Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Colorful Spiderweb Cookies


It is that time of year again! It is time to start getting carried away and wrapped up in cutout cookies. Boy, I sure do find a way to get wrapped up. These cookies were made a couple of weeks ago to celebrate the beginning of October. My boyfriend was away visiting family so for several days I immersed myself in cookie baking and decorating.

I like to use a recipe from kitchengifts.com. I have used it for years and it is very reliable and easy to work with. And the best part is that it tastes great! Sometimes I use almond, sometimes vanilla, always whatever citrus zest I have.. you get the picture. As with most of my recipes, it is one that you can adjust to fit your mood or event.

6 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt

Combine dry ingredients together in a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients a small amount at a time. Stir together until well incorporated.

Chill dough

Everyone has their thickness preference. I like about 1/4 inch. Roll the dough and cut into desired shapes.

Bake for 8-12 minutes at 350. Watch the edges closely. They will turn from lightly browned to crispy critter in a heartbeat.

Cool and then decorate.
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Why do I cut off the edges of my dough? Because I can :) No, really, I am persnickety. If I cut off the edges there is no chance of a cookie with sloping edges.


I let the first layer of royal icing dry overnight.


The next day I finished decorating.


Another pic just because I like all the bright colors!


And another :)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Ummm.. Veggies!


I have been having a bit of a veggie kick lately. Maybe the fall weather is making me crave fresh veggies while I can. Or maybe it is that everyone has been going their own direction so I have time for me food. Either way, my waistline certainly isn't suffering!

For this dish I roasted golden beets. To that I added romano beans, cremini mushrooms, a shallot, bok choy, and some of the roasted macadamia nuts I picked up at the fair. I lined a plate with wilted purple kale and served the veggies with wasa crackers and black olive hummus.

The dish grew like a taco salad does on you. It left me with plenty for the next few days. I certainly didn't complain!

Music Fair Food


I am so far behind on posts. The pictures have been piling up and I have no excuse. Wait, I was working on Halloween decorations.. I think that qualifies as a worthy excuse :)

Logan and I went to the Music Fair a couple of weekends ago. It was chocked full of live music and crafts. There was even a kiddo area where the kids learned to ride unicycles, juggle, spin plates, and other fun things. I was pleasantly surprised to see some yummy and healthy food booths.

I loaded up on hummus, veggie pot stickers, no sugar added granola, and seasoned macadamia nuts. The granola was a bar but it suffered a cosmetic misfortune when Logan dropped it on my rig floor. I am still finding pieces of it in my upholstery. Oops :)

**Rig = vehicle, car, truck and so forth to all you lower 48ers.