~ Sugar and Spice Cookies ~

 

 

 

I made a double batch of sugar cookies yesterday.  I didn't frost them because they were made for the express purpose of having small children frost them at a party.
Let's just say they were a big hit.  There may be a few children in southern California who may have stomach aches tonight after consuming large amounts of cookie + frosting.

  I still use my original copy of the recipe from a ward (church) cook book from ... 1978.  Keep in mind that this was before personal computers and graphics programs.  Those stickers you see in the above picture were considered a classy touch.
I miss the 70's.

  The amounts in this recipe are for the double batch.  I made the dough, covered my Kitchen Aid bowl and put it in the fridge overnight.  Then I rolled out small amounts at a time (on my [floured] SilPat), continually adding fresh cold dough from the cold bowl to the scraps as I rolled out again.  If you want chewier cookies roll them thicker, crisp cookies ... thinner.

1 Cup butter-flavored shortening (1 stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla + 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt + 3 teaspoons baking powder
2 Cups sugar
4 1/2 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon milk
4 eggs, well beaten

Cream the shortening, vanilla/extract, salt and baking powder together.  Add sugar gradually.  Add beaten eggs.  Add the flour and spices, alternately with the milk.  Chill (see above), roll out on a floured surface and cut. Bake for 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I should really wear an apron.

~ Simple Apple Cake ~

                                               

My heart is getting deep into holiday mode here, so I am really trying to eke out some Autumn while I can.  I made this Apple Cake a couple of weeks ago and what with all the sewing and giveaway winning, I haven't had a chance to give this cake her due. 

I actually froze half and then thawed it (sooner than I expected I would ... and not just for myself.) It was still delicious.

3 C flour                  1 C chopped pecans
2 C sugar                 1 T vanilla extract
1 t salt                      3/4 C oil
2 T cinnamon            3 eggs, beaten
1 T baking soda       Garnish: powdered sugar
3 apples, peeled, cored and diced

Mix flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking soda in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix apples with pecans and combine with four mixture.  In a small bowl, mix vanilla, oil and eggs together; add to flour mixture.  Place in a lightly greased and floured Bundt pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until tested done.  Let cool for 10 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.  After it's cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Bake, eat, enjoy.

Enjoy this season.
                             

~ Peachy Keen ~

I hope that your Fourth of July celebration was just swell.
Or at least as peachy as mine.
I began the day by making a peach pie.  I made one last year for the Fourth so this is clearly an annual tradition.

I'm not much of a baker, but I do like making pies.  This stems from a moment barely 3 months into married life where I took a pumpkin pie to my family's Thanksgiving celebration ... with a 1/4" thick crust.  Picture it this way ... it's as if the pumpkin filling was sitting on a layer of Lorna Doones.
I vowed on that day that I would learn how to make a decent pie crust ... and I did.

Years later, after I had perfected my crust ... but before I had a graphics program on my computer ... I passed out this recipe at a Church get together.  By way of explaination:
Shortening = Crisco's Butter Flavored Shortening
Putting the prepared/unbaked crust filled pie plate into the freezer first, sucks some of the moisture out of it (that's what a "self-defrosting" freezer does) and thereby makes it flakier.

Here is my completed peach pie.  I got the filling recipe from Cooks.com. 

Flaky ... and Patriotic.
A winning combo, indeed.

I saw these Sailboat Deviled Eggs at Completely Coastal  and made them for our celebration. I think deviled eggs are always nummy.
These were Nummy ... and Nautical.

Here's my latest project on the design wall. Stay Tuned.

Did I mention that we watched the fireworks here in SoCal with sweatshirts on?  I actually saw a woman walk by in a down coat.  That was not necessary ... but it was chilly.
I watched with a five-year old on my lap and felt warm and cozy. Since the majority of the firework's shows I have attended were in 100+ degree temps, I am not complaining at all.

Do tell ... how was your celebration??

~ Eggs-Quisite ~

I am still giddy from the Easter weekend ... and that it why you must forgive the title of my post. 

I loved setting the table with pretty Spring pastel ... melamine.  All of my china is blue and white, but I have begun a collection of inexpensive melamine to add some variety.  I just started pulling linens out of my armoire to see who played well together ... and they did!

I brought in my new pot from the front porch and put an azalea in it that I plan to re-pot and put back onto the front porch.

This is my favorite color of Pink.   

These are my favorite flavors of jelly beans.  Starburst.  And yes, the beans/stars were removed from the table before dinner so as to not provide an appetizer for the little ones.

After dinner?  Egg dying of course.  

My grandson was initially ecstatic about this egg.  Don't you love that turquoise plaid?
And that smile? 

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was making this lemon creme pie.  I really enjoy making pie.  I made it on Saturday ...

 ... and we ate it on Sunday.

And Monday.

Here's the recipe that I got off of Cooks.com.  I have tried a lot of different lemon pie recipes and this one is my favorite.  Usually I do meringue on top, but I opted for whipped cream this time.  All right ... Cool Whip.  Trust me, no one complained.

* 9-inch baked pie shell (I always make my own, but you don't have to.)
* 1/3 C + 1 Tbsp cornstarch
* 1 1/2 C sugar
* 1/2 C lemon juice
* 1 Tbsp grated lemon rind
* 3 eggs, separated
* 1 1/2 C water
* 3 Tbsp butter

Combine cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and rind.  Beat egg yolks.  Add to cornstarch mixture.  Gradually add water.  Heat to boiling over direct heat and gently boil 4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Stir in butter.  Pour into pie shell.  Add meringue.

Meringue: Beat egg white until stiff buy not too dry.  Gradually beat in 6 tablespoons sugar.  Spread meringue over top of pie, carefully sealing in all the filling Bake at 425 degrees for 4 to 5 minutes or until light brown.  Serve cold.

I hope your Easter was Joyful.
Eggs-Actly!

I'm SO proud that my little pie was featured at The Southern Insititute ... my Creative Me! Monday link.


Linking to:
Creative Me!
Masterpiece Monday
The Girl Creative
Tuesday's Treasures
Country Momma Cooks

~ All Shapes and Sizes ~

I don't consider myself a big cook and especially not a baker. However ... about 3 years ago I went to a class at church where I learned to make bread in one hour -- start to finish. No fooling. I learned it from these ladies at Pantry Secrets and have made (most) of my own bread ever since then. At that point I also started using some of the wheat I had canned in 1998 (yes, that's true) and got a wheat grinder. I stopped short of wearing Birkenstocks.

I never make the bread using all whole wheat and when I am feeling particularly naughty, I make it just with the white flour. Most of the time there is some odd mathematical equation involved. These loaves were about 1 part wheat to 3 parts white.

I wanted to make cinnamon bread as gifts for friends so I rolled out the dough and brushed it with butter and cinnamon/sugar.

I found that shaping the loaves was a tad harder this way than when it goes straight from Kitchenaid to loaf pan.

They only have to rise less than one half hour. Seriously.

Please try and get over the fact that one of the loaves has shaping ... issues. I too have shaping issues and so I am trying my hardest not to be critical of my mis-shapen loaf.

It still tastes really good ... trust me. And clearly I cannot give away the weird looking one so I guess it will be cinnamon toast for breakfast for me.

I am getting really excited for Christmas.

And you?

Linking to Open House Thursdays
Linking to Feathered Nest Fridays
Linking to Common Ground
Linking to Charm of Home

~ Autumnal ~

Fall can sometimes be a hard season for me ... you know ... decoratively.  I've just never been an orange and brown kind of gal.  But this fall ... my first since moving to a slightly more fall-ish kind of enviornment ... I have tried to give it my all.  Mixed with a little blue, of course. So, I am good to go for Feathered Nest Friday.

I have spruced up my dining room table to reflect the season.  I love this ceramic pumpkin which always looks like an oil painting to me in pictures.

 I gathered some actual fall leaves from the front of my house.  Seriously, none of those leaves have ever seen the insides of a Michaels.  True story.

 I made some actual pumpkin bread in my very own, honest-to-goodness, oven.  With some orange juice in the recipe.  Yum.

And now all I can think about is this:

We now have less than two months until Christmas. So I decorated for that (emotion) also.

Tell the truth ... you are starting to think about Christmas decorations, aren't you??

~ Sugar by the Sea Shore ~

These incredible coastal cookies were made by Glory over at Glorious Treats. I. Am. In. Awe. This is partly to do with the fact that I attempted to add this particular skill to my repertoire once, and found it to be much harder than I expected. I am not saying that I have completely given up on mastering this talent, but I am saying my time could possibly be better spent perusing Glory's blog.

I have always loved the look of artistically iced cookies. I have always loved sea shells. Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon these two loves in one beautiful, delicious package.

Thank you Glory for the sugary, shell-y fix. I will be back for more.