tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23200106254704152112024-03-17T20:04:14.980-07:00The Ginger Snap GirlStories, tid bits and recipes for the love of baking, cooking, eating and sharing.Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.comBlogger247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-21276623469344053432013-08-26T22:02:00.002-07:002013-08-26T22:02:30.618-07:00Somerset Easter Biscuits (Raisin Spice Cookies)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I LOVE tea and cookies. Wow, I feel like I sound about 95 years old when I say that. Eh, who cares!<br />
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I wasn't always a tea and cookies kind of girl. Over the last couple of years tea has become a morning (and afternoon) ritual that I look forward to and rarely miss. No doubt I've always liked cookies, but I mostly leaned towards the very sweet ones...you know <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2013/08/new-york-times-chocolate-chip-cookies.html">chocolate chip</a>, <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/10/sweet-melissa-sundays-rewind.html">snickerdoodles</a>, <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/gingersnaps.html">ginger snaps</a>. I wasn't much into lightly sweetened or crunchy cookies like shortbread, biscotti or tea cookies. Part of me thinks I didn't "like" them just because they weren't what I was used to. I'm glad to say I broke out of my cookie comfort zone to now enjoy cookies of all kinds. :)<br />
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I first had Somerset Easter Biscuits (raisin spice cookies) when my <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/04/crystals-chocolate-chip-oops-cookies.html">best friend</a> made me a batch as part of a tea and cookies inspired birthday <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2013/03/meyer-lemon-curd.html">gift</a>. The cookies are lightly sweet and ever so slightly spiced with cinnamon, allspice, clove and ginger. Studded with raisins, a crumbly texture and an extra crunch from the turbinado sugar on top...they make for a perfect tea (or coffee if that's your pleasure) cookie. <br />
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It's impossible to eat just one.<br />
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Don't you just love the sugar sparkling on top?<br />
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I'm so glad I finally got a chance to make these special little cookies. I made a double batch and packed most of them up to send in my August <a href="http://www.bakinggals.com/">Operation Baking GALS</a> shipment to some of our hardworking troops in Afghanistan (along with <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2013/02/chewy-chocolate-cookies-with-m.html">these</a> and <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/jalapeno-cheese-crackers.html">these</a> and a variation of <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/09/cherry-chocolate-chip-cookies.html">these</a>). <br />
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But, I had to save <strike>1 or 2</strike> 12 for myself. I enjoyed a few afternoons of tea and cookies, a very nice break during the long midday stretch. ;)<br />
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I'm pretty smitten with these babies. Definitely a recipe I will make again and again. <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Somerset Easter Biscuits</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-British-Book-Baking/dp/0718157117/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377315161&sr=8-1&keywords=the+great+british+book+of+baking"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Great British Book of Baking</span></a><br />
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125 grams unsalted butter at room temperature<br />
75 grams sugar<br />
1 egg, yolk and white separated<br />
200 grams all purpose flour<br />
A good pinch of salt<br />
A good pinch of baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon mixed ground spice (such as pumpkin pie spice)<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
50 grams raisins<br />
1 teaspoon citrus zest (such as orange)<br />
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling<br />
<br />
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.<br />
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In the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter until creamy. With mixer on add slowly add in the sugar and continue to meet for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Turn mixer to low and add the egg yolk until combined. <br />
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In a medium bowl, sift flour, salt, baking powder and spices. Add flour mixture in 3 batches to the butter mixture with mixer on low. Add zest and raisins and mix until just combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll about 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2.5 inch fluted cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place on baking sheet about an inch apart. <br />
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Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden and firm. Meanwhile whisk the egg white until slightly frothy. Remove cookies from oven and lightly brush one cookie with egg white and then top generously with turbinado sugar. Repeat with all cookies. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3 to 5 minutes until tops are golden and crunchy. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.<br />
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Store in an airtight container for up to a week.<br />
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Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-79142427972240378032013-08-12T07:00:00.000-07:002013-08-12T07:00:06.768-07:00New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Okay, okay. The wait is over! <br />
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Finally, I present you the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies. <br />
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For those of you who are long time readers, you know I've been searching for the <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/04/crystals-chocolate-chip-oops-cookies.html">best</a>, the <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/04/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html">ultimate</a>, the<a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/07/perfect-chocolate-chip-cookie.html"> perfect</a> chocolate chip cookie for some time now. There are seven chocolate chip cookie recipes on the blog, and a few more that I never got around to sharing. The reality is I have yet to meet a chocolate chip cookie I don't like. The idea of choosing just one cookie as "perfect", "the best" or the "ultimate" is unrealistic. Each has it's own characteristics that make it worthy of a glass of ice cold milk. <br />
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I've been intending to try the New York Times recipe for.....2 years! I'm a little slow but I'm glad to say I got there. This cookie is definitely up at the top of the chocolate chip cookie food chain. In fact, I've made the recipe twice in the past month. I have a feeling it will make a few more appearances this year. <br />
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What makes it so special? It's chewy in the center and slightly crisp around the edges, which is signature of top notch chocolate chip cookie (in my opinion). It's a big cookie...especially if you follow the recipe, it comes in around 5 inches. The first time I made them as directed and the second time (pictured here) I went a little smaller, around 3 1/2 inches. Either way, it's a thick hearty cookie. It has a great depth of flavor--that brown sugary caramel flavor that pairs so perfectly with dark chocolate. <br />
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The first time I made them I took them to a birthday bash at a friend's house and the cookies were gobbled up in record time. There were several "oooohs" and "ahhhhs" so I'm pretty sure they were well received. ;)<br />
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A couple of notes, I made the first batch with part semi sweet chocolate chips and part milk chocolate. I like the combo of the two types of chocolate and will likely do that going forward. Feel free to use the chocolates that you like best.<br />
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Overall it's an AWESOME cookie! If you haven't tried it yet, don't wait 2 years like me! <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html?_r=0"><span style="font-size: x-small;">New York times adapted from Jacques Torres</span></a><br />
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Yields 18 five inch cookies<br />
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2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8 1/2 ounces)<br />
1 2/4 cup bread flour (8 1/2 ounces)<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse (kosher) salt<br />
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups)<br />
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar (10 ounces)<br />
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (8 ounces)<br />
2 large eggs<br />
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract<br />
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or chips (at least 60% cacao) (I used 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate and 8 ounces of milk chocolate)<br />
Sea salt<br />
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Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.<br />
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Cream butter and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Turn mixer to low and add eggs, one at a time until combined. Add vanilla. Keeping mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in 3 batches until just combined. Stir in chocolate pieces. Cover the dough with plastic wrap pressed against the surface and refrigerate 24 - 36 hours.<br />
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When you are ready to bake remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes, or until dough is scoopable. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop six 3 1/2 ounce balls of dough (about the size of golf ball) and arrange on the baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt (I omitted this). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown but still soft in the center. Allow baking sheet to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.<br />
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Cookies are best the day they are baked.Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-2992775065497386092013-08-05T22:33:00.001-07:002013-08-05T22:33:57.341-07:00Spring Rolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chocolate chip cookies or spring rolls? Cookies or spring rolls? <br />
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Big decisions going on over here! <br />
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I am sure you are thinking those two options really aren't even from the same planet. And they aren't. I've been dropping hints recently that I would be posting the ever so popular New York Times chocolate chip cookie soon. I really anticipated "soon" would have been here by now. <br />
<br />
But I just couldn't get behind something decadent and sweet this week. Words I never thought I would write. Things have been a little Twilight zone lately--but in a good way! <br />
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The past week was busy...I officially started in my new job with 4 days of travel, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, getting to know a new client and sending off a co-worker and mentor into a well deserved retirement. All this activity translated into 5 solid days of eating every single meal out. I haven't stepped on the scale yet, but it can't be good. Very doubtful I made it through the week unscathed. <br />
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Given the many over indulgences of the past week, I had to choose the spring rolls. No, I didn't make them this weekend, but just the thought of them is making me feel lighter already. <br />
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I've made these spring rolls several times over the past few months. My <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/04/crystals-chocolate-chip-oops-cookies.html">best friend</a> turned me on to the recipe and it's now one of my go to light meals. Spring rolls are almost like a salad wrapped up in a nice little bundle. They are...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Easy to make </div>
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(once you get the rolling part down...don't worry if you tear the wrapper, it's forgiving)</div>
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Light</div>
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Fresh</div>
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Crunchy</div>
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Creamy</div>
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Refreshing</div>
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Low calorie</div>
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Delicious!</div>
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and </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Healthy</div>
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Yep, food can be both delicious and healthy! Who knew? <br />
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It took a little coaxing, but I even got Hubby on board with this pure veggie delight!<br />
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A few notes...I have tried a couple of variations of this recipe by adding in additional elements like red pepper and mango. The red pepper is okay, but doesn't really add anything special to the rolls. But. <strong>The addition of mango is AWESOME.</strong> It brings in a juicy sweetness that pairs perfectly with the creamy avocado, fresh herbs, crunchy cucumber and carrot and the soy dipping sauce. So tasty. My photos are without mango as I didn't have any on hand this time. But DO give mangoes a shot if you decide to make these spring rolls! You could easily substitute peach or nectarine (white or yellow) if you can't find mango. <br />
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I also made some adjustments to the dipping sauce adding extra soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Feel free to add or subtract according to your own tastes. <br />
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The original recipe calls for using 2 pieces of rice paper for each roll, however I find it's unnecessary. The reason they suggest two, is to prevent the roll from breaking during the construction process. To me, it's a waste of a few extra calories especially when the rice paper itself isn't the star of the flavor show. With a little practice, using one paper does the job just fine. Rice paper can be found at your local Asian food market or most large grocery stores. <br />
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This tasty, fresh, light, healthy spring roll is calling your name! <br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Spring Rolls</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/cucumber-and-avocado-summer-rolls-with-mustard-soy-sauce.html">Williams Sonoma</a></span><br />
<br />
Makes 10 rolls<br />
<br />
Dipping Sauce:<br />
Juice from 1/2 lime<br />
2 tablespoons canola oil<br />
1 tablespoon rice vinegar<br />
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard<br />
1 tablespoon soy sauce<br />
1 teaspoons brown sugar<br />
Pinch of red pepper flakes<br />
<br />
Whisk all ingredients together and set aside.<br />
<br />
Rolls:<br />
10 rice paper rounds (6 or 8 inches) - Or 20 rice papers if using two per roll<br />
10 green lettuce leaves, such as bibb, butter, red leaf or green leaf lettuce<br />
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2 inch thick strips<br />
Fresh basil leaves (10-20 leaves)<br />
Fresh mint leaves (10-20 leaves)<br />
2 carrots cut into thin matchsticks (or coarsely grated)<br />
1/2 - 3/4 English cucumber, seeds removed, cut into thin strips (about 4 inches long)<br />
1 large mango cut into 1/2 inch strips (about 4 inches long) <em>(optional)</em><br />
2-3 green onions thinly sliced<br />
<br />
To assemble rolls be sure all your ingredients are cleaned, cut and prepped before starting. Fill a pie plate with warm water. Place a clean kitchen towel next to the plate. Dip 1 sheet of rice paper in the water for a couple of seconds, until the entire surface is just softened. Place the softened paper on the towel. (If using 2 rice papers per roll, use a second towel to pat the surface of the first round dry and then dip a second paper in the water and place on top of the first). <br />
<br />
Place one leaf of lettuce about 1/3 of the way up the bottom of the rice paper (closest to you). Lay 1-2 leaves of both basil and mint across the lettuce. Arrange carrots, cucumber, avocado and mango in rows on top of the herbs, keeping all the filling within the parameters of the lettuce leaf. Sprinkle with green onions.<br />
<br />
Lift the bottom of the rice paper up and over to just cover the filling gently and tightly tuck it under the filling. Fold the sides of the rice paper towards the center creating a mini burrito. Continue to roll tightly until a cylinder is formed. Place the roll seam side down on a plate or cutting board. Serve whole, or slice in half and serve with dipping sauce.<br />
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Note: If not serving immediately place a barely damp paper towel over the rolls until ready serve, up to 2 hours.Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-20930271089595154212013-07-21T21:00:00.000-07:002013-07-21T21:00:06.487-07:00Blueberry Lemon Curd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's July...very close to August. Are you all aware of that? I swear I blink and another month passes. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing. But I am excited about this month's <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/">Secret Recipe Club</a> post. I was assigned the lovely blog, <a href="http://teaspooncomm.com/teaspoonofspice/">Teaspoon of Spice</a> written by Deanna and Serena, both registered dietitians. Their blog focuses on healthy yet delicious foods. In fact they teamed up to start a monthly healthy recipe blog challenge called the <a href="http://teaspooncomm.com/teaspoonofspice/recipe-redux/">Recipe Redux</a>. It's all about taking recipes and making them better for you, but still keeping them tasty. I know I could use more of those kinds of recipes in my life! I have a number of tasty things bookmarked already!<br />
<br />
As with every Secret Recipe Club assignment, I always have difficulty choosing just one recipe. Though it wasn't easy, I finally selected blueberry lemon curd. I have a love for preserves and curds and just happened to be flush with an abundance of blueberries. Plus I was totally intrigued by the idea of a blueberry based curd. I've only made <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2013/03/meyer-lemon-curd.html">lemon curd</a> in the past and I've really only seen citrus curds.<br />
<br />
Blueberry lemon curd rocks! In case you were wondering.<br />
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It's has a rich consistency from the egg yolks and butter, standard ingredients that turn a preserve into a curd (along with a little cornstarch). I've been eating my new favorite curd for breakfast nearly every day this week on half of my English muffin, smearing peanut butter on the other half (these two pair together nicely). But for you all, I wanted to share a presentation beyond the English muffin. <br />
<br />
This weekend I set out to pair this beautiful blueberry curd with something equally special. I thought it would be the perfect time to finally try my hand at French macarons. The curd would be the filling between those delicate sandwich cookies. Sadly, the macarons were a huge flop. I'm not sure where it all went wrong, but I couldn't even pry the little shells off the parchment paper after baking. 3 sheet pans full...into the garbage. <br />
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My second attempt to use the curd was in a recipe I recently saw on Pinterest for lemon bar muddy buddies. Why not make them BLUEBERRY lemon bar muddy buddies? Perhaps there is a good reason because, again, I'm not sure where it all went wrong. The muddy buddies were overly sweet and turned to sog city after a few hours and shortly thereafter, joined the fallen macarons in the trash. :( Strike two!<br />
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I half thought about making homemade <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/rasberry-and-lemon-linzers.html">linzers</a>, but at that point it just wasn't in me to start another recipe. Instead I found adorable shortbread tart shells in the baking aisle of my local grocery store. A homerun! The tart shells make a perfect vessel for blueberry lemon curd. Besides, aren't they the cutest little things? I happened to have some left over cream cheese frosting to pipe a little flower on top of each one. Let me tell you, simple is often best. A perfect blueberry pie bite.<br />
<br />
Blueberry lemon curd will be joining my list of keeper recipes!<br />
<br />
Enjoy! <br />
<br />
<strong>Blueberry Lemon Curd</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from </span><a href="http://teaspooncomm.com/teaspoonofspice/2012/07/blueberry-lemon-curd/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Teaspoon of Spice</span></a><br />
<br />
Yields about 2 1/2 cups<br />
<br />
3 cups fresh blueberries<br />
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar<br />
1/4 cup lemon juice<br />
2 tablespoons cornstarch<br />
2 large egg yolks<br />
1 tablespoon butter<br />
1/8 teaspoon salt<br />
<br />
In a medium heavy bottomed sauce pan, heat blueberries, sugar and lemon juice, stirring occasionally over medium/high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and allow to stand and cool about 5-10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture. Alternatively you can transfer the blueberry mixture to a blender. Please be careful though! It's incredibly hot liquid. <br />
<br />
Return pan to medium/low heat. Meanwhile, stir together cornstarch and egg yolks until smooth. Add to the blueberry mixture, whisking constantly. Allow mixture to come to a boil. Boil for one minute whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and salt. Allow to cool for 5 minutes or so, whisking occasionally to continue to release the heat. Spoon into jars or containers with an airtight seal and continue to cool for another 15 minutes of so. Seal and refrigerate.<br />
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<em>Notes: I used 1 cup of sugar because my blueberries were quite tart.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
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Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-14076963928538092372013-07-15T07:00:00.000-07:002013-07-15T07:00:07.172-07:00No Bake Peanut Butter "Cookies"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Summer is zipping by. The last few months have truly flown. Things have been busier than usual around here. And exciting too! A lot has been going on... <br />
<br />
Like, I will be starting a new job in a few weeks at my current company. :) It's a promotion (of sorts) and I'm very excited about the new role! I will miss my current team greatly, but am so ready (and a little nervous) for this step. <br />
<br />
My family celebrated my Grandfather's 96th birthday in early June and I made a big cake (and <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2013/07/7-layer-nacho-dip.html">dip</a>) to feed 25 people. In case you're wondering, it was <a href="http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/twinmommie07/chicagos-famous-portillos-chocolate-cake/cake">chocolate cake</a> with chocolate frosting. The cake turned out pretty good for an amateur. <br />
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Then, a couple of weeks ago I said goodbye....to the first new car I ever bought, way back in college. I had that car for 16 years (I guess I'm dating myself here)! Anyway, the car served me very well but it was time bid it adieu! It actually went to a good cause...we donated it to an organization that gives the proceeds to the troops. <br />
<br />
And with a goodbye, I got to welcome a new car into the picture, which I LOVE! I ended up getting a hybrid...I couldn't resist the great gas mileage and opportunity to save a few bucks at the pump. When living in Southern California, this is a very good thing! <br />
<br />
Then last weekend, I baked my second big cake in just over a month. My very close friend and her husband threw a big birthday bash for their sons and I brought along another chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (<a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/03/ginger-snap-girl-turns-1.html">chocolate cream cheese frosting</a> to be exact!)--this time to feed 40! I have to say baking the cake is the easy part....putting it together and decorating it is another story. But I'm getting better. The cake was a big hit! <br />
<br />
And since I had a large captive audience at the party, I took the opportunity to test out the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/991/Chocolate-Chip-Cookies.html">New York Times chocolate chip cookie</a> recipe as well. It did not disappoint. Definitely a winner and it may just be "the one". Unfortunately the cookies were all gobbled up before I could photograph them, so you know what that means? More cookies! <br />
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I have to take a moment to give a shout out to Hubby...he not only helped me get the massive 3 layer sheet cake put together, but he also scooped and baked off all the cookies because I was running out of time. Thanks Hubs! You're a keeper! ;)<br />
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This is the first weekend that things have settled down. And I'm ready for a brief lull in the all the excitement and activity. Other than the aforementioned cakes and cookies, I've done little baking in the last several weeks. In fact, I have been avoiding the oven. Mostly because it's too darn hot out. But a girl still needs her sweet fix. I thought this would be the perfect time to finally try a "no-bake" cookie recipe. <br />
<br />
This version comes from the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baked-Explorations-American-Desserts-Reinvented/dp/1584798505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373859349&sr=8-1&keywords=baked+explorations">Baked Explorations</a>, where I've made a number of traditional "baked" cookie recipes. Like the authors of the book, I have a hard time truly classifying this as a "cookie." It's not so much a cookie. It is more in the confections/candy bar-esque category if you ask me. But, that doesn't make it any less tasty! The recipe title indicates this is a peanut butter cookie, but there is a pronounced chocolate element as well with the inclusion of cocoa powder. You all <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2013/07/peanut-butter-fudge-swirl-ice-cream.html">know</a> how I'm a fan of chocolate and peanut butter together. ;) So this was a winner for me. And the oats bring in a nice chewy factor. It definitely satisfied my sweet tooth (a few times this weekend). The best part--no oven needed! <br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<strong>No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baked-Explorations-American-Desserts-Reinvented/dp/1584798505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373834434&sr=8-1&keywords=baked+explorations"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Baked Explorations</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito</span><br />
<br />
Yields 36 cookies<br />
<br />
1/2 cup whole milk<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
1/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Guittard)<br />
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and softened<br />
1 cup chunky peanut butter (smooth can be used as well)*<br />
3 cups rolled oats<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
<br />
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.<br />
<br />
In a medium heavy bottomed sauce pan heat milk, sugar, cocoa powder and butter over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and stir constantly. Once the mixture is boiling, stop stirring and allow to boil for 90 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in peanut butter, oats and vanilla until fully combined.<br />
<br />
Using a small ice cream scoop (about 1 1/2 inches wide) with a release mechanism, scoop out cookies onto the prepared baking sheet leaving room in between as they spread a bit. You can also use a tablespoon to drop the cookies onto the baking sheet. Once the cookies are cool, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill for an hour. Serve cold or you can also return them to room temperature. The cookies should be stored in an airtight container separated by layers of parchment paper for up to 3 days.<br />
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*You can also use natural peanut butter, but you will also need to increase the oats by 1/3 cup.Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-22363219954852389942013-07-08T07:00:00.000-07:002013-07-08T21:03:08.924-07:007 Layer Nacho Dip<br />
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Growing up I ate dinner at my Grandma and Grandpa's house about once a week for several years. <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/06/sweet-melissa-sundays-chocolate-orange.html">Grandma</a> was a good cook and I always looked forward to meals at her house. With a dozen or so regular recipes, her style was simple and pretty all American...some of my favorite dishes were pan fried pork chops served with rice and gravy, spaghetti and meatballs and her good old fashioned potato salad. Grandma rarely veered from her rotation of recipes.<br />
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But lucky for my family she found a recipe in the newspaper one day that she had to try. I'm not sure when the dip made it's first appearance, but I do remember being surprised she made it. It was definitely not part of her normal repertoire and neither were the ingredients. It was a pleasant and very tasty surprise! The 7 layer nacho dip was an immediate hit and went on to grace a number of family events through the years.<br />
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Last month Grandpa turned 96 (wow!) and my parents hosted a big party to celebrate. Happy Birthday Grandpa!!! :) When deciding what appetizer to bring to the party, I immediately thought of Grandma's 7 layer nacho dip. It's been a few years since I've had it, but it was just as tasty as I remembered. Thanks Grandma! Miss you bunches!<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>7 Layer Nacho Dip</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">source unknown</span><br />
<br />
1 lb ground beef<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
2 15 ounce cans refried beans<br />
1 small can of mild diced green chiles<br />
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese<br />
1 15 ounce bottle of red taco sauce (such as La Victoria)<br />
1 pint sour cream<br />
4 green onions, thinly sliced<br />
<br />
<em>Optional items: You can personalize the dip to your tastes. Some other suggestions would be using canned sliced jalapenos in place of green chiles for extra heat. Or sprinkle top with sliced black olives in addition to the green onions.</em> <em>My family usually serves the dip with Nacho cheese Doritos...but any chip will work!</em><br />
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray.<br />
<br />
In a non stick skillet brown the ground beef until cooked through. While beef is cooking, season with salt and pepper to your taste. Drain off fat.<br />
<br />
Spread refried beans evenly across the baking dish to start the first layer. Top with ground beef. Scatter green chiles over the beef. Top with cheese and use your hand to lightly pat it down. Pour taco sauce over the cheese so that all the cheese is completely covered. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until edges start to brown and the taco sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 30 minutes (you will be putting cold sour cream on top so you don't want it to melt).<br />
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Just before serving, spread sour cream evenly over the cooled dip. Sprinkle green onions on top. Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips. Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-15401015246896405212013-07-04T10:59:00.000-07:002013-07-04T10:59:07.541-07:00Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl Ice Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0nXqocOqMMwcM7ZBGwKS2An_WVbIyA-geFFiqVTWreW7BDeW4r1WOJvqwiHeoxKTj72U7WALgyt1JTvyYlUJx1NC4iPaQ0ILVifI7T5CPPiSZs42P7UJbR4DdLCChvhyTRH3B03es0yi/s1600/DSC_0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0nXqocOqMMwcM7ZBGwKS2An_WVbIyA-geFFiqVTWreW7BDeW4r1WOJvqwiHeoxKTj72U7WALgyt1JTvyYlUJx1NC4iPaQ0ILVifI7T5CPPiSZs42P7UJbR4DdLCChvhyTRH3B03es0yi/s640/DSC_0016.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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Happy 4th of July! <br />
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Today I'm going straight for the good stuff. Sweet, delicious ice cream. Peanut butter ice cream with fudge ripple swirled throughout, no less. This is something I'm fairly certain you NEED in your life. Unless you don't like peanut butter and chocolate together. Then you should seek counseling immediately. Because this is a flavor combination that makes one's life complete (unless you are allergic to peanuts...then you already probably stopped reading this)!<br />
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I saw this recipe on my pal <a href="http://www.traceysculinaryadventures.com/">Tracey's blog</a> and instantly knew this would be the first ice cream churned of the summer at my house. It was. And it was pretty darn fantastic. The ice cream base delivers on a solid peanut butter flavor. The fudge ripple brings just the right amount of chocolate to balance the peanut butter. Very creamy, peanutty and fudgy. All good things in my book!<br />
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The ice cream didn't last long here. In fact I barely had enough to squeak out some photos. Most of it disappeared after we had my nephew and his fiancé over to watch the Blackhawks vs. Bruins game two Stanley Cup hockey game--yeah I'm a little late posting this! I have to detour a bit from the ice cream and talk about hockey...<br />
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Hubs and I aren't too big into sports. We occasionally watch things like the Super Bowl or World Series, but rarely follow a team. Except when a Chicago team is the running for playoffs Hubs gets into it showing a little love for his hometown. We started watching the NHL playoff series and low and behold the Chicago Blackhawks kept in it all the way to win the western conference and moved on to the Stanley Cup finals where they defeated the Boston Bruins (sorry Tracey!) and won the cup! We had a blast watching the games (and make food for the games). It's safe to say we are officially hooked on hockey and are looking forward to the start of the next season in the fall. <br />
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Back to the ice cream.<br />
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It's really delicious. Enough said.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl Ice Cream</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Cream-Sugar-Cones-Creamery/dp/1607741849/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368410116&sr=8-1&keywords=sweet+cream">Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones</a> via <a href="http://www.traceysculinaryadventures.com/2013/05/peanut-butter-fudge-swirl-ice-cream.html#.UcE8VZDn_IV">Tracey's Culinary Adventures</a></span><br />
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<strong>For the fudge ripple</strong><br />
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
6 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted<br />
1/4 cup corn syrup<br />
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt<br />
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate finely chopped<br />
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
<br />
Start by making the fudge ripple. In a small sauce pan combine sugar, water, cocoa powder, corn syrup and salt. Heat on medium/high until the mixture comes to a simmer, whisking frequently. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate and allow to sit for one minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla. Transfer to a heat proof container and refrigerate until fully chilled.<br />
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<strong>For the peanut butter ice cream</strong><br />
1 3/4 cup heavy cream<br />
3/4 cup 1% milk<br />
3/4 cup sugar divided in two<br />
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt<br />
5 large egg yolks<br />
1/3 cup natural peanut butter (I used regular Skippy)<br />
1/4 to 1/3 cup fudge ripple<br />
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Make the ice cream by adding heavy cream, milk and half the sugar to a medium saucepan and place on medium heat. Stir to combine and allow the cream mixture to just come to a simmer.<br />
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While the cream is heating, whisk egg yolks and remaining sugar in a medium heatproof bowl until pale.<br />
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In another medium heatproof bowl (large enough to hold all the ice cream mixture) add the peanut butter and set aside. <br />
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When the cream mixture comes to a simmer, remove from the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the egg mixture, whisking continuously (you don't want your eggs to scramble!). Add the cream/egg mixture back to the saucepan and return heat to medium/low. Stir frequently until the mixture thickens slightly and the temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 170 - 175. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. <br />
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Strain the mixture into the bowl with the peanut butter. Stir to combine the peanut butter until the cream is smooth and peanut butter is fully incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours, or overnight until mixture is fully chilled. <br />
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Churn peanut butter ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer instructions. Transfer ice cream to a freezer proof airtight container, adding drizzles of fudge ripple along the way. Add as much or little as you like to suit your taste. Swirl the fudge using a butter knife. Cover and return to the freezer until firm, about 4 hours.Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-32323705615688729712013-06-17T07:52:00.001-07:002013-06-17T07:52:41.344-07:00Blueberry Muffins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Guess what time it is? <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/" target="_blank">Secret Recipe Club</a>! This month I was assigned Debbi's blog <a href="http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Debbi Does Dinner Healthy</a>. Debbi is also the very gracious hostess Secret Recipe Club's Group C and keeps us all organized and on schedule each month. I was excited to browse Debbi's blog because she has so many great dinner ideas....that are healthy! Debbi mostly focuses on meals that are under 500 calories (though she throws in desserts here and there where calorie counting is strictly off limits!). I had every intention of making something savory from Debbi's blog. I had my eye on <a href="http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/2010/02/raspberry-glazed-rosemary-chicken.html" target="_blank">Raspberry Glazed Rosemary Chicken</a>, <a href="http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/2013/04/parmesan-chicken-bake.html" target="_blank">Parmesan Chicken Bake</a> and <a href="http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/2011/06/chicken-poblano-casserole.html" target="_blank">Chicken Poblano Casserole</a>. All so tasty looking! <br />
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But surprise, surprise...<br />
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My sweet tooth took over once again. I'm starting to sounds like a broken record! I didn't go with a full on dessert so I give myself kudos for that. I had some beautiful blueberries to use up so I went with a little something sweet for breakfast. These blueberry muffins have whole wheat flour in them...so they are healthy! Right? Actually they are only 221 calories per muffin, which isn't too shabby. Especially if it means I can have a little sweet at breakfast. :)<br />
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The muffins are fluffy and soft on the inside and have a slight crunch on top (which I love) if you serve them fresh out of the oven! With a lightly sweet crumb, a pop of fresh blueberries and a bit of heartiness from the wheat flour, it's a great way to start your day. Thanks Debbi!<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Blueberry Muffins</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from </span><a href="http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/2011/07/blueberry-muffins.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Debbi Does Dinner Healthy</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> adapted from </span><a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/05/31/blueberry-muffins-recipe/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Brown Eyed Baker</span></a><br />
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1 cup all purpose flour<br />
1 cup whole wheat flour<br />
1 tablespoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 egg<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled<br />
1 1/4 cup light sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)<br />
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen can be used as well)<br />
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Preheat over to 350 and line 12 cup muffin tin with liners. <br />
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In a medium bowl whisk flours, baking powder and salt. Toss the blueberries in the dry mixture.<br />
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In a separate medium bowl whisk egg until light in color. Whisk in sugar and then add melted butter in 2 additions until combined. Whisk in the sour cream in 2 additions until combined.<br />
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Add the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture and gently fold until just combined. The batter will be very thick (almost the consistency of cookie dough) and may have some streaks of flour. Do not over mix. <br />
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Divide the batter into the muffin tins (I like to use a full size ice cream scoop for consistent portions). Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until muffins are lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove muffins from the tin and cool on a wire rack for 5 - 10 minutes. Serve warm if possible. <br />
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Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-7018320717253391522013-05-25T17:42:00.000-07:002013-05-25T17:42:25.535-07:00Cheesecake Fruit Dip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hubby and I went to a friend's house for dinner last night. It's fairly customary with our friends that we usually bring dessert since I have a "thing" for baking and all things sweet. And last night was no different. Except there was no time for baking. I had about an hour at home, after stopping by the grocery store, before we had to leave for dinner. I kept thinking I could quick whip up a batch of cookies. But cookies just weren't doing it for me. <br />
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It hit me on the way to the grocery store. <br />
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Fruit dip. <br />
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Perfect! Why didn't I think of it sooner?<br />
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Years ago Hubby and I went to a dinner party. A fancy, catered, dinner party that my boss at the time hosted at her home. The spread was impressive and delicious. Though I don't recall most of what was served, one thing stood out. A wonderful, creamy, cheesecake like dip in the midst of a tray of the most beautiful ripe plump strawberries. What a heavenly little bite. I had never had anything like it. I couldn't get enough and must have eaten at least a dozen. <br />
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So simple yet so memorable.<br />
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I have made a few variations of this dip over the years. The original recipe had sour cream in it, however I used Greek yogurt last night and this new version will be my go to recipe from now on. The dip has body but is light enough to easily dip into. It comes together in minutes and couldn't be easier to make. <br />
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It's a blank canvas for whatever cheesecake combination you can dream up. Fruit, such as a strawberries, green apples, nectarines, pineapples and grapes are all great choices. Chocolate wafer cookies, shortbread cookies or graham crackers also pair nicely. And if you want to go salty, try dipping in pretzels and topping them with a slice of fruit. <br />
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Though I haven't done this yet, I had the idea of placing a small bowl of graham crackers crumbs on the serving platter along with the fruit and cheesecake dip. Plunge your fruit in the cheesecake dip then swipe it through the graham cracker crumbs for the total cheesecake experience. Definitely trying that next time. <br />
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If you are heading to a Memorial Day BBQ this weekend cheesecake fruit dip is an easy crowd pleasing dessert. I'm quite certain you wouldn't come home with any leftovers.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Cheesecake Fruit Dip</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from The Ginger Snap Girl</span><br />
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8 ounce package of cream cheese<br />
6 ounces plain non fat Greek yogurt<br />
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar<br />
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
<br />
Place all ingredients in a deep medium sized bowl. Using a hand mixer, starting on low and increasing to medium high speed, blend until fully combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. <br />
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Can be made two days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. <br />
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Serve with fresh fruit, cookies, graham crackers or whatever your heart desires!Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-69538016739300190582013-05-20T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-25T17:59:56.467-07:00Fabio's Cheese Bomb Biscuits with Onion Bacon Butter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I had high hopes of posting before now. Really, I did. I have a fun tea party post that I'm determined to share with you all before we hit fall! And maybe even before summer officially arrives.<br />
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A whole month has passed since my last post. And here we are again...It's <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/" target="_blank">Secret Recipe Club</a> time! Thank goodness for SRC because without it who knows how long would pass between posts.<br />
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This month I had the pleasure of being assigned the fun blog <a href="http://itsyummytomytummy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">It's Yummy for My Tummy</a>! Mmmm. That's a concept I can totally get behind. The name comes from her daughter who often says, "Mommy, it's yummy to my tummy!" Awww! Heather's blog is all about sharing recipes with her friends and family and of course, all of us! I found a number of yummy eats that I put on my possibility list. For those of you who know me, you know my tummy very often guides me to the sweet side, but this time I kept coming back to these savory cheesy biscuits. <br />
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This recipe is really easy to make. 15 minutes and you will have biscuits in the oven. And if you are feeling indulgent you can whip up some green onion bacon butter while your biscuits are baking. The biscuits are delicious and tender with a bit of crunch on the top from the cheese. They are fantastic on their own, but a little green onion bacon butter really takes them over the top. <br />
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I paired my biscuits with a creamy tomato basil bisque (sorry, no recipe for that...it's from Campbell's latest soup creations). The parmesan cheese complemented the tomato soup perfectly. I had to restrain myself from eating more than one. I see a repeat of my soup and a cheese bomb biscuit for lunch tomorrow!<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Fabio's Cheese Bomb Biscuits and Onion Bacon Butter</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Adapted from </span><a href="http://itsyummytomytummy.blogspot.com/2011/03/fabios-cheese-bomb-biscuits.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's Yummy to My Tummy</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> originally from </span><a href="http://fabioviviani.com/general-recipes/cheese-bomb-biscuits/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fabio Viviani</span></a><br />
<br />
For the biscuits:<br />
2 cups flour, sifted<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese, plus extra for sprinkling on top of biscuits<br />
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) shortening<br />
1 1/4 cups half and half (or heavy cream--I used all heavy cream), plus extra for brushing tops of biscuits<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.<br />
<br />
In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cheese and stir until ingredients are well mixed. Cut in shortening using a hand pastry blender or a fork until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add in half and half and stir until just combined. <br />
<br />
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat until 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a 2 inch floured cutter, cut out each biscuit and place it about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Or you can scoop out the biscuits with a spoon or ice cream scoop. Brush each biscuit with half and half (or heavy cream). Sprinkle the top of each biscuit lightly with remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.<br />
<br />
For the green onion bacon butter:<br />
1 stick (1/2 cup) slightly softened unsalted butter<br />
3 teaspoons sliced green onions<br />
3 teaspoons of finely chopped bacon bits<br />
<br />
Place all ingredients in a mini food processor and blend until well combined. If you don't have a food processor use a knife to finely chop the green onions and bacon to desired size and stir into butter. <br />
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Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-52536718412372853612013-04-21T23:00:00.000-07:002013-04-21T23:13:05.067-07:00M & M and Chocolate Chip Blondies<br />
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Guess what time it is? <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/" target="_blank">Secret Recipe Club</a> time! A Secret Santa of sorts for food bloggers. Each month everyone is assigned a blog....and, shhhh....it's a secret. You spend the month <strike>stalking</strike> browsing your assigned blog. You pick a recipe, make it and blog it. Everyone in the group "reveals" their posts on the same day. It's a great way to get know a new blog, and find lots of yummy new recipes to try. Plus it's fun! <br />
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This month I was assigned <a href="http://www.carriessweetlife.com/" target="_blank">Carrie's Sweet Life</a>. Carrie does indeed have a sweet life, with 2 beautiful little girls and a hubby and little dog named Peanut. I enjoyed browsing through Carrie's Sweet Life and pinned a number of recipes to try. Ultimately I went with something sweet. Had to be done, right?<br />
<br />
Carrie's M&M Blondies lured me in. Like a chocolate chip cookie wrapped up into a chewy bar with M&M's and a gorgeous crackled golden top. Yep, it had to be done.<br />
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This recipe is easy and comes together quickly...only 2 bowls required and no mixer needed. Gotta love that. <br />
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So how do they taste? Delish! The blondies have a wonderful caramel flavor due to a combination of light and dark brown sugar (no white sugar here). The texture is indeed chewy on the inside and I love the slight crunch from that crackly top. Oh, and I couldn't resist amping up the chocolate factor...so in addition to the cup of M&M's...I also threw in a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. This recipe is versatile so you could add in whatever mixins you were in the mood for. <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<strong>M&M and Chocolate Chip Blondies</strong><br />
adapted from <a href="http://www.carriessweetlife.com/mm-blondies/" target="_blank">Carrie's Sweet Life</a><br />
<br />
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted<br />
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
3/4 cup light brown sugar packed<br />
3/4 cup dark brown sugar packed<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract<br />
1 cup M&M's<br />
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x9 inch pan with cooking spray. Cut 2 pieces of parchment to lay in the pan to form a sling (allowing for easy removal of the blondie after baking). Lay in the first piece of parchment and spray with cooking spray. Lay in the second piece on the opposite side and spray again.<br />
<br />
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl whisk melted butter with light and dark brown sugars until fully combined. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until combined. Add the flour mixture in 2 parts to the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in the M&M's and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until top is golden and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. <br />
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<em>Note: I baked mine in an 8x8 pan and increased the baking time 10-15 minutes.</em><br />
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-40623329647912013652013-03-26T20:59:00.000-07:002013-03-26T21:43:20.332-07:00Glazed Meyer Lemon Buttermilk Cake and 3 Years of Blogging<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today marks 3 years of blogging. Wow! How did that happen? I'm really not so sure. The Ginger Snap Girl started with a post called <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/03/mysterious-meringues.html" target="_blank">Mysterious Meringues</a> on March 26, 2010. That title makes me laugh a little, by the way. I uploaded my first post with a less than flattering picture of vanilla and chocolate meringues and no recipe. It didn't even have a link to a recipe. Which I'm fairly certain is because at that point I couldn't figure out how to link to another website. In fact it's a wonder I got the picture in there. <br />
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I started this blog based on a spark that was ignited when I discovered a whole world of delicious, enticing, inspiring food blogs that I didn't even know existed. I've said this before, but I honestly felt like I was a kid in a candy store. Obviously this girl loves candy since I'm still going 3 years later. Trying to contribute a little something to the food blogging world and continually being motivated and inspired by a number of talented bloggers sharing stories, recipes, drool-worthy photos and a little piece of their lives.<br />
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I will say that I'm a really good project starter, however, often not a project finisher. So the fact this endeavor is still very much in flight, is pretty cool. As I reflected back over the past year I remembered that I actually set a few <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/03/ginger-snap-girl-celebrates-2-years.html" target="_blank">blogging goals</a> last year at this time. In cyber print. For you all to see and for me to be accountable for. Let's see how I fared.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;">1. The Ginger Snap Girl has moved to her own domain name (already purchased...just
need to make the leap) <span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">- Still own the name, didn't make the move.</span><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2. GSG has gotten a little makeover (nothing drastic
like a face lift...but maybe a little boxtox here and there) <span style="color: black;">- No signs of any face lifting just yet.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3. I've challenged
myself to be a better photographer and storyteller <span style="color: black;">- Definitely made some progress in the photography department. I have a better handle on how to actually use my camera's manual settings as well as learned some new editing techniques in Light Room. Still work to do though. No progress on the storytelling aspect.</span> </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"></span> <br />
<span style="color: #999999;">4. I've lost 5 pounds
and my skinny jeans fit again<span style="color: black;"> - Okay this really wasn't a "blog" goal. Or perhaps it was a subconscious one trying to tell me to post more healthy recipes and fewer dessert recipes. This goal has not be achieved in the conscious or subconscious world. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">5. I'm developing more and more of my own recipes </span><span style="color: black;">- Very minimal progress here. I had 6 original recipes of the 56 I posted in the last year. Lots more work to do here!</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span>I'm kinda of bummed that I didn't reach all my goals. I mean I just got through telling you how I start projects and don't always finish them and here I am not finishing stuff. But guess what? This blog is a work in progress and apparently so are certain goals.<br />
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So here's to the next year and achieving the previous goals as well as developing some new ones. <br />
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Thanks for sticking with me on this blog journey! <br />
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I'm sure you want to get to the really important stuff now--the cake! <br />
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I'm a firm believer that birthdays (and anniversaries) should be commemorated with cake. I saw this <a href="http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2013/03/glazed-meyer-lemon-buttermilk-bundt-cake.html#.UVJsdJDn_IU" target="_blank">recipe</a> posted recently on one of my most favorite blogs, <a href="http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tracey's Culinary Adventures</a>. I knew it had to be made. I've actually never made a bundt cake (I don't count the<a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2013/03/almond-financiers.html" target="_blank"> baby bundts</a> I posted recently...those are more like little donuts). I have 2 bundt pans...a full size and smaller one about half the size of a normal pan. It was finally time to break one of them in. I went with the half size bundt since Hubs and I couldn't possibly eat a full one on our own. <br />
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I love how pretty a bundt cake looks.<br />
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The cake is nice. It's mildly perfumed with sunny Meyer lemons, moist from the buttermilk and finished with a sweet and zingy Meyer lemon glaze. Tracey describes the cake as being lighter than others she made, making it breakfast-worthy. I totally agree. The recipe originates from Cooking Light so it is indeed light. And I can confirm it makes a great breakfast. Especially when you throw in a few berries. ;)<br />
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The cake was best on the first day. On the second and third days it was a tad on the dry side, however a 15 second turn in the microwave brought it right back to life. Plus, who doesn't love warm cake?<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />
<strong>Glazed Meyer Lemon Buttermilk Cake</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from <a href="http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2013/03/glazed-meyer-lemon-buttermilk-bundt-cake.html#.UVEZUZDn_IV" target="_blank">Tracey's Culinary Adventures</a>, originally adapted from </span><a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/glazed-lemon-buttermilk-cake-10000001646353/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cooking Light</span></a><br />
<br />
<strong>Cake</strong><br />
<br />
3 cups all purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
3/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
3 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest<br />
1 1/2 cups sugar<br />
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (1 stick)<br />
3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice<br />
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract<br />
3 large eggs at room temperature<br />
1 cup low-fat buttermilk<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with cooking spray with flour. <br />
<br />
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add sugar and lemon zest. Using your hands, mix the sugar and zest until the zest becomes fragrant and even distributed through the sugar. Add the butter and mix on medium until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in lemon juice and lemon extract and mix. With mixer on low add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Alternate adding flour mixture in three parts and buttermilk in two parts, starting and ending with the flour mixture until batter is just combined. <br />
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Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake on the middle rack for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and turn out the cake. Allow to cool completely before glazing.<br />
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<strong>Glaze</strong><br />
<br />
1 cup confectioners' sugar<br />
2 teaspoons low-fat buttermilk<br />
3-4 teaspoons Meyer lemon juice<br />
<br />
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Adjust lemon juice to achieve a thinner or thicker consistency depending on your preference. Pour glaze over the cooled cake.<br />
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<em>Notes:</em> I cut the recipe in half baked it in a 6 cup bundt pan. You can substitute regular lemon for Meyer lemons. Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-22968475640949068382013-03-18T00:00:00.000-07:002013-03-19T23:03:45.760-07:00Almond Financiers<br />
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It's <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/" target="_blank">Secret Recipe Club</a> time! This month I had the pleasure of delving into Tandy Sinclair's blog, <a href="http://tandysinclair.com/" target="_blank">Lavender and Lime</a>. Tandy resides in South Africa and she is a foodie at heart. Her food inspiration started with her family and recipes and food memories from her grandmother and aunts. Tandy has been blogging since 2009, but her passion for food has been expressed in many other forums, including publishing her own cookbook (super cool!) and some of her recipes in a variety of magazines and publications. What I like most is Tandy's recipes have a simplicity about them that highlight the quality of ingredients. I spent quite a bit of time browsing Lavender and Lime and finally narrowed it down to these Almond Financiers. I have a weakness for sweets.<br />
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I have never made financiers before, but I'm so glad that I picked this recipe. In case you are wondering, a financier is a small, moist French cake, typically made with ground almonds, whipped egg whites and browned butter and are often baked in small rectangular shaped molds. I don't have rectangular molds so I baked mine in one of my completely underutilized pans--the mini bundt molds. Yeah for using it twice now! Or you can use a mini muffin tin.<br />
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This recipe yields a small portion so I wasn't overwhelmed with tons of mini cakes to try to get rid of--which is a good thing! It made 7 mini bundt cakes (the tops are 1 3/4 inch wide and the bottoms are just under 2 1/2 inches wide). It's the perfect size to satisfy your sweet craving. The exterior of the cake takes on a little bit of crunch which gives way to a soft moist interior. The cake itself is very sweet so I paired it with black tea. I think it would also be nice with a bittersweet chocolate ganache dripping down the sides to balance the sweetness. Next time I make this recipe I may cut the sugar back just a bit. Also, I mentioned above that browned butter is a traditional method for making these little cakes, however this particular recipe doesn't call for it. But feel free to brown your butter if that suits your fancy.<br />
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I really love how these tiny cakes came out--and they are pretty! One of these days I'm going to host a tea party and I'm tucking this recipe away for just that occasion. Definitely a keeper. Thanks Tandy!<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Almond Financiers</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from </span><a href="http://tandysinclair.com/almond-financiers-for-valentines-day/#" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lavender and Lime</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> originally from Larousse Gastronomique</span><br />
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25 grams flour<br />
25 grams finely ground almonds (or almond flour)<br />
85 grams vanilla sugar (I used regular sugar and added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract in with melted butter)<br />
2 egg whites<br />
2 pinches salt<br />
37 grams butter, melted and cooled<br />
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray half of the wells in a mini muffin tin or mini bundt pan with cooking spray.<br />
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Combine flour, ground almonds, sugar and one pinch of salt into a medium bowl. Whip egg whites and the other pinch of salt using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, until stiff peaks are formed (about 6-8 minutes). <br />
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Gently fold egg whites into flour mixture. Quickly fold in butter until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of your individual cakes, mine baked for 12 minutes).<br />
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Cool on wire rack. Remove from pan and serve with a dusting of powdered sugar, drizzle of chocolate ganache or a dollop of jam.
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-2039521278992969512013-03-06T21:48:00.000-08:002013-03-06T21:48:33.069-08:00Meyer Lemon Curd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lemon sunshine in a jar. <br />
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That's what this is. And let me tell you, sunshine tastes good!!<br />
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I have been hearing the praises of these sunny lemons from the food blogging community for a while now. This is the first year I've sought them out and worked with this gorgeous cousin of the standard lemon. If you haven't encountered a meyer lemon yet, it is slightly smaller than a regular lemon, has a brighter deeper yellow tone (almost an orange yellow glow), a thinner skin and a sweeter tang. Meyer lemons have been described as sunshine, and now that I've had a taste, I completely agree! This is what sunshine would taste like if sunshine was a food.<br />
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I bought a bounty of meyer lemons at Costco and went to town. Meyer lemon curd was my first project. I have made lemon curd before but this time I wanted to can my curd. Wow, that sounds wrong. Anyway, I found a recipe over at <a href="http://www.foodinjars.com/" target="_blank">Food In Jars</a> and it's a keeper. Curd is made with eggs and butter lending to a creamy texture which pairs nicely with the bright lemony tang from the meyers. Think lemon meringue pie filling. Though the lemon curd can be preserved, Marisa recommends consuming it within two months of canning because the consistency degrades after that time (the curd is still safe to eat beyond that). Guess what that means? I have a second jar in the cupboard that I need to get busy with. Again, wrong. Sorry!<br />
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This recipe yields a small amount--two half pint jars. I doubled it and shared a jar with my best friend and a jar with my parents, hoarding the other two jars of sunshine for myself and Hubs. We devoured the first jar in no time. And when I say "we" I mean 90% me, 10% Hubby. <br />
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Wondering what you can do with lemon curd? Spread it on toast, top ice cream with it, slather it on a cookie, fill a mini tart shell, garnish <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/03/ginger-snap-girl-celebrates-2-years.html" target="_blank">cheesecake</a>, or just eat it straight out of the jar (I may or may not have done that). So delicious!<br />
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I have to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to my best friend <a href="http://www.bothhalves.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html" target="_blank">Crystal</a> for providing the inspiration for the styling of these photos. She treated to me to an awesome tea party inspired birthday gift recently, including those pretty little tea cookies that she made from scratch (cinnamon raisin tea cookies, rose petal shortbread and rosemary cookies) and the beautiful floral table linen pictured above. And that was just the beginning. She also bestowed me with two antique bone china tea cups and saucers that I just love, two types of tea, including a French tea called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/French-Tea-Mariage-Centuries-Savoir-Faire/dp/2080111760/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362631626&sr=1-1&keywords=marriage+tea" target="_blank">Mariage</a> that is really amazing and is officially my new favorite tea, a really cool vintage tin with a Currier & Ives floral print on the lid and filled with all those yummy cookies and a cookbook called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Crumpets-Margaret-M-Johnson/dp/0811862143/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362631889&sr=1-1&keywords=tea+and+crumpets" target="_blank">Tea and Crumpets</a>. I'm all set for a tea party for two! Who wants to join me? I might even break out my last jar of meyer lemon curd!<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Meyer Lemon Curd</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from </span><a href="http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/01/meyer-lemon-curd/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Food in Jars</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> originally adapted from The Martha Stewart Cookbook</span><br />
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Yields 2 half pint jars<br />
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6 egg yolks<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
3 Meyer lemons, zested and juiced (you should get a generous 1/2 cup of juice)<br />
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) cut in 1 inch pieces<br />
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Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium and stir in lemon juice using a wooden spoon (you don't want to aerate the curd). Stir continuously for 10-15 adjusting heat as necessary so the curd does not boil. The curd should thicken and coat the back of a wooden spoon (it should still be pourable). Stir in butter until melted.<br />
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Strain the curd using a fine mesh strainer into a glass bowl (to remove any cooked bits of egg). Stir in lemon zest. Ladle curd into prepared sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. If canning, process the jars for 20 minutes in a boiling water canner. Start the time when the water comes to a full rolling boil.<br />
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Notes: Marisa points out that So Easy to Preserve recommends processing only in half pint jars or smaller to allow for proper heat infiltration. Recipe can easily be doubled. If not canning, refrigerate curd. Consume within 2 months of making (whether canning or refrigerating).Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-21529209149173998982013-02-18T09:00:00.000-08:002013-02-19T07:45:46.185-08:00Houston Style Green Salsa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tomatillos are a funny little fruit. They look like green tomatoes but come wrapped in a papery husk. Though they look like tomatoes, they have a very tangy taste. I guess I would describe the taste and texture as a hybrid of a tomato and a lime--heavy on the lime in terms of flavor and a lot like a tomato in terms of texture. Tomatillos are the basis of many green salsas. I find these days I am reaching for green salsa over traditional tomato based salsas. When I came across this Houston style green salsa I knew I had to try it.<br />
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I discovered this green salsa through <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/" target="_blank">Secret Recipe Club</a>. This month I was connected with Karen's blog, <a href="http://cinnamonfreud.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cinnamon Freud</a>. Isn't that a cool name for a blog? Even more so because Karen is a "counseling psychology doctoral student who loves food, cooking, and baking." Her blog was new to me and it was such a treat to browse all her delicious looking recipes. Karen has a nice mix of sweet and savory offerings. And for once in my life, I gravitated to the savory recipes. Once I saw the green salsa, my recipe for this month was a done deal.<br />
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Hubby and I enjoyed this delicious salsa during Super Bowl, alongside homemade tortilla chips and carne asada. I've never been to Houston so I don't know what their green salsa tastes like. But according to Karen this is reminiscent of a salsa she ate many times at her favorite local restaurant. I loved it. It's got tang from the tomatillos and lime juice and a lush creaminess from the avocados. An awesome flavor combination. I topped it with a little cotija cheese to bring a little saltiness to the mix. All in all it was a hit!<br />
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Enjoy! <br />
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<strong>Houston Style Green Salsa</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from </span><a href="http://cinnamonfreud.blogspot.com/2011/11/houston-style-green-salsa.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cinnamon Freud</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (originally adapted from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homesick-Texan-Cookbook-Lisa-Fain/dp/1401324266/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361151002&sr=8-1&keywords=homesick+texan" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Homesick Texan</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> via </span><a href="http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/8322/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Foodie Bride</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span><br />
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4 medium to large tomatillos<br />
1/2 onion finely chopped<br />
1-2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed and finely chopped<br />
3 small cloves garlic peeled and minced<br />
1 teaspoon olive oil<br />
2 small avocados, pits and skin removed<br />
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice<br />
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped<br />
Cotija cheese for garnish (optional)<br />
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Bring a medium sauce pan of water to a boil (large enough to hold the tomatillos). Remove husks from tomatillos and boil 5 minutes until softened. Drain and set aside. Once cooled chop into quarters.<br />
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In a small skillet heat olive oil and add onion and jalapeno and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.<br />
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Using a food processor or blender, blend tomatillos, onion, jalapeno, garlic and lime juice until smooth. Add avocado and cilantro and blend again until desired consistency is reached.<br />
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Serve with homemade chips and garnish with cotija cheese.<br />
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<em>I have to start by saying I accidentally published this post before it was complete. So if you received the one without photos and the recipe in your reader or email, please disregard it.</em> <br />
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I have a funny story about these cookies. If you follow along here regularly you might remember back in December I had some family and friends over to bake for the <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/gingerbread-white-chocolate-blondies.html" target="_blank">Christmas edition</a> of <a href="http://www.bakinggals.com/" target="_blank">Operation Baking GALS</a>. Everyone brought baked goodies to send to the troops overseas. My sister brought chewy chocolate cookies with chocolate and peanut butter chips that looked amazing. Now the point of the day was to send as many goodies to the troops as possible, but, a few cookies, including 1, and only 1, chewy chocolate cookie, didn't fit nicely into the containers. These leftover cookies, along with several broken cookies and the cut off edges of peppermint <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/04/last-brownie.html" target="_blank">brownies</a> and <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/gingerbread-white-chocolate-blondies.html" target="_blank">gingerbread blondies</a> went on a piece of parchment paper on the kitchen counter that I fondly referred to as the "cookie graveyard." It would be a major faux pas to let perfectly good tasting cookies and cookie pieces go to waste right? <br />
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Fast forward to the end of the day and Hubby and were cleaning up. Hubby was in the kitchen doing dishes and I was busy gathering empty appetizer dishes from the living room. I came into the kitchen and immediately noticed my cookie graveyard was gone! As in NOT THERE. What!? I had an instant reaction where I may have screamed/screeched, "What happened to my cookies????" To which Hubby looked at me blankly. To clarify, I pointed to the empty spot on the counter and said, "the cookie graveyard, it was sitting right over there." He replied, "Oh. I just threw those out a second ago. It looked like trash."<br />
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Nooooo!!!! Holy moly! Cookie scraps, and in this case, a few whole cookies, is so not trash. I don't care what it looked like! (Okay, it did look like a heap of cookie parts). By the way, does my excessive punctuation adequately convey my astonishment and the fact that my ears turned red in these few moments where I realized my prized cookie was gone? <br />
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I immediately flipped open the lid to the kitchen trash can and saw the parchment paper holding the cookie graveyard staring right at me. <br />
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You know where this is going.<br />
<br />
Without hesitating, I scooped up that bundle of parchment and opened it up to retrieve the one prized cookie I had been dying to try all day...Katie's chewy chocolate cookie. I pulled out my little chocolate jewel....right out of the trash. Yep. <br />
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I know. It's sketchy. But rest assured the cookie was bundled inside parchment and I'm confident that it most definitely did NOT directly touch any other trash. That makes it okay. Right? :)<br />
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Anyway, the dumpster diving was worth it. The cookie was simply delicious. Packed full of rich chocolate with both cocoa powder and chocolate chips/chopped chocolate. I especially loved the chewy texture. The coolest part is how the cookie can be tweaked to fit your tastes. Katie added peanut butter chips, which were delish. But you could easily add white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, milk, dark chocolate or any kind of chip/chopped chocolate that suits your fancy. I know for the holidays this year I will be making these with Trader Joe's peppermint bark baking bits--yum. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself since it's only February...<br />
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When contemplating what to make for Baking GALS this month I knew these cookies would be on the menu. The chewy factor makes them a good item for shipping long distances. I wanted to dress them up a bit for the troops so I added red, white and blue M&M's (which I got from picking out white M&M's from a valentines bag and the red and blue from the normal M&M's bag). They added a perfect little crunch and amped up the chocolate even further. Definitely a keeper. <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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P.S. If you have any recipes that would be good for long distance shipping and stays fresh for at least a week, please share your links in the comments. <br />
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<strong>Chewy Chocolate Cookies with M&M's</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbook-Americas-Magazine/dp/1933615893/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360565099&sr=1-1&keywords=cooks+illustrated" target="_blank">Cook's Illustrated Cook Book</a></span><br />
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1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar<br />
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour<br />
3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa (I used regular cocoa powder because it's what I had on hand)<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 cup dark corn syrup<br />
1 large egg white<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature<br />
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar<br />
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped into 1/2 inch pieces<br />
1-1 1/2 cups M&M's<br />
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In a medium bowl whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt until well blended. In a small bowl whisk corn syrup, egg white and vanilla together until fully combined.<br />
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In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter with the dark brown sugar and the 1/3 cup of granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer to low speed and add the corn syrup mixture until fully combined, scraping the bowl as necessary. With the mixer on low add in the flour mixture and chocolate slowly until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir by hand to ensure no flour remains. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, allowing the dough to firm slightly.<br />
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While the dough is chilling, place the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375, positioning racks in the upper and lower middle of the oven. <br />
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Remove dough from refrigerator. Please note the dough does not get fully firm. Don't over chill the dough. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the dough and roll it in the sugar and place on the baking sheets 2 inches apart, fitting 8 cookies to a sheet. Take M&M's and gently press them into the surface of the dough (do not flatten cookies) fairly close together, but evenly spaced around the top and sides. The M&M's will spread out when the cookie bakes. I placed about 9-10 M&M's on each cookie.<br />
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Bake about 10 - 11 minutes or until the cookies are slightly puffed and starting to crack. The cookie may look underdone in the cracks, which is fine. Do not overbake. Be sure to rotate cookies from top to bottom and front to back for even baking. <br />
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Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool for 5-7 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.<br />
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Makes 24 cookies.</div>
Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-3529454656730176492013-01-28T07:00:00.000-08:002013-01-28T07:00:07.495-08:00Lemon-Sage Wine Mustard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When this post goes live it will be my birthday. This year's birthday is a extra special because it's the last one of my 30's. When I think about that, I sigh a little. I know it's cliché, but where did the time go? I am not so sure...but I do know I plan to make the most of 39. Then next year at this time, we'll see how well I'm embracing the reality of 40. Long sigh. I have a feeling I might go into it kicking and screaming just a little bit. <br />
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The birthday plans have been low key this year. Just enjoying a few meals out with various family and friends. My <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/05/sweet-melissa-sundays-peanut-butter.html">sister's</a> birthday is 3 days prior to mine so we always celebrate together. We went out on Sunday for lunch at a <a href="http://www.seasons52.com/">restaurant</a> I've been wanting to try for over a year. They specialize in seasonal ingredients and all their dishes are under 475 calories. I have to say I was very impressed with how they spent their calories--will definitely be going back. On the actual birthday Hubby and I are going to dinner just the two of us to steak house. I'm not going to be counting the calories there--trust me! Tuesday evening I'm slated for dinner with one of my closest friends for Mexican food and Thursday is dinner with the parents at a seafood restaurant. Food, friends and family is the perfect way to celebrate. :)<br />
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I didn't necessarily plan a specific post to coincide with my birthday, and it just so happens this lemon-sage wine mustard is up next on the blog roster. But I'm more than happy to celebrate with mustard! <br />
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I LOVE mustard! It's high up on my list of preferred <u>and</u> necessary condiments. My family thinks I'm a little crazy about mustard in fact. When I eat a hot dog for instance, the ratio of mustard to dog is about 50/50. Yeah. Really. I guess my family has a point and it might be a smidge overboard. What can I say? I just cannot seem to get too much mustard on a hot dog. And I like it all. Yellow. Dijon. Grain. Brown. Honey. Spicy. I love the acidity and tang from mustard. Yum.<br />
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When Hima of <a href="http://www.allfourburners.com/">All Four Burners</a> challenged us to use citrus in our <a href="http://www.allfourburners.com/2013/01/01/can-it-up-january/">monthly Can It Up project</a>, I started looking for recipes. I came across this lemon-sage wine mustard in my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete-Book-Home-Preserving/dp/0778801314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359332665&sr=8-1&keywords=complete+book+of+home+preserving">Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving</a>. I thought it would be kind of cool to make homemade mustard. Plus I've only canned sweet things to date....<a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/10/caramel-apple-jam.html">jams</a>, <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/11/slow-cooker-apple-butter.html">fruit butters</a>, <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/04/sweet-melissa-sundays-strawberry.html">preserves</a>, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine my love of canning with my love of mustard. That sounds silly as I read it back. But it really was fun to make and I enjoyed the final product. <br />
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The mustard is really very lemony. The sage is subtle and the wine sings a nice little melody in the background. Since the lemon is prominent, I've found I've enjoyed this accompanied with a little mayo too to balance it out. At least on sandwiches. The sandwich pictured below is homemade ciabatta bread (courtesy of Hubby), turkey, grated sharp white cheddar cheese, mayo and lemon-sage wine mustard. Delicious! <br />
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Mustard is surprisingly easy to make. The hardest part was finding the main ingredient. Whole mustard seeds. My first stop was Whole Foods. They sold it. In incredibly tiny portions. My mustard would have cost a small fortune. I know a lot of people love Whole Foods, but I really don't seem to have the best luck there. Next I tried Sprouts (another local health food grocery store). What's great about Sprouts is they sell spices in bulk bins/jars where you can fill up a bag with as much or as little as you want. I've purchased many spices this way especially when I am using something new for a recipe and I don't know if I want to invest in a whole jar. I was thrilled to see Sprouts had a huge container of mustard seeds. I was able to eyeball a 3/4 cup portion and it cost right around $5 dollars. Once I secured all my ingredients it was smooth sailing.<br />
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The mustard seeds get soaked in a sage steeped wine for a couple of hours. The seeds soak up all the liquid from the wine and get transferred to a food processor along with white wine vinegar. Several long pulses in the food processor allow the seeds to break down, but some grain is left. It's nice to have a little texture from the seeds in the finished product. The mustard goes into a pot on the stove to cook along with the lemon, sage, honey and salt and, then into prepared canning jars to be processed in boiling water. <br />
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You'll notice this mustard doesn't have a bright yellow color. I had always assumed the mustard seed is where the color came in. But I learned that it actually comes from one of the spices in yellow mustard, turmeric. Since this mustard is turmeric free it has a much more muted yellow, almost pale brown color. Don't let the color fool you, this mustard has quite a zing! <br />
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It's great on sandwiches. And I envision it accompanying homemade pretzels, grilled bratwurst or hot dogs or a honey baked ham. <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<strong>Lemon-Sage Wine Mustard</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete-Book-Home-Preserving/dp/0778801314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359332665&sr=8-1&keywords=complete+book+of+home+preserving"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving</span></a><br />
<br />
Makes 5 four ounce jars<br />
<br />
1 bunch of fresh sage (enough to yield 1/3 cup finely chopped plus 1/2 cup roughly chopped)<br />
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Gris)<br />
3/4 cup yellow mustard seeds<br />
1 cup white wine vinegar<br />
Grated zest and juice of two large lemons<br />
1/2 cup liquid honey (I used regular honey)<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
<br />
Finely chop enough sage leaves to measure 1/3 cup and set aside. <br />
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Coarsely chop remaining sage leaves and stems to measure 1/2 cup and place in a small stainless steel saucepan with the white wine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, while stirring and pressing on the sage to release as much flavor as possible. Remove the pan from the heat and cover. Allow to steep for 5 minutes.<br />
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Using a fine mesh strainer or sieve, drain the safe infused wine into a bowl while pressing down on the sage to remove as much liquid as possible. Discard the sage and return the wine to the saucepan. Add the mustard seeds to the wine and cover with a lid. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours or until the mustard seeds have absorbed most of the moisture.<br />
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Prepare your lids and jars by washing in hot soapy water. Place jars in a water canner, ensuring jars are covered with water and bring to a boil. Place lids in a small sauce pan over low heat. Set screw rings aside. <br />
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Transfer wine soaked mustard seeds to a food processor or blender, including an residual liquid. Add vinegar and process until the mustard seeds are well chopped but still has a slightly grainy texture. <br />
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Transfer the mixture to a stainless steel medium-large size saucepan. Add lemon juice, zest, honey, salt and the 1/3 cup of finely chopped sage. Turn heat to high and boil, stirring continuously. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and allow to gently boil, stirring often. Allow mustard to reduce by 1/3 of it's volume, about 20 minutes (note--mine only took 10 minutes). The book cautions from allowing the mustard to get too thick as it can prohibit proper heat penetration during canning process. <br />
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Remove one jar at time from the canner using tongs, discarding the water and hold with a doubled up clean kitchen towel. Ladle hot mustard into hot jars leaving 1/4 head space at the top. Remove air bubbles by using a thin chopstick around the mustard. Wipe any residue off the rim. Place a hot lid on top and secure using a screw band until resistance is met and turning until fingertip tight (do not over tighten). Repeat until all the jars are filled. <br />
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Place prepared jars in canner. Allow the water level to sit at least 1 full inch above the jars. Bring to boil. Process for 10 minutes with lid on the canner. Once they've boiled for 10 minutes, remove the canner lid and wait 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner and cool on a kitchen towel, undisturbed for 24 hours. <br />
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Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-47501516169382103662013-01-21T09:00:00.000-08:002013-01-21T20:32:46.953-08:00Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJmtVboBBGVXNh5LPp_yJKBF4LsS5ADcJW6SngyvY93Mh6FAB0Ue29_FYrlsNikTKDvAuWHKhzSO3tZB5kV0GYLLeuetL5vf4DLdb1S-QN_F6t42hMbXNWoC-LgtilEUdsLp4ZuUmB3KU/s1600/DSC_0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJmtVboBBGVXNh5LPp_yJKBF4LsS5ADcJW6SngyvY93Mh6FAB0Ue29_FYrlsNikTKDvAuWHKhzSO3tZB5kV0GYLLeuetL5vf4DLdb1S-QN_F6t42hMbXNWoC-LgtilEUdsLp4ZuUmB3KU/s640/DSC_0013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's back. <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/">Secret Recipe Club</a> that is. We took a break in December since the holidays are such a busy time for most. It feels like we've been on hiatus for more than a month though. I'm glad we're back in business!<br />
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This month I was assigned Danielle's blog, <a href="http://www.hugsandcookiesxoxo.com/">Hugs & Cookies XOXO</a>. WOW. Hugs & Cookies is teeming with uber decadent desserts. And I mean decadent! Most of her sweets involve several layers of flavor and texture...by combining cookies, brownies and caramel or chocolate sauces/ glazes with various types of candy worked all into ONE serious treat. To see what I mean, check out these <a href="http://www.hugsandcookiesxoxo.com/2013/01/oreo-cheesecake-bars-on-chocolate-chip.html">Oreo cheesecake bars on a chocolate chip cookie crust topped with chocolate glaze, raspberry M&M's and more Oreos</a>. Or these <a href="http://www.hugsandcookiesxoxo.com/2013/01/quadruple-layer-chocolate-cheesecake.html">quadruple layer chocolate cheesecake Kit Kat bars</a>--now that's some chocolate love. Danielle's creativity is evident in the seemingly endless combinations of sweet goodness she shares on her blog (nearly daily). The sky's the limit. If you are looking for a crowd pleasing dessert to take to a Super Bowl party I'm certain you can find something inspirational on Hugs & Cookies. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I kept some cookies unglazed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Though I was tempted to make one of Danielle's really indulgent treats (like those Kit Kat cheesecake bars--hello!), I ended up picking something a little more straightforward. I was drawn to her vanilla bean sugar cookies for two reasons. One, I have Madagascar vanilla beans that I've been itching to use since the fall. And two, Hubs is a big sugar cookie fan. In fact, sugar cookies are his favorite type of cookie. Oh, I and I just thought of a third reason. It was the perfect opportunity to use my heart shaped cookie cutters which have gotten very little air time since I purchased them. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glaze takes on a matte finish after it fully dries</td></tr>
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The recipe comes together easily. I decided to create a vanilla glaze to top these little beauties with even more vanilla (I think Danielle would approve). I added in wisp of orange extract which brought a really subtle citrus perfume in the background while still allowing the vanilla to shine through. <br />
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Hubs, our resident sugar cookie expert, gives them a thumbs up. He hinted that it would be A-Okay if make them again. Thanks Danielle!<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<strong>Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from </span><a href="http://www.hugsandcookiesxoxo.com/2012/07/vanilla-bean-sugar-cookies.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hugs & Cookies XOXO</span></a><br />
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Cookies:<br />
2 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
<br />
Glaze:<br />
2 tablespoons milk<br />
left over vanilla bean pod from the cookies plus another 1/2 vanilla bean with the seeds scraped out<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1/4 teaspoon orange extract (optional)<br />
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.<br />
<br />
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy about 2 minutes. Add egg and beat until combined. Add vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract and beat until just combined. <br />
<br />
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. <br />
<br />
Turn mixer to low and slowly and dry ingredients into the butter sugar mixture until fully combined and a dough forms. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap and divide in two equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a round about 1 inch thick. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. <br />
<br />
Roll out dough between two large sheets of parchment paper to just under 1/4 inch thick. Flour the parchment and dough well as the dough tends to be sticky. Use your favorite shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Carefully remove each shape and place on the parchment lined baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. To help coax the cut out cookies off the parchment, place your hand under the bottom sheet of parchment and pull the parchment away from the dough so you can gently remove the cookie. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to chill the cut out cookies. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until bottom edges appear lightly golden brown. Allow to cool on baking sheet for about 15 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.<br />
<br />
While cookies are baking start on the glaze. Place the milk, vanilla bean pods and seeds in a medium bowl. The idea is to get all the vanilla goodness infused in the milk. Set aside.<br />
<br />
While cookies are cooling remove vanilla bean pods from the milk and add vanilla extract and orange extract if using. Whisk in powdered sugar. Glaze will be loose and pourable. Set aside until cookies are completely cooled. <br />
<br />
Set up a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (you can use the same sheet the cookies baked on). Place a wire rack on top of the baking sheet. Dip the face of each cookie so it is completely covered in glaze. Place cookie face up on the wire rack allowing any excess glaze to drip off on to the parchment paper below. Allow glaze to dry completely, about 90 minutes.<br />
<br />
Makes about 4 dozen 3 inch cookies.<br />
<br />
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Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-43944611496157570272013-01-14T18:00:00.000-08:002013-02-19T08:27:33.940-08:00Pumpkin Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXejwkF74R9S2lGlqKbSKpibMhj5V-p8tJiQwhclv_XrVOEohJ5kuGYn8IEt7RQbpdA-RJRxzwYFc01aJ9fGk6Mffk4rJ2Kt2M9DKDQXGwGNOeMMEPe7YmKt0d_cpj3DmeN3iPkzzUDao/s1600/DSC_0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXejwkF74R9S2lGlqKbSKpibMhj5V-p8tJiQwhclv_XrVOEohJ5kuGYn8IEt7RQbpdA-RJRxzwYFc01aJ9fGk6Mffk4rJ2Kt2M9DKDQXGwGNOeMMEPe7YmKt0d_cpj3DmeN3iPkzzUDao/s640/DSC_0066.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It's cold here. I venture to guess this is one of the coldest winters we've had in Southern California in a number of years. At least it feels that way. I could try to research it to get a definitive answer, but it doesn't really matter. It wouldn't change how cold it feels. <br />
<br />
I know that pretty much anyone living outside of California will likely not sympathize with my definition of cold. But a high of 57 and low of 31 (today's temps) puts a chill in my toes and in our house. You see, many California houses are not built the way cold weather climate houses are built. The brisk air seeps in the windows and doors and it seems no matter how high the heater is, the place never really warms up. I've been spending a lot of time bundling up with layers of clothes, extra socks and a scarf here and there during the days I'm working at home. Then snuggling under warm blankets on the couch at night with kitty cat next to me. <br />
<br />
Once I'm nice and cozy, a slice of spiced pumpkin bread alongside a hot cup of tea is just the thing to warm my insides. I love it for breakfast, a snack and even dessert. It's so delicious.<br />
<br />
This recipe has a bit of a story. <br />
<br />
My good friend Sharon has been making this bread around the holidays for years. She pumps out a dozen plus loaves and hands them out to family and friends each year. I've been the recipient of this bread many times and absolutely love it. Several years ago I asked her about the recipe and she alluded that it was a long time recipe which her family kept under lock and key. <br />
<br />
Fast forward to this past fall...I asked Sharon if I could have the recipe because I wanted to bake this yummy bread to send to the troops overseas as part of <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/gingerbread-white-chocolate-blondies.html">Operation Baking GALS</a>. A perfect autumn treat that travels well and has a long shelf life. I let her know that I wouldn't share the recipe with anyone else, but felt the troops should have a taste of this deliciousness! She happily agreed. Since October, I've made over a dozen loaves myself. For the troops, for family and just to eat myself (which I did for breakfast this morning--mmm). One of the reasons I love this recipe is because it's very reliable. I've had consistently good results every time I've made it in terms of appearance, texture and taste. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiuMVosqB1Zq8FJmD_x-nxECcrdmuSBn41g-rIJICP5llqPigEvn2TyT2xWHr6xIpVNVjEWDx1Lguqg1afqvgbwJz_l8NJNa_lT1CbnNJG5AX-W7jE0fx41QUPA-yL3q-iqAuIiuqVKuW/s1600/DSC_0025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiuMVosqB1Zq8FJmD_x-nxECcrdmuSBn41g-rIJICP5llqPigEvn2TyT2xWHr6xIpVNVjEWDx1Lguqg1afqvgbwJz_l8NJNa_lT1CbnNJG5AX-W7jE0fx41QUPA-yL3q-iqAuIiuqVKuW/s640/DSC_0025.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Not only do I love the bread, but the troops loved it too. They even posted a comment about it on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BakingGALS">OBG Facebook page</a>. A very exciting moment! I'm telling you this bread is the bomb. I hinted to Sharon I would love to post the recipe on the blog and share it with all of you. She went back to her mom to inquire and her mom was happy to hear the troops enjoyed the bread so much and agreed the recipe should be shared. Woo hoo! Sharon also inquired about the origin of the recipe. Her mom is a special needs teacher and years ago, one of her students brought her a loaf of this bread as a thank you gift. She loved it so much, she asked the child's mother for the recipe. The rest is history. <br />
<br />
I'm so thrilled that Sharon's mom agreed this awesome recipe needed to be shared with the world. Well, my little pocket of readers anyway. THANK YOU Sharon's Mom! :)<br />
<br />
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<br />
This pumpkin bread is very easy to make and is all mixed by hand. It yields 2 large loaves (or 8 mini loaves). You could easily cut the recipe in half to make just one loaf. The day it's baked it has a wonderful crusty top. I do enjoy that crust, but I find that I really enjoy the bread best after it's been sealed in a zip top bag for 2+ days. Though the bread is moist the day you bake it, it's gets even more moist and it seems the flavors really meld together if you can stand to wait 2 days. The crusty top goes away due the amount of moisture that redistributes through the bread, but the enhanced flavor and incredible moistness are so worth it! It stores beautifully for upwards of a week. <br />
<br />
This is most definitely my go to pumpkin bread recipe and I look forward to making many more loaves.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<em>*Note recipe updated on 2/19/2013 to include an originally omitted ingredient (sugar)</em><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pumpkin Bread<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">from Sharon's Family</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Makes 2 large loaves (9x5)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 1/2 cups all purpose flour</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 cups granulated sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 teaspoons baking soda</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon salt</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon ground cinnamon</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon ground nutmeg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2/3 cup water</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 eggs</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup oil (Crisco Corn Oil is recommended, but any vegetable oil would be fine)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 cups pumpkin puree (unsweetened)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Butter and flour two 9x5 loaf pans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Preheat oven to 350.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl until fully combined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whisk eggs, water, and vanilla together in a medium bowl or a large glass measuring cup (at least 2 cup size).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make a well in the flour and add the wet
ingredients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add the oil and pumpkin
puree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fold together with rubber spatula
until fully combined and no streaks of flour remain.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Divide between loaf pans and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes
out clean.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Notes: To make chocolate chip pumpkin bread stir 2 cups of semi sweet
chocolate chips into the fully mixed batter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I also prefer to use fresh grated nutmeg if possible. </span></span></div>
Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-18477124126233785662013-01-06T22:27:00.000-08:002013-01-06T22:27:40.634-08:00Lemon Soufflé<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh302_ePytiu2kDnyuLdNe-ivpTvjsmEq5qq2R_g2CRHpQRtXS5xjZp0lmYfRuq826DJiL9hHFJDqNBe7jUtpAycvpSZkiqKv-Xt3uVM46CyLgRWExuc4nyiSZROsuJNaR3MnaFj6aEliKx/s1600/DSC_0029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh302_ePytiu2kDnyuLdNe-ivpTvjsmEq5qq2R_g2CRHpQRtXS5xjZp0lmYfRuq826DJiL9hHFJDqNBe7jUtpAycvpSZkiqKv-Xt3uVM46CyLgRWExuc4nyiSZROsuJNaR3MnaFj6aEliKx/s640/DSC_0029.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Hubby and I rung in the New Year in low key fashion. We were both a bit under the weather. Me with a cold. Hubs with an ear infection. We kept it simple and made dinner at home and rented The Dark Knight Rises on pay per view. Dinner was nice. He made homemade pasta (which I love because it doesn't weigh you down the way store bought dried pasta does). I made an easy oven <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/09/roasted-cherry-tomato-sauce-with.html">roasted tomato sauce</a> to top it off. I also pan seared some fish my dad caught on a recent deep sea fishing excursion. I wish I knew the name of the fish...it actually had a greenish hue in it's raw form--apparently the best of the catch on Dad's trip. It was a beautifully buttery flaky white fish when cooked. Really delicious. To cap it off, we decided the eve of 2013 deserved a special dessert. Lemon soufflé. Our very first homemade soufflé. <br />
<br />
I have heard of the troubles soufflé can cause. Apparently soufflés can be rather finicky with potential for a number of things to go wrong. I'm happy to say we didn't encounter any issues. We did take two out of the oven slightly early, but other than that, they turned out great! <br />
<br />
The recipe comes from Baking & Pastry from the Culinary Institute of America. Neither of us has attended the CIA, but Hubby picked up the book at our local restaurant supply store last year to learn more about bread making. He's made several of the bread recipes. The soufflé is the first non bread recipe we've tried from the book. The book is written in textbook format and there are few pictures. You will also have to break out your kitchen scale, because everything is by weight. Many of the recipes are fairly large scale, but this one was manageable, filling 8 ramekins. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbc2kysVgPTwPTyVxMCxWbhvzrE9-FwEMtOrpFoTv_ftBRtdUKq_-63JoOI1ERsb_2XAEzcKUEsSDHKBERbq2G2BxL705I_thVx5Si2XyYUv28T1WyraPtSXFsEw7fo3t404334vJcRRQY/s1600/DSC_0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbc2kysVgPTwPTyVxMCxWbhvzrE9-FwEMtOrpFoTv_ftBRtdUKq_-63JoOI1ERsb_2XAEzcKUEsSDHKBERbq2G2BxL705I_thVx5Si2XyYUv28T1WyraPtSXFsEw7fo3t404334vJcRRQY/s640/DSC_0048.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is about 10 minutes after they came of the oven and you can see they are already deflating</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The soufflé starts with making a lemon infused pastry cream. The cream is made in advance so it has time to cool. We made our pastry cream before we started on the main course. Once dinner was done, we moved on to part two of the soufflés. The ramekins got a slather of butter all over the inside, all the way up to the rim and a dusting of sugar. Egg whites were whipped to medium peaks and the pastry cream and egg whites get oh so gently folded together. The delicate mixture carefully goes into the ramekins, onto a baking sheet and into the oven. We crossed our fingers. We weren't sure how long to cook them since our ramekins were smaller than the ones called for in the recipe. So we sat on the kitchen floor with the oven light turned on and watched them like a hawk. We really did sit on the floor. One of cats joined us, wondering what the heck we were doing. Turns out they cooked the same length of time as the original recipe called for. And much to our surprise...the little buggers rose up a good inch past the top of the ramekin. Success!<br />
<br />
I topped mine with sugared raspberries. It was delicious. A soufflé is light, and airy. The lemon flavor, subtle....nice. If you could eat clouds, I would imagine it would be a lot like eating a soufflé. These are so light, that you might feel like it's a good idea to eat 2. I mean, if you have a bunch of left over soufflés, best to eat them to before they deflate, right? Once they deflate they lose all the wonderful textural puffy lemony cloud custard qualities. <br />
<br />
We both ate 2. It was the right thing to do. <br />
<br />
Though the recipe may look a little intimidating, the steps are straightforward and very manageable. It's not as bad as it looks. Promise.<br />
<br />
On a photography note...these photos were taken around 8pm without any special lighting. I set my camera up on the new tripod Santa brought me and allowed a long shutter release (I'm sure I'm not saying that right). Then I used the white balance editing tool in Lightroom to take all the yellow lighting tints out of the picture. Though these aren't as good as a natural lighting option, I was pretty amazed with the results. Go Santa with the tri-pod. <br />
<br />
I hope 2013 is treating you well thus far. Happy New Year.<br />
<br />
Enjoy! <br />
<br />
<strong>Lemon Soufflé</strong><br />
adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Pastry-Mastering-Edition-Workbook/dp/0470549491/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1357528990&sr=8-4&keywords=baking+%26+pastry+culinary+institute+of+america"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Baking & Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft</span></a><br />
<br />
Makes 8 four ounce (1/2 cup) ramekins<br />
<br />
1.5 ounces butter, melted and cooled<br />
17 ounces lemon pastry cream (recipe below)<br />
1 ounce egg yolks<br />
6 ounces egg whites<br />
2.5 ounces sugar<br />
Extra butter and sugar for ramekins<br />
<br />
Lemon Pastry Cream:<br />
16 ounces milk<br />
5 ounces sugar<br />
3 ounces all purpose flour<br />
2 ounces eggs<br />
1.5 ounces egg yolks<br />
0.25 ounces lemon zest (about 3 large lemons)<br />
<br />
Start by making lemon pastry cream. This needs to cool completely before making the soufflé. <br />
<br />
To make pastry cream:<br />
<br />
Combine 8 ounces of milk with lemon zest and 2.5 ounces of sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring and pressing on lemon zest to release flavor. Remove from heat, cover and allow lemon zest to steep in hot milk for 10 minutes. <br />
<br />
While the lemon zest is steeping, Combine flour and remaining 2.5 ounces sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in remaining 8 ounces of milk, eggs and egg yolks until mixture is smooth. Set aside.<br />
<br />
Prepare an ice water bath in a bowl large enough to accommodate the bowl you will put finished pastry cream in. Don't fill too full as you don't want any water to get into the pastry cream.<br />
<br />
Remove lid from the milk/lemon mixture and return to heat and bring just to a boil. Strain mixture into a bowl, pressing on lemon zest to release all the liquid.<br />
<br />
Whisk in 1/3 of hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Whisk in remaining hot milk, again, constantly whisking. Return combined mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. The mixture will take several minutes to thicken. But when it goes, it goes quickly. You want to achieve a loose pudding consistency. The mixture should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a trail when you run your finger through it. <br />
<br />
Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and place the bowl in the prepared ice water bath. Cover pastry cream with plastic wrap pressed directly to surface of the cream. Allow to cool for 30 minutes or so, then transfer to the refrigerator until ready to make soufflés.<br />
<br />
To make soufflés:<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat the inside of the ramekins with soft butter. Coat completely all the way up to the rim. Dust ramekins with sugar and place on a baking sheet.<br />
<br />
If pastry cream is chilled, use a hand mixer to bring to a smooth consistency. Using a spatula stir in melted cooled butter and egg yolks until completely combined.<br />
<br />
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in sugar while continuing to whip. Whip until medium peaks form. <br />
<br />
Gently blend 1/3 of the egg whites into the pastry cream base. Gently fold in remaining egg whites until thoroughly combined. <br />
<br />
Portion soufflé mixture into ramekins gently spooning it in until it's a generous 3/4 full. Space ramekins evenly on baking sheet and bake until soufflé is lightly golden and has risen 1 inch above the rim of the ramekin, about 20 minutes.<br />
<br />
Sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional) and serve with fresh berries.<br />
<br />
Serve immediately.Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-25764792462393974832012-12-28T20:21:00.000-08:002012-12-28T20:21:09.538-08:00Jalapeno Cheese Crackers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0MKOMisPBz-P-jmhheQ1tgqhdH_pEvmhk1ZWnIKvSmVbx2s7-hKdzi6e7kmgbuyVJSXTFAv5qU21uPyMg991IuGYsoxTQd-kGIN2cYOdq0oIWZ5RQ028cJwdg1MgZG6J0hxTOO-d2-rP/s1600/DSC_0178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0MKOMisPBz-P-jmhheQ1tgqhdH_pEvmhk1ZWnIKvSmVbx2s7-hKdzi6e7kmgbuyVJSXTFAv5qU21uPyMg991IuGYsoxTQd-kGIN2cYOdq0oIWZ5RQ028cJwdg1MgZG6J0hxTOO-d2-rP/s640/DSC_0178.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: black;">I contemplated writing a non food post. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">I'm kind of fooded out. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Christmas was a whirlwind of baking, cooking, driving, ribbons, wrapping, eating, kids running around, unwrapping, laughing, a wee bit of sleeping, more baking, more cooking, more ribbons and wrapping, eating, more kids, more unwrapping, eating again, and maybe just a little more eating. </span><br />
<br />
I may have eaten more than my share of cookies. I'm certain I've gained some holiday poundage. I want to know. Yet I don't.<br />
<br />
The scale can wait a few days.<br />
<br />
I'm sure it's no surprise I love baking. December is by far my biggest baking month of the year. This year was even a little bigger than usual. It started with a baking frenzy for December <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/gingerbread-white-chocolate-blondies.html" target="_blank">Baking GALS</a>. The following weekend was dedicated to baking for friends and co-workers (pictures below). And this past weekend was the final push to bake for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family. <br />
<br />
Every year I pick several cookies to make.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-lkUu_iz8KZmUcxcrqfAF_FwGMlpLuTbX88_PwH8icgZiAM2Shbrnp-gaR7C0Cqh8Ex3u96m6EfrrYIw8uwNdSvbcd3aeC3CPauR_Nh9WN3-MaHhZfnWkl_tgBWROI3Q3FTO7NtptOCV/s1600/DSC_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-lkUu_iz8KZmUcxcrqfAF_FwGMlpLuTbX88_PwH8icgZiAM2Shbrnp-gaR7C0Cqh8Ex3u96m6EfrrYIw8uwNdSvbcd3aeC3CPauR_Nh9WN3-MaHhZfnWkl_tgBWROI3Q3FTO7NtptOCV/s640/DSC_0003.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise starting in the upper left: Ginger Snaps, Snowball cookies are buried in those bags of powdered sugar in the middle, Red Velvet Crinkles, Jalapeno Cheese Crackers, Linzers and Peppermint Brownies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I have a couple of regulars that make an appearance every year....<br />
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<a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/gingersnaps.html" target="_blank">Ginger snaps</a>...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyzDLqXlkzzpIwbsN2jJSCPGYfuyOyp7mqvkGvNf7tRRfahueiHPFIDGyTqdGp0fLiWfaW3_7wjggzxMo3Yj3Zvr-cctbQ6csKfYSGM28GlFUWhqwgKWUU3gDQVOaSuc7Gg0Sns6hGo9F/s1600/DSC_0026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyzDLqXlkzzpIwbsN2jJSCPGYfuyOyp7mqvkGvNf7tRRfahueiHPFIDGyTqdGp0fLiWfaW3_7wjggzxMo3Yj3Zvr-cctbQ6csKfYSGM28GlFUWhqwgKWUU3gDQVOaSuc7Gg0Sns6hGo9F/s640/DSC_0026.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/rasberry-and-lemon-linzers.html" target="_blank">raspberry and lemon linzers</a>... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic81QQype4lLAfEABKTFKrHyjjY2O2fBLyEihO-5Tz7tpnKmnGLI6hyphenhyphenlMa64djN17sNwlEyFrQ5FStxIDmiXyPkWRiNULbzqx6bkvFoFgO5Tyyu1DBxWD03ndhmCmaYXoNcNXELGxz_ZEi/s1600/DSC_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic81QQype4lLAfEABKTFKrHyjjY2O2fBLyEihO-5Tz7tpnKmnGLI6hyphenhyphenlMa64djN17sNwlEyFrQ5FStxIDmiXyPkWRiNULbzqx6bkvFoFgO5Tyyu1DBxWD03ndhmCmaYXoNcNXELGxz_ZEi/s640/DSC_0008.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then I try out some new recipes. <br />
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This <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/04/last-brownie.html" target="_blank">brownie</a> recipe (double the recipe and bake in a sheet pan) received a holiday twist by spreading melted milk chocolate on top and finishing with crushed candy canes to make a peppermint brownie. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPQ-6Tnur0TgC0MLOVQexv63mYAb9ho6mlOl9xfUIgZ_WEv-cbdQPJU0dt0rMhk-XzYB3SoOXxHgRp2BOyvCcu1S_AUXugTGmcJyan8GRcdLdNX02-5qhejcvfdtN0pNomqwYcXpOcbWR/s1600/DSC_0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPQ-6Tnur0TgC0MLOVQexv63mYAb9ho6mlOl9xfUIgZ_WEv-cbdQPJU0dt0rMhk-XzYB3SoOXxHgRp2BOyvCcu1S_AUXugTGmcJyan8GRcdLdNX02-5qhejcvfdtN0pNomqwYcXpOcbWR/s640/DSC_0009.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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I made traditional <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/04/sweet-melissa-sundays-pecan-shortbreads.html" target="_blank">snowballs</a> this year. If you've ever had trouble getting powdered sugar to stay on these types of cookies, I have tip for you. This tip comes from my Aunt who is a master cookie maker. Store the cookies overnight in a bag full of powdered sugar. The cookie soaks in the powdered sugar and you will not have the problem of disappearing powdered sugar ever again! It's kind of genius.<br />
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Red velvet crinkles were a new addition as well. They turned out nice and chewy and were easy to make as they started with a boxed cake mix. I just love that dusting of powdered sugar on top with the deep red cookie peeking through. But next time I want to take it up level and try Two Peas and Their Pod's <a href="http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/red-velvet-cheesecake-cookies/" target="_blank">red velvet cheesecake cookies</a>. Check them out. They look seriously sinful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirX0Qay0Toy3jwXkTQW6JNj7eHLuqQyD1P9xRAwcoFaaPMY6kxobtRDTRypqgfYuUrSyyfRYFa7E6lt-JWhBLYIIWTJWE1k3h6mdi0wl7USC-v3x06_qoDAXGjZ9V95pjZ9sYaiP9b24JY/s1600/DSC_0023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirX0Qay0Toy3jwXkTQW6JNj7eHLuqQyD1P9xRAwcoFaaPMY6kxobtRDTRypqgfYuUrSyyfRYFa7E6lt-JWhBLYIIWTJWE1k3h6mdi0wl7USC-v3x06_qoDAXGjZ9V95pjZ9sYaiP9b24JY/s640/DSC_0023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And lastly, to mix things up, for the first time, I threw in a savory "cookie" of sorts. Jalapeno cheese crackers. These are easy to make slice and bake crackers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KFoVEkTkkFe9dG5sZA9ygbcKxKcLv6L39NrvD9nnsrZxE6cui-uq-B_hGmhDvt3orSo0YnIZI_qeTMocLvlZj0VxlnGRovMZpFjEzD4DAgyy6Rq6WI2_bs1kPYehE90XC0JCvY5IVSVK/s1600/DSC_0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KFoVEkTkkFe9dG5sZA9ygbcKxKcLv6L39NrvD9nnsrZxE6cui-uq-B_hGmhDvt3orSo0YnIZI_qeTMocLvlZj0VxlnGRovMZpFjEzD4DAgyy6Rq6WI2_bs1kPYehE90XC0JCvY5IVSVK/s640/DSC_0015.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Of the new additions to the holiday baking roster this year, the jalapeno crackers were pretty popular. I received a few comments from girlfriends, saying their male counterparts really enjoyed them. A salty spicy treat is a nice departure from the sea of sweetness that takes over the holidays. Don't get me wrong, I love the sea of sweetness. But these spiced crackers will be a very strong contender for next year's holiday round up. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72AvEs5WZNnDpHVFotkxd6JEiq0eLYDIHS3m4XFFG_xxq-EfOoF4oVrvadOjcrqLm_byEXZ933T6fdkrPD1SDQzyb-fGwNETSzHqqQjm2wDJF0I_Y71XVTpzZBzblZpdcjgztx4S6_xoO/s1600/DSC_0206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72AvEs5WZNnDpHVFotkxd6JEiq0eLYDIHS3m4XFFG_xxq-EfOoF4oVrvadOjcrqLm_byEXZ933T6fdkrPD1SDQzyb-fGwNETSzHqqQjm2wDJF0I_Y71XVTpzZBzblZpdcjgztx4S6_xoO/s640/DSC_0206.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The recipe comes from Ina Garten's latest cookbook, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Contessa-Foolproof-Recipes-Trust/dp/0307464873/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356588334&sr=8-1&keywords=foolproof+ina+garten" target="_blank">Foolproof</a>. Or perhaps I should clarify that the base for this recipe comes from Ina's new book. I adapted it a bit. Initially I followed the recipe pretty darn closely. The only change was using regular chili powder in place of chipotle chili powder. The first go round I found the jalapeno and spice to be on the light side. I made a couple more batches and tweaked it along the way. The version I settled on has double the jalapeno, double the chili powder and the addition of cayenne for an extra kick. Oh, and I decided a little extra cheese couldn't hurt either. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvgHei4Cyu9tNoNHdydc2Xo6VE7IJV3dwKaaaPPBzz53aEpExycQaNo9Wid0dMA2vXtOT-YhhAju_c2uW4rsFH7xylBqB3t_vpKyuKMPNVmIRap1iUyE7fafDY4RKYvSEp_DyrCArttVX/s1600/DSC_0191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvgHei4Cyu9tNoNHdydc2Xo6VE7IJV3dwKaaaPPBzz53aEpExycQaNo9Wid0dMA2vXtOT-YhhAju_c2uW4rsFH7xylBqB3t_vpKyuKMPNVmIRap1iUyE7fafDY4RKYvSEp_DyrCArttVX/s640/DSC_0191.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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These cheesy spicy crackers would make a perfect snack for your New Year's menu. Any fun plans to ring in the new year? Hubby and I will be enjoying a quiet New Year's Eve at home. Mostly because Hubby is under the weather and on antibiotics so that means no drinking. For him anyway! <br />
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If we don't talk before the year closes, I hope you have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Jalapeno Cheese Crackers</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Adapted from Ina Garten's </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Contessa-Foolproof-Recipes-Trust/dp/0307464873/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356588334&sr=8-1&keywords=foolproof+ina+garten" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Foolproof</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Jalapeno Cheddar Crackers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<em>I added additional cheese, jalapeno, chili powder and cayenne to Ina's original recipe.</em><br />
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2 cups all purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon kosher salt<br />
1/8 teaspoon baking powder<br />
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces<br />
4 ounces extra sharp white cheddar cheese, grated<br />
2 ounces gruyere cheese, grated<br />
2 heaping tablespoons finely minced seeded jalapenos<br />
1/2 teaspoon chili powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper<br />
3 tablespoons ice water<br />
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For topping:<br />
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk<br />
Fleur de sel<br />
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In a food processor pulse flour, kosher salt and baking powder. Add butter pieces and pulse again until the mixture is a coarse meal. Add cheese, jalapeno, chili powder and cayenne and pulse again until just combined. With food processor on, add ice water all at once and continue to process until the dough forms a ball. <br />
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Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a log about 14 inches long. Wrap tightly in parchment or plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.<br />
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the log into 1/4 to 3/8 inch discs and place on parchment leaving about 1/4 - 1/2 inch space between crackers. Brush crackers with egg wash and sprinkle with fleur de sel to taste.<br />
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Bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown.<br />
<br />Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-24675128731603760242012-12-18T07:00:00.000-08:002013-01-01T17:53:50.318-08:00Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies and an Operation Baking GALS Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYjotj7I5O20aHxxkxV9vtxrj3AFLWk5XPQYfrK-E6sxyJkN-23LMcPC5acS7cIgYMWk5jotc2NVY9_ch19QeviJOn26daUZNLFyWP8qN-3_m6r-c74tRO7Q16t5xno_RbLzXIBKJ_1Zu/s1600/DSC_0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYjotj7I5O20aHxxkxV9vtxrj3AFLWk5XPQYfrK-E6sxyJkN-23LMcPC5acS7cIgYMWk5jotc2NVY9_ch19QeviJOn26daUZNLFyWP8qN-3_m6r-c74tRO7Q16t5xno_RbLzXIBKJ_1Zu/s640/DSC_0084.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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The countdown is on! Christmas is exactly one week away. And I am definitely not ready. I've done about 70% of my shopping and hoping to finish the rest up during the week nights...cause I have a feeling the malls and stores are going to be insane next weekend for that final Christmas push.<br />
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Things have been a bit insane around here. The last two weekends have been completely dedicated to non stop baking (more on the last weekend's baking extravaganza in a future post). The baking marathon started on Friday, December 7th with dough preparation. Followed by baking all day December 8th and half day December 9th. On the 9th, fifteen family and friends came over to our house in the afternoon with their own baked goodies so we could pack up boxes for the two recipients I signed up to bake for for this month's <a href="http://www.bakinggals.com/" target="_blank">Operation Baking GALS</a>. <br />
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If you haven't heard of the <a href="http://www.bakinggals.com/" target="_blank">Baking GALS</a>, it's a group of volunteer bakers who bake and ship goodies to military deployed overseas once a month. I've been participating since May of this year and I absolutely love it. I typically sign up to send to one recipient each month and usually send one large flat rate priority mail box from the post office... <br />
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But since December is Christmastime I figured I would up my game and recruit my friends and family to help bake for the two troops I signed up for. It must be especially hard to be away from home during the holidays so it was our goal to bring them some home baked goodness and holiday cheer. <br />
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I have to say my friends and family rock! They amazed me with everything they contributed. I wasn't sure how many boxes we could fill, but I was hoping for 6 (3 for each recipient). If you're wondering what one person would do with that many treats...don't worry, they don't have to eat them all by themselves. Each recipient shares the goodies with all the troops in their units (our recipients have 50-100 people in each of their units). <br />
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Apparently I completely under estimated my crew because we filled more than twice as many boxes as I hoped....we did a total of 14 boxes! Wow! It was beyond awesome!<br />
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Since I've never done this on a mass scale, I wasn't sure how it was all going to come together. Especially since we have a fairly small home and not a lot of space. There was a little chaos trying to get our assembly line organized, but we made it work and everything came together in just a couple of hours. <br />
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Each person brought their goodies, already baked, along with some non baked items, like individual snack size bags of nuts to help fill spaces in the boxes. The shipping is a flat rate, so we pack in as much as possible.<br />
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Here's a re-cap of the baked goodies everyone contributed:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Walnut Fudge</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Peanut Butter Cookies (two kinds)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Raisin Walnut Spice Cookies</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Peppermint Brownies</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Molasses and Ginger Cookies (several types)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/cranberry-orange-almond-biscotti.html" target="_blank">Cranberry Almond Biscotti</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Nieman Marcus Cookies</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/jalapeno-cheese-crackers.html">Jalapeno Cheddar Crackers</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/11/salted-candied-pecans.html" target="_blank">Salted Candied Pecans</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pumpkin Bread</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Zucchini Bread</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Chocolate Zucchini Bread</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/chocolate-chip-candy-cane-cookies.html" target="_blank">Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Cookie Dough Fudge</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Oatmeal Cookies </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies </div>
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People also donated plenty of non baked items to help fill the boxes....such as pistachios, beef jerky, mixed nuts, pretzels, coffee, cup of noodles, card games, magazines, See's peanut brittle and 150 See's candy suckers. My mom, niece and nephew and a few others, tied red, white and blue curling ribbon on each and every sucker. We used them to fill up nooks and crannies and it really brought a festive touch to the boxes.<br />
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Here are pictures from Operation Baking GALS Christmas.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaB-mhx895DrmQfVa9tGdMHSEDzIcbfy6L5t7wXUM98j3jwSxLu33btN3m0RCKPDd7LedaB1T5NFe8GOf5wmJcoMPVu9xbv9a3XvZxSRtf0V84XZF02DABCS61xhLi_8I7m-cjls6f14A8/s1600/DSC_0247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaB-mhx895DrmQfVa9tGdMHSEDzIcbfy6L5t7wXUM98j3jwSxLu33btN3m0RCKPDd7LedaB1T5NFe8GOf5wmJcoMPVu9xbv9a3XvZxSRtf0V84XZF02DABCS61xhLi_8I7m-cjls6f14A8/s640/DSC_0247.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friends and family packing up cookies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FxV_s8y6bWbY0GAENs8I8bug0LoLMbEUJbBpbsV4dvlkLffCdY7csqSzGv9zdAy3ZrFt9AInXWXI7QiD-YTkYQHBLpjDkTOeg8vyUeHzvBEh89jC-VI0o84jqZbSK94QTa7JlW7q-wxZ/s1600/DSC_0254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FxV_s8y6bWbY0GAENs8I8bug0LoLMbEUJbBpbsV4dvlkLffCdY7csqSzGv9zdAy3ZrFt9AInXWXI7QiD-YTkYQHBLpjDkTOeg8vyUeHzvBEh89jC-VI0o84jqZbSK94QTa7JlW7q-wxZ/s640/DSC_0254.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and my niece and nephew tying red, white and blue ribbons on 150 See's suckers <br />
(notice the guys supervising while watching football)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPty1ZCD2MuxDQ4l96bZda-fvnDEmSwE5qpYfjmHN6R3oYLcXBLVkIxPeW8DmuAfCTF78Hz8GRARkuRg8XtonaYo66bqkzFlqUxzVY0R_P7796hwUFOlhkIclIMoHRMPAeeqP-YqwQK6j/s1600/DSC_0260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPty1ZCD2MuxDQ4l96bZda-fvnDEmSwE5qpYfjmHN6R3oYLcXBLVkIxPeW8DmuAfCTF78Hz8GRARkuRg8XtonaYo66bqkzFlqUxzVY0R_P7796hwUFOlhkIclIMoHRMPAeeqP-YqwQK6j/s640/DSC_0260.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The goodies are stacking up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidk_Up5g7GPhZpdHHSkP8vImIQyB0zb1979VZqK1_Xh9b0uTKRTPzC4lxiwiMmYrL2CYPx2ihbvThvirCY8_OrDFBAI0uMF9_FDay9flETLBBmh16DkjeetxYm2muC8-ycgx7jue3OoDXc/s1600/DSC_0266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidk_Up5g7GPhZpdHHSkP8vImIQyB0zb1979VZqK1_Xh9b0uTKRTPzC4lxiwiMmYrL2CYPx2ihbvThvirCY8_OrDFBAI0uMF9_FDay9flETLBBmh16DkjeetxYm2muC8-ycgx7jue3OoDXc/s640/DSC_0266.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Grandma! She made these adorable (and delicious) little strawberry santas for us to snack on.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4aY0lZjAlUhOrEOHBhpoA7BaJ5_JL0jlQZbCEackeERV4Yt2zjaEjp39WJ_WYx6fJDN5qCHqUnllYrB8Fr1_kkdIu-XKktA2HRoC5q5QchhPpYG7oGtR2k0GrDea4Fvsm__CbO3muz9S/s1600/DSC_0309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4aY0lZjAlUhOrEOHBhpoA7BaJ5_JL0jlQZbCEackeERV4Yt2zjaEjp39WJ_WYx6fJDN5qCHqUnllYrB8Fr1_kkdIu-XKktA2HRoC5q5QchhPpYG7oGtR2k0GrDea4Fvsm__CbO3muz9S/s640/DSC_0309.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the goodies! We included some cards and notes for the troops.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPYvZrIdgzhlcImswgixLpcIEfmgvFPwBUT40KYAOGRUtlI6Qv8KzKkRXqSeE2lkgv_FLIUfTwjyvwKKBv-KZEXrZ4kyYYIKe5lngiBlG5IaaIEXFzY-xEN9Ywrl9d1Ies7VW0TZX77d6/s1600/DSC_0291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPYvZrIdgzhlcImswgixLpcIEfmgvFPwBUT40KYAOGRUtlI6Qv8KzKkRXqSeE2lkgv_FLIUfTwjyvwKKBv-KZEXrZ4kyYYIKe5lngiBlG5IaaIEXFzY-xEN9Ywrl9d1Ies7VW0TZX77d6/s640/DSC_0291.jpg" width="406" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the boxes around the Christmas tree ready to be taped up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
See. My friends and family rock! I've already gotten a few requests to make this an annual tradition. I'm totally in!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you to everyone who helped with the </span></span></strong></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">Operation Baking GALS Christmas edition.</span> </span></strong></em> </div>
<br />
Oh, and I suppose I should tell you a little about the blondies. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIs3_iX_Vwyi-oqgD5A0ULLkW-IS3irTqwecg75H6cm-1LOEbspcKvbegpkHqHYOB2v8zmQEvcpRE7ANOJHG3OIIMCvd2SxFgo3WJYzRQ2QPUxZg_BlfzAS_PdHZ9lSAlLeRwe9LW2Arr0/s1600/DSC_0089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIs3_iX_Vwyi-oqgD5A0ULLkW-IS3irTqwecg75H6cm-1LOEbspcKvbegpkHqHYOB2v8zmQEvcpRE7ANOJHG3OIIMCvd2SxFgo3WJYzRQ2QPUxZg_BlfzAS_PdHZ9lSAlLeRwe9LW2Arr0/s640/DSC_0089.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I've sent these to the troops in the past and they maintain freshness for the week plus traveling time it takes for a box to arrive overseas. The molasses is what keeps them so moist. They remind me of a chewy <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/gingersnaps.html" target="_blank">ginger snap</a> dotted with sweet white chocolate. They bake in large sheet pan. I turned the giant blondie out on to the bottom of another sheet placed on top and then inverted and inverted again onto a large cutting board. Once it's out I cut individual squares using a square cookie cutter. I find that my knife skills trying to maintain even straight lines are pretty horrible. Luckily the cookie cutter ensures a perfect size every time.<br />
<br />
These are easy to make and have that spiced flavor I'm looking for around the holidays. Definitely a keeper.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from Martha Stewart </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewarts-Cookies-Stewart-Magazine/dp/0307394549/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355813567&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+cookies" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cookies</span></a><br />
<br />
2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons salt<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />
1 teaspoon ground ginger<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves<br />
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature<br />
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar<br />
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract<br />
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses<br />
1 3/4 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate (10 ounces) - I used 12 ounces white chocolate chips<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 12x17 rimmed baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Line bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray the parchment with non stick cooking spray (to make a sling for easy removal, allow parchment to hang over the ends of the pan). <br />
<br />
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves together until evenly distributed. <br />
<br />
In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until creamy and pale (about 3 minutes). Turn mixer to low and add eggs and yolk one at a time until fully combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add vanilla and molasses until combined. With mixer on low add the flour mixture in 3 batches until combined. Stir in white chocolate.<br />
<br />
Pour batter into the baking sheet and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown on the edges. Cool fully in the baking sheet.
Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-52794311016810304532012-12-06T22:52:00.000-08:002012-12-06T22:52:54.747-08:00Cranberry Orange Almond Biscotti<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89L8ZQAy4jzULPsfwWtW6DAiD13BZLaZYGKxCGXg3z3B4utecsFR0HDV-RRMN-sOuCdkRSZPZStRgtALLrqsjeUzRCJqeS2xuZ8akrRxzaZbm3m7tnEqOuwpUEntWaQV3V7W3mtM7ZaC-/s1600/DSC_0024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89L8ZQAy4jzULPsfwWtW6DAiD13BZLaZYGKxCGXg3z3B4utecsFR0HDV-RRMN-sOuCdkRSZPZStRgtALLrqsjeUzRCJqeS2xuZ8akrRxzaZbm3m7tnEqOuwpUEntWaQV3V7W3mtM7ZaC-/s640/DSC_0024.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<br />
The cranberry craze continues here. First it was cranberry <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/11/cranberry-orange-preserves.html" target="_blank">preserves</a>, then <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/apple-cranberry-feta-salad-with-candied.html" target="_blank">salad</a> with cranberry and other delicious ingredients, and now biscotti.<br />
<br />
What are your thoughts on biscotti? Love it? Hate it? Never thought much about it? <br />
<br />
Historically I've turned my nose up to biscotti. I always viewed them as boring...and a little too crunchy for my taste. I tried my first homemade biscotti a couple of years ago as part of the Sweet Melissa Baking group. I was pleasantly surprised that I did in fact like these little cookies. For the record, I prefer my biscotti to be a little on the soft side. Meaning, not super crunchy/hard. It's all about the second bake time. I under bake mine a bit to avoid an uber hard biscotti. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-XFuq2blcKADRnIhj2Gpqit7C9ty8XFltu9EoQ42zvmZX22d4fbVemVwR-_f0OvfPDuQTOD-RiCcFm5N8pNqLq0dZGbcIZO4LFe1CHyAB219I9cTLhhAShMkjgGdlMSXur8HX9ipezbC/s1600/DSC_0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-XFuq2blcKADRnIhj2Gpqit7C9ty8XFltu9EoQ42zvmZX22d4fbVemVwR-_f0OvfPDuQTOD-RiCcFm5N8pNqLq0dZGbcIZO4LFe1CHyAB219I9cTLhhAShMkjgGdlMSXur8HX9ipezbC/s640/DSC_0037.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now don't go comparing biscotti to a piece of cake or your favorite fudgy brownie. To fully appreciate biscotti you have to put them in their own category. It's a great snack or light breakfast. What I like is that it's not overly sweet, but is still enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. And no, you don't have to be a coffee drinker to like biscotti. Though I will say it's really perfect with a hot cup of tea if you're into that.<br />
<br />
I made this batch of biscotti to send off for November's Operation Baking GALS (where volunteer bakers send home baked goodies to military stationed overseas). And I'm gearing up to make it again this weekend for December's OBG since it travels so well. I'm pretty jazzed about this round of OBG because it's Christmas. On Sunday a few friends and family are gathering at my house with their baked goods and we are going to pack up boxes to send two recipients stationed in Afghanistan. I'm really excited to see how many boxes we can put together to bring a little Christmas cheer to the military personnel who sacrifice so much for us all. I'll be posting more on our baking party next week. :)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSvxphkDPSREcnHl593Pxch6mbXsiVm5VVgkPNaVPlkjajZpAEe9gCmShbfYw79vqxrALoAoaG-jT5tcr9NJC5CQIZbJFTmI9QLs10yxmtlW6Ayswj5jvKITkL8vzv1L7ehhl_p2FiaHx/s1600/DSC_0056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSvxphkDPSREcnHl593Pxch6mbXsiVm5VVgkPNaVPlkjajZpAEe9gCmShbfYw79vqxrALoAoaG-jT5tcr9NJC5CQIZbJFTmI9QLs10yxmtlW6Ayswj5jvKITkL8vzv1L7ehhl_p2FiaHx/s640/DSC_0056.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
In the meantime, if you haven't tried biscotti you might want to give them a shot. And biscotti makes a nice homemade holiday gift if you're looking for ideas. <br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Cranberry Orange Almond Biscotti</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Sweet-Melissa-Baking-Book/dp/0670018740/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354862536&sr=8-1&keywords=sweet+melissa+baking+book" target="_blank">Sweet Melissa Baking Book</a></span><br />
<br />
1/2 cup dried cranberries<br />
1/2 cup fresh orange juice<br />
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
Zest of 2 oranges<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
1 teaspoon almond extract<br />
1/2 teaspoon orange extract<br />
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 cup whole blanched almonds, roughly chopped<br />
<br />
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice and cranberries and bring to a simmer. Cover and remove heat, allowing the cranberries to reconstitute in the orange juice.<br />
<br />
In a medium bowl whisk flour and baking powder and set aside. <br />
<br />
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, zest, and salt until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing fully after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla, almond and orange extracts and mix until combined.<br />
<br />
Add flour mixture to wet mixture in 3 additions, with the mixer on low speed. Drain the cranberries and discard the juice. Stir the cranberries and almonds into the dough. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap and flatten. Refrigerate until firm, about an hour.<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. <br />
<br />
Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll each half into a log, patting and shaping it until you reach 14 inches. Place the logs on the prepared baking sheet, about 4 inches apart. <br />
<br />
Bake for 30 minutes, until lightly golden and slightly firm. Remove from oven and place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees. Transfer the logs to cutting board and cut the logs into 3/4 inch sticks at 45 degree angle. Transfer the cookies to a freshly lined cookie sheet, cut side up. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn cookies over, exposing the other cut side and return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. If you want a really crunchy cookie, bake for a total of 60 minutes. Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-45056839226353270252012-12-03T09:00:00.000-08:002012-12-03T09:00:06.665-08:00Apple, Cranberry, Feta Salad with Candied Pecans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mNCvehrf5ufee_2E1-v7fGGDbnvFEv2UWAkU65Nx12YEJ469L5yx9kmOuoCvRzErHxNIkPpTYAldmzzc_ybwALvrSYQZgQPTmwrIK1Nti3L2930jtlEZZvpOlcNBz1blyVu6MZ1bV_Sr/s1600/DSC_0176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mNCvehrf5ufee_2E1-v7fGGDbnvFEv2UWAkU65Nx12YEJ469L5yx9kmOuoCvRzErHxNIkPpTYAldmzzc_ybwALvrSYQZgQPTmwrIK1Nti3L2930jtlEZZvpOlcNBz1blyVu6MZ1bV_Sr/s640/DSC_0176.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We put up our Christmas tree this weekend. It's a fake tree. My first fake tree. Turns out Hubby is allergic to real trees and was pretty much miserable last year. I was kind of bummed that we had to go the artificial route. I've had real trees my whole life.<br />
<br />
But you know what? <br />
<br />
Our fake tree is AWESOME. <br />
<br />
It's easy to assemble.<br />
It's pre-lit with 500 lights so no need for me to spend hours stringing lights.<br />
It fits perfectly into the small space we have to put a tree. <br />
It doesn't make a mess leaving dead needles everywhere. <br />
It doesn't need to be watered.<br />
The branches bend so you can arrange your ornaments to hang just how you like them.<br />
And, it looks real!<br />
<br />
Now all I have to do is get a Christmas tree scented candle and I'll have my tree smell too. A small trade off.<br />
<br />
Even though we already have our tree up, I'm a bit discombobulated with the timing of the holidays this year. Thanksgiving felt like it came early which has subsequently thrown everything else off. This is definitely the earliest we've had a tree up and running. And I felt a totally panicked last week that we hadn't even thought about holiday shopping, even though it's completely normal for us to wait until early December to start. But it's all good and I'm going with the flow and enjoying the season. <br />
<br />
In the spirit of the holidays, I've embraced an ingredient somewhat new to me this year. The cranberry. Cranberries have an extreme tartness that has turned me off in the past. The turning point started with the <a href="http://www.allfourburners.com/2012/11/14/can-it-up-fresh-and-dried-cranberry-salsa/" target="_blank">Can It Up</a> challenge for November--where I had the task to can something using cranberries. It was my first time using fresh cranberries and I made these <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/11/cranberry-orange-preserves.html" target="_blank">cranberry orange preserves</a>. It was a big success. And it seems like it's been a flurry of cranberry ever since. <br />
<br />
Starting with this salad. I'm loving this salad. Normally when I make salad at home, 99% of the time it's the basic garden variety type--lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, peppers, maybe a mushroom or two. But when I go to a restaurant, I always order the non garden variety type. Like salad with fruit, nuts, beets, a little goat cheese or blue cheese. I'm not really sure why I rarely make this type of salad at home. No need to dwell in the past though. I've made this salad no less than 3 times in a week. Even Hubby is eating it (a modified version anyway). It's sweet, it's tart, it's crunchy, it's salty. It's yummy. It's fall on a plate.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDY9DKfWEJq_jcroqbf3WYG6u_bfyyzRe2RzPJID6yRNevS1mM0XnHG8Aoa-3_BxYWmeDSSuiTYlBrEI-s3Uq8JSeGueZE-f0OztXN5oyZFFbJsWZIAc5Ic3wxQpd-nhGjNIFQb4-3YXit/s1600/DSC_0187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDY9DKfWEJq_jcroqbf3WYG6u_bfyyzRe2RzPJID6yRNevS1mM0XnHG8Aoa-3_BxYWmeDSSuiTYlBrEI-s3Uq8JSeGueZE-f0OztXN5oyZFFbJsWZIAc5Ic3wxQpd-nhGjNIFQb4-3YXit/s640/DSC_0187.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
This salad would be a great side dish to a holiday meal, or to savor any day of the week as your lunch. This is more of an ingredient list than a recipe. Tweak it and make it your own. <br />
<br />
Happy holidays!<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<strong>Apple, Cranberry, Feta Salad with Candied Pecans</strong><br />
<br />
Lettuce (such as spring mix, butter lettuce or romaine)<br />
Apples, thinly sliced (I used honey crisp)<br />
Dried cranberries<br />
Feta cheese<br />
Green onions, thinly sliced<br />
<a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2012/11/salted-candied-pecans.html" target="_blank">Salted candied pecans</a> <br />
Your favorite vinaigrette (such as balsamic)<br />
<br />
Put it all together and voila!Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2320010625470415211.post-92214297606554562022012-11-26T09:00:00.000-08:002012-11-26T09:00:03.236-08:00Cranberry Orange Preserves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHNSILhuYvhgnvH8wSSet8smadPwWxW3FgThUe5a3-1b1_5ggn6YrmvVsIqiTM4q0dh_CqEQNXB7umdLKq_Sa9j8wdSshjjfiEPPaYjQ6StzPmmxF-a0yNf2wHClHVcUbIV96Fs76AeL1/s1600/DSC_0076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHNSILhuYvhgnvH8wSSet8smadPwWxW3FgThUe5a3-1b1_5ggn6YrmvVsIqiTM4q0dh_CqEQNXB7umdLKq_Sa9j8wdSshjjfiEPPaYjQ6StzPmmxF-a0yNf2wHClHVcUbIV96Fs76AeL1/s640/DSC_0076.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Thanksgiving went by way too fast....Hubby and I arrived at Grandma's house on Tuesday night, with our cat <a href="http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com/2011/11/apple-danish-for-thanksgiving.html" target="_blank">Oliver</a> in tow, ready to get up first thing on Wednesday morning for a full day of preparation to begin. My cousin was also there to help so it was all hands on deck. We...<br />
<ul>
<li>made 6 pies--1 apple, 1 pecan and 4 pumpkin</li>
<li>made 3 salads--blueberry jello salad, 7 layer salad and prepped fruit salad with whipped cream and marshmallows to be put together the next day</li>
<li>made the base and topping for sweet potato casserole and traditional sweet potatoes with marshmallows, also ready for assembly the next day</li>
<li>peeled potatoes for mashed potatoes (and vacuum sealed them in a little water so they would be ready to go the next day--I love the idea of vacuum sealing them so you can avoid all that potato prep on Thanksgiving day when you are busy with a 1000 other things)</li>
<li>made 2 big pans of cinnamon rolls to be baked early Thanksgiving morning (looks like this one might be a new tradition)</li>
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Grandma had also done some serious prep before we got there...she made all the pie crusts and froze them (including making crust for turkey pot pies to be made from leftovers) and chopping all the veggies for the stuffing and the relish/veggie tray. Not to mention all the shopping of course. Grandma's been hosting Thanksgiving for a while now and has it all down to a science. She makes it look so easy to pull together all these dishes, along with a traditional turkey (and a ham), for 20 people all by 1pm! We eat early which means we have room for "second dinner" in the early evening where everyone is already anxious to break out the leftovers. Yum. <br />
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One of the treats that graced the Thanksgiving table this year were these cranberry orange preserves. It was my first time working with fresh cranberries and I wasn't sure how the preserves would come out. I'm happy to say my fears were unfounded and it was a big hit at the Thanksgiving table. Even my 10 year old nephew couldn't stop talking about how much he liked the preserves. It was really a nice accompaniment to the turkey and has officially turned me into a cranberry believer. I gave away 6 of 7 jars to family members (had to keep one for myself so I could share it with you all!).<br />
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The inspiration for these preserves was Hima's <a href="http://www.allfourburners.com/can-it-up-rules/" target="_blank">Can It Up</a> project over at <a href="http://www.allfourburners.com/2012/11/14/can-it-up-fresh-and-dried-cranberry-salsa/" target="_blank">All Four Burners</a>. Each month Hima announces an ingredient and all who are interested make a recipe featuring that ingredient that can be water bath canned. Without Hima's pick of <a href="http://www.allfourburners.com/2012/11/01/can-it-up-november/" target="_blank">cranberries</a> for November, I'm not so sure I would have taken the cranberry plunge. Cranberries in the raw are extremely tart and somewhat bitter so I've always been hesitant to use them. But I'm so glad I looked past that. A little sugar (okay, a lot of sugar) and some other fruit transform these tart rubies into something really special. So if you have a cranberry phobia, I encourage you to give these little beauties a try. It would make a nice addition to your Christmas menu. <br />
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I have a sneaking feeling these preserves will become another new Thanksgiving tradition right alongside those cinnamon rolls.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Cranberry Orange Preserves</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from The Ginger Snap Girl</span><br />
<br />
6 cups whole fresh cranberries<br />
4 cups apples, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used honeycrisp, but you could use any combination)<br />
2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice<br />
2/3 cup water<br />
4 1/2 cups sugar<br />
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice<br />
Zest of 2 oranges (about 1 packed full tablespoon)<br />
<br />
Add all ingredients to a large pot and cook on medium, stirring frequently, until the mixture simmers. Turn the heat to medium low and continue cooking until fruit is very soft and slightly thickened (this took about 20-30 minutes for me). I like my preserves to have a smooth texture, so I used an immersion blender to puree the mixture prior to canning. To check if your preserves have reached the right consistency, spoon a dollop onto a small plate and place the plate in the freezer for a couple of minutes. Remove the plate from the freezer and turn it on its side. If the preserves slide right down and look runny, you probably want to continue cooking. If they hold their shape and only slide a little, you're good to go. <br />
<br />
To can your preserves, prepare jars, lids and rings by washing them with hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Once you start cooking your preserves, fill a pot with enough water to fully submerge all the jars and turn heat to high (note I use the same pot for preheating the jars as I do for the actual water bath). Heating the jars allows you to ladle in the hot preserves without cracking the jars. In small pan also heat your lids. Have a clean ladle and tongs ready. Once your preserves are done cooking, remove a jar from the hot water with your tongs and drain excess water. Hold the jar with a kitchen towel while you ladle in the preserves. Fill jars leaving a 1/4 inch of head space. Use your tongs to carefully lift a lid out of the hot water and place it on top of the jar. Screw on the outer ring until firmly snug, but not too tight. Set aside on a clean kitchen towel and repeat the process, filling all your jars. Bring your canning pot of water up to a boil and submerge each jar in the water using tongs. Make sure jars are covered by at least 2 inches of water. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water and set on a kitchen towel to rest, undisturbed for 24 hours. <br />
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Makes 7 half pint jarsGloria - The Ginger Snap Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04132851638323218917noreply@blogger.com4