Archive | December, 2009

Inspiration: Le Gourmand

15 Dec

Hello all you culinary kittens!

So, in honor of the Christmas spirit, I just used a present Paul gave me LAST YEAR for Christmas (I think that’s what he gave it to me for…..)

Anyway, he gave me a gift certificate to Le Gourmand in Ballard, for a cooking class. And I just booked myself for their January class. I can’t wait!

Here’s the info they have on the classes: Le Gourmand Classes.

Besides the obvious excitement of taking a French cooking class, eating fab food and skillfully paired wines, I’m also excited because they were voted best organic food in Seattle for 2009 by Citysearch!  Yay for them!

I can tell I’m going to have fun, because of this picture:

 

And because I spoke to Bruce, the fabulous chef, who literally introduced himself on the phone as “The guy that’ll be teaching the class.”

Classic. So humble. Love it.

So, hopefully he’ll let me take little snapshots, to share with my 4 readers, and who knows, maybe by then I’ll have a camera worthy of shooting the amazing French food I’ll be learning about!

Bon Appetit! (uh, spell check anyone? I’m no Julia, okay?!)

Get the handcuffs: Eggnog-frosted nutmeg sugar cookies

7 Dec

Holy hand-warmers, Rudolph! It’s frickin’ freezin’ in here!

Happy Frozen Monday morning, everyone! I hope the weekend treated you to some delights and quiet moments. (Unless you’re like Paul and I, who had the joy of listening to the 21 year old girl that just moved in above him have a PARTY on a SUNDAY night till ONE FREAKIN’ THIRTY IN THE MORNING.)

Whatever, nothing a strong cup of VIA can’t handle, right?!

I was blasting through my morning dose of junk mail, when my old reliable BHG email came through (don’t act like you don’t know – Better Homes and Gardens), with a GREAT cookie recipe, I thought I’d share.

Now remember, I don’t like to post many recipes, it goes against the true nature of this blog, which is to eliminate the hassle and time comsumption that accompanies recipes.  However, this is the BOMB cookie, and I’m sure you’re going somewhere soon where you’ll need to bring something. So, just make these, and send me mine in the mail. Thanks!

(and thank you Better Homes and Gardens for another mouth watering cookie recipe, that’s surprisingly new to me!)

Eggnog-Frosted Nutmeg Sugar Cookies

Eggnog-Frosted Nutmeg Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
1/2  of a vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, or 2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/4  cups butter, softened (just use the butter here, don’t bother subbing it out for yogurt, unless you’re keeping these for yourself, in which case, God help you)
1  cup sugar
1-1/2  teaspoons baking powder
1  teaspoom freshly grated nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2  teaspoon salt
1  egg
1  tablespoon dairy or canned eggnog
3-1/4  cups all-purpose flour
  Eggnog Icing (recipe below)
  Coarse sugar (optional, and you can use the regular sugar you already have)

Directions
1. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape pulp from vanilla bean; set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, eggnog, and vanilla pulp or vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough portions to 1/4 inch thick. Using a fluted round 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out dough. Place dough rounds 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are just lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Repeat with other dough portion. Spread cookies with Eggnog Icing. If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let icing dry. Makes about 24 cookies.

Eggnog Icing: In a medium bowl, stir together 3 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in enough dairy or canned eggnog or milk (3 to 4 tablespoons) to make an icing of spreading consistency.

To store: Layer cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

[For the full recipe and reviews, visit Better Homes and Gardens online.]

Inspiration: Holiday Cyber Cookies

4 Dec

Love everything about fresh baked cookies except the actual work of baking them?

Wish you had the energy to make and send some far away to loved ones?

Well, now you can – sort of! The geniuses over at Better Homes and Gardens have just developed a great new website feature:

All you do is frost and decorate your cookie with all the neat colors and cookie shapes (this is WAY easier said than done, mine looks like I had a blindfold on, and I pride myself on my frosting skills):

And then you can send it out to whomever you like!  This is what they get, with your personalized message:

So, what are you waiting for? Go to the Create a Cookie factory and send me something! Just make sure it’s not too good – I might bite the computer screen!

UPDATE: where have I been?

3 Dec

Hi guys! Sorry if it seems I’ve dropped off the face of the Earth recently. Of course with Thanksgiving, we were all occupied for a handful of days. And now that we’re back in the swing of things, at least for the next few weeks, I’m a busy bee!

I have been attending events, cooking, baking and asking lots of questions, and with those activities, I’ve been taking pictures and videos to share.

Of course, that means I have to upload it all. I’ve been making progress on it, but it’s been a long process for some reason (YouTube was slow, etc.).

So, I’ve got some great posts coming up, this week and next, and hope that you enjoy what I’ve been up to.

I would love to put a call out there to anyone reading to ask for potential guest posts for the holiday season.  Things I’d like to see guest posts on could include:

  • Holiday tradition dishes
  • Dumpster dishes you always end up making post holidays
  • Your “go-to” dish or appetizer you take to parties
  • Plans to eat somewhere cool this season
  • Questions about how to cut corners on time and money when cooking for parties or groups this season
  • Whatever else you can think of!

So, stay tuned, and please let me know if you have something you’d like me to do a post on, or if you would like to do a guest post with me!

I love this time of year, and can’t wait to show you all I’m up to!

-Siiri

Get the handcuffs: Cranberry-Pear Bars

3 Dec

You know I’m not partial to giving you guys recipes to follow…I just don’t find that people actually have the time and money to buy specific ingredients and the extra time to assemble it all.

But, I make exceptions when I see something that uses ingredients you already have around, or things you’re buying anyway. Also, if it’s particularly tasty or healthy, I’ll throw it up here for you all.

I just got a great email newsletter from Better Homes and Gardens (my baking crack source), and I couldn’t help but share their idea for a great holiday cookie you can take with you.

Cranberry-Pear Bars with Orange Frosting

You may know (from my self-admitted obession) that pears are my favorite fruit. I have them around always, and this recipe only calls for one. So you can easily grab that at the store when you’re doing your regular grocery shopping.

As far as recipes go, this one is pretty stinkin’ easy.

Cranberry-Pear Bars with Orange Frosting

Ingredients
1  package 2-layer-size white or yellow cake mix
2  eggs
1/2  cup butter, melted (*or you could split that and do half butter, half non-fat plain yogurt to bring the calories and fat down)
1  tablespoon finely shredded orange peel
1  firm pear, peeled, cored, and chopped
1  cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
1/2  cup chopped pecans (*really any nuts I have in my cupboard are fine for this…don’t go out of your way to buy pecans)
  Easy Orange Frosting
  Ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, melted butter, and orange peel. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds or until combined. Fold in the chopped pear, cranberries, and pecans.

3. Spread mixture in the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Frost with Easy Orange Frosting. If desired, sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Cut into bars. Makes 48 bars.

Easy Orange Frosting: In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine one 15- to 16-ounce can of vanilla frosting, 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

To Store: Place bars in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Thanks, BHG, loving you as always.

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