Oh the weather outside is frightful … 102 degrees. But the fire is so delightful … in the BBQ grill at least. And since we’ve no place to go … at least not until it’s time to pick up Gregory … Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Don’t I wish!
Okay. I admit that the above may seem like a non sequitur, but hang with me for a moment, there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.
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Having grown up in the heart of dairyland one of Ken’s favorite desserts at any time of year is cream puffs.
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What a festive way to celebrate – by making a Gingerbread House!
Continue reading "Gingerbread House Part 1: Recipe and Baking" »
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This year I was fortunate enough to be part of a very traditional part of Christmas preparations here in the valley -- the making of tamales. What a wonderful experience to be standing side by side with Mexicans and Anglos alike, preparing a delicious holiday food, all the while hearing stories of generations of families working together to craft the festive food of masa, lard, meat and beans. Through the community work of preparing for the next days fiesta meal, I enjoyed entering a little deeper into the culture of a warm and welcoming community where family, faith, and respect are still highly valued and reflected in daily life.
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How beautiful this looked on the cover … impressive .. fit for company.. a splendid dessert sure to please. In planning the menu (desserts and wine) for an annual leadership thank you party I saw the cover photo and then the recipe (not difficult to follow) and thought it would be a nice change from my usual “mocha cream roll” (a yule log of sorts that has been a party staple for years). I even showed a friend the magazine and she remarked how wonderful it would be to try it. Sadly, I was disappointed; and though my guests were very complimentary, it did not live up to the standards that I set for the party.
Continue reading "bon appetit’s Peppermint Meringue Cake with Chocolate Buttercream" »
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This evening we’re hosting our annual Advent – Christmas Party to thank the leadership that work with me throughout the year. This year’s menu of desserts and red wine includes a new Peppermint Yule Log and of course, the annually requested New York Style Cheesecake with cherries.
This cheesecake is a long time staple in our family; it’s been in my recipe box for nearly 20 years and in my mother’s long before that.
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A traditional recipe from our family heritage and an opportunity to pass along a lesson in baking from grandmother to granddaughter.
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My grandmother was an amazing baker and commonly had cookies for us to enjoy. These thumb print cookies were among the variety that she regularly made. I can remember her opening wax paper lined greeting card boxes (she sent many, many greeting cards throughout the year) to reveal these little gems. I must admit however, that I didn’t eat them until I was a “grown-up”; it was the jelly that didn’t appeal to me. However… as an adult their buttery cookie and sweet center are a delight.
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Cherry Almond Pinwheel/Swirl cookies were the first cookie I made out of the new BH&G Cookie magazine. The dough/cookie tastes delicious and the presentation delights the eye.
The dough was easy to work with, firmed easily in the refrigerator, and rolled out smoothly. The only draw back was the red food coloring...red food coloring stains! I used a high quality gel coloring (also used for cake decorating) and by the time I had put the food coloring in the ziploc bag to knead the color into the dough (as the recipe suggests) I had it on my hands. One tiny drop of red food coloring stains hands and sink with little difficulty. Red food coloring stains! The red dye ended up on the plastic baking sheet where I rolled out the dough (on parchment even), on a kitchen towel, on my hands, on the countertop, in the sink and just about anywhere else that even the tiniest drop of food color landed. Did I mention...
The cookies were delicious. The first day or two they were soft and then by day three were a crispy coffee cookie. Mmmmm.
They received rave reviews from the entire family, and presented impressively enough that I even took a few over to a new neighbor.
I'm certain that I'll make these again, though I'll likely find a new method for mixing in the red food coloring!
CHERRY ALMOND PINWHEELS
1 recipe Basic Pattern Dough**
Red paste food coloring (I used gel)
1/4 C ground almonds
several maraschino cherries
1. Divide Basic Pattern Dough in half. Tint one dough poriton with food coloring. Knead almonds into other poriton. Cover and chill dough poritons for 1 hour or until firm. Divide each portion in half.
2. On lightly floured tea towel (I used my pastry mat), roll a red dough portion into a 12x8 rectangle. On waxed paper (parchment), roll an almond dough portion into a 12x8 rectangle. Invert almond rectangle over red rectangle; peel off paper. Roll up, starting from a long end. Pinch to seal. Wrap in plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining portions. Chill 1 or 2 hours or until firm (I skipped this last chill step due to time and since my dough was still fairly firm)
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Remove one roll form the refrigerator. Unwrap: reshape, if necessary. Cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (I used thread). Place cookies 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Place cherry piece in center of each slice. Bake in preheated over 8 to 10 minutes or until tops are set. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Repeat with remaining dough.
**BASIC PATTERN DOUGH
3/4 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
Beat butter 30 seconds. Beat in sugar, baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Beat in egg, and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Makes about 2 1/2 cups dough.
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This afternoon while dashing into the grocery for a few things I spotted the new BHG Christmas Cookie magazine. It's been ages since I've picked up one of these CC issues -- after the kids were tucked in and sleeping soundly I sat back and enjoyed each page. KAG has been talking about cookies and now I can't wait to get started.
Cookie wish list: Cherry-Almond Pinwheel (these could have been dreamed up late one night by KAG); Chocolate-Coffee Ribbons; Orange and Raspberry Chip Shortbread; Triple-Layer Lemon Triangles; and a whole host of fudge.
Where to begin???
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