After last week's successful bread-making, I was all set to do more. I wasn't sure what "more" was going to look like, but I started casting around for ideas. And I found some great recipes to try this weekend.
And I even found somewhere that I could buy a large amount of yeast - which has been such a hot commodity lately. (In case you're wondering, I found it at The Golden Fig in St. Paul, MN - an amazing specialty food shop that we love visiting in the best of times, and where the world seemed to be alright for the half hour that we shopped last week. Not to foreshadow too much, but it was "comforting" to be there.)
But, well, the weekend came and I really just wanted to not deal with hours' worth of working on yeasted doughs that might or might not turn out. I bake to relieve stress (which, when we're both going to our offices has a tendency to make our coworkers very happy), and I realized that I wanted to make something tried and true.
I did *not* drink out of the jug. I promise. (I honestly just don't have that much dexterity.)
So (as you might have guessed from the photo above) I dove back into a recipe that first appeared on this blog in September of 2017: Betty Crocker's 1950 Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Basically, I wanted some "comfort" in my baking this week. Let me explain.
I really look half asleep in that screengrab, don't I?
If you didn't watch the video (I know not everyone does), you will have missed my quick and easy tip for refreshing cookies which have dried out. I got it from a friend of mine a number of years ago. I don't know why the chemistry works, but it does. (No - I'm not telling you the tip. You're going to have to sit through the video if you want to find out.) If you *did* watch the video, I feel I should mention that I only put that slice in for about a day prior to the video.
As for my foray into yeasty baking... I do plan to try to tackle more yeasted bread products next week. I'm sorting recipes and figuring out which one(s) to attempt first. I just need to get myself into the right headspace before trying something that might be a spectacular flop.
In the meantime, since we're talking about comfort, and since I only have the one new photo of cookies to share, I offer you this photo of a sleeping Cocker Spaniel. May we all feel that level of peace and calm sometime in the coming week.
----- Donuts and croissants and pain au chocolat - oh my! I wish I could give you a teaser of what I'm going to make next week, but I really have no idea. What's happening in your kitchen?
I know I've been gone for a while. And, honestly, I don't have a really good reason. But here are some honest thoughts on the matter (in no particular order):
1) Work has been strangely busy, which has been keeping me from wanting to open my laptop when I get home at night, but that's not really a great reason.
2) I had a couple of side projects come up and felt like I needed to focus on those instead of focusing on my own work.
3) We went to New York City for a week to visit family and friends (and friends who are more like family) at the end of May.
4) We've each had some family things going on that have been at least a little distracting.
5) The world has gotten weird - and I don't always feel like writing a frivolous blog about food and day-to-day life is really right. And I wonder whether I should be writing pithy pieces about the world, instead of frothy pieces about my kitchen.
A couple of days ago, however, I had a good experience in the grocery store (as we all know - grocery stores are my happy place), and I wanted to share.
No. It's not a recipe. And, no, there's not even a tasting at the end.
But I hope you enjoy this quick video, even so.
And - believe it or not - I'm also working up a post that should be coming up on Friday of this week, as well.
I cannot believe it has been six weeks since I last blogged. Well, actually, I can - but it's just weird.
When last we met (pre-Valentine's Day), I was fighting off a low-grade cold that I'd been fighting for probably a month. And, in the most frustrating of ways, it wouldn't get worse and it wouldn't get better. So mainly I spent a few months with no energy.
Then (as I explain in the video, below), I was also working on an edit that was taking me much longer than it should have. And I was having to decide whether to put my bursts of energy to productive use on the edit or the blog.
Well... The edit got completed last week. And my cold finally manifested itself strongly enough last weekend that I went to Urgent Care for antibiotics. The past weekend has been interesting with the full-on cold. My "favorite" thing is that it's been messing with my voice. Want proof? Here you go:
Believe it or not, that's a massive improvement from earlier in the week. I had to speak in a work meeting and one person offered to get me flash cards...
I'm finally on the upswing. Which, happily, is happening at the same point that the seasons are finally changing and what has been a brutal late winter is turning into a fairly decent early spring in Minnesota.
I'll be baking this weekend, and should be back to a normal-ish blog next week. (Fingers crossed that I can speak well enough to be understood by the time I'm putting it together.)
Hope you've all been doing well! Don't forget to send me any kitchen (or editing) questions or comments, and ... I'll see you in a week.
I was talking to a neighbor earlier this week, and she was asking whether the cookies I'd been making were going to be on the blog. I wanted to say yes, but I've honestly been pushing so hard to get things done this year that I haven't had time to take photos while baking.
I didn't even take any photos while making the dipped pretzels featured in this post. But - since they have to sit out on wrapped paper to harden, at least I do have post-prep photos.
Let me explain the idea behind them:
So... yeah... you melt the white stuff (I use a double boiler on the stove, but you can follow the package directions for the microwave if you have one), and you dip stuff in it, then let them to dry/harden on waxed paper.
Can you guess where on the prep table the bowl used to be?
It's pretty easy and fairly fast. Dipping these pretzels by hand, I made 90 of them in about 45 minutes - and that included the stovetop melting process.
I mentioned in the video that these are Gluten-Free. But, even so, can you imagine anyone turning them down? Seriously. You can do a lot of Gluten-Free stuff pretty easily - sometimes even by accident!
Frankly, that's what I need this time of year, because my brain starts to not want to process more difficult tasks. The lead-up can be pretty darned frantic, and you sometimes forget to take a little time to just enjoy it all happening. The best I can do in these cases is plate things.
Umm... This batch of Spritz cookies is also Gluten-Free! Bonus!
And wrap them in plastic.
And hope to remember to take them with me when I leave the house specifically with the intention of taking them to the neighbors. (Who among us hasn't walked out the door and realized a present/bag/set of keys was still on the counter this time of year?)
Luckily, a lot of my baked goods tend to go into the mail (or to the neighbors), so that means that in the final few days before Christmas I have nothing left to do but sit back and enjoy the world going by. Christopher and I have made a kind of tradition of going out to dinner a few days before Christmas. We try to go somewhere we might not usually go. It's a great way to take a step back, breathe a little, look at the lights, and let someone else deal with prep and delivery for a bit.
However you plan to spend the next few days - whether in the kitchen whipping up a few last-minute festive treats or on the road/in the skies or avoiding it all with a cocktail, I hope you get to enjoy it.
Merry Christmas!
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What are you up to for the Holidays? Do you celebrate Christmas, or some other event? Or do you avoid them all and just take advantage of the sales?
Just so you know, I'm making a New Year's resolution to be better about my blogging. I'm not planning to define "better" just yet, though. ;-)
Sorry this is so late. As you'll see in the first video, Christopher and I were out of town this past week. I thought I'd have no problem tackling a blog post from where we were staying, but the video uploads were a bit daunting on shared wi-fi, so I decided to delay until we got home.
So, without further ado, let's get into these perfect cozy treats.
And - to prove that we were away, here's some video of me by a fire:
Now, before we go any further, I want to remind you all that in November (humor me and pretend this post went up on November 30th like it was supposed to), I've been sharing some GoFundMe projects. And - if you shared the blog posts they were in - you could be entered into a chance to win a plate of cookies.
I'm not including any new donation sites this week, but here is a recap of the ones we've seen so far:
Last week, we had Bobby and his family, who lost their home while he was fighting the fires in Northern California:
Although there aren't any new links this week, the idea is the same: If you share out this post, you can be entered into the cookie drawing. This week, though, even if you just want to share (or donate to) any of the GoFundMe sites (with or without sharing my blog), just let me know (possibly mention it in the comments on this post) and I'll enter you into the drawing. (After all, the point of this is really to amplify the stories of these three sites.)
But now, back to this week's food. I'm sure you all know that there are three basic ingredients:
Or, four, really:
The fire source can change, but there does need to be a good heat source.
I decided to be organized for this (typically, I'm in mid-marshmallow-roast when I realize that the other pieces are still in the kitchen), so here are the steps I followed with you in mind:
1) Graham crackers:
2) Hershey bars:
3) Marshmallows:
3.1) Marshmallows on a long stick:
Not only did the grilling fork have a heat-resistant handle, it also held two marshmallows at a time! Bonus!
4) Fire:
In trying to do this all proper-like, I even pulled the marshmallows out before they went up in flames. This way, they were simply hot, melty, and malleable.
At this point, it's all about assembly, or what I like to think of as the "slide and smoosh" steps:
a) slide:
b) smoosh:
Note: Apparently marshmallows smell really good to some dogs. This is the very hopeful look I was getting through most of this process:
She couldn't reach the mantle, thankfully.
And, just because, here's the wrap-up video, so you can see me get the marshmallow stuck in my mustache:
Oh. Okay. I can't lie. I did do a few extra marshmallows to a more well-done state. Some things you just have to do...
Because, really, the charred outer layer is just the best, isn't it?
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*Disclaimer: I'll be trying to draw a winner each week before the next post goes up. Everyone who shares the post (or one of the GoFundMe sites) in a way that I can track it (or who lets me know that sharing has happened) will be entered into the drawing for the plate of cookies (shipping within the US, only). One entry per share, so feel free to share multiple times. No extra entries for making a donation to the fundraising pages, but don't let that stop you.
**Week Three's winner is Jessi B. from Alaska. She'll be getting something in the mail as soon as I make my next batch of cookies (which, this time of year, could be at any moment)!
Not everything I make is cookies. Honestly, not everything I make is a sweet, either, but what follows won't really help to prove that point.
This week, when I meant to be writing a completely different blog post, I instead found myself baking for a post-memorial reception. Having no idea how many people would be bringing food - or how many people would be in attendance - I channelled a whole lot of emotions and baked a lot.
How much is a lot?
Well, I started with two Bundt cakes (though I decided I actually wanted three, so I made another the next night).
I'd swear I've blogged about these Apple Spice Bundt cakes before, right?
From there, I moved on to about 11 dozen chocolate cookies.
Have we talked about these before? Let me know if you want details.
And - because not everyone wants fall foods just yet, I topped it off with two pans of lemon bars.
I'm sure we've talked about these.
Of course, then I had to get them to the church.
Luckily, I had just the way to do that, thanks to my recent savvy car buying. Let me explain (and wrap this all up):
So, there you have it. The perfect excuse to buy a new car. (Not to mention that my last car was 18 years old, the dashboard lights only worked about 1/4 - which is better than when they were completely out, and the roof leaked when it rained.)
I promise that next week there will be food - and it's not even a baked good!
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We're getting into the fall baking/cooking season. What says fall to you in the kitchen? Is it apples and spice? Is it chili? Is it some kind of football fare? Let me know!
Yeah... no... "sugar" was not the "sh" sounding word that came to mind last night, when pretty much all of my mise en place was mis-un-placed.
Unfortunately, because that set me back a bit, this is going to be another week without a recipe.
There is, however, an explanatory video:
And now we have sugar. But I have no time. (Sorry.)
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So, what's the worst kitchen supply miss you've had in the recent past? Did it delay you a night - or longer? Or did you get creative and substitute (like I did with this post)?
I am very happy to say that I have a brand new food-related blog post about 80% ready to go.
Unfortunately, over the past couple of evenings, the pup has been a bit needy. And she's just so darned hard to say no to.
I mean... Just look at this face:
Play with the Kong? Or work on a blog post (or make the bed)? Such a dilemma.
And when you take her to the groomer and she sits on the seat next to you on the way home looking all cute, how can you not just spend the next couple of hours reassuring her that the groomer was a good thing?
"You left me there for 3 hours! They cut my hair! How are you going to ever make it up to me?!"
Of course, then there are the past two nights, when the blog post was waiting to be completed. I was sitting happily in the living room and really wanted to get up and get my computer, but just look what I was up against:
One evening, I was on the couch and this is precisely where I would have had to put my feet down:
The color is skewed a bit, because I didn't want to use my flash. Obviously.
The other night, as I looked at my laptop on top of the coffee table - while I was sitting across the room - I knew that moving would mean interrupting this nap:
I think she started out looking out the front window, but the world got to be just too exhausting.
So you'll forgive me for not having a food post up this week, right?
I mean... just look at what I've been working against!
Next week - back to food.
----- What is there that keeps you from doing work? Do you have a serious issue with some kind of procrastination? Is it food related? Let me know!
I totally meant to get a blog post up last week. I cooked so many things - baked chicken in red sauce over pasta, Toll House pie, chewy chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips - and I kept forgetting to take pictures of anything.
I blame much of that on our weird weather. I mean... 17 inches of blizzard-y snow in April (just three weeks ago, now) was enough to throw off even the most stalwart of Minnesotans - and I do not fall into that category.
So now that it is aggressively intensely spring outside, I am back on track - if a couple of days late. This week with Coconut Macaroons.
Of course, I can only make them if I have all of the ingredients on hand, which is part of why this post is so late...
Now, to make sure we're all on the same page, we are talking about traditional Coconut Macaroons:
We are not talking about French Macarons:
From StockSnap.io
Nor will we be dining with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte:
From today.com
Now that we're all on the same page, let's take a closer look at the Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book recipe:
Ooh... Just look at all of the possible variations!
Since I took the extra day to go out and buy coconut, we can now do some mise en place-ing.
Wait. Let's look a little more closely at the ingredient list:
Remember how I said that one of the things I was making sure I had on hand was sweetened condensed milk? Notice the extreme lack of sweetened condensed milk in the recipe?
Well, I guess it's just good to know that I have it on hand in case of emergency. For now, we'll just put it in the back of the photo, like that one person who always shows up at family reunions, but you're not sure how you're related.
Seriously, though - 5 ingredients. How easy is this?
I don't know about you, but I had no idea how many egg whites make up a half cup. So I did some cracking and measuring and counting.
As you can probably tell by the 3 whole and one broken yolks, it took 4 whites to get me that half cup.
In case you're wondering how fluffy egg whites get within half a minute of beating, here's what I got:
The next few steps, honestly, couldn't have been easier. Add all the non-coconut bits:
Not really sure why, but that looks - to me - like an abstract "angry bird." Do we dare go down the Rorschach test road with this? (My guess is "No. No we don't dare do that.")
You have absolutely no idea how hard it was to not just stick a spoon in this mixture and eat it. It's sugar and vanilla, after all. But - yeah - raw egg whites, too. At least I could appreciate that it smelled good.
These wouldn't be coconut macaroons without coconut, so here goes the 2.5 cups of it right into the bowl.
It looks a little like packing materials in this photo, doesn't it? Or maybe shredded parmesan cheese?
This gets a little gooey as you stir it, but, no matter how much you want to taste it, you really shouldn't do that.
You can't tell in the photo, but as I was taking this, some of the mix kind of rolled off the spatula in the most tantalizing of ways.
According to the recipe from 1950, these are supposed to be dropped on "ungreased wrapping paper" - which I assume means "butcher paper" and not gift wrap - either way, I went with parchment paper.
And, instead of an actual teaspoon, I went for my small cookie scoop.
Again: You should not eat this at this point because of the raw eggs. However, if you did - hypothetically - get some on your fingers and lick it off, you'd find that it is sugary and chewy and just runny enough to get into your beard if you're not careful. (And - obviously - if you have a beard.)
As they were baking, they looked a bit like melting marshmallow Peeps.
Meanwhile, you can begin attending to the huge pile of dishes you've accumulated. Or, rather, the incredibly easy to get through one bowl, 4 measuring devices, and 3 utensils you've used.
As a bonus, this is mostly all sugar and egg - hot water takes care of most of it as long as you don't let it set and dry.
When they came out of the oven, the outer edges "deflated" and flattened a bit.
This is where the recipe says to "use your fingers" to kind of smoosh the not-quite-325-degree flattened edges back toward the middle. Because, back in the 1950s, home bakers apparently had Asbestos-lined fingertips.
If you're like me and do not have Asbestos-lined fingertips, I recommend using a small spatula, instead, which works fairly well, if not with quite the same precision.
Mine ended up basically looking like this:
Some I waited too long on, and so they stayed a bit flatter.
The recipe goes into detail about how to lift the paper (with the macaroons on it) out of the pan, place a wet towel on the pan, put the paper back, and let the steam help with the release of the macaroons from the paper. (It's the bottom paragraph on the left - it goes with the photo.)
Luckily, to make up for my non-Asbestos fingertips, I do have parchment paper which is considered to be non-stick. So I just waited until these had set up, and then removed them with my fingers. (I didn't even need a spatula, though I guess I could have gone that route if I'd wanted to.)
I moved them around on the sheet (from where they'd baked to "empty" spaces), but didn't move them off the paper. I figured they could dry just as well on the paper, without worry of getting stuck to the cooling rack.
So, how did they turn out?
Yeah. They are really good. Even without any chocolate on them. Just a little crunch, a great amount of chew, and all that coconut-y goodness. Perfect for a spring or summer weekend. Or - heck - with only 5 ingredients and about an hour's worth of time, these could be an easy weeknight treat, as well. (Just make sure you have coconut on hand before your craving gets the best of you.)
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Not a fan of coconut? What do you like to have as a summer treat? Is there something from your childhood that you still go back for? Or is it an adult-onset craving? Let me know what you've got a hankering for, and I'll see if I can find a recipe to try out!
