WCB #41

You know it's cold when these two get together for warmth!

Thanks to Clare for hosting...check out more kitties at her page *I'm early right now (Friday afternoon) so check on her site later...maybe Saturday...

Anniversary #8

This week I celebrated my 8th wedding anniversary. Every year, with each passing anniversary, I always find that I can't believe that much time has gone by.

Even though last year I celebrated my 7th, and I know that next year I'll celebrate my 9th, I know that I will still wonder, "where has the time gone?!"

Now, my husband likes to quip (jokingly, I hope), that it "seems longer" (back off ladies, this romantic is all mine), but I think that we both are surprised every time we think about how fast time flies.

Our big milestone this year is that our cats will be turning 10 years old this summer. This is like you or me celebrating our 50th, so I guess I'll need to whip out the good tuna and cream.

This morning I read about 'motherhood glances' over at as I see it now and again felt reminded: time does move fast.

Watch a few too many Law and Order episodes and there goes another year!

So this is a reminder. Spend time with your loved ones building memories to look back on.

The joy of living life with others is more satisfying than a "really good CSI" or a Thanksgiving Day shopping spree. No great mystery about it, but somehow, I still need reminding every once in a while.

Oh, and my husband got an A+ this year. He sent me 2 dozen long stem red roses from Everyday Flowers in Tustin. They are gorgeous and so perfect. Granted, he bought me roses because he didn't buy me a gift and when I gave him a small gift he felt guilty...but nonetheless, he sent me flowers and the other ladies in my office are jealous, and for this I give him full credit.

Foodie QOD #13

A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.

- James Beard

Black Bean Soup

I tried this recipe from AllRecipes.com because it was rated highly. The only thing that I can figure is that it was rated by vegetarians, because to me, this just lacked the depth of flavor I would expect from a bean soup. I think that switching to a chicken broth would help. Or perhaps adding some ham steak would enhance the flavor. Next, I think that I'll try the America's Test Kitchen recipe for black bean soup. After I've tried it, I'll have a full report!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
2 teaspoons chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups vegetable stock
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

DIRECTIONS:
1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, and carrots, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Add chili powder and cumin; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock, 1 can of the beans, corn, and pepper; bring to boil.

2. Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, puree together tomatoes and remaining can of beans; add to pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Banana Nut Bread

This banana bread recipe never lets me down. Of course, like many baked goods, they're best on the day they're baked.

It has a great crust that is crisp on the top and a moist interior.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter or margarine. Beat the egg slightly, and mix into the creamed mixture with the bananas. Mix in sifted ingredients until just combined. Stir in milk and nuts. Spread batter into one greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until top is brown and cracks along the top.

I usually end up baking mine around one hour, but I do the toothpick test to determine the exact moment to remove it from the oven.

Bees, bees and more bees!

I've learned more than I ever thought I would about bees this last week. So, of course, I'm sharing my random knowledge with you.

I borrowed a book on honeybees from the library for my 6-year-old, trying to find something that will get him more interested in books. I have since gone back for two more books on bees. He really got interested in bees!

The major facts about bees are these:

1. Most hives only have one queen, unless it's a REALLY big hive, in which case it might have more.

2. The majority of the rest of the bees in a hive are workers. Workers are female (I knew that God is a Man) and they collect the pollen and nectar, make honey, care for the eggs and young, and do the rest of the work in the hive.

3. Drones are the males. They are stingless, defenseless, and unable to feed themselves (sounds like some other males I know) and are fed by the worker bees. The only job a drone has is to make with the queen(s). I know this sounds like a posh job, but before anyone rushes to sign up, you should know one thing: immediately after mating with the queen, the drone dies. Well. That is a job hazard!

4. Honeybees have to visit about 1 million flowers to make one small jar of honey. You better appreciate that, they worked hard!

5. Honeybees are most attracted to blue, purple and yellow flowers.

6. The wax for the honeycomb is secreted from the abdomen of the worker bees. The honeycomb are used to store pollen, nectar, honey, and to house new eggs.

I also learned that female mud-daubers sting spiders and paralyze them. Then, they take the paralyzed spiders and put them in the little mud rooms that they lay their eggs in. They lay an egg with the paralyzed spider, and then when the egg hatches, the baby wasp has "fresh food."

Interesting facts!

Careers for Gourmets & Others Who Relish Food

I went to the library last night and found this little red book nestled in with the cookbooks. Careers for Gourmets and Others Who Relish Food is a book that is supposed to "help you find your own personal recipe for success."

If you're like me and have a love of food, you have probably had someone tell you, "You really should own your own restaurant."

At which I always mentally respond: no way! Give up my personal time, my family life, work long hours and face the very real likelihood of having my business fail?! I don't think so.

But lately, probably as a result of getting older, I have begun to appreciate the whole 'you only have one life to live' thing. And, subsequently, I have been reconsidering my standard response that the idea of owning a food-related business.

Now, my response is maybe.

If it was well-planned and well-thought out. If it wouldn't kill my personal life. If I didn't have to put up my future house as collateral. Lots of 'ifs'!

I really admire Vicki at The Moveable Feast for having a successful career in food, but is it possible that I can do that, too? And more importantly, would I want a career in food? As I explore this question, maybe you, too, can answer this for yourself.

The book says that you have to take careful stock of what you know about yourself, and how those personal traits of yours stack up against some of the harsher realities of the culinary arts.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Q. Will you be happy working with food, every single day?
Try to be realistic as possible about how you would feel, cooking all day long, every single day. Not every aspect of cooking is fun. A lot of the work is tedious and repetitive.

Q. Are you confident you can work with others as part of a team?
This work is both physical and mental, and it is definitely demanding. When you find yourself stressed to your limit, you need the maturity and calmness to dig down a little deeper and find the energy to keep going without throwing a tantrum.

Q. How do you feel about working on holidays?
It is not uncommon to have to work 10, 12, or even more hours in a row from time to time. The work is exhausting and grueling, and, more often than not, you will be tired, dirty, and worn out at the end of a shift. There are always days when you will wonder why you ever chose a job that keep you from joining in with family celebrations like Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, and Mother's Day.

There is lots of stuff to consider before starting any business. And considering that over 57% of franchised restaurants and around 61% of independent restaurants fail within the first three years, I guess we should try to consider all of the realities of owning a food-related business before leaping.

I found these comments from the article on business failure rates very interesting:

"Many of the failed restaurant owners attributed their failure partly to family issues such as divorce, poor health or simply a desire to retire," Parsa said.

All mentioned the immense time commitments that a restaurant requires.

"The successful owners were either very good at balancing their family and work lives or single or divorced. The failed owners were no longer willing to make those familial sacrifices."

Food for thought!! Dawn

French Dip Sandwiches

I love a good french dip sandwich. The delicious flavor of the beef, the amazing au jus. I never would've imagined that one of the best french dip sandwiches I'd ever eat would be the one I'd make at home!

This weekend, I knew that I wanted to try a new recipe. I was on the mission of finding a new crock-pot recipe. Something simple, yet oh-so-good! And I found it!

Easy Slow Cooker French Dip

Ingredients:
4 pounds rump roast (I actually only used about 3 1/2)
1 (10.5 oz) can beef broth
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed French onion soup
1 (12 oz) can or bottle beer (darker is better)
6 french rolls
3 Tablespoons (give or take) olive oil
Flour (for dusting roast)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Garlic powder (to taste)

Instructions:
Trim the excess fat from the roast. Pat dry. Dust the roast with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and flour. Cook in pan over medium-high heat in olive oil until browned on all sides.

Once browned, transfer roast to crock pot (slow cooker). Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. Cook on low setting for 7 hours.

Once cooked, remove from crock pot and slice against the grain (this part is really important in order to get tender meat). Dip the sliced meat in the jus in the crock and serve on split french rolls with cup of au jus on the side. I also love to use creamed horseradish on my sandwiches.

Tickled my funny-bone: My six-year-old asked saw me getting my camera out of the bag this morning and asked me if I was blogging again (although I think he called it bonking). He said, you know, with food? He sort of answered his own question with his comment: it smells like it!

Food Fact

In today's Food section of The Orange County Register there is an article about Williams-Sonoma founder Chuck Williams.

I never really knew anything about him, but what I read was quite interesting (at least to a foodie like me).

Charles (Chuck) E. Williams turned 90 years old last October. He opened his first store in 1956. Fifty years later, his shop has grown into a 260-store-plus Williams-Sonoma chain. And including his spinoffs (Pottery Barn, Hold Everything, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm and Williams-Sonoma Home), the store total grows to more than 550.

He shared an interesting little food fact in the interview. "Do you know why souffle dishes have these pleated sides?" He explained that in the great houses of ancient France when a souffle was pulled from the oven, it was quickly wrapped in a collar of pleated starched linen "just like the collars people wore back then" so it was attractive enough to be presented at the table.

Now I know something new, and maybe you do, too!

Hello Again!

I'm back. I don't have that feeling of the ceiling caving in quite as bad anymore!

After the holidays were over, my work was just so crazy and that combined with personal problems was enough to make me feel...well, let's just say 'not good!'

I haven't been doing very much cooking lately, but I've got to get out of my funk and get back to it.

My two biggest barriers are that I feel overwhelmed by recipes that are either too labor intensive because I don't feel like I have enough time and the fact that I have been dealing with chronic heartburn for quite a while, so I can't eat as much. What a bummer!

But, I think that if I stick to some simple recipes, I'll be cooking again before I know it.

Since I last posted, I have made a couple of delicious items. First, I made a wonderful, simple French Onion Soup. And last weekend I made Bacon Quiche Tarts.

French onion soup is one of my favorite soups to make because there are No Rules.

I know, I know...that can't be true, right? French onion soup is one of those items that everyone seems to think that there is a right or wrong way to make it. I disagree.

My coworker Jan told me how she made her soup and after I made her tell me a couple more times, I went home and made it - without a recipe. And it kicked butt!

So, here is the basic gist of the recipe. I usually select a white onion, a sweet onion, a brown onion, a leek, and a shallot, but any combination of those will work fine. I use about 1 1/2 tablespoons (little more or less as needed, depending on how much onion you use) of each olive oil and butter. The butter will lend that rich taste and the olive oil with raise the smoking point so that the butter doesn't burn.

Cook the very thinly sliced onions, shallot and leek in a large heavy-bottomed pot in the butter and oil mixture over low. Cooking slowly and stirring every couple of minutes, cook the onion mixture until soft and caramel brown (be careful not to burn). Add a box of your favorite beef broth to the mixture and let simmer for 10-20 minutes so that the flavors meld. Serve with gruyere, swiss, mozzarella, and/or croutons as a topping.

I hope to post on a semi-regular basis...but I am not promising anything just yet! Thanks to Michelle, Vicki, Ilva, and Kristi for your thoughts. I'll be stopping by all of your sites today to check in on you all!

Taking a break

Sorry I haven't been doing my regular posts, but it has been so crazy at work and at home that I haven't had any time! I will come back and touch base with everyone when I have a little breathing time. I may periodically post a food quote but that will be it for a little while. Can't wait until everything slows down!

Quote of the Day:

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.
- Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

WCB #32

Check out my sister's cat, Russell. As you might guess, he's a bit of a hunter. And if you put him on a diet, that simply means he has to hunt more often.

Thanks to Clare for hosting...go check out more kitties at her page here.

Restaurant Prank

I found this website quite a while ago (a couple of years, maybe?). It is a personal website for Rob Cockerham. He has quite a sense of humor and kept me entertained during many a slow day at work.

This prank is one of my favorite items on his website. Truly a masterpiece.

TGIFridays Menu Prank

If you have time, you should check out his other stuff. The sections Pranks, How Much is Inside, and Incredible Creations are my favorite.

Yoga Toys and Awesome Dinner

Check out my cool new yoga stuff. I went out and purchased this kit at lunch so I'd be prepared for Thursday's class. I got this for a steal - a measly $12.92 from the Ross near my office.

The kit comes with a 1/4 inch yoga mat (it's grippy so you don't slip when you're stretching in awkward positions), a block (you can use this to decrease the difficulty of your stretches), a strap (which somehow is used to exercise with - not quite sure), a videotape, a CD and a booklet.

It's a new toy and I can't wait to try them out! (Practically anything new gets me excited - you should've seen me last week after I bought a purse. Although, in my defense, I had been looking for a purse that I didn't hate for probably two years.)

Amazing Burgers and a Blue Cheese Wedge
I admit it, I love to go to restaurants. I love being able to eat foods that I'm not likely to make at home; sometimes, I just feel like I don't make the same dishes as well at home.

I'm not ashamed to say it (well, okay, sometimes I'm a little ashamed): I cook because I like to eat. Sweet and simple. Oh, I also like to feed other people and hope that they are in awe just like me when something tastes incredible.

I don't cook because it's therapy, or because it calms me down. Sometimes I even get stressed out when I am cooking. It's knowing what the end of the rainbow holds...that is what keeps me cooking.

And sometimes, it is a simple desire that brings me back to the kitchen.

Do you ever wonder why it is so difficult to get a good hamburger? I do. I love hamburgers, but besides In-N-Out, I haven't found another place that can make me happy.

Until I started making my own burgers at home in my cast iron skillet.

Way better than anything off of a grill, these burgers are infused with the flavor of the foods cooked before them in my pan. Can you say *bacon*?

Last night I indulged. I bought 22% fat (don't gasp like that!) ground beef and made a couple of the most amazing burgers I've eaten. Bacon, 2 slices of american cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion made me moan with delight. And my son moaned right along next to me (sans the tomato and onion for him, of course).

To make my meal complete, I made a blue cheese wedge salad. I am disappointed that I didn't take photos - but that meal was NOT going to wait!

Blue Cheese Wedge
Cut a head of iceberg lettuce into thirds, or if it is small, in halves. Place the cut head in a zip lock back and seal. Then place that bag into another bag with iced water in it. This will chill the lettuce without getting it wet.

Once chilled, place on plate, cut side up. Drizzle with blue cheese dressing and then top with crumbled blue cheese, chopped red onion, crumbled bacon and black pepper. Serves 1.

Blue Cheese Dressing
2 1/2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
3 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, mash blue cheese and buttermilk together with a fork until mixture resembles large-curd cottage cheese. Stir in sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Beginner's Sewing Class

Last night I went to the first session for my beginner's machine sewing class.

Ten other ladies and I crammed into the small corner nook set aside for us at the neighborhood community center. I listened patiently as our instructor, Debbie, went over all of the parts of a sewing machine.

Being more familiar with sewing machines than the other ladies in our class, I didn't feel as lost as many of them looked. We managed to start a small (very small) project, mostly just to get the feel of the machines.

Next class we will be starting our first real project: a bag. I would call it a purse except that it is so simple, it is more appropriately called a bag. I think that I'll use mine for grocery shopping. Now comes the fun part: going to pick out the materials!

I took a hand quilting class several years ago from our Piecemaker's store and produced a beautiful, asian influenced wall hanging. It was entirely hand pieced and hand quilted. I haven't done much with my skills since then, but that's because I realized how much work it took! I hope to start quilting again, this time machine-piecing the top.

I start my yoga class later this week, and I hope it goes as well as my sewing class did! Here is one New Year's Resolution that I can check off my list!

WCB #31

My beautiful Earl. He'll gaze right at you with huge, intense eyes; he's the biggest "lap cat" you're likely to meet; and he talks all of the time.



Thanks to Clare for hosting. Check out more kitties at her site, Eat Stuff.

It's Chili By George

When I read the title of this recipe, "It's Chili By George," I wondered if they meant that it was chili that George made, or if they meant something more like "it's chili, by jove!"

Regardless, this recipe had all of the earmarks of success. Namely, it had many, many five-star reviews. I found this recipe where I find most of them nowadays: Allrecipes.


Why is this my favorite website when it comes to recipes? There are several reasons.

First, there are a lot of recipes from all over the country. In my mind, quantity = variety. That's not always true, but in this case, I'd say it is.

Second, the people who run the website review each recipe that is submitted prior to putting it on the website. They make sure that it is reasonably written, not missing any steps or ingredients and that there isn't another identical submission of the same recipe.

Third, while they don't post the same exact recipe, they will publish many variations, giving you more choices and ability to find a version you'd like. I mean, I can take one look at a mac n' cheese recipe and tell you right off the bat whether or not I'd like it. I like to have options.

Fourth, the recipes can be rated and reviewed by its members. This is probably my favorite feature of this website. Everyone has an opinion, and many people are speaking from another orifice on their body other than their mouth, but if there are enough reviews, you can get an overall sense of the recipe's good and bad points.

Fifth, they let you select a print size to make it easy to print recipe cards that fit your box.

There are other features that I could name, but the above points are really the make it or break it items for me.

From their many chili recipes, It's Chili By George was a hit at my son's birthday party. Everyone loved it, even my son, who is only six years old.

Serve the chili with chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, crumbled bacon and chopped yellow onion.

It's Chili by George!!
Submitted by: George Couch
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 183 members
Yields: 10 servings

"This is a good, standard chili, with lots of ground beef, tomatoes, kidney and pinto beans, and onions. It needs to simmer for 90 minutes on the stove, or can be made in a slow cooker and left to simmer all day."

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice
1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup chili powder

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.

2. In a large pot over high heat combine the ground beef, tomato juice, tomato sauce, kidney beans, pinto beans, onions, bell pepper, cayenne pepper, sugar, oregano, ground black pepper, salt, cumin and chili powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

(Note: If using a slow cooker, set on low, add ingredients and cook for 8 to 10 hours.)

Simple Roast Chicken

Roasted chicken seems like the ultimate in easy, yet elegant, home cooking. I've oohed and ahhed over a roast chicken at the Henry's and somehow it's always seemed like it would be difficult.

Can I really roast a chicken that tastes that good at home? Even without a countertop rotisserie?

Quite simply: Yes.

I found several different recipes and found that there didn't seem to be many differences, so I made some simple alterations to suit our tastes and stormed forward.

When I finished cooking, I was amazed. I even ate the skin off of my chicken (which is usually NOT my favorite part). And I bought my Foster's Farms chicken for about $3.05. What a deal!

Simple Roast Chicken


Make any alterations you'd like, but here are the basics:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

I started with a 3-4 lb. chicken, but recipes also call for 4-5 lb. birds, too. Femove the giblets and other organs from the cavity. Rinse the bird and pat dry using a paper towel. Cut any excess fat off the bird (mine had a couple of huge, thick pads of fat hanging by the cavity opening).

Starting at the neck, loosen the skin from the breast and tops of drumsticks by slipping your fingers gently between the skin and the meat. Move gently, it will come loose. Combine about 7-8 cloves of garlic, finely minced, and one generous tablespoon of chopped thyme, along with about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil. Spread the garlic mix under the skin, all the way towards the legs.

Use a small amount of olive oil and rub on the skin of the bird. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the bird. Lift the wings up and behind the neck, they will stay tucked there. Insert a meat thermometer in the meaty part of the thigh, making sure not to touch the bone.

Bake the chicken at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Then, turn down heat to 350 degrees until the thermometer reads 180 degrees (about an hour and fifteen minutes). Remove the chicken from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes prior to cutting.

I served mine with fresh mashed potatoes, turkey gravy and glazed carrots.

If you haven't tried this yet, I really think you should give it a go. Next time, I want to try mine with rosemary.

New Year's Roast

Melissa at Cooking Diva invited me to (any everyone else is welcome to join in) post about our New Year's dinner.

This year there was a real stand-out dish, worthy of a post!

My sister Stephanie was the gracious host of our New Year's party and food was as much the star of the party as the drinks. Now, there were many wonderful things, such as a smoked salmon dip and a fabulous down-home onion casserole, but my favorite thing by far was the standing rib roast.

This is really so simple, you almost wouldn't believe it. Here is the recipe, and it's one of those awesome things that uses so few ingredients, that really all you'll need to buy is the roast itself.

I would say that it is on par with a very good slice of roast beef from one of those chain restaurants that specialize in that type of thing.

From Ina Garten's show, Barefoot Contessa

Sunday Rib Roast


1 (3-rib) standing rib roast (7 to 8 pounds)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Mustard Horseradish Sauce, recipe follows

Two hours before roasting, remove the meat from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (see note).

Place the oven rack on the second lowest position.

Place the roast in a pan large enough to hold it comfortably, bone-side down, and spread the top thickly with the salt and pepper. Roast the meat for 45 minutes. Without removing the meat from the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and roast for another 30 minutes. Finally, increase the temperature to 450 degrees F and roast for another 15 to 30 minutes, until the internal temperature of the meat is 125 degrees F. (Be sure the thermometer is exactly in the center of the roast.) The total cooking time will be between 1 1/2 and 1 3/4 hours. Meanwhile, make the sauce.

Remove the roast from the oven and transfer it to a cutting board. Cover it tightly with aluminum foil and allow the meat to rest for 20 minutes. Carve and serve with the sauce.

Note: Be sure your oven is very clean before setting it at 500 degrees F.

Mustard Horseradish Sauce:
1 1/2 cups good mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustards, horseradish, sour cream, and salt in a small bowl.

Test Your Culinary Knowledge

I took this quiz in my local paper today. I was actually surprised.

First, I was suprised that I had to answer almost every question with a guess. There were only a couple of them that I knew off the top of my head. Heck, I had never even heard of most of these items.

Second, I was surprised at how well I was able to guess the correct answers. I still got more wrong than I got right, but it was interesting to see how the words themselves provided clues to the meanings. I guess my fifth grade Latin instructor would be feeling vindicated right about now.

Take the quiz and let me know how you did. Maybe you'll be more familiar with these items than I was!

Note: There might be more than one correct answer. (But, really that's is only true for one of these.)

1. We had a great recipe using Kurobuta. What is Kurobuta?

A. A Japanese vegetable that looks like a long green gourd, but has a plum-like aroma.
B. A pink sea salt from Hawaii that has been linked to spot weight loss.
C. An heirloom pig described as having heightened "porkiness."

2. A caller wanted to know about verdulagas. She said she enjoyed the taste when she was a child. What is it and where can she buy some?

A. It's hard green candy, shaped like leaves and flavored with mint extract. It is available at stores that specialize in imported confections.
B. Also called purslane, these lemony greens are often lightly sauteed and scrambled with eggs. Generally, it's not availabe commercially.
C. The name means "little worms" in Italian. It's pasta that can be found in Italian markets or ordered online.

3. What is muscovado, and can I put it on toast?

A. Muscovado is the delicious fat that is slowly rendered from Muscovy duck legs. It is incredible when used to fry potatoes, or it can be thinly spread on toasted baguette slices.
B. Muscovado is a raw sugar. It's very dark brown with a strong molasses flavor. It would be lovely sprinkled on buttered bread toast along with a little ground cinnamon.
C. It is a warm mixture of melted chocolate, soymilk and sugar. It is scrumptious on toast.

4. Reposada: Should I chew it, drink it, or grind it?

A. Reposada is tequila that is aged up to one year. Drink it.
B. Reposada is a coffee that is grown in central Mexico. Grind it, brew it and drink it.
C. Reposada is a Hispanic cheese with a creamy texture and delicate flavor. It is best eaten before it becomes overripe and stinky.

5. What is kufta?

A. A combination of lamb and beef formed into hot-dog shapes, then grilled. Often served with pita bread and hummus.
B. A Moroccan stew made of lamb, potatoes and sweet peppers that is made in a special ceramic casserole.
C. Kufta is the toast made at Norwegian weddings and baptisms. Also, it's slang for "I'm bored, and I've had enough of this."

6. What is a sidecar?

A. Chef's slang for a thin rod used for sharpening knives.
B. A special warming dish often used to keep cooked foods warm.
C. A cocktail most often made with brandy, orange liqueur and lemon juice.

7. What is ong choy and is it good with rice?

A. Ong choy is a Mandarin dish that combines rice noodles with sauteed chicken and water chestnuts. Because it is a noodle-based dish, it isn't served with rice.
B. Ong choy (rau muong in Vietnamese), also called water spinach is a green vegetable with long pointed leaves. It can be quickly sauteed with a little oil and minced garlic, and is often served with rice.
C. Served with or without rice, this is just another name for Napa cabbage.

8. What is cold duck?

A. A pink sparkling wine, usually a mixture of Champagne, sparkling Burgundy and sugar.
B. Refrigerated roast duck.
C. Someone who won't kiss on the first date.

9. What is Carmenere? (There should be a little dash over the second E.)

A. A casserole that features white beans, sausage and herbs, and is often topped with toasted bread crumbs.
B. Often called Bordeaux's sixth grape, this red varietal combines well with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
C. A French cheese shaped like a Renault sedan.

10. What is muhammara (moo-HALM-mer-ah)?

A. It's a spread made with roasted red bell pepper, walnuts, pomegranate and molasses.
B. It's a pungent, wine-based punch that is usually garnished with sliced fresh fruit.
C. A specialty of New Orleans, this hero-style sandwich originated in 1906 at the Central Grocery.

11. Dr. Jim Duke, a medical botanist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 30 years and author of "The Herbal Pharmacy" (St. Martins Press, $7.99, paperback), contends that cinnamon can:

A. Fight colds, coughs and fevers, as well as relieve gas and indigestion, stimulate circulation and ease allergies.
B. Fight formation of plaque on teeth and prevent insomnia.
C. Be lovely sprinkled on grapefruit wedges.

12. What is Aleppo?

A. It's a sun-dried pepper from Syria that is coarsely ground. It has a mild heat.
B. It's a culinary device used for finely grating ingredients.
C. It's a thick molasses made from pomegranate juice. It is wonderful used to marinate lamb.

13. Jeroboam, my jeroboam. Are you different from a nebuchadnezzar?

A. There are biblical terms and have no place in a quiz about wine and food.
B. These handcrafted cheeses are sold online. One is like a dry ricotta, the other is a white cheddar-style cheese.
C. A jeroboam is a large wine bottle; in Champagne it's three liters (four standard bottles), in Bordeaux it's 4.5 liters (six standard bottles). A nebuchadnezzar is a big, big boy. It's a wine bottle that holds 15 liters, or 20 standard bottles.

That's it! Answer are below...

Answers to the quiz:

1. C
2. B
3. B
4. A
5. A
6. C
7. B
8. A and B
9. B
10. A
11. A
12. A
13. C

Hope you had fun...and if you know a foodie who needs to be stumped, send them my way!

Time to catch up...

Christmas went about as planned this year (which is a good thing), and now that it's over, I am breathing a little sigh of relief! No more shopping, wrapping or searching for gift ideas.

Well, at least until the next holiday arrives.

I hope that everyone out there got something fun that they wanted, and I will be making the rounds as time permits today to see what's new with everyone.

I feel pretty lucky. Among my gifts from family and friends, I received:

2 stock pots (I'm keeping both and throwing out my two old blah pots), 1 is a 10 quart and the other is a 12 quart. The 10 quart also has a pasta insert and a glass lid while the other has a stainless lid and is a little wider.

1 Henckels paring knife

1 "condiment container" which is the stainless steel and glass little container that Alton Brown uses on his cooking show

1 set of cheese knives (the kind that are all different shapes for cutting different types of cheeses)

A poster of Cheeses of the World (that coworker knows me well, I'd say)

The complete collection of Calvin and Hobbes comics in a nice 3 book set.

I hope that you've all been having good holidays. Until the new year officially starts, I will probably only be on my blog sporatically, but I should be back full time after that.

See you in 2006!

New Year's Resolutions

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions. I guess that I figure that I don't need one particular time of the year to think of ways to improve myself, but instead it should happen year round.

Now, that sounds like a reasonable and commendable course of action, but looking back on this year, I have changed my mind.

I feel like 2005 has been a difficult and trying year. I have had to deal with the fact that I am losing my job, that I will be moving next year (to a state that I've only visited for less than a week) and worst of all, that I have not been taking care of myself.

I have long ago forgotten the exercise routine that I hoped to maintain. I have ignored my body's various issues, including some nasty heartburn and other upper digestive problems. I forgot about taking baths to relax. I didn't take any classes to broaden my knowledge or abilities.

So, this January, which is right around the corner, I will make some resolutions. I will start my year on a truly positive note and work my hardest to stay there.

If you have been feeling depressed, worried, tired, or just down in general, I suggest you do the same. I am already looking forward to having new feelings of optimism and joy...and they await me, just 11 little days from now!

Oh, who am I kidding, the feelings are already here!

My 2006 Resolutions

1. Take classes or otherwise find ways to learn those things that I have been wanting to. I have already signed up for a beginner's machine sewing class and a hatha yoga class.

2. Find ways to make time for exercise, keeping in mind that it makes me feel better on the whole when I keep up with it.

3. Try to improve my communication with my husband and try to see things from his point of view. (Must remember, he is not a mindreader...ask him for help when I want it.)

4. Try to get my son ready for bed a little earlier so that we can read words from his lists or find places on his map of the world.

5. Find new ways to eat more vegetables.

6. Start shopping for Christmas earlier, so there is less stress later.

7. Use my sewing machine.

8. Buy a house.

9. Find a new (part-time, yay!) job that is FUN!

10. Pay off all of my debts.

11. Catch up on my scrapbooking.

12. Try different recipes that I would normally skip.

Let's see what you have on your list! Maybe they'll be similar, maybe they'll be totally different.

QOD #12 and Congrats to Kristi!

Well, if Kristi's wanderlust wasn't interrupted before, it is now! Go check out Kristi and her husband's story. It was a difficult road for them to get to where they are, and they are cautiously celebrating! Congratulations!

QOD #12

A father is someone who carries pictures where his money used to be.

Anonymous

Final Installment of Holiday Cookie Exchange #1

This is our last weekend for the first Holiday Cookie Exchange. Thanks to everyone who's participated so far. If you haven't seen the last two weekends, you should definitely check them out!

Feel free to jump in any time and I'll keep updating all weekend.

This week my theme was SIMPLE. Why? Because I'm tired, stressed out and sick! Boy, don't you love the holidays?

So, I dug up this recipe for Jam Thumbprints. I've never made them before, but I had all of the ingredients on hand and they sounded good. It turns out, they are good! And they were simple enough for my six-year-old (six since Monday!) to do tons of helping. These cookies are buttery, crumbly like shortbread, and simple enough to make with one big bowl, measuring tools, a wooden spoon, a pastry blender and cookie sheets.

JAM THUMBPRINTS
Try filling them with different colored preserves and jams for a colorful presentation.

2/3 cup butter (about room temp)
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup strawberry preserves

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets, or line them with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla and salt. Gradually mix in flour.
3. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls (I did them about 1 inch). Dip in lightly beaten egg whites, then roll in finely chopped walnuts. Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Press down center of each with your thumb. Be sure to make a good indentation, some of mine wanted to rise up.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Just before serving, fill centers of cookies with strawberry preserves.

Take a look at some other great recipes here:

bna at Peanut Butter and Purple Onions made these holiday-perfect Ginger Cookies

Kristi at Interrupted Wanderlust distracted herself by making Oatmeal Spice Cookies and Pumpkin Cookies

Vicki at The Moveable Feast dusted off her trusty first cookbook and baked some Walnut Lace Cookies

Michelle shunned the traditional cookie and made these very sweet looking Pink Christmas Marshmallows over at The Accidental Scientist

Eggy in Singapore at the Greedy Goose (welcome aboard!), made these yummy sounding Chocolate Malt Cookies

Reminder: Final Weekend of the Holiday Cookie Exchange and QOD #11

Let's fire up those ovens one more time!

Starting tomorrow and going on all weekend, I'll be hosting the final installment of HCE #1!

If you need a little motivation, here it is: show us something simple.

Show us your no-fail, four-ingredient, everyone-thinks-they're-so-hard-to-make cookies! Show us how you turn that tube of cookie dough from the refrigerated section of your grocery store into "homemade" greatness (hey, you baked it at home, right?)!

And remember:

Foodie QOD #11

An empty belly is the best cook.
-Estonian Proverb

You Are What You Eat Meme: My Top Ten Favorite Foods

I've been tagged by Ilva and bna to participate in this meme. Thank you both!

First, let me say this. I am definitely going to cheat. ;-)

How else would I be able to cover even a tiny portion of the foods that I love? As I've gotten older, I find that I like more and more things. My tastes have broadened and I'm much less likely to say (about anything in my life) that I just *love* something better than anything else.

That said, here are my top ten favorite foods:

1. CHEESE

When I was young, I used to cut a hunk of cheddar off the block and microwave it until it was all melted, oil separated and sitting on the top. I would grab a fork and eat it. Just melted cheese. It was one of my favorite things.

Now, I'm older and no I don't microwave just plain old cheese anymore. But, I still love cheese. How do I love cheese? Let me count the ways: cheddar (mild, medium and sharp), monterey jack, pepper jack, mozzarella, swiss, gouda, edam, dill havarti, gorgonzola, blue, asiago, parmesan, ricotta, cream cheese, feta, emmental, romano, gruyere, mizithra, string, colby, cotija, meunster, and cottage. I might have missed a couple, but you get the idea!

Oh, and the only cheese I don't like: brie.
YUK.

2. BREAD

This is pretty simple. I like breads of all sorts. In fact, I've rarely met a bread that I didn't like. Bread for sandwiches. Bread to go with soup. Bread with butter. All good.

3. BERRIES

I like fruits of all sorts, but I am particularly partial to berries. I can remember picking blackberries from wild bushes in the woods near my house when I was a young child. Those moments were pure, simple and sweet. Positive reinforcement may very well be at work here!

4. CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

There is nothing that satisfies me more than to find a good chicken fried steak. I think it is really hard to find a good chicken fried steak, so that may be why I get so excited when I do find one!

5. SOUP

Ok, so this is cheating. But really, how can you pick just one kind of soup? I love broth based soups, cream soups, veggie soups, meat soups, noodle soups...again, I've rarely met a soup I didn't like. (Although I haven't tried the more adventurous types, such as melon soup or other cold soups.)

6. CITRUS FRUITS

Whether it's lemon for fish or iced tea, lime for a beer or a bowl of pho ga, or a tangerine to share between friends, citrus fruits have a bigger influence on food than I would have ever thought growing up. But I know, when you need that lemon or lime, nothing else will do!

7. SUSHI

There is absolutely nothing in the world like a good piece of sushi. And if you want to eat a good piece of sushi, go to one of Nobu Matsuhisa's restaurants. You'll never want to go anywhere else again. (The above is yellowtail with jalapeno and some cilantro...to die for)

8. CHICKEN FRIAND WITH MUSHROOM CREAM SAUCE

If you haven't caught onto the theme...I am big on savory foods. This was a dish made at by a little chain of restaurants called La Madeleine's. I believe that they still make these, but I no longer live near one. If you ever see one, you should try this dish. It is a puff pastry filled with a combination of chicken, mushrooms and bechamel sauce, then topped with a mushroom cream sauce. It's amazing. You should also try their french onion soup..mmmmm!

9. BLUE CORN ENCHILADAS

If you're ever in Scottsdale, AZ, you should definitely go to the Carlsbad Tavern restaurant. That is, IF you like spicy foods. If not, skip it!

Their blue corn enchiladas are filled with cheese and one has chicken and the other has gulf shrimp. They're covered with a green sauce and more cheese. Need I say more? (Ahem, could I get some more cheese here?)

10. OLIVES

By themselves or used in a dish. Black, green, kalamata. Stuffed. Spicy or mellow. Nuff said.

I'm tagging my sister Stephanie for this meme...because she really needs to start posting on her blog more! I would tag others, but it looks like I was last to do this one. If you haven't done it yet...consider this your *tag*!

Where's a good bowl of soup when I need it?

First off, thank you to everyone who participated in last weekend's Holiday Cookie Exchange. We just have one more week left to share our recipes before the holidays swallow us up completely!

Hopefully I will see you all again this Friday!

After a hectic week and an even crazier weekend, my body did something terrible: it got sick!

I threw my son's birthday party on Sunday. It was a huge relief because I was very stressed out for about a week or two prior and just about couldn't take it anymore. It ended up going over very well, with plenty of guests and good food.

I took a simple route this year by serving cold cuts with various breads and other sandwich toppings and a big pot of homemade chili. I was happy that everyone liked the chili since it was my very first time ever making it!

I had woken up at 6:00 a.m. to bake the cake, and I worked very hard until about 4pm that day. I had a celebratory drink once the party was over (thank god) and went to bed before midnight.

Monday morning: I wake up with a feeling that I have a white-hot trail burning in my sinuses. My throat is sore and swollen. I am coughing. My head hurts, my body hurts. My tummy is upset and threatening to turn on me completely.

I call in sick to work. I sleep, never leaving the upstairs of my apartment, until almost 11:30am. I eat, and then I sleep some more.

And, of course, last night was my son's Christmas program at school. So there I am, sweating in the audience, smiling, waving and making funny faces at my son, trying to get him to loosen up on stage.

I told my husband, next year, he's in charge of the birthday party. If he wants to do it at Chuck E. Cheese's, fine. As long as he's the one calling and booking the space!

The chili really was good and I will definitely be sharing the recipe and a photo soon! I'm back at work today feeling about 50% better, hoping that my normal routine will help perk me up. At the very least, the coffee helps! I hadn't had a cup since Friday morning!!

I haven't made the rounds since probably Saturday, so I hope everyone else had a much calmer weekend than I did. I'll check in with everyone in the next day or so.

Dawn

Holiday Cookie Exchange #1, second installment

Hi everyone!

Happy Friday and welcome to this week's installment of the Holiday Cookie Exchange. I will update the post throughout the weekend, so feel free to join in any time.

We have one week left in this exchange, next Friday/weekend, and I hope that you all come back to share one more time before the holidays officially take over our lives. Maybe we can all get together for a Valentine exchange...I can just see the hearts, cherubs and kiss shapes now!

Snickerdoodles
I love a simple sugar cookie. Ilva at Lucullian Delights reminded me of this with her wonderful entry below. Here is one of my favorite cookies in that category.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening (i.e., Crisco)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cream together the butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are set but not too firm. Remove immediately from the cookie sheets and put on cooling racks.

Once done baking, take some photos in some funky lighting (I mean, really, what is the deal with bad lighting in kitchens?):

Please check out these recipes from some fantastic foodie sites:

Ilva at Lucullian Delights bakes Marco's Cookies for her husband (lucky guy)

Michelle at The Accidental Scientist made these Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies (they sound delicious, don't they?) and some Raspberry Linzer Windowpane Cookies

Kristi at Interrupted Wanderlust made something perfect for the holidays: Candy Cane Cookies

Nerissa at Deetsa's Dining Room submitted her 'it wouldn't be Christmas without them' Peanut Butter Balls, check out the pretty colors!

Melissa at the Cooking Diva, has baked her cookies, you can take a look here...she'll get the post up with the recipe soon! Update...here are the recipes!

Vickie, at The Moveable Feast joined in a little late...she had to give her home security a once over...check out her Pinwheels...

Kickin' Collard Greens & Reminder for Tomorrow's HCE #1 Second Installation!

Here is a recipe that I tried out on Tuesday night. I thought that it came out really well, but I have reduced the salt (it really needed to be reduced).

Here are the raw collard greens:


Here is the salt pork that I used instead of bacon:

Here are the greens cookin:

And the finished product:

Kickin' Collard Greens

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 slices bacon (I used 1/2 package of salt pork)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water (recipe originally called for all 3 c. of liquid to be broth, but it was way too salty)
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pound fresh collard greens, cut into 2-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and return to the pan. Add onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until just fragrant. Add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt.

2. Pour in chicken broth, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until greens are tender.

They were yummy! I had never eaten collard greens before, but I would definitely make them again. I found that it didn't quite take as long as the recipe called for to get them tender. They would be great with some fried chicken and mashed potatoes!

Don't forget to participate in tomorrow's Holiday Cookie Exchange #1, second edition. Come and get some good ideas for your own family and share a few, too!

Vegas...the highlights...vol. 1

We returned last Saturday evening from Las Vegas, tired from the drive and looking forward to the comforts of home. And if you listened to me talk about my trip once I came back, you might think that we didn't have a good time.

That is mostly because I was so smoked-out from the casinos and tired of the dirty slums that lie just beyond the strip. But those complaints certainly are not what I hope to remember in the long run.

Truth is, Vegas offers a lot of attractions that are the stuff that memories are made of.

My very favorite thing we saw was the lion display at the MGM Grand. I love animals, and these guys looked like big kittens to me! They were so youthful, playing with the balls in the enclosure. There were 4 people in the display with them, to my surprise. The two women interacted with the animals and the two men simply stayed back. I think that the male lions liked the women better.

When we walked back past the display later, we found that it was cat-nap time! This answered my question about whether or not the trainers could touch the lions.


She was laying down with the lion, spooning. After she scratched him on the neck a little, he rolled over and was facing her. His rear paws rested on her hip. All three of the lions were sleeping at the same time, which was no big surprise since the sign on the cage said they usually sleep 18-20 hours a day.

I don't normally share pictures of my family, but I thought everyone'd get a kick out of this shot of my husband and son at the M&M store.

QOD #10

Ok, ok, I promise that I'll get those photos from Las Vegas up soon! Until then, here is a funny little quote:

The trouble with Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again.
-George Miller

Vacation, a box of goodies, and 12 eggs

First of all, let me say *thank you* to everyone who participated in the first week of the Holiday Cookie Exchange. I will be posting them again this Friday (& weekend), so anyone who wants to jump in, I'll see you then!

I just got back from Las Vegas. I was a little worried because I was going to be out of town on Friday when the exchange started, but I drafted my post and my great sister Stephanie baby-sat my blog until Saturday. Thank you, Steph!

We had a fun time in Vegas, but we were ready to come home after just a couple of days. I'll go into that more tomorrow and post some pics from the trip.

When I got home on Saturday, I was so pleased (ok, REALLY excited) to find a box from Vickie!

When I first opened the box, I was looking forward to the contents. But I happened to notice that the shredded paper filling the box was shredded paychecks. I was impressed. I've been given some expensive gifts before, but this takes the cake. (I know, I know - they were probably blank, but don't tell me...it'll ruin my high.)

Box from Vickie:

Fancy filler:


Here is what I found in the package:

And then inside of those:

When I was opening the box, before I could even get the flaps apart, I could smell the spices and the sweetness of lavender.

There is a basil garlic blend of spices to either make a dip, spread or sauce with. There was a pack of organic lavender from Vermont. There was a package of plantation peanut soup (hmmm, interested in trying that one out). And last, but definitely not least, were two traditional German wax ornaments that smelled like the most amazing cinnamon. Everything here is a feast for the senses!

Vickie included some recipes (which is good because I've never cooked with lavender) and I am looking forward to trying something new! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

This was so much fun, opening an unexpected gift from such a nice person! I can't wait to reciprocate!

Ok, so that covers the "vacation" and "box of goodies" parts from my title...please go check out Kristi's page, Interrupted Wanderlust for the 12 eggs part. It is an awesome adventure that we are sharing with Kristi (thanks for sharing).

Dawn

Holiday Cookie Exchange #1 - Join In!

Welcome to Holiday Cookie Exchange #1!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, or another holiday, there is sure to be a place for cookies!

Please join in today (and I will keep updating the post through the weekend, so late joiners, feel free to jump in anytime) and for the next two Fridays as we bake, eat and share our favorite cookies.

Simply post your cookie entry on your blog and come back here and enter a comment with the permalink. I'll add listings periodically so you can check out the great recipes with a simple *click*!

Gingerbread Cookies
Here is my first attempt ever at making gingerbread. I tried this recipe out around Halloween, but got so frustrated with the quickly softening dough's tendency to stick that I rolled up the dough and tossed it in the freezer. Here is the recipe for Gingerbread Skeletons from Baking Sheet. The original recipe is from Epicurious. They were so cute as skeletons, but somehow, it just wasn't appropriate for Christmas!

Here are a few tips I learned along the way for using gingerbread dough:
1. It freezes very well. Just move to the refrigerator the night before you plan to use it.
2. It makes a very sturdy dough - don't overcook them unless you are making gingerbread bricks. Mmmm - bricks - yum.
3. To avoid sticking dough, put down wax paper, then sprinkle it with flour, you can roll/cut your dough on it and then, simply slide the cookies off the paper (be sure to use enough flour...it won't show, it will be on the bottom). If you have to, you can flip the paper over and catch the cookie in your hand and place on a cookie sheet.
4. If you get excess flour on your lovely brown cookies, it will either absorb while baking or still be there after you've pulled them out of the oven. If you can still see flour, use a pastry brush and lightly brush it off after the cookies have cooled.
5. The dough makes wonderful sliced cookies. I sliced and then rolled slightly to get a consistent thickness.
6. Don't eat them plain. You should definitely ice these cookies because you need some sweet to balance out the complex ginger taste.

Here is where you'll find the links to everyone else's goodies! Check them out...you might find a new favorite!

So far these are looking very yummy!!!

Check out the Earl Grey Tea Cookies that Michelle made at The Accidental Scientist!

Melissa at The Panama Gourmet is going to add her post (hopefully tomorrow), but she ran into a little trouble...good luck and we'll wait for you!

Vickie at The Moveable Feast made this very cute Christmas Tree Cookie Tower!

Mebeth at Hold the Raisins contributed some delicious looking chocolate chip cookies...always a staple at my house!

Good job everyone...let's see what we try next week! I'll keep adding any new posts over the weekend.

PS...Vickie at The Moveable Feast sent me a package - you don't even know how excited I was to see it...I'll post pics and info after I get into it! I can't wait!

Thanksgiving Pics and HCE #1 Reminder

As promised, here are a couple of photos from Thanksgiving. You can see some of the food and my sister getting ready to carve the turkey.

Don't forget to join in for the Holiday Cookie Exchange tomorrow (& weekend)!