One of Dallas’s Christmas gifts from Amanda were spices from Penzey’s Spices. We’ve had these spices out on our countertop since then and have been having fun trying them while cooking. They’re very good. And how cute. Monopoly cards that give tips about uses. And I love the papers seals that say “Love to Cook — Cook to Love.”
Tags:amanda·christmas·cooking and baking·dallas·penzeys spices
Yesterday Jen and Chad hosted a superbowl party. I went, but Dallas is in Las Vegas, so he missed out. Or, I’m sure he’d say we missed out on his fun in Vegas. There was a ton of great food. Everyone brought something. I brought these cute (if I do say so myself) cookies.
I am not a huge fan of sugar cookies, so I made these chocolate roll-out cookies that I found on Smitten Kitchen. I decorated with both royal icing and chocolate royal icing using the outline and flood method. The Giants and the Patriots were playing so I took their quarterbacks numbers to use on the jerseys. Eli Manning is #10 and Tom Brady is #12.
The cookies were pretty good, but I think I’m still not a huge, huge fan of roll-out cookies with royal icing. There were plenty of kids at the party, though, and they all seemed to love the cookies. I don’t know if their parents loved how red and blue their mouths became after a cookie or two, but, oh well!
I didn’t really favor either team, but since the Giants beat the Packers and pushed them out of the race, I sort of wanted them to win. And they did.
Tags:chad·Chicago·cookies·cooking and baking·football·giants·jen·patriots·roscoe village·smitten kitchen·superbowl
Beer. Dip. Beer Dip. It’s as awesome as it sounds. Brian and Jill always make this for their Cubs opening day party and I finally looked up the recipe one day. I ended up making it as a savory dip at the cookie party last year. I’d say it’s best served with pretzels because of the saltiness and also they’re touch enough to stand up to a thick dip. Also, this dip could not be easier to make. I recommend you do it. NOW. This would be a great dip for your Superbowl party!
Beer Dip
From: All Recipes
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (Note: I used one low fat and one regular)
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup beer
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and dressing mix. Stir in Cheddar cheese, and then beer. The mixture will appear mushy. Cover bowl, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight if possible. (Note: I abandoned it in the fridge for a couple days!)
Tags:beer·beer dip·brian·cheese·Chicago·cooking and baking·jill·logan square
This would have been a great recipe to share in the fall, when everyone is in the mood for pumpkin. That’s when I made these pumpkin-swirl brownies, but I never got around to sharing them until now. Deal with it!
I didn’t have the correct size of pan, so I used a 9-inch pie plate. For some reason the middle didn’t cook all the way before the edges looked like they were getting too brown. So, I ended up cutting the middle out and not using it. Other than that, I thought these were great. I made them for one of Limey’s going away parties and everyone seemed to like them. The chocolate is sweet, but the pumpkin swirl has a slight kick from the cayenne and spice. Good combo.
Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies
From: Martha Stewart
Chocolate and pumpkin make a frightfully gooey pair in these creamy pumpkin-swirl brownies. Makes 16
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.
Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don’t set.
With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.
Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.
Tags:Chicago·cooking and baking·logan square·martha stewart·pumpkin
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I’ve had Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book
It wasn’t until recently that I noticed that in the back of the book there is a section of Betty Crocker’s Best Cookies. These are described as so: “Fashions in cookies – like fashions in women’s dress – have changed down through the years. Here is a nostalgic peek at the pace-setting cookies of seven decades from Betty Crocker’s Kitchens. Most of them, having once attained popularity, have continued to fill America’s cooky jars as favorites of each succeeding generation.”
The first recipe in this section is for hermit cookies, which apparently were popular from 1880 – 1890, when spices from the Indies became available. They say that hermits were originated in Cape Cod where they were made and then packaged to go out to sea. To put things in perspective, this decade is when the Brooklyn Bridge opened and the Statue of Liberty was dedicated.
I decided to make hermit cookies for Limey’s going away lunch at the Village Tap.
I’d read some blog posts online and one person commented that a lot of the recipes from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book
One other note: Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book uses shortening in every recipe. I think the 60s were the time when everyone thought butter was so bad. I have made a couple recipes from this book and either used all butter or used half shortening, half butter, and they have turned out fine.
It seemed like most of the adults liked the spicey, nutty, fruity hermits, but the kids weren’t crazy about them. The cookies are not too sweet and they have no chocolate or frosting or peanut butter or other things kids love! Maybe if I’d iced them the little ones would have been more interested. So, word to the wise, this batch is big (especially if you make them mini) and you want to bring them to an adult party.
Also interesting -
- A baker who made every recipe in Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book. Here is her hermit cooky.
- Someone else trying to bake every recipe in Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book
Tags:betty crocker·betty crockers cooky book·Chicago·cookies·cooking and baking·cooky·hermit·logan square
