What can be better than cookies with:
??
These are simply the best cookies, and I thank Mollie Katzen for sharing the recipe in her Still Life with Menu cookbook.
Nice rise!
This time I remembered to let them cool before removing from the tin to the rack.
Success! See an earlier post of this recipe.
Guest Chef Restaurant Style to celebrate my Half Century. Oh my, Tiger Prawns in a slightly spicy fresh tomato sauce with homemade spaghetti.
Hubs had Penn Cove clams over fresh linguine.
The server brought out complimentary Tiramisu and two forks - it was a perfect dessert for a warm but not hot night. Happy Birthday to Me and All the Leo Readers.
Yikes! I'm taking advantage of the cool July days and catching up on baking. Already done:
On deck baking and cooking projects:
The trick to this condiment is not technique, but getting both the fresh rhubarb and strawberries at the same time as they both have uneven seasons. I have leanred, and when the Rhubarb was local and organic, I settled for CA organic strawberries, since ours are not available for at least a month.
I use the the Silver Palatte "New Basics" reciepe for Rhubarb Strawberry Sauce but you will find others...the idea is to bring to a boil and slowly simmer:
Optional: 2 tsp. ground ginger; 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 vanilla bean. I wasn't sure if what we had was ginger :D so I used 1 tsp. and used a tsp. of real vanilla extract since we did not have a bean. The fruit is what matters, and balancing out the tart and sweet. Remember, it's going to mix with something in most cases.
Be careful not to stain stuff! We used a bit with yogurt and waffles and the rest was frozen in ice cube trays, then transfered to an air tight container for the freezer. Hubs has added them to smoothies and his oatmeal.
While roasting vegetables for dinner last night, I pulled the ingredients for Blueberry Cake...with fruit I got at the farmer market and froze...it's February and time to make sure it's all gone before freezer burn sets in.
Here's an extreme close up of the finished cake which took the grey and cold out of the dark and stormy night.
Oh boy the house smells great, as the blueberry and cherry bread is minutes from doneness.
The berries were frozen in the summer and pulled out this morning. Perfect on a grey, wet and cold January morning.
Here it is cooling on the rack...unlike a deep loaf pan I'm going to let it cool "as is" as cut small cubes and put them in an air tight container. That way all the topping won't fall off!
This is one of my adaptations of the Lemon Blueberry Bread in the well regarded "New Basics Cookbook."
Mollie Katzen recipe from "the blue book" Still Life with Menu:
The ingredients are numbered, because it highlights how few there are; with that in mind look at the list on any similar packaged cookie. I'd rather eat (and share) these.
This can be made with a good hand mixer versus big,stand mixer which many heavy cookie batters "require."
Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies. Both recipes are in the "blue books" Still Life with Menu.
At any given party or occassions these cookies are standouts. Give 'em a try!
Blueberry cake in square instead of loaf pan, so berries pulled from the freezer don't over-goo the batter.
Mac-and-cheese
Mollie Katzen Oatmeal Cookies/chocolate chip variation; with Theo's Nibs, Guittard chips, plump raisins, organic oats.
The cherry pitter was put to use again to make these sundaes with plain non fat Nancy's Yogurt . The cereal is wholesome and super crunchy so the combination with soft fresh fruit is wonderful on a hot summer day.
With tiny Bunny Cookies on top. They were actually cuter than good - gluten free but too sweet. Strange but we ate them anyway!
Fantastic recipe, the only modification was replacing the butter with Canola oil. Highly recommended if you have a box of fresh berries on hand.
The weather is still cool and company is coming, so it was a good afternoon to bake Ghiradelli Chocolate Chip Cookies.
My adaptation was chopping a 1 cup blend of walnuts and almonds along with most of the chips in the food processor. After the mixture was blended into the batter, I stirred in the whole chips using a big wooden spoon.
Using the teaspoon size scoop, the cookies came out in a nice uniform shape, and blending the nuts and chips result in a nicely packed treat.
If it wasn't so hot back east these would be boxed for shipping in the morning. But since that's not going to happen I post them here for everyone to enjoy. Got Milk?
It was my good fortune to discover a place for some fine vegetarian offerings in Prague. One both occasions I had "Špenátová quesadilla se sýrem, guacamole, rajčatovou salsou, zakysanou smetanou a zeleným salátkem" or two spinach quesadillas with guac, sour cream and salsa with a side of nice lettuce. Sorry no pictures, we tucked right into our meals.
My friend strongly suggested a favorite desert. The server said it was her favorite and now I know why. It's a walnut cake topped with fresh strawberries and a light but smooth creamy topping. Nothing about this desert was heavy. Most of the website is in Czech, but it gives you a better idea of the chill ambiance. If you or anyone you know is visiting Prague, and they like inspired fresh food cooking don't miss this little hideaway: Clear Head Restaurant, or "Lehka Hlava."
This morning I pulled some plump blueberries from the freezer and made this "unusual" blueberry quick bread.
This recipe is usually baked in a tall loaf pan - but I decided to try it in a square shallow pan since frozen berries often result in a too doughy center. I also replaced 1/2 cup of flour with semolina flour to add more texture and flavor. The sugary topping suggested in the Silver Palate Cookbook was omitted - just because.
What a great afternoon of cooking projects. The last tray of cookies were coming out of the oven as the pasta water came to a boil. It was nice enough to eat dinner outside surrounded by the emerging tulips. Now, the sauce is cooling on the counter, maybe to drizzle on some gelato later. The cookies are stowed in two containers: one for us the other for the trail work party. What's left of the pasta salad is in the fridge and the dishes are done.
Today's List:
I'm going to catch up on Thanksgiving weekend food - starting with one of the desserts.
We had this both Thursday and Friday nights. I know this was the first time, because I put ice cream below the heated Cobble Cake and it turned to soup.
Last night the plain vanilla Ben & Jerry's (yes, there is such a thing!) went on top. The cake was baked in June, with fresh local strawberries that held up remarkably well in the freezer. Each slice was wrapped in waxed paper, then stored together in an air tight container. I wish there was more.
Added toppings were chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts (leftover from the salad). The second night we had walnuts.
Made this time with strawberries from LaConner, WA - topped with Peach gelato.
Right from Jane Brody's "Good Food Book" with the addition of some mini chocolate chips and vanilla ice cream.
Fresh cranberries, one Bartlett pear, one Granny Smith apple, some flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, steel cut oats and melted butter. Mixed together to bake while we ate dinner.
Elisa's Eye is sending out birthday greetings to all readers who celebrate their birthday under the sign of Leo with a big shoutout to Roomie, Roast, Russell, and Ms. N. back in Mass.);
Also, an enthusiastic "Hey!" to those fine folk born under the sign of Cancer.
This amazing dessert was served up at a neighborhood restaurant to share with a traveling friend who turned 50 in June.
Still steaming from the oven, with homemade biscuit on top and local berries below. We ate a slice each and stashed it to the freezer for re-heat and vanilla frozen yogurt.
A small scoop formed uniformly shaped dough balls and a serving fork made the right sized cross marks as each cookie was pressed down prior to baking.
The milk chocolate chips were oversized, and I tried to chop them in the food processor, but end up with a mixture of chocolate shavings and mangled chips, which worked out fine.
A special treat, baked up by a St. Louis native. M, who modified this recipe by using 2 eggs with the cake mix and following the common substitution of 1 teaspoon of vanilla for the almond extract.
Instead of bringing cookies to the annual bike club party, I decided to make fudge. Word: Less work and cleanup than cookies or cakes.
Simple ingredients, but you allow time for standing over the stove while everything melts, and at least 2 hours for it to chill before cutting.
This worked out perfectly because I had regular household baking to do yesterday (banana bread and baked penne.) See the wrapper of the unsweetened baking bar for specific baking instructions.
You need an 8 x 8 plan (I used a Pyrex pan with snap on lid); waxed paper to line the pan; a double boiler and very stiff spatula to cut the fudge into neat pieces.
Ingredients (gasp!):
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate baking bar
14 oz. canned sweetened condensed milk
2-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Leaving the party, there were 4 pieces left, which I wrapped up for the host. Only time will tell if he likes it more than my famous mint chip cookies.
This picture came out better than our Thanksgiving dinner so it's getting posted first.
From The Jane Brody "Good Food Book" here's a yummy dessert that was quick and easy to make as Thanksgiving dinner baked.
What we got here: granny smith apples, fresh cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chips; held together with quick oats, flour, sugar, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon.
After baking in my favorite 6 cup shallow dish, and sitting a few minutes this was served with a little vanilla ice cream.
Using the Mollie Katzen recipe from the "Still Life with Menu" cookbook, I made a batch of cookies this rainy morning for a friend's 50th birthday.
The key here is unadulterated PB, right from a machine ground right it into your jar - Organic California Valencia peanuts, no added oil, etc.
Semi-sweet chips are called for (I used Ghirardelli brand). As an added treat, I ground up some M&M type candies from the bulk bin at the natural food market.
An ice-cream scoop makes fast work of making the actual cookies. I'm converted.
Don't forget to use a fork to flatten down the peanut butter cookie dough for even baking and stylish marks.
Baked for a friend's birthday last weekend were Snickerdoodle cookies. Got milk?
I'd never made these before -- none of my "healthy" cookbooks had them (nor Betty Crocker or Silver Palate) but when I looked online there were a million varieties, falling into two categories..
Recipes either called for shortening (eck! no!) or butter. So, these are essentially (organic, unsalted) butter cookie dough, chilled, rolled into little balls, then rolled in Cinnamon and sugar before baking.
Because they flatten out take care not to overload the trays.
A fun treat of really no nutritional value for special occasions.
Today was a great day to make oatmeal cookies based on a time tested recipe from Mollie Katzen's "Still Life With Menu" .
The difference is in the details: starting with steel cut oats, pulsed a few times in the food processor. We don't often use butter, but it's necessary for cookies, and I splurged on the unsalted organic variety for best taste. Orange juice is the secret sweetener (along with brown sugar), and cinnamon adds the right touch. Chopped walnuts and a good amount of raisins make them almost a meal.
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