The Key to Good Cookies...

I've inadvertently "tested" it myself dozens of times. It's a hard lesson to learn and adapt to, and it'll vary depending on the recipe--the texture/moisture, recommended oven temperature, baking sheet used, etc.

What am I talking about? Not over-baking your cookies!

Someone brought in cookies to work this morning and of course I grabbed one. I'm partial to my own cookies above a lot of others, but these were delicious. The secret? They were perfectly baked, still nice and moist in the middle.

My advice is to watch those cookies closely, as there is a very fine line between perfect and overcooked. Martha Stewart advises to cook until golden around the edges but still soft in the middle, leave on the sheet for a couple minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

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tea in portland

For a cute little shop, filled with tea accessories from tea pots to infusers to mugs and beyond, as well as a large menu of looseleaf teas, Tea Zone and Camellia Lounge is amazing. They have teas from around the world and plus they'll give you delicious samples! I had some vanilla rooibos; now I'm not normally a rooibos fan, but this was good stuff.

They also have a lounge in back which looks pretty cool.

Check it out!

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Kabocha Muffins

Kabocha = Japanese pumpkin

It's one of my favorite Japanese dishes: delicious, tender, sweet pumpkin simmered in dashi stock with some sugar and perhaps some soy thrown in. I always had big portions of the stuff at "home" in Japan. And let's not forget the oh so delicious tempura fried variety over a bowl of rice. Kabocha is still my favorite part in ten-don and I will gladly trade it for my shrimp. Yum.

I found some kabocha seeds at a local Japanese grocery store, planted them, and now have several pumpkins to consume. So far I've gone through one (as they are supposed to "ripen" for a few months after harvesting) and tried a few recipes.

You can find kabocha at your local grocery store in the fall. If it's not available, you can substitute any kind of cooked fall squash with equally tasty results.

Kabocha Muffins

Ingredients

• 55g butter, softened
• 55g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 180g kabocha, cooked and mashed
• 110g buttermilk
• 110g whole wheat pastry flour
• 15g baking powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease a muffin tin and set aside.
2. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add in the egg and pumpkin and stir until combined. Stir in the buttermilk.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder, then fold into the wet ingredients until just blended.
4. Scoop batter into muffin tin about 2/3 of the way up. Bake for 17 minutes until golden and cooked through.
5. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Makes 12 muffins.

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chocolate covered marshmallows

Another post about David Lebovitz...I think I mentioned his marshmallows last winter as well. If you've never had homemade marshmallows, you seriously need to try them. They are so much better than those rubbery store bought ones (though those little guys toast up very nicely), and a breeze to make in an afternoon.

For an added twist, I did some chocolate covered marshmallows as well this year! My first attempt at tempering chocolate wasn't a total disaster, though I admit it wasn't a total success either. Tempering chocolate is a pretty exact science, here are some resources:

Cooking for Engineers
David Lebovitz (of course)

Once I tempered my chocolate, I dunked the marshmallows in a few at a time until well coated, then put them on a rack to fully dry. These sure make a nice gift!

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Tea Latte

Why go out to a coffee shop for a tea latte when you can make one at home at a fraction of the price? I think the best part of making these at home yourself is you can experiment with your favorite teas and even make your own simple syrups to use!

If you've got an espresso machine, you can use that to make this drink a bit more "authentic" with steamed milk and tea shots.

Tea Latte

Ingredients

• 6-8oz brewed tea
• 2-4oz hot milk
• Vanilla syrup (to taste)

Method

With espresso machine:

1. If using an espresso machine, steam the milk and syrup and set aside.
2. Pack a scoop of tea leaves as you would ground coffee and pull your shot(s).
3. Pour the tea shots into the milk and serve.

Without espresso machine:

1. Combine all hot ingredients in a mug and serve.

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Simple Cinnamon Roll Filling

I was watching Everyday Italian the other day and Giada was making hazelnut cinnamon rolls. Now, I am not a fan of hazelnut but got to thinking how good walnuts might be in its place. Next thing you know, I'm making cinnamon rolls with apples, cherries, and walnuts.

One of the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had, if not the best, were those a coworker brought in at work. Let me tell you, they were so good I think I ate three of them (and they were HUGE)! There's no way I'll ever get that recipe and I'd be lucky to stumble across anything as good.

If you're not into making bread dough, try store bought dough as Giada recommends. Otherwise, any sweet dough will do. Roll out your dough into rectangles.

Simple Cinnamon Roll Filling

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• Dash vanilla extract

Optional mix-ins:

• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/4 C dried cherries or cranberries, diced
• 1/4 C walnuts, chopped

Method

1. Mix ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Add optional mix-ins, if desired.
2. Spread evenly onto dough, then roll, cut, and bake as normal.

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Stollen

When it comes to desserts, David Lebovitz is someone I trust unconditionally. His blog is good, his information great, and recipes phenomenal. Last time I was looking around his site, I saw his recipe for stollen and just had to make it. And hey, 'tis the season, as they say. Mine turned out deliciously and look surprisingly just like his.

I looked around for other stollen recipes but they all seemed to use candied fruits (more like a fruitcake) and that just wasn't appealing. Then I was going to blend recipes, but they used varying ingredient amounts with different yields. In the end, I basically followed his recipe, so I'll just link it here. Of the slight changes I made:

• Substitute Grand Marnier for the rum to soak the fruits
• Omit the candied ginger (due to its extreme price) and citrus peel (due to its apparant unavailability at grocery stores around here)

My only complain is not knowing when the bread is done cooking. Sure, he suggests using a digital thermometer, but come on, it's bread! Mine ended up being slightly overcooked I think, but delicious none the less. The recipe makes four loaves which makes it great for gift giving!

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Bagels

I had my first cheese bagel the other week and was blown away by how delicious it was. I decided I needed to make my own, as spending $1.50 for an impulse snack seems unnecessary, especially since bagels are so easy!

Here is my favorite bagel recipe: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_bagels

I've made this recipe several times, last time I believe was around Mother's Day for brunch. They are really easy to make, especially if you have experience working with yeast, as this can sometimes be tricky.

To make these "cheese bagels", simply sprinkle with shredded cheddar after brushing with egg, and bake for the specified time.

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It has been a long time since my last posting and a lot has happened since. Two books I've read recently have really changed my perspective on food--Food, Inc and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I definitely recommend both books, but they really make you think.

Ideally, I'd love to be able to grow and prepare more of my food, but that's not really realistic. I have, however, been enjoying making my own applesauces, chai tea, and bagels in recent weeks, and right now, that's about as good as I can do.

One recipe I did learn from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is for yogurt cheese. It's a bit like a soft cream cheese. Simple drain yogurt over several layers of cheesecloth overnight. I like to salt mine as well to bring out the flavor. Spread over bagels, English muffins, and so on as you would cream cheese. It's tangy, easy to make, and a fresh alternative to cream cheese.

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whatever, martha

I've got a bit of Martha Stewart in me, in the best way possible, I like to think. I bought some oilcloth with the intention of sewing a lunch bag and some small zip bags as a kind of reusable/washable ziploc (they do sell plastic bag drying racks...). My first "project" was this lunch tote perfectly sized for three new containers. I actually have a modification or two for this bag style and ideas for a few new styles. I like this bag because it holds all my stuff but also because I can easily rinse it out if anything leaks!


I have also been on the lookout for reusable shopping bag patterns and projects online. I'm hoping to sew up some bags using old t-shirts and clothing but nothing has struck my fancy quite yet. Many tutorials simply have you cut off the sleeves, sew up the bottom, and maybe modify the neck a bit to accommodate larger items, but I guess I'd like something more...streamlined(?) than that. I did end up making this market bag, which I highly recommend as a quick project.

And in true Martha style, I spent a few hours of my weekend making chicken stock. One tip I learned from this book: your stock should be at a very low simmer--anything stronger will emulsify the fat into the stock which you don't want.

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