Resolutions!!

 Did you make any resolutions this year? Well I made a few ........nothing earthshattering but, little things about me  that need improvement.It's been almost 3 months and I think Im starting to get a handle on some of my commitments.The computer has created a monster list of things I want to bake/make/knit/sew you get my drift?If I would live to be 1000 years old and did something new every week........I still can't imagine that I would finish this to do list.So I decided to try and actually make one new item per week,if possible and delete one that I will probably never get to in a million years.

 So far I feel pretty good about this. I can't even remember some of the recipes I have deleted and I don't feel guilty at all.These however will remain a favorite and frequent treat in the cookie jar.

My family is pretty fond of lemon and the minute I saw these I knew I had to try them at least once.This is one of MARTHA'S  recipes and you can find it HERE I followed the recipe most of the way. She has store bought  lemon curd as a filling  and I just couldn't bring myself to buy that. Come on ,making it is far better than anything you can buy,If you have a double boiler here is your chance to use it. I don't so, I did the bowl in a pan thing. In the bowl place 3 EGGS ,1 CUP OF SUGAR,1/3 CUP LEMON JUICE.  I used meyer lemons . That's one of the reasons I chose to make these. Really who can pass up Meyer's this time of year??OK ,back to the recipe.  With your water boiling wisk the ingredients in your bowl till they start to thicken. This took about 7 minutes for me.Remove from the heat and stir in 3 TABLESPOONS OF BUTTER and 2 TEASPOONS LEMON ZEST(OPTIONAL) into your curd.It's best if you cut the butter into smaller pieces.Cool and refridgerate for up to 3 weeks. Let me know if yours last that long.

Seems things disappear when you're not looking. Does that happen in your house?........asked the hobbit

The Christmas cookies

Do you make a traditional Christmas cookie?  I use to make the same one every year and although I loved it and enjoyed sharing the whole process every year, I soon heard that little baker voice inside saying "come on,try something different" So, the past few years I have been venturing away from my comfort zone and going where this baker has never been . This year I turned to Martha Stewart' Everyday Cook Book and made APRICOT WALNUT RUGALACH

This recipe fit right into my schedule. The dough had to be mixed in my food processor. Aw,too bad. So simple. Place 2 STICKS OF COLD UNSALTED BUTTER
                     1SOFTENED 8 OZ PACKAGE OF CREAM CHEESE
                      3 TABLESPOONS SUGAR
                      1/4 TEASPOON SALT
mix till WELL blended then mix in
                      2 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
Pulse till a dough forms ........divide in 1/2 and place in fridge 2 hours or overnight.In a sauce pan cook
                        1 CUP DRIED APRICOTS
                         1/4 CUP BRANDY
                          1/2 TEASPOON CINNAMON
Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer till about 1/2 the liquid is gone. About 6 or 7 min. Stir in
                           1/2 CUP SUGAR
                           1 CUP CHOPPED WALNUTS.
Actually after making this several times I put the apricot mixture the sugar and the nuts in my processor and gave it a few pulses till it looked chopped but not a paste.

Now with my trusty patry rolling pin and a little extra sprinkling of flour I rolled 1disk at a time to resemble the size of a pie pastry topping  12 inches across.

Then I spread 1/2 the apricot filling over this leaving about a 1/2 inch edge with no filling. I rolled it out on parchment paper,to make pick up easier.

Now with a knife or pizza cutter I cut the dough into pie wedges They recommended 16 pieces. Here comes the fun part. Starting at the widest part roll your dough crescent style

Put that little pointy part down on your cookie sheet. Parchment was used here also. Don't know if it was necessary but hate to find out at the last minute that the cookies won't come off the sheet.

Now brush each cookie with a beaten egg or heavy cream

Stick them in the freezer for 30 min.

Bake 325 degrees for 35 min. They were so yummy. Once they were frozen I popped half of them in a freezer bag and baked as needed.After several batches of apricot I started to do my own thing. I used dried cranberries in place of the apricots and candied ginger instead of cinnamon and replaced the walnuts with pecans.Such fun. I still have some in the freezer. I think I'll go and bake 8 or 10 for tea break Jiggy (the hubby) will be watching the Notre Dame game and I'll be a happy camper..........said the hobbit

What are we eating now?

This winter I got caught up in an article about MAKING A BETTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE. I mean really........... good is good and all chocolate chip cookies are good...... right?

So I looked at several recipes and although there are some variations I didn't see any major differences. But, who am I to make a hasty decision without actually testing?

Being true to my New England roots I chose my recipe from King Arthur Flour. You can get it HERE I've always used the recipe on the chip bag and decided if I was going to explore new territory I should go all out. This version had 2 ingredients I had never used baking soda and vinegar.

I mixed everything as the recipe suggested and then.............

placed it in the fridge for 12 to 36 hours. Thank goodness my children are no longer living at home. Cookie dough ice cream was very much the in thing when they were young and I would have seen my dough slowly disappear if I had left it unattended for that amount of time.

When it came time to bake the cookies they asked that you sprinkle with a bit of sea salt,and so I did.

Now I'm not sure what made them better............I did not put walnuts in as this was not in the recipe. I included the soda and vinegar.........Did that make a difference? I sprinkled with sea salt certainly doesn't sound earth shattering. Of course I chilled the dough 24 hours..........put the cookies out and waited to see if I heard any feedback. My husband was the first to try them......"wow new recipe? These cookies taste great" Really? I guess you can make a better cookie..............said the hobbit

Getting ready for CHRISTMAS

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Isn't it exciting?? This doesn't look very tasty,but, oh what fun this will be for someone who loves to be in the kitchen.

This has been doing it's magic in my kitchen cabinets for about a month now. It was time to strain it and put it in an attractive bottle for someone very special. It's raspberry vinegar!So good for marinating chicken or mixed as a dressing.

Doesn't it look yummy? I've enclosed a recipe for beet/orange salad that is one of my favorites.Hope they like it as well.

Next came lots of chopping of dried fruit and nuts...Of course a little tasting doesn't hurt. We have to make sure the combination of flavors is just right.

Toasting in the oven we have oatmeal sunflower seeds with local honey and oil. Wow that smells so good.. Let them cool mix together and put into a pretty container for a treat that can be eaten for breakfast, on ice cream,yogurt or right out of the jar for a quick pick me up. This year granola was one of the things I decided to make on my own instead of from the grocers shelf. First few tries were a little shaky but, I have to say "better than store bought" is something I've heard on more than one occasion.Who knew one could have such a warm feeling over making granola.

I've been picking up attractive containers through out the year. After falling in love with every one that I brought home it might be a little hard to part with them.

Of course what is Christmas without a favorite cookie. Last year I made these and although they were very tasty,I neglected to read the recipe all the way through. It's done in 3 easy and short steps. What I failed to notice was a 24 or overnight waiting period between steps.These are called fruitcake cookies. You probably just said the same thing that came out of my mouth when I first heard about them YUCK!! Never having been a fan of the holiday fruitcake I was a little slow to take up the task but, now that I have I can tell you that I was WRONG Fruitcake is not a dirty word and I was more than willing to try them again this year. If you too are ready to forgive the fruitcake and allow it to play a part in your holiday,this is a good place to start.

For starters dice or chop:

1/2lb dried figs

1/4 lb dried raisins

1/4 lb candied cherries

6 oz walnuts

Drizzle with 1 tbls of honey ,2tbls sherry,1 tbls lemon juice. Stir this really well sprinkle with salt cover bowl with wrap and leave on counter OVERNIGHT.

When you're ready to move on,you will need:

2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter softened

1/2 teas.ground clove

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 extra large egg

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour.

Cream the butter ,clove,and both sugars at medium speed for about 3 minutes.

With mixer on low add egg and make sure it's well blended Slowly add flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix till just combined,Add the fruit and nut mixture.Divide dough in half Form into 2 logs.Roll in parchment paper and refrigerate TILL FIRM.

Here's the easy part slice cookies 1/2 inch thick and place on ungreased cookie sheet Bake 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. I liked them at 15,besides I couldn't wait to eat one. Knowing that this had to sit for 2 sessions it was easy to just mix and wait,mix and wait,cut and bake.

How's your Christmas coming?...............................said the hobbit

It's 2010 CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!

Happy New years everyone! I know I'm a little late,but ,I've been trying to sort my thought before I posted and I guess it just takes me longer than most people. Before I get lost in my own world, please know that I love having this special cyber family,and here's hoping we keep the circle growing.
Did you make any cookies this year? Usually I make a short-bread cookie. A friend ,from Nova Scotia, gave me the recipe many years ago and I have made them faithfully ever since. I cut them to look like strawberries dipped them in chocolate and they were always appreciated by everyone.This year after seeing soooo many new recipes on line,I just felt I should try something different. I told friends of my need for change and this is the recipe that I decided upon.Now I have to say, I'm one of those people that hates fruitcake. Would you believe I opted for FRUITCAKE COOKIES. I was running out of time and I certainly didn't want to fall back on chocolate chip cookies.My friend assured me these were tasty and simple and took very little time. She was right,however,there were a few catches.

There was no candied fruit which is the big no-no for me,so I thought I'd give them a try.After all time was running short,I needed cookies.I lined up my ingredients.
1/2 lb dried figs
1/4 lb raisins(golden)
1/4lb dried cherries
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons sherry(All I had was Harvey's Bristol Creme)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 oz chopped walnuts
kosher salt
2sticks unsalted butter (room temp)
1/2 teas ground clove
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 extra large egg
2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
I didn't have the walnuts so being in a hurry I just told everyone I forgot to put them in.

So first thing Snip off the hard stems of the figs with scissors or a small knife and coarsely chop the figs .In a medium bowl combine the figs Raisins cherries honey sherry lemon juice walnuts and a pinch of salt.Cover with the plastic wrap and allow to sit OVERNIGHT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. ARGGGHHH.So even though it was midnight and I was hoping to get these done before going to bed ,I dutifully covered them and got up at 5:30 am to work on them again.
So early in the morning take out the bowl and mixer and cream the butter clove superfine sugar and brown sugar till smooth about 3 mins.now in with the egg mix well and next the flour and another 1/4 teas of salt .Just mix till combined then add the drunken fruit and (nuts) and any liquid in the bowl.This is where a turned the page to read. Roll into 2 logs12x18 secure in parchment and REFRIGERATE FOR SEVERAL HOURS.Hmmmm how about place in freezer for 30 mins.

so I rolled,chilled cut baked at 350 for 15 mins .


and these are my cookies.I don't know if they would be better had I taken the time to follow the recipe to the letter but,we thought they were pretty darn tasty and rather festive looking.Oh.everyone decided to make cookies this year so Jiggy and I are still up to our eyeballs in cookies squares and fudge, so, I guess there was no need to panic.................................said the hobbit

Pizza night and coffee too

Guess what I got at pizza night.That's right ,Sarah

read my blog and came with enough coffee for me to maintain my $1.83 a day

as my January total.That means $56.73 was spent on food in the month of January. We have decided to try for one more month and see just how frugal we can be.

Fridays pizza night was one of the better ones I wish I had a picture to show you,but,it was that good.That's right, gone before I could even think of taking the camera out. As you know I've been making my pizza dough once a week. After the first rising I freeze the dough in 4 separate packages that way I can take out only what I need.
This week was a spicy one.Instead of the traditional red sauce I used this Spicy Maple Fig Sauce It's made in Maine but about 15 miles from our home so I consider it local fare. I topped this with caramelized onions and thinly sliced andouille sausage then smothered in cheddar cheese. Pop it the oven for 18-20 minutes and gone in the blink of an eye.

The after pizza treat came from the back of a dark brown sugar bag that was begging to be used in this pantry game. They weren't bad I might even try this again. Here is the recipe for those who are unable to decipher the blur of a picture

1 cup of dark brown sugar

1 cup of softened butter

2eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teas.salt,baking soda,cinnamon

1/2 teas nutmeg

1/4 teas ground clove

1 cup dried cranberries

1cup golden raisins.

I had everything but the sour cream so I soured some whole milk with lemon juice let it sit for 30 mins and then proceeded with the recipe

Preheat oven to 400.I thought this was a little high for my old oven so I did my favorite temp of 350ish

Lightly grease cookie sheets-I sprayed one with pam, used parchment paper on one and a silkpat on another.The winner was the pam.

Then you beat the sugar with the butter add the eggs and sour cream till creamy as they say.

By now I have sifted all my dry ingredients and they are added to the creamy mix. Then you fold in the cranberries and golden raisins.

Drop by the large spoonful onto the cookie sheet and bake 8-10 min. I called these biscuits because they didn't spread out like cookies do. They were more cake like. The recipe makes 5 dozen .Yeah that's a lot of cookies for 2 people. However some went home with Sarah and more will be taken to work. I think the thing I've heard the most from people who are eating out of the pantry is how much extra food they have. For less then it would have cost for a bakery dozen of cookies I ended up with 5 dozen. Kind of makes you feel like a magician. Well there is plenty of food left in the pantry so I'm hoping for a good month of Feb. Well I think I've been sitting here playing long enough after all time wasted is existence time used is life........................said the hobbit

ONE MORE COOKIE

I know cookies are probable the last thing you want to bake right now.However I started my eating out of the pantry a little sooner than expected. I had planned on this project for February ,but,when hours being cut at the farm for the next few months I figured now is as good a time as any. So I went to the closet and checked my old recipes and decided on Molasses cookies .As you can see this recipe has been around awhile. I use to have a habit of putting the year I first made something in the upper left hand corner.It says 1969. Yes I've made it since then. Getting my husband to eat what's available in the pantry is only possible if I keep it somewhat familiar,have dessert available at all times and have a big bowl of popcorn ready and waiting when he get home.

The ingredients are simple:3/4 cup of shortening [remember it's 1969]

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2cups flour

2 teas baking soda

1 teas cinnamon

1/2 teas salt,ground clove,ginger

I mixed and sifted all my dry ingredients then creamed the shortening with sugar.

Then I added the molasses and the egg, mixed well ,sifted the dry into the wet ingredients and chilled the batter while I cleaned my tiny work area for the next step.

I made walnut size balls of dough and rolled them in sugar.I like dropping a few in a bowl and swirling them around till covered. Keep the hands a bit cleaner. I tend to wipe my hands on my jeans while cooking. I know I should wear an apron. I have many but, I hate to get them dirty.They look so nice hanging on the kitchen hook. That way if someone comes over while I'm cooking I can whip one on. I look like a super neat cook and it hides all the food wipes on my jeans. Works for me. Alright back to the cookies. I put them on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart and baked at 375 for 8/9 min. The recipe says on a greased cookie sheet. The first batch I sprayed the sheet with pam.The second batch I used my silk-pat to see if there was a difference. Definitely go with the silk-pat if you have one. Cookies started to stick with the pam as they cooled.Second batch just dropped off.

So there you have it . One batch of cookies and one batch of popcorn leftover chicken stew and no trip to the grocery store. Day one is now a fait accompli and I haven't spent a penny .....................said the hobbit