Oldies, but Goodies

I just wanted to share the two most favorite gifts of my children this holiday season.  Were they for theWii?  DSi?  iPod?  Some newly developed game or toy?  Nope.

Shrinky Dinks and Hula Hoops!!!!

It is nice to see my girls liking and appreciating toys that gave me a lot of joy as a child.  And it is nice to see that they can have fun with these simple things, and not need to rely on electronic to entertain themselves.

Thanks you Shrinky Dinks and Hula Hoops!!

Christmas is...

Well, the food is eaten, the presents are unwrapped, and all is good in the world. 

For our family, this was a kind of weird Christmas.  For the first time ever we were not able to spend it with our extended family.  My husband, who has been living in Boston since late October, was able to come back to Minneapolis to spend the holidays with us; and since we are moving back to Boston the end of next month, it seemed silly (and expensive) for us all to fly there for the holiday.  So we spend our first ever quiet Christmas as a family of 4 here in Minnesota.  And you know what.  It was a wonderful, sweet, peaceful day.

While I can't say I didn't miss our families, I wasn't sad.  My husband was home, my girls were thrilled with their gifts and having a blast playing, and we were together in health and happiness.  For me, this was the Christmas where I realized what the holiday is really supposed to be all about.

Christmas is love.

White Chocolate, Strawberry, Oatmeal Cookies

Who doesn't love a good cookie?  This time of year seems to be a big cookie time, with all of the parties, cookie swaps, and of course, Santa needs a few cookies under the tree to fuel his trip around the world.

This is one of our favorite cookie recipes.  I like this recipe because it stands out in a cookie world filled with chocolate, creams, and rich.  These cookies are substantial enough to satisfy, but also lightened up enough so if you have two or three, you aren't making too big a dent in your daily calorie intake!  Give 'em a try.

White Chocolate, Strawberry, Oatmeal Cookies ( via Cooking Light)
This recipe only makes 2 dozen cookies, so you  may want to double it.

¾ cup all-purpose flour (about 3⅓ ounces)
1 cup regular oats
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
¾ cup coarsely chopped dried strawberries (if you can't find dried strawberries, use dried blueberries or cranberries)
⅓ cup premium white chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt; stir with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until blended. Add strawberries and chips; beat at low speed just until blended.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; cool on pan 1 minute. Remove cookies from pan; cool completely on wire racks.

Divided We Eat

I am a firm believer of eating the best food you can afford.  In saying that I don't mean the most expensive food, but the best:  fresh, local, organic, whole foods.  I try to purchase organic whenever I can; I belong to the local co-op grocery, I partake of a CSA (community supported agriculture) share over the summer months.  Nutrition and the health of the food supply are a passion of mine.

Despite what I said above, eating the best food you can afford unfortunately means paying more for it.  That is a major problem in our country, especially with the pervasive problem with obesity and food insecurity, especially among the poor.  While my family is fortunate enough to be able to afford to purchase our groceries at co-ops and CSAs, for many, that is certainly not the case.

This article from Newsweek is about the problem of the lack of nutritious food available to the poor in this country.  I strongly urge you to read it, as it speaks of this issues way better than I ever could!

Wine!

I am by no means a wine expert.  I need a sommelier in my back pocket if I am trying to choose a wine to go with a food, meal, or dessert.  But I know what I like, and I know I would love to learn more about wine and expand my pallet for wine.

To that end, anytime I hear a story on wine, I listen!  I heard this discussion on Minnesota Public Radio the other day, and had to write down all the wines mentioned by the guest, Dara Moskowitz Grumdah.

Take a listen, and feel free to comment with your favorite wines.  I would love to try some new ones!

It's Fruit and Cake

My favorite cookie of all times are Fig Newtons.  Even as a child I was the odd one who would pick the Fig Newtons over Oreos or Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They just can't be beat!

The problem with store bought Fig Newton cookies, as with any processed item, they are chock full of extra sugar and any myriad of unpronounceable ingredients, fillers, and preservatives.

Since I always prefer home baked items to store bought ones, I figured it was time to make my own version of Fig Newtons!  These are certainly not "health" food, nor low fat (see the amount of butter in them!), but they are oh so yummy.

Homemade Fig Cookies (courtesy of Lindsey Antis)

For the dough

18 tablespoons butter (2 sticks and 2 tablespoons)
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt
2 cups of flour 

For the filling

2 cups dried figs
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon 

For the egg wash

2 eggs
2 teaspoons of milk

Cooking directions


Prepare the dough first because it will need to chill. To make the dough, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and egg yolk slowly and mix thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. I usually find that some butter gets stuck to the bottom of the bowl without being thoroughly incorporated so double check there. Add the salt and flour just to combine.

Prepare the fig filling. Remove the woody stems from the figs and chop coarsely. I cut them into four sections. Then put the sugar, figs, water, and lemon juice into a small saucepan over low heat and let them cook. My figs took somewhere between 15-20 minutes to get tender, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. If your mixture gets dry before the figs are tender just add more water, or if you have extra water when the figs are tender raise the heat slightly and cook until the excess water is gone. Put the figs on a baking sheet and let them cool.

Prepare the egg wash. Whisk the eggs and the milk together.


Assemble the cookie logs. Divide the dough in half and put the unused portion back in the fridge. Roll the dough into a rectangle (about 6 in x 24 in) on a floured surface and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Please note that this dough can be temperamental and the first time I worked with it I had a tough time keeping it from cracking. If this happens to you then warm it up in your hands, reform the dough ball and try rolling it again.

Once your dough is rolled place half of the figs on the dough. Put them closer to one side than the other. Brush the egg wash on the edges of the dough. Use the parchment paper to lift the dough over the figs. Then do the same thing on the other side. The longer side should wrap over the shorter edge. Then flip the log over. Brush the top and sides of your log with egg wash. Repeat the whole assembly process for the second log. Keep both logs on parchment paper when you are done.

Chill logs for 20-30 minutes and then bake for 15-20 min at 350°F or until nicely browned. Let cool and then cut about 1 1/2 in pieces.

What are you talking about?

I find the English language fascinating.  I love a creative turn of phrase.  I was an English major in college and took a couple of etymology courses where we learned and discussed the origin of English words and phrases.

To that end, I found this story from NPR's Talk of the Nation about Euphemisms totally fascinating!  I hope you enjoy it as well.

We have snow!

On December 11, 2010, 23 inches of snow fell upon us here in the Twin Cities.  It was a pretty big storm.

Usually, my husband is the "snow man" in our family; he is the one who will shovel or plow when the need arises.  However, since he is now living in Boston, waiting for us to join him, the snow removal duties fall to me.  And, we had the bright idea to sell our snow blower earlier this fall, anticipating that we would be moved out of Minnesota before the bid snows hit.  Well, we were wrong!

Now, my husband is coming back to stay with us for Christmas for about 10 days.  I will make you a bet right now.  When he is here, it won't snow a lick.  As soon as he is back in Boston, another blizzard of the century will come to Minnesota!!

Anyway, enjoy this short video of my snow removal handiwork.

Let it snow...we have treats!

As I am writing this, there is a blizzard raging outside.  It is expected to snow all day here in the Twin Cities.  I have been out to shovel two times already today, and both times I had to shovel about 6 - 7 inches of blowing, drifting snow.  I expect to have to go out to shovel another 2 - 3 times before this storm has passed.

But, I still have two girls stuck in the house, who are starting to get on each other's nerves, so I need to find something to do with them.  So what do we decide to do?  Make Christmas Rice Krispie Treats!

 

 First, you need to make sure you have all your holiday cookie cutters at the ready.

Then, melt together a bag of marshmallows with 1/2 a stick of unsalted butter.

Pour the melted butter and marshmallow mixture into a large bowl with 6 cups of Rice Krispies and 1 1/2 cups holiday M&Ms.  Mix thoroughly.

Pour the mix onto a sheet pan lined with a lightly greased piece of parchment paper. Press the mixture evenly over the sheet, putting your hand in a storage bag to keep the treats from sticking to your hand.

After the treats have cooled, flip onto another piece of parchment paper and peel off the paper that is now on the top. Then go ahead and cut out your shapes!

Make sure to help clean the spoons and bowl!

Easy Caramelized Onions

I love caramelized onions.  I put them on everything.  Sandwiches, eggs, in pasta, over veggies...the go well with so many things.

Making caramelized onions is so easy.  I make some at least once a week.  Here is how I do it.  Notice I don't really have a real recipe for this.  There really is no need, it is so easy to need a recipe!

First, slice up some onions (about 4 - 5).  Plain yellow or white onions are fine.  You can use sweet onions as well, but I find the final product to be too sweet for my taste when using sweet onions.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pat of butter.  I use my so loved cast iron skillet here.  It really makes a difference in this recipe.

When the pan is hot and the oil is glistening, add the onions and stir with a spatula to coat with the oil.  Continue to cook and stir every couple of minutes for about 10 minutes.

After about 10 minutes, lower the heat to low.  Sprinkle the onions with about a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of sugar.  Continue to cook and stir over low heat for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.  Make sure to stir every couple of minutes.  You want the onions to caramelize, not burn.  The onions are done when the are a beautiful dark brown and just melt in your mouth! 

Don't be afraid to get the onions really dark - much darker than in this photo!

Common Sense People!

My husband and I are fans of the ABC show "Supernanny."  We like to watch Jo-Jo go from home to home helping frustrated parents get a hold of their little monster children.  And why do we like watching this show?  Not because of the fantastic production value, or because we feel that we are taking away some great advice to incorporate in our parenting.  We watch it because it makes us feel like awesome, fantastically wonderful, superior parents. Because my husband and I have common sense.

The advice that Jo doles out on a weekly basis to these helpless folks isn't anything you need a master's degree in child developmental psychology to know.  For example, here is the advice given on the "Supernanny" web site on how to discipline your older child:

Make sure that you and your child are both aware of what has happened and be clear on why her behavior is unacceptable. 

• Don’t give a warning. Remove your child from the room and tell her in an authoritative voice that her behavior is unacceptable and that she can only come back into the room once she has apologized.
• If she comes back into the room without apologizing, don’t enter into a discussion; remove her from the room again and repeat that she can come back once she’s ready to apologize.
• Repeat this step on any subsequent attempts to re-enter the room.
• Once your child has apologized, praise her, give her a hug and let her join in the activity again.

Before you both return to the room, it’s worth trying to find out why the bad behavior occurred, or whether there’s something particularly worrying her. This might be difficult to answer, especially after you’ve just given her a telling off, so make a mental note that either you or your partner should try to talk through the incident with her at a later date.


It is common sense people!  If you give your child everything they ask for and never discipline them, why are you so surprised when they don't listen to you?  To me, these parents fell into the trap of wanting to be their child's friend.  Guess what?  You aren't their friend.  You are their parent.  Common sense.

I thought about common sense again when reading this recent article regarding the changes made to Weight Watchers Points system.  Weight Watchers is basically telling it's members to eat more whole foods and fresh fruits and veggies and less processed foods.  Um, OK.  Do we really need a whole expensive weight management program to tell us that this is the way we should be eating in order to lose weight?  Common sense! 

These are smaller examples of the lack of common sense that seems to exist today.  From our daily lives, to financial problems, to the government, it seems that everyone is looking for some sort of magic bullet as a cure all for any and all problems.  Maybe what we need is to get back to good 'old common sense.

You're Getting Toffee for Christmas

I am a baker, not a candy maker; although I would love to be able to make great candy, I usually end up trashing my efforts.  My caramels always are too hard or end up as a caramel sauce, my fudge is grainy, and forget about anything requiring dipping!  However, I can make toffee until the cows come home.  So that is why, this time of year, when I make food gifts for people, if I don't make a baked item, they get toffee.

All credit to my toffee making ability is given to this recipe.  As long as you have a candy thermometer, this is truly the easiest, no fail, best toffee recipe there ever was!  This recipe is literally about 15 minutes from start to fridge (with about 45 minutes in the fridge, you can have homemade toffee in an hour!).  It is also open to variation; use whatever nuts, dried fruits, chips, etc. you may have on hand.  I have used all kinds of nuts and fruits, peanut butter chips, cinnamon chips, pretzels, potato chips, even crackers!  Use your favorite flavors and you can't miss.

The Easiest and Best Toffee Ever

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups chocolate chips, divided (or whatever chips you want to use; white chocolate, peanut butter, a mixture, etc.)
• 1 cup nuts (again, use what you like here for add ins, any nuts, dried fruit, candy, etc.)

Spread nuts and 1 cup of the chocolate chips evenly on a lightly coated jellyroll pan, leaving about 1" of a border or so.

 Melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan; add the brown sugar and mix thoroughly.  Cook and stir on medium heat until it reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Immediately pour evenly over the nuts and chips.  Spread with a metal butter knife quickly before the toffee starts to harden.


Sprinkle the other 1 cup of chips over the top.  After about a minute or two, when it has softened, spread the chocolate with a knife.

If you like, you can sprinkle any other toppings on the toffee now, like extra nuts, fruit, etc.


Put the toffee in the refrigerator to cool.  Break into pieces to serve.

The Season of Giving

Tis' the season where everyone is looking for bargains, deals, and discounts.  But what does that really say about us and our feelings about what the holidays are about?  What if this season you decided to do something for someone else, something small that could really make a huge difference.  What if you choose to save someones life?

We always hear about the need for blood donation, and during the holiday season it is even more profound a need.  People get busy and feel they just don't have the time to donate, but the need for blood donations does not go away.

I was once in need of donated blood.  When I was 17 I had surgery  which required me to have 5 units of blood transfused during the operation.  While my surgery was not life threatening, it opened my eyes to the need for people to give blood.  After that, I became a regular at the local Red Cross and various blood donation drives.  Unfortunately, I have gotten away from giving, and have used the "I'm too busy" excuse, but this season, I am changing that.  I am giving the best gift I can this year, the fist of life.

On December 22, the Red Cross is having a blood drive at Culver's in Lakeville, MN.  I have registered to give blood that day at 12:15pm (come by and give with me!)  For everyone who donates, Culver's will give that person a coupon for a free pint of frozen custard.

You can register for the drive at www.redcrossblood.org.  If that date does not work for your schedule, please think about donating at another time.  You won't regret it!

A Life Full of Laughter

There is a line in a Daughtry song that says “All that I’m after is a life full of laughter.”  I don’t know what it is about that lyric, but the first time I heard it, it hit me right in the head.  That is exactly the kind of life I want to live; one full of love and laughter.  I want to be able stay positive, and try to see the good (or funny!) side of any obstacles that may come my way.

However, that can be a difficult task.  It is much easier to focus on the negative a lot of the time than to just go with the flow.  To stay positive in life takes some effort, but it is so worth it! 

Luckily, I have a daughter who already lives life full of laughter, and she helps me to see that at times nothing is better than a little fun and goofiness.

Thanks Maggie!

Put The Lime in the Coconut Cupcakes

What do you do when you have some limes sitting around the house and nothing to do with them?  If you are me, you start thinking of recipes!

First, I start by going through my recipes to see what I may have that uses, or can be adapted to use, limes.  When I came across my coconut almond cupcake recipe, I knew I found a winner.  What goes better together than lime and coconut!  Sounded good to me.

Instead of incorporating the limes into the cake recipe, I decided to make a lime curd, and use it as a filling for the cupcakes.  Then I made a coconut buttercream frosting for the cakes and sprinkled them with shredded sweetened coconut.  This kept the integrity of my (if I do say so myself) delish coconut cupcakes, but adds in that tangy lime flavor when you take your first bite.

Yummy!

Put The Lime in the Coconut Cupcakes

Lime Curd:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 2 eggs, beaten

Coconut Cupcakes (with thanks to Ina Garten):

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sale
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

Coconut Buttercream:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. coconut extract (can use vanilla if you don't have coconut)
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk

Make the lime curd:

Place the sugar, butter, lime juice, lime zest in the top of a double boiler; stir over medium-high heat until butter melts. Mix 2 tablespoons hot lime mixture into the eggs and stir to blend. 
Reduce heat to medium until water simmers. Slowly whisk egg mixture into the lime mixture. Cook over the double boiler until lime mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly and spoon into a clean, glass jar. Cover and refrigerate. 

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Make the frosting:

In a large bowl, cream butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add salt, coconut extract, powdered sugar, and coconut milk. Beat well.

Assemble the cupcakes:

Spoon the lime curd into a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip.  Insert the tip about halfway into the top of the cooled cupcakes and fill with about a tablespoon of the curd (the cupcake will expand a bit, but that is alright).  Frost with the buttercream and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.