The Great Bake III

This one is a "two-fer"...

I have been looking for a good gingersnap recipe for a while... one that gives you the snap that you are looking for, but is safe enough for my kid to eat without crying. Like chilies, you really have to titrate the ginger to your own/your guests tastes... to me, what I made are wimpy as I cut the ginger a bit, but you can feel free to let her out to dance.

I have a fantastic Gingerbread Person recipe from my Aunt Linda, but that dough is a different consistency and made for rolling and cutting out. This is softer and chewier and fantastic with a cup of tea. I found this recipe somewheres on the in-tarwebs. If I find the link, I will post credit where due...

Gingersnap Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, vegetable shortening or margarine, room temperature
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 c molasses
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
Granulated sugar (for rolling in)

Lightly grease or spray (with non-stick cooking spray) your measuring cup before adding the molasses. This prevents the molasses from sticking to the cup.

In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses until light and fluffy. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt; stir or beat until well blended. Cover the dough and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls of dough into the granulated sugar, coating them thoroughly. Place balls, 3 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown (cookies will puff slightly and then collapse slightly, and tops will be covereed with little cracks). Remove from oven and cool on wire racks

(Makes 3 dozen or so)

Mmm.... we're completely snap-happy here

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The spacing on the pan is very important. These cookies spread a lot and you will be breaking them apart otherwise. I forgot that, so a few of mine have small break marks on one side. I used everyday sugar on them, so in low lighting, they twinkle. You can use a larger grain for really visible sugar.

My son won't leave them alone!

As promised, this installment is in fact, a two-fer. After Quinn went to bed last night, I made some Kentucky bourbon balls. Guess what I used for bourbon? ;) However, after the addition of Tennesee's finest and some Georgia pecans, I'm not sure what makes them "Kentucky" balls... food for thought over a glass of the amber nectar... These are a new addition to the recipe book this year and are an instant inclusion in my list of holiday classics. One year Vic and I made rum balls (I have a good recipe for that too), but it didn't make a lot for the effort put into it. To stretch it out, we rolled them small. Her husband Steve dubbed them "Christmas Pills", which they have remained since, despite how big I roll them. Well, if those are pills, these are certainly Mommy's Little Helpers. These should not be eaten and then get behind the wheel. These should not be given to those pregnant and breastfeeding. These should be served only to people you like, or better yet, hide them in the linen closet and use them to get through the holidays. Inlawsh? Wat inlawsh?

No Bake Kentucky Bourbon Balls

4 T unsweetened cocoa
2 c + 1/2 c powdered (confectioners) sugar
1/2 c good quality bourbon whiskey
1/4 c light corn syrup
2 1/2 c crushed vanilla wafers (cookies)
1 c chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or hazel nuts)

In a large bowl, sift cocoa and 2c of the powdered sugar together. Add the whiskey and corn syrup; mix well until blended. Fold in crushed vanilla wafers and nuts and mix thoroughly.

Roll dough into small balls and then roll in 1/2 c powdered sugar. Store in an air tight container.

Yes, I have combined my love of chocolate and Jack. Help me.

Jeebus Crispy in a rowboat these are good! As you let them sit (if you can resist them that long), the booze will permeate throughout the cookie more and the white sugar will fade. I opened the tin this morning to take this shot and a snootful of deliciousness greeted my nostrils.

These may not make it to Christmas. I'm just throwing that out there now.

The Great Bake II

As with most things, my first installment in the Great Bake of 2009 is useless without pictures.

This occured to me as I was carefully storing them in plastic containers to freeze. And it was night, and no natural light, so the pics are pretty useless too. C'est la vie. In any event, as I wait for my butter to come to room temperature to make some very snappy Ginger Snaps, this is how the Chocolate Drop Cookies turn out...

Addictive lumps of chocolatey goodness.... *drool*

That night, I made a batch of old fashioned cornstarch shortbread. These are short. Very short. This recipe came to me from Karen Stadnyk, a nurse I used to work with on Mental Health Intensive and who now calls me occasionally in the MHESU to send me a "package" from Headwaters. I'll forgive her, if only because of these cookies.

Shortbread Cookies

1/2 lb butter
1/2 c cornstarch
1/2 c icing sugar
1 c flour

Beat butter until light and add remaining ingredients one @ a time, beating after each addition. Roll into small balls and flatten with a fork.

Bake @ 300 degrees F for 30 mins

(Makes 3 dozen)
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The extended baking time is assuming you make little squished balls. If you are like me and like actual cut out shapes you will want to chill the dough a bit and then roll it out 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick on a floured surface to cut them out and then put them on a pan. I also cook most of my cookies on parchment paper so that the bottoms don't get too brown from my "well loved" cookie sheets. Sprinkle on coloured sugar or add cherry bits or whatever your heart desires and bake for about 20 mins or less, depending on the thickness of the cookie and your oven.

Some of mine turned out a bit overdone (they should not be brown) as I forgot the less than 20 minute rule and the stars... well the dough got a bit too warm and the stars ended up looking like Patrick from SpongeBob. I separated what was a keeper and let my family eat the rest. Which they did... They descended on them like a pack of starving dogs.

Slightly overdone and wonky... will have to make another batch.

Ehhh... That's how the cookie crumbles, as they say.

Next up, ginger snaps...

"I always had the will to win. I felt it baking cookies. They had to be the best cookies anyone baked. " ~ Bette Davis

Pre-Schooler Christmas Activities

My son loves doing crafts. One of the biggest pieces of leverage we have these days is the threat of having his craft time taken away. Hey, whatever works...

The weather has been crappy and cold on our days off together recently, so naturally an indoor craft would be appropriate. Since Christmas is looming, why not a Christmas craft? It seemed pretty reasonable at first, until I started scouting around on the intar-weeb for some ideas.

Finding "crafts for preschoolers that hopefully won't be duplicated at day care that are cheap and easy for Christmas" is one hell of a search string. I found a few things, but for older kids. Quinn is three and although he thinks and acts like a 5+ year old most of the time, he still has the attention span of a three year old boy. Paper chains, although probably a necessity, are really hum drum and I'll leave the construction paper weirdness to daycare. I thought making little sled ornaments out of popsicle sticks would be cute, but as a word of caution do not attempt this craft! We got to learn about all sorts of fun things that day, like blood, where it comes from, new interesting words that Mommy shouted out at random... things like that. To add a little pressure to this, I had decided earlier in November that our family Christmas tree could go in the basement this year and Quinn and I could decorate a little tree in the living room... key point here... and make all the ornaments ourselves! What the hell was I thinking? Why do I do this to myself? And most importantly, where is Mommy's whiskey?

So, I scouted around some more, took an idea from here, stole an idea from there and these, so far, is what I've come up with. Setting up ahead of time really helped. I've also added a handy rating scale (out of 10) to help you out.

Pony Bead and Pipe Cleaner Snowflakes

You will need:
Pony beads (we used white with a few silver scattered in for fun)
pipecleaners (we used white)

Your turn: Wrap one pipe cleaner around another in the centre to make a + shape. Turn and repeat, wrapping each pipe cleaner tightly in the middle. You will end up with what looks like an 8 legged white spider.

Their turn: String the pony beads on the pipe cleaner stems, either in a pattern or at random.

Your turn: When you have reached the desired length for each stem, fold the end of the pipe cleaner around the last bead and tuck it in. To make the "hanger", make a loop on the last piece and wrap the end tightly under the loop to make a little noose. Hang on tree. Serve snack.

Our snowflake ornaments...

Easy: 8 Awww: 7 Cheap: 10 Fast: 8 Clean: 8

Pony Bead and Pipe Cleaner Christmas Trees

You will need:
Green Pony beads (scatter in a few different coloured ones for the "ornaments")
Pipe cleaners (we used all green but you could use brown for the trunk, etc)

Your turn: Take one pipe cleaner and make a loop at the end, wrapping the end around the stem to make a little noose. Fold the length of the pipe cleaner back up to the noose, wrapping the end around the noose part again. You will now have a pipe cleaner, folded on itself, that is half the length and doubled so that it is twice as strong. Take another pipe cleaner, wrap it around the "trunk" and trim to the appropriate length. Repeat this step at least three times. Trim each level of pipe cleaner so that each "branch" level is slightly longer than the last.

Their turn: String the pony beads on the branches of the tree at random.

Your turn: When you reach the end of a row, take the end of the pipe cleaner and fold it over the last bead and tuck it in. When the tree is completed, shape it however you want and hang it on the tree. High fives all around.

Our Christmas Trees

Easy: 7 Awww: 7 Cheap: 10 Fast: 7 Clean: 8

Pipe Cleaner Candy Canes

You will need:
Red and white pipe cleaners
A couple of red or white beads for the ends.

Your turn: Wrap a red and white pipe cleaner together tightly at one end.

Their turn: Wrap the pipe cleaners around each other so it looks like a candy cane.

Your turn: Trim ends. Put a bead on the ends just to tart it up a bit and to hide the pokey bits. Hang on tree and admire your handiwork.

Yay! Candy Canes!

Easy: 10 Awww: 9 Cheap: 10 Fast: 10 Clean: 10

More to come... other than a red and white paper chain and a pipe cleaner star that I threw together yesterday (based on the snowflake design), the tree is still mainly naked. Cute, but naked. Even with the (bastard!) popsicle stick sleds. We also have quite a few more Mommy and Quinn days until Christmas, so stay tuned.

The Great Bake

Oh Blogosphere, how long has it been?

Too long, by my records.

The garden eased it's way into fall nicely with the killer frost some time in October. Now with November's warm rainy weather (and I'm not complaining TOO loudly, mind!), all the bulbs I planted are starting to grow. My grass is still green. It's going to be an interesting winter.

November has almost slipped away and our minds have naturally turned to the upcoming Holiday season. In this house, that means Christmas. Lots of family, lots of stress, and most importantly, lots of $$$. Well, we have an abundance of the first two and very little of the last one. Try and act surprised at what you get this year, K?

Back in my days of yore, I used to bake everyone gifts. I love to bake and it provided a needed outlet from school and life stress. That eventually evolved into baking with others, splitting costs and having memorable visits with a few dear ones. I can still smell the shortbread in the air at Vic's old place in Newmarket as we cleaned up quickly to head outside for a sneaky smoke. I can also remember baking gingerbread with my Mother in law and laughing at each other's attempts as we tried to place teeny candies on each cookie. So many good memories, so much time has passed. The BFF now lives in Windsor with her delightful, raucous family and Marg is sadly no longer with us. Over the years I have baked less and less, spending what time I had on shopping, babies and getting Christmas dinner together for my immediate family. I think last year I made a batch of shortbread and a package of Pillsbury reindeer cookies. Yes, I had sunk to that level...

This year, Sean's Mom's family is trying something new. We're all convening in Kincardine before Christmas to have a meal and a visit with Grandma. Each family is assigned to bring something different; I got "a dessert tray of assorted cookies and squares". Once my initial panic settled down and I had consulted my schedule (I'm working actual Christmas this year and nights for the two weeks leading up to it) the (small!) sane part of my brain thought "F@#k it, I'll just go to a bakery". Sometime after I had considered all the functions we are invited to and the actual dinner I have to cook for my family, my pride welled up and throttled that small sane part of my prefrontal cortex. Bakery be dammed! Get the sifter honey, we's is havin' an old fashioned bake off!

But what to make? I do have an adventurous palate, but I recognize that many in my life do not. To be honest, I've almost had it with pretentious baking as well. Your poppyseed bran concoctions with lentil glaze and rice flour may taste good initally, but I'm tired of trying to be diet conscious, fat free and "healthy". It's a cookie dammit! It is supposed to have sugar and fat in it. Martha's OCD can also take a long hard one on my ever-widening ass. Her food is lovely but her recipes should include a crate of mood stablizers with each ingredient list. So, what to do?

In the last two weeks I've compiled a tome of my favourite recipes. Some are more homespun than others, granted, but they are all simple foods that are easy, reasonably inexpensive and can be made with one eye watching a small child. I've decided to get back to basics... no fondant, no exotic spices. Just old fashioned yummy treats that I and anyone else can whip up in no time flat. Some are childhood favourites, others I have picked up along the way from family and friends. Like the ornaments on my tree, each is a thread in the tapestry of my lang syne.

Today I made my first batch and started with the most simple and arguably the tastiest recipe of all. My Mom's chocolate drop cookies. If you really want the super slueth award, yes, there is fibre in them.

Chocolate Drop Cookies

(These take 5 mins to make)

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly:

1/2 c milk
1/2 c butter
6 T cocoa
2 c white sugar

Remove from heat and add:

3 c rolled oats
1c fine coconut
1/2 c walnuts (optional... I never add them)

Mix well and drop by teaspoon on waxed paper.

Does it get any simpler? One tip I will add: wait a few minutes before beginning to drop them onto the waxed paper. You want them gooey, not runny. In a few minutes they will harden into sweet chocolate loveliness. Hide them from your family. You will want to make a second batch to replace the one you just ate.


"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o`clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap." ~ Al Hutchinson


I will add more (and images too) as time allows. I also have a series of pre-schooler crafts that at least a few of you will appreciate. Now if you will excuse me, it is time for a nap.

September Garden Update

You know, I really did mean to update more often regarding the garden. Those of you that have access to my Facebook page have been kept a little more up to date photographically. But, time being what it is, eternally in short supply, here we are in the first week of September rehashing most of the growing season.

In my last update, June saw the recent creation of the new garden and many seedlings. July was a good growing month, despite all the rain and lack of sunshine. One of my favourite discoveries in July was my Himalayan Lilies... they were an intoxicating addition to the garden, if only for a short time. Red lily beetles became a real problem and I lost the battle with that one. If they (and the rest of my lilies) come up next year, I am well prepared to battle the little red buggers.

Himalayan Lilies

Once I got the twirly animal deterrants up, the corn had a chance to grow. In July, the garden made leaps and bounds with all the humidity.

Yummy greenery

Corn as high as a preschoolers eye...

You can see my crazy dasies there in the foreground. I will either have to remove them all together or dial them back significantly next year as they threatened to take over the whole flower garden.

Crazy Daisies

My pots on the front porch also took off in July. The nicotiana, slow to start, did catch up and offered up some breathtaking colours (and scents!).

Nicotiana

August brought some sunshine and some sorrow. The sun finally did come out and we had many warm sunny days to advance our growing. By August 14, the corn was as high as an elephant's eye, we had eaten two "taster" cobs already, the cucumbers had produced half a dozen full size cucumbers (yum!) and the tomato plants needed more support as they were just laden with green tomatoes. You can also see the addition of the Echinacea, which as of this writing are still blooming, albeit near the end of their time.

The corn is higher than the fence!

The sunflowers began to bloom shortly after this. They are simply gorgeous, although a shorter variety than I was anticipating. Next year I plan to plant a taller variety as a backdrop to some of the flower gardens. Who knows... maybe I'll surround the front porch in them. The bees will keep away unwanted salespeople while friends and family can use the side door. Ok... maybe not...

Jerusalem Gold Sunflower

Near the end of August, I went outside to harvest a few cobs of corn for dinner and found all my hard work destroyed. It seems raccoons (or possibly squirrels) got to the corn first and stripped it clean. I was devestated as I had to pull out all the broken stalks and clean up the mess that they had made. I planted carrots in their stead and transplanted a few black cherry tomato plants that my Mother had sent home; hopefully there will be enough time for them before the first frost. I had to redo my chive/onion trick to keep the animals from digging up the carrot seeds. Needless to say, "varmint" may be on the menu soon.

The flies add that extra sense of pathos...

In the meantime, I've harvested quite a few cherry tomatoes, both Ildi and Tiny Tim. Aside from munching on them whenever I pass the bowl, I've made two small tomato vinegrette and feta salads with them. They are sweet and fantasitc. I also have two green peppers on my counter awating my tastebuds... I may just slice those up and eat them raw.

Next on the garden menu? Hopefully my beefsteak tomatoes will ripen in time for us to have a true Tomatopia (I love them fried for breakfast!). I have quite a few peppers on the vine and my Butternut squash vines seem to have finally taken off. Peeping under the leaves yesterday, I was delighted to see two tiny squash starting to grow! There are a few more cherry tomatoes left to go and the cucumbers may give up a few more before completely shutting down. I'm also looking for some morning glory blossoms... the vines have completely taken over the one side of the Zeebo, but alas, no blooms as of yet. My beans are also far from done yet, so I look forward to a few more of those.

There is still a lot of life in the garden yet before the first frost. Despite the little setbacks, I am still looking forward to what is yet to come.