A little baking...

I recently joined Pinterest and have been finding all sorts of fabulous inspiration there, including tasty treats like this and this. (Pinterest is really a rather dangerous place... it just kind of sucks you in and suddenly, hours have gone by and you are wondering why it is 3 a.m. and you are not in bed. Or maybe that is just me.) Anyway, the call of sugar finally had to be answered so I went to work and made up a batch:


Lofthouse-style soft sugar cookies! Mmmm... I initially found the recipe at Authentic Suburban Gourmet. But that recipe was a little confusing for me (6 cups of flour, divided, but then no explanation about the division). So I found another one at The Novice Chef which has the same basic recipe, but offers more detailed instructions.

I scoffed when I read, "Let cookies sit overnight before serving to allow the flavors to develop." I mean, really? But it is TRUE! They really were more tasty the following day. The recipe also makes a ton of cookies, so I went ahead and froze some (pre-frosting) to see how that would work. Verdict: success! I took them out, let them thaw, and then frosted them. And they were just as tasty.

And they really do taste as good as the ones at the grocery store. Maybe even better, because I know exactly what's in them. Yum!!

Apricot adventure

Inspired by my friend Mikki, I decided to sign up for weekly organic produce delivery. Not only do I receive great produce at a really good price, but it is also a lot of fun because the bin includes items that I likely would never have picked up otherwise. So we're trying some new fruits and veggies-- which, in my mind, is definitely a good thing!

This week our bin included a pound of apricots. Apricots were new to me-- I don't recall ever having eaten one (other than in preserves form, which doesn't really count). So I had no clue what to do with them (other than make preserves, which just isn't my thing). But the magic of the internet came to my rescue. Searching in the Pioneer Woman's fabulous Tasty Kitchen, I found a recipe for Brandy Buttermilk Apricot Cherry Upside-Down Cake. Serendipity! I happened to have some cherries left from the previous week's bin. So my baking partner and I got to work.

A few tastes were had along the way.


Whoops! Mama forgot that the batter was a little boozy... but really, there was only a little bit left in that bowl and I did manage to snatch it away before he licked it completely clean. (Note to self: I really need to make that boy a new apron... the duckies are a little on the tight and short side now.)

The final product:


So pretty! And tasty too (especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side). It was a simple, quick recipe with great results. This was also the first time I baked with powdered buttermilk-- and it worked like a charm! The cake was moist and dense with great texture, and the fruit was sweet and juicy.

I can't wait to see what's in the bin next week!

Apple spice cookie goodness

Just because they are so tasty...


Apple Spice Cookies (found via Amy a la Mode). Soooo good!

And, in case you want it (which you may, because it's really tasty on these cookies):

A Vanilla Drizzle

2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup 2% milk

Combine in a bowl and stir with whisk.

Grey and drizzly

The recent spate of wet, grey days has kind of taken it out of me a little. I'm starting to get back on track though. You know what helps?


Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies!

The only change I made was to use dried cranberries instead of raisins. And they are sooooo good!

St. Patrick's Day family feasting

I may not be Irish (well... maybe an 1/8th?), but I can definitely appreciate an opportunity for feasting when I see one! Last night my parents, my in-laws, and my husband's grandmothers all joined us for a Saint Patrick's Day dinner. It was a lot of fun!


The menu:
Corn and Wild Rice Cakes with Creme Fraiche and Smoked Salmon (Beach Plum Inn)
Mummy's Brown Soda Bread (Cooking Light)
Chopped Salad with Lemon and Dill (Ellie Krieger)
New England Boiled Dinner (Cooking Light)
Caramelized Onions and Apples (Mark Bittman)
Strawberry Shortcake Jelly Roll (Cooking Light)

And my dad brought a bottle of Chaucer's Cellars Honey Mead. Mmmm... very tasty with the strawberries!


If you look closely, you can see the boiled veggies piled in a green bowl. I painted that! I started the bowl back in January, and (finally) got back to the ceramics place last weekend and finished it. They had it fired and ready to go just in time for me to use for the dinner.


I'm really pleased with how it turned out. And it was perfect for a Saint Patrick's Day feast.

Dear Baby Jane: K-11 & C-1

Block number/name: K-11 “Columbine”
Date completed: June 3, 2008

Number of pieces: 25

Notes on block: I kind of like this star with its cut off points. I completed this one late Tuesday evening after my PEPS group meeting. I’m finally getting more comfortable with my seams—I’m not using my ruler every time I start one anymore (like I’ve been doing on the past few blocks, particularly the ones with more complicated construction), and am coming to trust my eyeballs again. It definitely makes the work go faster.

Also—I used another one of my swap fabrics for this one!

---

Block number/name: C-1 “Trooper Green’s Badge”

Date completed: June 4, 2008

Number of pieces: 13

Notes on block: Simple and quick to come together. It always makes me happy when I can easily rotary cut the pieces without templates. I absolutely love the background fabric in this one. I love it so much I bought 2 yards of it, so I suspect this is the first of many appearances it will be making.

It was nice to sit down and be restful for a bit. The boy was feverish all day and not at all himself. I called the nurse and ended up taking him in just to be sure everything was alright. Fortunately, all is well—it’s likely just a virus. So after the boy went to bed, my husband and I sat on the couch and we watched Semi-Pro as I stitched. (Thankfully, the block turned out a lot better than the movie!) As a movie treat, I made Key Lime Ice Cream from this month's Cooking Light magazine. With graham cracker crumbs sprinkled on top, it was like eating key lime pie. Yummy!

Dear Baby Jane: I-8

Block number/name: I-8 “Pete’s Paintbox”

Date completed: June 1, 2008

Number of pieces: 25

Notes on block: Yay! Another one complete, another step closer to catching up with the Dear Baby Jane group. This one came together very nicely. I split my time between working on this and baking some chocolate chip cookies (I use Alton Brown’s super-tasty recipe, “The Chewy”). So when the block done I rewarded myself with some milk and a cookie. It was an excellent end to my evening.

Cinnamon goodness

Last week I hosted my PEPS group's weekly meet-up. Usually, when I host, I bake. This time was no exception. But the item was definitely exceptional: Cinnamon Chip Scones.

For years, my favorite baked treat at Starbucks was their cinnamon chip scone. I bought one nearly every day with my daily mocha (one of the dangers of working next door to a Starbucks). I have always wanted to try making my own cinnamon scones. I think I even tried once, but they just couldn't hold a candle to the "real" thing.

This last holiday season, I was at the store and saw some Hershey's Cinnamon Chips on sale in a baking display. I snatched them up in an impulse buy, not really sure what I would do with them. On a whim, I tried searching for a recipe. Google worked its magic and found a recipe that caught my attention. But the referenced page no longer existed. Thank goodness for the Google cache! The recipe came from a bed and breakfast in Arkansas, the 1884 Bridgeford House. I swear, if ever I visit Eureka Springs, Arkansas, I am sooo staying there! Why? Because I am crazy in love with these scones. Tender, sweet, full of cinnamon spice— and better than Starbucks.

Unfortunately, the recipe seems to be gone into the ether, not even available via Google cache anymore. So I can't link to it. I can only expound upon its goodness. Yum.

The funny thing about it is that I don't think any of my guests tried one. It worked out though, because if they had tried them, I would not have had the same amount of happy goodness later. More for me! Mmmm... Now I just need to find a store that sells the chips year-round so that I can make more.

Pumpkin pie all year long!

Yesterday, as I was making my menu/grocery list for the week, I was thumbing through one of my Cooking Light annual editions (2007 to be precise) looking for tasty stuff to make. And there it was, in January-February: the Pumpkin Pie Shake! We tried it tonight, and it was delicious. Of course, I cheated and used full-on tasty, fatty ice cream and heavy whipping cream (and I used rather more than 2 teaspoons), so it wasn't exactly "light"— but that really wasn't the point. It was dessert, in all of its fatty, calorie-laden glory. Sometimes, that's what you need.

Birthday fiesta

Today we celebrated the boy's first birthday. It was just family (the four grandparents, aunt, and us), but it was a lot of fun. I made four recipes from Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday. The book was a birthday gift to me last year (thanks, Mikki!!!) and I absolutely love it. Every recipe I've tried so far has been a winner. And, even more awesome, is that they really are "everyday" kinds of recipes. I don't know if you've ever checked out any of Bayless's other books, but the ones I've looked at tend to include pretty hard core, cook-all-day types of recipes. This one, on the other hand, features recipes that are really do-able in a reasonable amount of time (most in less than 40 minutes to an hour). And they are freakin' good!

Today we had Red Chile Enchiladas, a romaine salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing, Chipotle Meatballs, and Cowboy Beans. The enchiladas and beans I had made previously (so I knew I had at least two things that would be edible). The other two were what I like to term, "experimental"-- meaning something that I haven't cooked before.

The Creamy Avocado Dressing was fabulous. Very creamy, not too spicy, full of flavor, and a beautiful green color. And it was simple to make. A few ingredients (1/2 an avocado, mayo, oil, garlic, cilantro, salt) + blender = YUM! And, just as the book suggests, it was indeed excellent with just a salad of crisp romaine.

The Chipotle Meatballs were also quite good. The preparation was a little more extensive and time consuming, but the end product was worth it. The secret ingredient in these: mint. It really made a nice contrast to have the cool, refreshing mint flavor in the meatball paired with the slightly spicy red sauce.

The enchiladas and beans were very good (mmmm... Cowboy Beans....). Though the enchiladas are a more in depth process (heat the dried chiles, puree, strain, cook, simmer, add broth, simmer some more), there is just something really gratifying about knowing that I made the sauce myself (as opposed to just opening a can o' sauce).

To top off the festivities: birthday cupcakes! I used the Yellow Cupcake recipe from Baking Illustrated. Because the butter frosting offered in that book included eggs, I instead went with a Butter Frosting from an old Better Homes & Garden baking book-- confectioners' sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla. So simple, but oh, so sweet and good. They paired perfectly together.

It was a lot of fun watching the boy as he ate his very first cupcake. It was, of course, very messy-- but he clearly enjoyed it, and all of us had a lot of fun watching him! He ate almost the entire cupcake, too! Can't blame him... they were pretty tasty. :)

Maybe not so deceptive...

...but pretty tasty ("delicious" might be stretching a bit). Thus far, I have made three recipes from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, Deceptively Delicious.

The Chicken Nuggets were not at all deceptive. I used broccoli puree, and the nuggets were pretty much green. But-- they were very tender, and I did like the flavor (nothing special flavor-wise, but it was good). They were even tender enough for me to give some to my year old son. His first chicken nuggets! And he actually seemed to like them, too!

Next up was the Spaghetti Pie. Again, broccoli puree, but also carrot. The end result was very tasty. But it looked nothing at all like the picture in the book. The pie was juicy and saucy, and there was no "crunchy crust" as the book claims. So I was a little disappointed in that, but still pleased with the flavor. And my husband thought it was great.

Finally, I tried the Gingerbread Spice Cake. This one was actually a little deceptive-- there was broccoli and carrot puree ("Enough with the broccoli puree!" was my husband's response), but with all of the spices, neither flavor stood out. Mainly, I think they just helped to make the cake moist. Not my favorite spice cake, by any stretch; in fact, it was not particularly cake-like (more bread-like in texture... denser, heavier than cake). But I do like how healthy it is. The only fats: 1/4 cup of canola oil and 1 egg. And it included a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour (so a little bit of whole-grain goodness there). Of course, then we topped it with ice cream and caramel sauce. So much for "healthy"...