Brown Sugar Spritz

I mentioned earlier that one of my goals for this year is to rewrite my personal cookbook. I put it together for Christmas gifts decades ago and gave one to all my family and friends who cook. Of course, for years I’ve heard several complaints about how I didn’t give the complainant THEIR copy of the book. I did. It’s blue. And small. Look again. Nonetheless, there has been a small but consistent demand for a reprint.

This time, I’m going to do it up right…with photos and everything! Like this one, for instance.

I’m busy sorting through and retyping everything, and it occurred to me….this thing is just full of sweets! To read my cookbook, you’d think it was always Dessert Time at my house. Well, admittedly, I do have a sweet tooth. However, when I prepare protein and vegetables, I keep it pretty simple. They’re either grilled, roasted or sauteed with garlic and onion. The sort of thing you’re not tempted to document in a cookbook. At least, I’m not!

So, that’s all I’m going to say about the preponderance of sweets. It is what it is. Here’s the first installment.

I love brown sugar. Everything’s better made with brown sugar. And a good spritz cookie can’t be beat. So buttery and tender! Yummmmm! These little morsels are just what you need with that morning tea.

Brown Sugar Spritz Cookies

1 Cup Butter, Softened
1 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed
3 Egg Yolks
¼ Cup Cream (Milk’s OK…but Cream’s better)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

In large bowl of mixer, cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg yolks, cream and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Mix baking powder into flour in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and stir until blended. If dough seems too soft, chill. Place dough in cookie press and press into shapes on ungreased cool cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden. Makes about 90 cookies. If you don’t have a cookie press, roll into balls and flatten as for peanut butter cookies…or roll into a log, chill and slice crosswise into discs before baking.

I hope you get to try these. Let me know what you think!

Sundance

This morning started pretty dismally. It was my daughter’s first day of work this week – the first since the storm hit. She knew it would be difficult scraping off all the ice. What she hadn’t planned on was the difficulty of getting INTO the car in the first place. All the doors were encased in ice, making them dang near impossible to open. Finally, with the judicial application of warm water, hair dryers and force, the passenger side gave up, and she was able to start the car. (This was all occurring in the dark pre-dawn hours.) After a while, we were able to scrape out peep holes, and she took off on the 45-minute trek into work. 40 minutes later, she called and advised me that she had FORGOTTEN HER ID!!!! So, she had to come back!

I hope that hasn’t set the tone for the day. I, too, have to go into work in a bit. Then, we’ve got handbell rehearsal this evening. I do NOT want to be out after dark, but what do you do? The music must go on.

Anyway, I couldn’t resist the sunlight dancing on the frozen branches this morning. There is beauty here. I just wish I had the option of sitting and watching it all day long.

Coming Back to Life

I thought I’d start with the cliche photo of this week’s winter storms – as experienced in the Mississippi Delta. It may not look like much to you, but to us, this is major!

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted with any regularity. Truth is, life was kind of a challenge for a while, and rather than whine about it, I just turned inward and got really quiet. It’s pretty much how I handle stress in my real world, too.

So, what’s been going on? Quite a lot, actually. I’ll just touch on the highlights.

About this time last year, my daughter began to recover from a long-standing illness. It was a devastating condition that – I feared – was going to take her life. The problem, as it turned out, was that she really wasn’t sick. She was merely suffering from an extreme reaction to a drug the doctors had been giving her – to relieve a relatively minor problem. For something like four years, they tested and prodded and poked and watched as she spiraled ever downward. It apparently never occurred to any of the doctors at the umpteen Navy hospitals and three VA hospitals to review the known side effects of the medications prescribed for her. Finally, in desperation, she began to do her own research. That was when she ran across the class action suit centered on the drug she was taking…and recognized her symptoms immediately. A few weeks after weaning herself off the medication, it was apparent she had discovered the root of the problem.

Once she was better and strong again, she had to make some decisions about her life. Going back into the Navy seemed the thing to do. But, she preferred to be an officer this time around. So, she enrolled in college and applied for Officer Candidate School under the program that provides financial support to the student while finishing school. It’s a highly competitive, much sought-after slot. She was accepted! We were over the moon! That didn’t last long. The physical proved her undoing. The doctors just couldn’t get past the fact that she had been on disability. Never mind that it was a disability caused by the doctors she had seen. Her career as a Navy officer simply wasn’t going to happen.

So, she applied to go back in as an enlisted person – a right granted her under the terms of the temporary disability program. Same dang thing happened! The doctors kept pronouncing her unfit, based on her “disability.” All this took months…and months. It was up – then down. Worry replaced worry. Forms were filled out. Waivers requested. It was a classic roller coaster ride. Then, the Navy went silent.

During this frustrating silence, she decided to apply for a job she ran across online. Maintenance planner for a regional airline. (Her degree will be in aeronautics management.) They like her! She got the job! She’s been working for them nearly a month now and is loving it. Soon she will move into her own apartment. Suddenly, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. Mama is happy and relieved.

Some people criticize me for being “too close” to my daughter. I don’t understand that attitude. She will forever be a part of me. When she’s not happy…I’m not happy. When life is good for her, I share that, too. We’ve both been through a lot these last several years. A failed marriage and significant health issues for her. The loss of a decades-long job for me. And then we moved halfway across the country and started new lives. I never would have imagined I would experience this much change at this stage of my life. Isn’t this the place where things slow down? I think I missed that boat!

Also during this year of ups and downs, I dealt with the emotional stress of living through the transition of a relationship, as it went from friendship to crush to love. As the poets know, these things never go smoothly. It was two steps forward, one step backward at several points during the year. We still have some issues, but who doesn’t? We have settled into something that is comfortable and fits us well. I’m so thankful to have a kind, loving man in my life. He’s another of those late life surprises.

Through all of this, I continue to work way too hard. My extended family members struggle with issues of their own, which affects our lives as well. In other words…life goes on.

My primary New Year’s resolution was to rewrite my personal cookbook. The first edition was completed when my daughter was a baby! It’s time. I’ll be bringing some of those recipes here as I work through them.

Right now, however, I feel the cold creeping in. I’m so thankful neither of us has any obligations that will take us out on those slick streets today! It’s time to throw another log on the fire and pour another cup of tea. I hope your Saturday is full of warm comforts, too.

Making Ourselves Useful

Life continues to be unsettled and semi-sucky, so I’m not going to talk about things in general. But, I can report that we’ve been making ourselves useful. Well, this weekend, at least. We volunteered for a massive humanitarian effort coordinated by our church. We worked through Stop Hunger Now, a nonprofit that provides food for people in developing countries. The results of our efforts are destined for Haiti.

My daughter and I have a bit of connection to Haiti. She participated in a missionary trip there when she was in high school. My connection was somewhat shady, but it involved getting needed medical supplies to some desperate doctors during the 1990s embargo. Humanitarian supplies were supposed to get through, but…I guess the black market took care of THAT! Anyway….

This weekend we and 800 or so members of our diocese showed up to package bulk grains, dried veggies and vitamin supplements into meal packets. My daughter and I worked the weighing/sealing line. Here we are…ready to go!

The effort was incredibly well organized, down to the smallest detail. Before we knew it, we saw completed meals leaving by the pallet-load. Here’s a picture of the same group, immersed in their work!

It was fun, but it was hard work. After a few hours, we welcomed the news that the supply of bags was dwindling. We could smell success!

We were done by 3:30 – a half-hour sooner than we expected. They announced at church yesterday that we packaged 142,000 meals on Saturday! Is that amazing, or what? We’re ready to do it again!

Yet Another Form of Madness!

Life’s been more off-kilter than usual these last few weeks. There has been life-changing “stuff” going on – some of it good…some of it not so good. The most important issues are still unresolved, so I’ve been avoiding discussing what’s going on. I’ll continue to take that approach until things feel a little more settled.

In the meantime, I’m resurrecting an old hobby. Machine embroidery. It combines several of my loves – art, needlework and computer graphics. Designs are created/tweaked using specialized software. They are then transferred to an embroidery machine – in my case via a card – and the design is stitched onto an article of clothing, bag or what-have-you. The feathers are a close-up of my latest embroidered project. Here’s the entire shirt, to give you a feeling for scale.

Here’s another design I worked up on Friday night. It’s done on the front of a tuxedo shirt. I’ve always loved tuxedo shirts and especially like them all duded up with various kinds of embellishments. I think it’s a Texas thing.

And, again…the whole shirt front.

I’ll be madly pursuing this diversion until something else captures my imagination. And it always does. I think I need professional help.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake!

Now, that’s what I’m talking about! Chocolate cake. With caramel. And salt! You either hate it or love it. In my family, we love it. At least most of us do. We do have some haters in the crowd, however!

My sister saw just such a cake at a Chattanooga bakery shortly after she moved to that city. She asked the clerk behind the counter to tell her about the cake. The woman responded, “I could talk about that cake alllllll day long!”

It’s deep chocolate layers, with silky dark chocolate ganache between each layer (and on the top and sides). On top of each layer of ganache is a layer of caramel, which is dusted with fleur de sel. We both agreed that it was a to-die-for concoction, and I began to look for the recipe. It didn’t take long to turn it up. It was featured on the Bon Appetit website.

The cake in the photo is a half-recipe, baked in an 8-inch pan. When I made a full recipe, I baked three 8-inch layers, rather than slicing and dicing two, as the recipe directs. I modified the recipe in other ways, too:

I knew I wanted to pipe the ganache, but as directed…it was just too thin. So, I kept adding more melted bittersweet chocolate. I ended up adding 1/3 again as much chocolate – and had way too much ganache. The flavor was pretty good, though. Next time, I’ll use half bittersweet and half semisweet – and reduce the cream by 1/3. That should do the trick.

I thought the caramel was too runny. On the bakery cake, it stays put when the cake is sliced. As you can see, it runs when sliced on my cake. Next time, I will eliminate the 1/4 cup of sour cream called for in the recipe. That might do the trick. If not, I’ll cut back a bit more on the cream.

The layers took a bit longer to bake than anticipated – 35 minutes to be exact. The first time I tested one, it was nowhere near ready and deflated a bit. So, be forewarned about that!

The Bon Appetit cake included sliced almonds on the side. Our bakery cake doesn’t have almonds on it, so mine didn’t either. My chief recipe tester thinks salted peanuts would be good on the side. Might try that sometime!

All in all, this is a great cake. People literally licked the platter clean when I took it into work. If you like salty and sweet together, you will love it!

For Cathy

Cathy of Noble Pig wondered if my new cake pan would release the cake cleanly. I’m reporting back in with a resounding “YES!” The pan has a nonstick coating of some sort (not exactly Teflon). I added a smear of Crisco and then dusted with cocoa powder. The cake almost fell out of the pan. The edges are sharp and crisp. Couldn’t be better.

Based on the test cupcakes I baked along with the bundt cake, I’m not going to be crazy about this recipe. It’s just not very chocolatey. (It’s the chocolate poundcake recipe from Warren Brown’s book, CakeLove.) So, I figured a little window dressing was in order. There’s nothing that a little ganache and toasted hazlenuts can’t fix!

Next time I use this pan, I’ll opt for something that can go un-embellished – so the beautiful design can shine through.

This should be a big hit at the office in the morning!

Still Alive….

I have been distracted – a good kind of distraction – for a couple of weeks and thought I’d just do a quick catch-up post.

As you might deduct from the photo above, we spent the Labor Day weekend in Chattanooga. We didn’t do a lot – and for me, that’s good sometimes. We ate out one night – at a local brewery. Good beer – edible food. It was next door to the ChooChoo, which we did NOT explore, because it looked like there was an admission fee, and I wasn’t that interested. Other than that, we shopped a little (spent WAY too much money on things I didn’t really need), hiked a little, cooked a little and did a lot of visiting with my sister. The perfect weekend, actually!

I’m still in a baking/cooking mode. I didn’t do anything for MmmmMonday this week, due to the holiday, but next week there will be chocolate poundcake. All done up in a brand new whiz-bang bundt pan. Is it just me, or is this a to-die-for pan? I had to have it.

It’s from Williams Sonoma. And the thing is, their website says it’s “Internet Only.” I loved the look of it, so I plunked down cash for the pan and shipping…only to discover last night that our local Williams Sonoma has the same dang pan! Rats! I could have saved all that shipping cost! Oh well…it’ll be a big hit.

The following week’s MmmmMonday (there’s nothing like planning ahead) will be a chocolate cake with salted caramel and ganache. My sister has been buying such a cake from a Chattanooga bakery for several months…and I think I found the recipe. We’ll soon know.

Tuesday was the first day of single ticket sales for our venue. It had been subscriptions-only up until that point. We have several “hot” shows this year, so business has been brisk. It feels good to hear those phones ring so steadily!

And, finally…tonight a few of us are going to The Sound of Music at one of the local theaters. My boss is in it, so we’re especially excited. But, for me, the best part is I get to go with the Object of My Affection. Those of you who have been reading for a while know I’ve had a “thing” for a coworker since back in the winter. Well…turns out he likes me, too. Sometimes I feel like a preteen – and that includes both the ups and downs and all the emotional turmoil that comes with it. The reality is dating in ones sixties is…well…unique…but it’s good. I’m happy.

So, that’s it from the Memphis Outpost of the Girls From Texas.

It’s a beautiful day. I wish the same for you, wherever you are.

You MUST taste this!

I never would have believed it! Had you told me a month ago that I would forsake my long-time love, i.e., Key Lime Pie, for a new kid on the block, I would have said you were crazy! But, it’s true. I have found a new love. And it is GOOD!

Meet Dorie Greenspan’s Creamiest Lime Cream pie -er, uh – tartletts. The filling for the tartletts is the silkiest, smoothest, tastiest stuff you can imagine. In addition to oddles of fresh squeezed lime juice and grated lime zest, it’s got a chunk of fresh ginger which gives the best little kick to the final product. If you don’t have Dorie’s book (you really should get it – it’s wonderful) you can find the recipe here: http://tendercrumb.blogspot.com/2009/08/creamiest-lime-cream-meringue-pie-twd.html

I followed the recipe to the last detail, and I recommend you do, too. My filling came out perfect, but several people had difficulty with it. I didn’t cut any corners or make any substitutions. I made the tart shells using the cream cheese crust from my Piroshkies recipe (two posts below) – tripled. Aren’t they pretty?

I cooked the filling in a double boiler made with a saucepan and a stainless steel mixing bowl. I cooked it over gently boiling water, not simmering water, as the recipe states. I whisked aggressively and constantly. It worked. And don’t skimp on the butter. Yes, it really does take 2.5 sticks of butter. I tasted it at several points during the cooling/finishing process and truly wasn’t satisfied until the last bit of butter had been incorporated. These are absolutely wonderful, even without the whipped cream or meringue topping – so add it or not…as you wish.

I may never make Key Lime Pie again. I wonder what I’m going to do with all of that sweetened condensed milk in my pantry!

Applesauce Spice Bars

This is the first Tuesdays With Dorie recipe I’ve done. It’s a week late, but…better late than never. Actually, lagging behind a week is a good thing. I’ve had time to read everyone else’s comments and adjust accordingly. I suspected I would want to double the glaze amounts, since so many people complained about not having enough. I was right. Double the glaze, if you make these – especially if you make them in a 9 X 12 pan as suggested. I made mine in a 7 X 11 pan, since I wanted them to be more cakelike. Because my bars were thicker, I increased the baking time by 5 minutes. I should have made that 10 minutes. While they are absolutely scrumptious, they were a little on the moist side for me (although they did TEST done). But the flavor! Did I mention that they are scrumptious?

A few notes: The recipe calls for light brown sugar. I had dark brown. That made for a very intensely caramel topping, which I like…but not everyone is a caramel nut like me. Choose your sugar accordingly. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of brandy, applejack or rum. Since I make my own vanilla out of bourbon and vanilla beans, I chose to substitute an equal amount of my bourbon vanilla. That was a very good choice! I did not pour the glaze on the hot bars. Too many people complained about the glaze sinking in too much. So, I let both the bars and the glaze come to room temperature first. I like the way that worked out!

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s done in a saucepan and is started on the burner. Once things are melted together, the dry ingredients are stirred in by hand off the heat. No mixer needed.

I highly recommend buying Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. But, if you’re just itching to give these a try right now, here’s a link to the recipe.

These are so delicious, even my skinny, carb-hating daughter had good things to say about them. Give ‘em a try. You’ll love them!

Issues. I’ve got issues.

I’ve been a little bored with life lately. Same ol’ same ol’. Y’know what I mean? I guess most people get there now and then. Dealing with this frustration has led me to want to do more cooking. Or, more specifically, more baking. I love to bake. I love to eat baked goods. That’s primarily why I have 40 more pounds to lose!

So, last week I made the prune pastries outlined below. Sunday I made a wonderful pound cake from Warren Brown’s cookbook, Cakelove. You may remember Warren from the Food Network’s show, “Sugar Rush.” He was in the process of opening his Silver Spring (MD) store just a block from my old office about the time I was moving to Tennessee. I never got to try his goodies, and probably because of that, his work has always intrigued me. The cake was a little fiddly to make – but totally worth it.

And, I’ve been cruising the Tuesdays With Dorie participating bakers’ sites. I don’t want to be an official TWD baker. There are some pretty intense membership requirements, and I’m not sure I can keep up. But, I ordered the book, and I may just follow along and be a lurker-type TWD baker. That works for me.

I’m still planning to resurrect my old recipes from the previously mentioned cookbook. I’m actually thinking of redoing it – with photos this time – and redistributing it to relatives (who claim I never gave them a copy in the first place) and new friends. I am NOT, however, planning to cook my way through “Mastering The Art of French Cooking.” I did see “Julie and Julia” on Sunday, and now I want to make wonderful French dinners. Not so much the aspic thing, though.

While thinking about all this, I suddenly realized that I could easily turn into a food blogger. I’m not sure I really want to do that, because I have nothing innovative or particularly original to contribute. But, then again, a lot of food blogs consist of the writer’s personal experience with TWD or the Baker’s Apprentice or a similar “cook-along” approach. Some of those bloggers include nothing else but those group efforts. So, maybe I’m not much different from other people. Maybe I’ll do this cooking stuff while it still interests me – and then move on to something else when it doesn’t.

Oh, and then there are the feet. Now, THAT’s a real issue. I walk four miles several times a week. I’m addicted. Four miles isn’t a terribly long trek. But, you’d think I had asked my feet to walk across the whole dang country! They are rebelling. Fighting me every step of the way. I had to skip the entire week a while back. I hated that! I’m almost back to that point this morning. I have a friend who is a podiatrist. Must…go…see…Paul! Plus, I need to get myself over to the running shoe store and see what they can do for me. The pain is serious and getting seriouser.

In order keep some level of exercise going, I am planning to drop over to the health club, which is RIGHT NEXT DOOR to my office and get the grand tour. Hopefully after work today. Y’see…I get a free membership in said health club, and I have never used it. Except for maybe three times when I walked the track on a rainy day. But, the other stuff….nope. I’m an idiot sometimes.

And, oh yeah….my hair is fried. Totally fried. I’ve been coloring my hair for over 30 years. Blonding it for the last 15. I’ve been using L’Oreal Preference, for the most part. The color’s nice, and my hair usually feels even better after coloring it. For some unexplainable reason, I decided to try L’Oreal’s Feria color this time. BIG mistake. Huge! That stuff is evil! I can hardly get a brush through my hair. It is all crackly and hard. I’m UPset! So, as soon as possible, I’m getting in to see my hairdresser and will start snipping off the burnt stuff, a half-inch at a time. Grrrrr!

With all this stuff whirling around in my brain, I’m wondering why I think I’m bored. ??? I think it’s just that I’d rather think about fun stuff – like unicorns and rainbows.

Nah!

I’ll just sort through things, one at a time. And eat.

Private Stock – Piroshkies

Maybe twenty or more years ago I assembled a cookbook that contained my favorite recipes. I called it “Private Stock.” Somehow, over the years, I’ve strayed from cooking a lot of the tried and true favorites in the book. I realized that my daughter probably hadn’t even tasted some of my best treats. So, I decided to start cooking my way through my own cookbook once again. Today’s post is the first of those trips down memory lane.

My high school Russian teacher gave me this recipe in 1966. I thought these little morsels were the most delicious things I had ever popped in my mouth. They immediately became a family favorite. They are a type of piroshki. When I gave the recipe to my aunt, I wrote the name across the top of the recipe card in Russian. She thought the strange letters looked like they spelled “Tuppawok.” So, on that side of the family, that’s what they’re called. Tuppawoks. You’ll call them scrumptious!

Before I get into the recipe, please know that I totally understand that my food photography leaves a lot to be desired. I get so busy and absorbed, I forget to take photos…and a lot of steps get left out. I promise to get better at this!

Anyway….

The day before…or at least six hours before…make the crust:

6 Ounces Cream Cheese
2 Sticks Unsalted Butter
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Cream the cream cheese and butter until light. Stir in the flour and salt until evenly mixed with the cream cheese and butter. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least six hours – overnight, preferably.

For the Filling:

1 1/2 Cups Pitted Prunes
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
Grated zest of 1 Lemon
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Walnuts
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoons Prune Juice (I use the water from cooking the prunes)

Cover the prunes with water and simmer until tender. Drain, reserving a bit of the cooking water to add to the filling ingredients. Chop the prunes and combine with all other ingredients. Cover and cool to room temperature. It is OK to refrigerate the filling. Using it cold is not a problem.

When ready to assemble….

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove a small portion of dough and return the rest to the fridge. This dough needs to be cold, or it’s difficult to handle. Roll out quite thin – 1/16 of an inch isn’t too thin – on a lightly floured surface. I like to do this on waxed paper for even more stick-proofing.

Cut the dough into squares or rounds. Place a small amount of filling in the center of each dough cut-out. (I was a little too generous with the filling in this photo – they’re easier to fold with just a tad less in ‘em.) Bring the edges together and crimp with a fork. Place the sealed pastries on an ungreased cookie sheet. They don’t spread, so you can put them fairly close. Pop into the preheated oven for 16 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Place on racks to cool. While still warm, dust with powdered sugar.

Helpful Hint: Don’t tell anybody what’s in these goodies until after they have said, “Ummmmm…yummy!” People are weird about prunes, but once they admit how delicious they are…there’s no turning back.

Try ‘em. I know you’ll love ‘em.