Mini Winter Gingerbread Houses...though not made with gingerbread

I saw a very cute 3-D gingerbread house cookie cutter (link) and thought that would be a fun project to do with my mom at home over the holidays - with my mom being the better cookie decorator than me by far!!  We tried out a new recipe for gingerbread that was a complete failure, but fortunately my mom had some sugar cookie dough in the freezer.  So, instead of mini gingerbread houses, it's mini sugar cookie houses.  Cute results, regardless of the dough flavor, I think. 

 

Like most decorated cookies, the first step is to flood the cookie with the base color, and let it dry.  The decorations were created by piping on various colors of royal icing or attaching sprinkles and other accessories while the flooded areas were still wet.  The gingerbread men were conveniently leftover from another project my mom did for the holidays, but aside from being time consuming, they are not that hard to make.  Take the gingerbread man stencil below and create an array on a sheet of paper using document software (most likely MS Word).  Print it out, then lay a sheet of parchment paper over it, tack it down with tape, and trace the gingerbread man with piped royal icing.  Let it dry and add the gingerbread man details with more piped on icing.  The candy canes were piped directly on the sides of the houses, allowed to dry, then striped using a red edible ink pen.  As you can see in the photo below, the lollipops were created by piping on the base color, letting it dry a little, then using a very fine tipped (#1) piping bag of white icing to create the swirl.

The roofs of the houses were flooded in white and sprinkled with a mix of white sanding sugar and iridescent edible glitter while wet.  We also added some more piped white icing to clean up all the joints.  The bases were cut using a scalloped square cookie cutter and flooded with white.  The last stage was adding the drifts of snow to the sides of the house and dusting with sanding sugar.

Read More

Gingerbread Winter Trees

Here is a very simple decorated cookie for you to try!!  Make some gingerbread tree cutouts and get ready to wow the crowd.  First, you will need to get some iridescent edible glitter (try Michaels).  Flood the tree in white royal icing.  If you aren't sure what I mean by flooding, then read about the 20 second icing Sweet Sugar Belle makes - thick enough to hold a shape, easy to fill.  While the frosting is wet, subtly dust with the edible glitter.  Allow to dry a couple of hours.  Use a piping icing (again, see Sweet Sugar Belle for instructions) died brown, pipe a tree trunk.  Allow that line to dry (maybe 10 minutes), then pipe on white "branches" using a curly mustache shape, and don't forget to fill in the white tree stand.  Add white dots as well.  The final step is the red bird, should you choose to add it for a pop of color.

Read More

Christmas Reindeer Cookies

I haven't made any major batches of holiday themed cookies this year, so I thought it was time to get baking this week!  I was inspired by a recent guest post on Sweet Sugar Belle's cookie decorating site written by Cookies with Character.  Her cookies are definitely cuter with the little birds and the larger eyes, but I think I pretty much captured the essence of the look.  These cookies were done in several stages, starting with the brown piping and flood.  Once dry, the nose was added, along with the painted pink ears and the brown hair detail.  The final step was the snow with sanding sugar crystals on top.  Cute, right??  The cookie is a simple butter cookie recipe cut into gingerbread men (though gingerbread women may work a little better).

Read More

Winter Dinner Add-Ons: Caramel Apple Bread Pudding and Butternut Squash Gratin

While I love cooking classes, I love free stuff with a class even more!  My preference is to browse the Sur la Table class schedule to find upcoming giveaways and, of course, make sure I like the planned menu.  The menu for the Winter Classics class was french onion soup, braised chicken with mushrooms and red wine, butternut squash gratin with ricotta and hazelnuts, and apple bread pudding with salted caramel sauce.  All four are winners in my book, so I was even happier to learn that we would receive a set of two Le Creuset Mini Cocottes as a bonus!  I opted for a sunny yellow pair - a perfect pop of color on a dinner table.  More importantly, I want to share with you my two favorite recipes from the night: the bread pudding and the gratin.  Yum!

Apple Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce                       

(8 servings)

Ingredients
6 large eggs
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla paste
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp apple brandy (e.g. Calvados)
1 loaf bread (1 pound - suggest white or challah) cut into 3/4-1 inch cubes
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

3 large green apples (e.g. Granny Smith) peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Salted Caramel Sauce
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 Tbsp water
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 Tbsp sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
2. Generously butter 8 ramekins or Le Creuset Mini Cocottes (or a 9x5 inch baking pan with about 3 inch sides)
3. In a large bowl, whisk to combine eggs, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
4. Add the milk, cream, and brandy and whisk until well combined.
5. Using a silicone spatula, stir in the bread cubes and press down until submerged into the custard
6. To prepare the apples: in a medium bowl, toss the apple slices with the cinnamon and sugar until they are evenly coated
7. Place butter into a nonstick skillet and place on the stove over moderate heat
8. When the butter has melted, swirl the pan to coat it with the melted butter and increase the stove temperature to high
9. Add the apple slices and cook, without stirring, until tender, about 2 minutes.  Gently toss the apples and cook until the apples are golden brown and cooked through yet hold their shape, approximately 5 minutes.
10. To assemble the pudding: Mix half the apple mixture into the custard mixture.  Divide the bread mixture evenly into the ramekins then arrange the remaining apple slices decoratively on top.  Spoon any remaining skillet juices over the apple slices
11. Place the ramekins onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake until puffed and an instant read thermometer reads 170 to 180 degrees, about 20-25 minutes.
12. To make the caramel sauce: While the pudding is cooking, in a medium saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons of water and place on the stove over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Bring the saucepan to a boil, swirling the pan occasionally, and cook until the mixture turns a deep amber color (about 8 minutes).  Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cream slowly, in stages.  Cook over medium heat and stir in the butter and salt.

Butternut Squash Gratin with Ricotta and Hazelnuts 

(4 servings)

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable broth, low sodium
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 tsp minced thyme
2 tsp lemon zest
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced about 1/8" thick
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup fresh ricotta
1/3 cup toasted and coarsely chopped hazelnuts

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in the center
2. In a small saucepan, combine the broth, cream, and bay leaf and place on the stove over a moderate heat to simmer
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside for the flavors to infuse
4. Place a medium skillet on the stove over medium heat and add the oil.  When shimmering, add the onions and cook, stirring often until tender, about 8 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute
6. Stir in the thyme, lemon zest, and the cream mixture - remove the bay leaf and throw away!!
7. Coat a 11 x 17 inch (2 quart) gratin dish with butter and spread half the butternut squash onto the bottom of the dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dot with the cheese.
8. Pour half the onion cream mixture over the squash and smooth over with a silicone spatula.
9. Repeat layering the squash, cheese, and cream mixture
10. Bake in the oven until the squash is tender, approximately 25 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts

Read More

D.C. Craft Breweries - Port City and DC Brau

This weekend some friends and I finally got out to tour some of the local craft breweries in the Washington D.C. area.  If you live in the region and have family coming in for the holidays, you should consider making a visit - a great reason to get you all out of the house.  Both breweries are staffed by the friendliest people, and the tasting room atmosphere was relaxed and fun.

DC Brau 

This is the first brewery to operate in Washington DC in over 56 years, after the last brewery closed in 1956.  Strongly believing in operating locally, a lot of their ingredients are sourced from farms in Virginia and Maryland, and expended grain from the brewing process is sent back to farms for livestock feed.  Lucky cows!  Their beers are tasty and have perfect political and DC references in their names, further embracing the city.  A free tour on Saturday afternoons includes four 4 oz. tastings of whatever was on tap that day.

Port City Brewing in Alexandria, Virginia

I can't believe it took me so long to take a tour of Port City, since it's just down the street from me.  The tasting room is very large and has two pouring bars plus several tables that encourage people to stay a while to enjoy the beer and conversation.  What's that you say?  Conversation??  The tours - held in the evening on Thursdays and Fridays, afternoon and early evening on Saturdays, and afternoon on Sundays - cost $9, include six 6 oz. tastings, and may get a bit on the corny side depending on the tour guide, but they are still informative and you can't fault someone for passion and enthusiasm. Oh and the beers are great, which is most important, right?

Read More

Meringue Christmas Trees

I am really proud of these meringue trees because I, humbly, admit that I did NOT get them right the first time.  In fact, they were put directly in the trash, and it took me a week to build up the courage to try again, after a little bit of internet research on why my first batch were "leaking."  What I discovered was that I may have added the sugar too quickly to the eggs, so this round I paced myself.  And voila!

These meringue Christmas trees were originally inspired by Raspberri Cupcake's recent Instagram post.  I didn't use her recipe, though, opting for a more traditional meringue that uses cream of tartar as a stabilizer.  Once the meringue is prepared, it's super simple to pipe these trees on some silpat or parchment paper, using a star tip, and bake them up!

Christmas Meringue Trees

Ingredients

3 large egg whites (or 3 oz.) at room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup (or 150 grams) of very fine granulated or castor sugar (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Star shaped sprinkles

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F
2. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat
3. Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment until foamy, on low-medium speed
4. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating the egg whites at medium-high speed until soft peaks form
5. Start to slowly add the sugar in, a small part at a time, and beat the eggs and sugar until very stiff peaks form and all of the sugar is dissolved (test by taking a bit of the mixture between your fingers and making sure it doesn't feel gritty)
6. Beat in the vanilla
7. Add the green food coloring gel to get the desired color
8. Prepare a piping bag with a star tip, and fill with the meringue
9. Pipe spiral trees on the cookie sheets and top with a sprinkle star
10. Place in the oven for 45 minutes - DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!!
11. Rotate the baking sheets and bake for another 45-60 minutes.
12. Turn the oven off and test to see if the meringues pull easily off of the baking sheet, keeping them in the oven with the door slightly open.
13. Allow the meringues to dry in the oven for a few hours

Note: If you don't have fine sugar or castor sugar, you can make it yourself by putting granulated sugar in a food processor and processing it for 60 seconds.  I like buying it for the convenience.  You can order it from Amazon, if you want super convenience.  This kind of sugar is great because it dissolves a lot quicker.  With meringue, I learned, that if the sugar is not fully dissolved into the egg whites, then it will bubble out of the meringue while cooking and create this mess that ruins the look of the trees.

Read More

The Best Dinner Rolls Ever!

 

I look forward to eating these rolls every holiday season - starting with Thanksgiving and ending with Christmas dinner leftovers.  These are overnight rolls baked from scratch, so it's a commitment.  And it can be extremely frustrating when you wake up and the yeast failed to rise.  Fortunately, it doesn't happen often.

Overnight Rolls 

(Makes approximately 36)

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup Crisco or vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup boiled water

2 packages of dry yeast

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup cold water

6 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1. Melt butter and shortening

2. Dissolve sugar and salt in butter

3. Boil 1 cup of water and add water to the butter mixture

4. Cool water to 110 degrees, then add yeast, stirring constantly until dissolved

5. Put wet mixture in a stand mixer and add beaten eggs and 1 cup cold water - mix

6. Add the flour to the wet mixer, a little at a time

7. Place dough, covered with loose plastic wrap, in the refrigerator overnight (you can keep it in the bowl, but scrape the sides and gently shape the dough into a ball at the bottom of the bowl).  Overnight means a minimum of 6-8 hours, so the dough can be made very early in the morning for dinner, in theory.

The next morning or 3 hours before:

1. Divide dough into thirds

2. Roll each section on a well floured surface into a large circle

3. Cut the circle into 12 sections or slices

4. Roll up each section, starting from the large side (like a croissant), and place tip side down on a greased cookie sheet

5. Repeat for the rest of the dough, resulting in three cookie sheets of rolls

6. Cover the rolls with a clean towel and put in a warm place to rise for 2-3 hours.  If you used quick rising yeast, check after 1 1/2 hours.

7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

8. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 8-10 minutes

Read More

Reducing the Reading Pile

I wish I could say I've been reading more than I have, but travel and work have gotten in the way. Fortunately, with the holiday weekend last week, I was able to make a very small dent in the virtual pile of books on my iPad.  

Must Read

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

I really enjoyed this fictionalization of the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre, from when they met before her 18th birthday in Montgomery, Alabama while Scott was waiting to be shipped off to WWI and before his first book was published, through the wild 1920s in New York and France, to their last roller coaster years as a couple before Scott's death in 1940.  The author's descriptions of the relatively sleepy Montgomery south compared to the vivacious New York City and the "Lost Generation"'s France are enchanting. The way the author portrays the younger Zelda is familiar, like the spunky Rachel McAdams character from The Notebook. But she also comes off as vulnerable even when trying to be strong, battling not only the perceived role of women during the time but physical and mental illness as well. Fun fact:  There is a tie to the Fitzgeralds here in the Washington D.C. region.  Many don't even know that the couple are both buried in a family plot at the small cemetery of St. Mary's Catholic Church on the corner of Viers Mill Road and Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland.   Despite my abhorrence of walking on graves in cemeteries, I sucked it up to visit the grave.  

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I was a little worried about this book because the build up to the big secret reveal was too long and I was losing interest, especially because I thought I knew what the secret would be.  Then bam!  Not at all what I thought it would be.  The author does a good job of weaving together the characters' stories in this Australian suburb to describe the genuine struggles of the women dealing with their husband's issues.

Lazy Weekend

The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins

I will read any book that Kristan Higgins puts out because I am a sucker for her standard unlucky in love girl with a dog plot line.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

This is the third installment in her series.  I had to re-read Divergent and Insurgent to remember all of the plot line build up of the trilogy.  I enjoyed the story but disagreed with the choices she made for the characters in the ending.  If you've read the Hunger Games series, the energy of this book is about on par with that series' third book, where you kind of wish it was wrapped up in two books instead of three.  Much stronger impact potential.

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

Like Kristin Higgins, I will always read the next installment of the Stephanie Plum series.  I'm finding, though, that the plots are starting to be too repetitive, and it's more difficult to buy in to the clumsiness of Stephanie and her sidekick, Lula.  It's just too predictable.  I also think that the triangle between Morelli, Ranger, and Stephanie has been exploited so much that it's wearing thin and needs a resolution soon.  I wonder if these issues are because I've heard that Janet's daughter is writing some of the books, so the difference in voice removes some of the original attraction of the series.

Read More

5 Things I'm Loving Right Now: My Holiday Gift Guide 2013

It's that time of year again to start to panic when you haven't found gifts for all of the significant people in your life!  I'm kind of glad that my family has figured out that Christmas is more about creating lasting memories for the kids, so we don't really give gifts amongst the adults anymore.  I know that certainly makes my December a lot less stressful!  At the same time, I do miss the satisfaction of finding those awesome gifts that make people smile.  So, to satisfy my gift hunting desires, I give you my four lists of "5 Things" that I think would make great gifts for the gadget person, the foodie, the fashionista, and the "just because" people in your lives!

5 Gadget Gift Ideas

If you're an overthinker or planner like me, sometimes thoughts come to you at the most inconvenient of times...solution: AQUANOTES WATERPROOF NOTEPAD

For the artist and the lover of novelty items who loves the recent 3-D printing trend, get him or her a more affordable option to the 3-D market - a 3-D DOODLE PEN!

For all of the people in my improv community in Washington D.C. that remind me not to make a phone with my fingers during a scene, well guess what...now I have legit proof that finger phones exist! Check out these BLUETOOTH GLOVES!

I'm not sure I want to relinquish the excuse that "my phone died," but at the rate we are all using our phones for multiple everyday activities (and let's all agree the iPhone 5 battery is terrible), I think having this heavy-duty MULTIPLE CHARGE SMARTPHONE CHARGER would be a great addition.

On my recent photography trip to Zion National Park, we had several conversations about iPhoneography, or taking photos exclusively with the iPhone camera and photography apps.  It's very doable, and since landscape photography benefits from zoom capabilities and circular polarizing filters, then why not bump up your iPhoneography with this iPHONE TELEPHOTO AND POLARIZER COMBO.  Too be honest, I think I want one for myself...hint to anyone getting me a gift this year!

5 Gifts for your Foodie Friend

I know when I go to Chinese restaurants, I always start out deluding myself by cracking open the package of chopsticks, then within 5 minutes I'm searching for my fork.  So why not get a 2-IN-ONE CHOPSTICKS SILVERWARE COMBO!

Wait..what??  A PIGS IN A BLANKET MAKER??  Uhhh...yum!

For a great way to make a batch of cookies even more special, try stamping them with these MADE WITH LOVE and HOMEMADE COOKIE STAMPS.

Does your recipe call for batonet, chiffonade, julienne, brunoise, or whatever kind of vegetable cutting technique? Is your chef in the house a perfectionist?  Let them forget about having to remember all the exact dimensions with this convenient CHOPPING BOARD.

OK, I'm a dork.  I highly doubt anyone would ever even get to the point of even seeing this novelty on the bottom of the pie pan except the pie maker or the dish washer.  But it made me laugh.  Do you get it? It says I EIGHT SUM PI!


5 Gifts for the Fashonista

In my last 5 Favorite Things post with my 2013 fall favorites, I talked about this company, FashionABLE, that supports the employment of vulnerable women in Ethiopia.  Well, in addition to scarves, they also have a small line of leather goods that are neat and rustic.  I like this SMALL LEATHER CLUTCH.

 Because sometimes a SASSY STATEMENT BAG is necessary.

On Season 1 of The Mindy Project (one of my favorite shows), Mindy shows up to train for a triathlon with her doctor colleagues wearing a Wildfox pink t-shirt with the hilarious statement, "Shopping is my cardio."  Of course, that t-shirt sold out quick.  So now, Wildfox has brought the statement back for their winter line on a RED "SHOPPING IS MY CARDIO" SEQUIN SWEATER.

I can't tell you how many cashmere sweaters I have thrown out because they got irreparable holes in them from one thing or another.  I saw these patches and thought that they were a great alternative because it hides the hole in an awesome way!  Add a few in just the right way, and it looks like they were meant to be part of the design. These BAND-AID CASHMERE SWEATER PATCHES come in several colors.

I just got my first puffy vest, and I love it.  There are tons to choose from, because they are on trend this winter, but my preference is black paired with an above the knee a-line black skirt, fun tights, and moto boots.  Finding DOWN VESTS at REI is a good place to start for brands like The North Face, Marmot, and Patagonia.

5 "Just Because" Fun Gifts

Now that I'm learning guitar, I am constantly losing my picks.  Of course, then I find them all over the place when I don't need one - the car coin catcher, my wallet, my bedroom nightstand...  I thought this was a great novelty item for the guitar picker in your life, a GUITAR PICK STAMP.

I love building Legos with my nephew.  During the holiday season, Lego releases additional sets to their LEGO WINTER VILLAGE series, so you can start an annual tradition of adding on to your winter scene every year.  By the way, the carousel horses even bob up and down as it rotates! Amazing!

No, I am not in a 12-step program for my Mumford and Sons addiction!  They are just fantastic in my opinion, Marcus Mumford in particular, and I won't give them up any time soon.  Recently, a small set of recorded tracks were released of Marcus collaborating with other artists during one of the Mumford & Sons Gentleman of the Road Stopovers.  I am not a fan of Bob Dylan, but for some reason when Marcus reinterprets a Dylan song, I am hooked!  Check out "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" on the Troy, Ohio set, then click over to the Dixon, Illinois set from last year.  To download the songs, you will have to sign up for a Daytrotter membership, but the monthly cost is just $4, and you can cancel.  Check out all of the other artists on the site as well! Who doesn't love a homemade playlist on a CD as a gift??

I don't know if you heard, but the boys of Monty Python's Flying Circus are reuniting for a short run at London's O2 arena in July 2014.  Alas, I did not get tickets, but I'm not sure how well the Monty Python magic would translate on stage versus the TV screen anyway.  To celebrate the return of these crazy characters, why not give someone some KILLER RABBIT SLIPPERS from the Holy Grail movie?

Oh my gosh!  If I had this RAZOR CRAZY CART drifting go-kart as a kid, who knows what kind of trouble I would have gotten into!  Hmmm....they say they weight limit is 140, so I guess it's a possibility that this could also be a go-kart for adults...trouble with a capital T!

Good luck with your shopping!!

Read More