second time around. I can honestly say I shaved off a good 4 to 5 hours (yea, these were no easy task) and they improved greatly! Isn't every task all about learning and improving?!

So shipping 200 cookies would not be an easy feat, so I decided to drive them there myself! I used to live in Atlanta, and although I would have to make a quick 2 day trip, I knew I would see my oldest friend, make a trip to Nordstroms, perhaps a lunch out and the movie Something Borrowed the night before it opened. The trip was pretty uneventful until I hit Birmingham. I crested a hill and noticed traffic was crawling. The recent tornados had swept right across Highway 78 and took everything with it. Yes, I shot a picture while driving, but honest, it was like 5mph. I am no stranger to tornados. We had massive destruction in Clinton, IA when I was a little kid, my sister in Waterloo, IA has lost 2 houses in the same spot to tornados fairly recent, you can see a photo in this post and the neighborhood I now live in was decimated about 17 years ago on Thanksgiving weekend. We came house hunting a week later and were amazed at the power of that storm. But the Birmingham devastation was truly tragic, and to drive right through it, it was a little surreal.

The author had a great turn out to the premiere, and apparently when she sent out her invites, there was some sort of a note that asked them to wear pink. Being a guest of the assistant, I showed up in black...oops. That's okay, I didn't stick out too bad! The movie was terrific, and I have since seen it again. If you read the book, you will not be disappointed. The characters are a great fit to the book, and the few changes they made to the story just keep it moving along. If you haven't read the book, the ending will be a bit of a shock. No spoilers here though, I encourage you to see it.

My family hates going to the movies with me, having studied film in college (yep, they actually offer degrees in such things, see what it is doing for me!) I do not watch a movie like most people. I look everywhere on screen, except, it seems, where everyone else is looking. I am always looking at product placement, Williams Sonoma kitchen stuff, Pottery Barn accessories, what books are on the coffee table, cookbook titles, you get the idea. Before the movie, the producer Molly Smith and the author Emily Giffin spoke about the film, and when the credits rolled on the front end the audience cheered when their names came up, and I missed it looking elsewhere! I also caught a jump cut (oops, they're pretty common, most people don't see them) and I loved the FedEx reveal shot towards the end when she returns and "he" is there. The producer is related to FedEx, so that is something only a Memphian would understand! The funniest scene is a cameo by the author, she is sitting on a park bench reading her book (clever), and the characters are having a very off color conversation. It is a great scene! So all in all the trip was fabulous, my friends are great, the movie rocked. Now, back to reality! Who knows what's next....but for now, get in there and bake!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T10:40:00.004-05:00

I really do try to not repeat blogs. But it's Mother's Day, and my blog on my Mom bears repeating. She is coming for Christina's graduation in a couple of weeks, so I will dote on her, spoil her with sweets, and take her to Chicos and Coldwater Creek. After all, what can a grown woman buy her Mom for Mother's Day? Flowers? Perfume? Candy? Well if you thought of any of those, you don't know Jo very well. Jo, as I affectionately call my Mom, just isn't the average mom. She specifically requested no gifts for Mother's Day. She knows that I will likely oblige after the crazy 1,000 miles in 3 days I had. But she also knows that this blog is more my idea of a Mother's Day card.

Married at 19, she and my Dad have been together 57 years. I am the youngest of 5 kids that are all pretty well adjusted and happily married. Proud grandparents of 11 grandchildren she never misses an occasion to email them, drop them a note or a message on Facebook, yep, she's on. She was an early entrepreneur, and owned a "figure salon" back in the 70's. It was the first generation health club, only women, with belts and rollers and she would lead an exercise class to an album she had. She has always been a volunteer and writer and at the age of 70 she graduated from college with her BA in Creative Writing. These days you are likely to find her volunteering at the Salvador Dali museum in Florida. So how about a tribute blog for Mother's Day? After all, she must be part of the reason I am a devoted writer, a good cook and a good mom. Here's to you Jo.

I was a lucky kid growing up in a small Iowa town. My mom was no June Cleaver, but she did do it all. She sewed beautifully and had the most adorable sewing room. It was a small round room in our old English Tudor house. She made clothes for herself, for us kids and for Barbie!

Baking in my memory was my mom handing my older sisters and I the Betty Crocker Cooky Book, Copyright 1963, and I still have it. It is taped together, but the stained pages are filled with notes on the recipes we made as a kid. Chocolate Drop Cookies: good, Brown Sugar Drops: good, Pumpkin Cookies: 9/24/76 Excellent, couldn't go skating. I remember that day like yesterday. She told me to clean my room so I could go to the skating party with my class. I crammed everything in my closet, and she found it! I was sooo mad I couldn't go roller skating, it was the one opportunity to hold hands with a boy! So she suggested I make cookies, and I did. Amazingly I soon forgot about the party I missed, and I will never forget that night.
It very well may have launched my passion for baking, but it certainly started my journaling. I have never been a devoted journalist. I have tried, especially after the kids were born, to keep a journal. My method is from that night in 1976. Every cookbook I own has handwritten entries when I make the recipes. It could be as simple as the date and my substitutions, or a note about the events of the day. Our Sloppy Joe recipe that my family loves was first made when Nic broke his leg. I have a chicken and apple dish I made for our last dinner party in Michigan before we moved. And of course the many cake recipes I've made for birthdays over the years.

My Mom's cookbooks were also filled with letters, photos, notes and invitations. There was no rhyme or reason for where she tucked these, but they were forever encapsulated in her cookbooks. You'll find the same things in mine. In Betty's Cooky Book is a note that declares "if Susie dies before Lori (she's my sister), Lori gets this book". Nice, right? But other books are filled with notes from my kids, hand drawn pictures, postcards, wedding invites, small bits of my life that get tucked in only to be found one day when I am looking for a recipe.

My Mom also always put her name in her books. It didn't matter if it was a cookbook, a paperback or a hard bound novel, her distinct signature is on page one. One year she gave me The New Basics Cookbook and wrote me a note on the inside cover. "Grand Rapids, March 18, 1990. To Susie, a great cook, from your teacher. Love, Mom" That book is falling apart at the binding, spilling out hand made cards, Hallmarks, handwritten menus and novenas. I have a brand new copy on hand, but have never used it, there is too much history in that well used book. Christmas Eve Dinner 1995 is found on page 498, Waffles from Easter 1992 on page 452, and in Jan. 1997 we had a snow day in Memphis, it was a Friday and we baked Olive Bread, page 616.

In 1992 my Mom must have gotten tired of handwriting the family recipes every time one of us misplaced one. For Christmas that year she gave us all a cookbook called The Kitchen on Market Street. The kitchen in the big old house on the corner of 10th and Market is the setting for this book. This is where my Mom grew up and how she paid tribute to her Mom, but unfortunately Grandma was no longer with us. The book is filled with recipes and stories from her childhood and even from motherhood. So I have decided to honor my Mom, my Grandma and my heritage. I bounced the idea off my sisters, and they are in. Guess what Jo? We are writing our own cookbook as a tribute to you, as a way to document these memories and pass them on to our kids someday.

I had hoped when I first published this in 2009 that I would be published and on every bookshelf in America with my cook book. But the truth is, I have started it, and it is very difficult to write a cook book. I am the classic "throw together" chef. I can make a family recipe and then it dawns on me that I didn't measure anything and never set a timer. Wouldn't that make an interesting book? But I am plugging away. I know that eventually my Mom's little notes, cards and letters will find their way into the pages of this book as well. Happy Mother's Day!

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

2011-04-29T17:26:00.001-05:00

I may not have been invited, but I wouldn't miss the royal wedding celebration! My phone actually rang at 4:30 a.m. so I decided I may as well get up and watch. The plan was to record it and watch it with my book club later in the afternoon. It turned out to be a blessing seeing it in the quiet morning hours snuggled in bed. When we watched it this afternoon, drinking champagne and eating canapes, we talked and laughed and missed a lot of the commentary. But we looked good. Mary pulled out her flashy costume jewelry. Cyndi had a stylish hat, and there were a few tiaras, my own included which was connected to my First Communion Veil. When we decided to have a watch party, we knew we had to have the royal food. All the food blogs and sites I read daily were covering varying aspects of the royal wedding menus. I decided to make William's cake. From what I gather, it is actually the Queen's favorite, and William has always loved it. He chose it as his Groom's cake, but cake is a stretch. It is officially called Chocolate Biscuit Cake. I found the recipe on Epicurious.com but of course I didn't make it as posted.

A few notes. A biscuit in England is what we would call a cookie. A rich tea biscuit is a fairly dry flavorless cookie. I couldn't find the brand in the recipe, so posted the brand I did find. The original recipe calls for 8 oz of cookies, the package is 10.6. What would I do with the extra biscuits? I'm a baker, eating them out of the package was not an option. So I starting beefing up the recipe a bit. I didn't have the tube pan they recommended, but I have these small springform pans. So I ended up with 3 pans of "cake". Now, mind you this is not baked. So here is my version.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

1/2 teaspoon butter, for greasing pans
10.6 ounces Burton's rich tea biscuits
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces dark chocolate
2 eggs, beaten
10-12 ounces dark chocolate, for icing
1 ounce white chocolate, for decoration

1. Lightly grease a small (such as 6 x 2 1/2-inch) cake ring with 1/2 teaspoon butter, and place on a parchment-lined tray. Break each of the biscuits into almond-sized pieces by hand and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is a light lemon color.
2. Melt the 8 ounces of dark chocolate in a double boiler. Add the butter and sugar mixture to the chocolate, stirring constantly. Add the eggs and continue stirring. Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.
3. Spoon the chocolate biscuit mixture into the prepared cake ring. Try to fill all of the gaps on the bottom of the ring, because this will be the top when it is unmolded. I pressed it down to kind of pack it in. Cover in foil and chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least three hours.
4. Remove the cake from the refrigerator, and let it stand while you melt the 10-12 ounces of dark chocolate for icing. Slide the ring off the cake and turn the cake upside down onto a cooling rack. Pour 10 ounces of melted dark chocolate over the cake, and smooth the top and sides using a butter knife or offset spatula. Allow the chocolate icing to set at room temperature. Carefully run a knife around the bottom of the cake where it has stuck to the cooling rack, and transfer the cake to a cake dish. Melt the white chocolate and drizzle on top of the cake in a decorative pattern.It is an interesting combination, and rather addictive. Crunchy biscuit, smooth, dark chocolate. I liked it best chilled. I discovered that although I have a bag of royal icing in my hands most days, writing with melted white chocolate is a a bit more of a chore. It came streaming out of the tiniest hole in my pastry bag. And, it was a little hot. But the cakes were a hit, and I put the extra 2 in the freezer so when my Queen Mum and Princess Sisters visit in a few weeks they can have a nibble.

Cheers to Kate and Will, or, more appropriately now, cheers to William and Katherine. It was quite a day...for us all!

Something Borrowed

2011-04-25T16:30:00.010-05:00

Every once in awhile something big comes along, and today is a pretty big day in Memphis. We had some tornado warnings earlier this afternoon, (probably more to come tonight), our hometown NBA team the Grizzlies, are playing Game 4 in the playoffs downtown tonight, and the movie Something Borrowed which is slated to open May 5, has a mini premiere right here in Memphis. Here's the trailer for the movie, which looks adorable.

Why Memphis? Well, the movie stars Ginnifer Goodwin, a Memphis native, and is directed by Molly Smith, also a Memphis native (and alum at our favorite all girl's high school). So they are having a family and friends event tonight and were making gift bags for the attendees. And, they needed something sweet.

So, if you needed logo cookies and diamond ring cookies who would you call? Me! It turns out the gal that emailed me had my cookies at a baby shower, and she thought they were cute and delicious! So I baked and piped and glittered and bagged and bowed! They are pretty darn cute. My dining room was taken over! The theme of the movie, obviously, is a pending wedding, thus the diamond ring cookies.
They are iced and then "painted" with a food safe silver and and the facets of the diamond are glittered with the most fabulous edible glitter. The logos are a simple "sobo" which I am guessing they used as the slang term for the movie since the title is so long.

So, we'll all have to wait until next week to see the movie, but tonight, I will start on the book, and nibble a few reject cookies. This is my first movie premiere, I did TV pilot cookies a while back (and got tweeted). Who knows what's coming next! This week, no baking. But I'll be back in there next week! So, what are you waiting for?