MmMm Tasty!: Christmas Bundles

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Christmas Bundles

Okay, I am feeling guilty that I haven't blogged since Saturday. What is this blogging-addiction thing creeping in? I am not even completely sure if anyone even reads this thing. But then, what if there is someone out there in cyberspace, that was trying to find some kind of whacko porn site, and typed in MmTasty, and then read my blog by mistake, and then became totally impressed by what a great mom (or faker mom) that I appear to be, and then told everyone they knew to read my blog? And then no one ever wanted to watch porn again? What if by blogging I could crush one of the largest industries in this country?

Mothers everywhere are depending on me!

Hmm. This is why they say not to post your blog entry immediately after you write it. This is why they suggest that you wait a day to see if you really want your thoughts out there for the world to see.

Just in case your inner voice is a freak show. OKAY, enough of crazy girl.
Onto baking and advent and the celebration of all things wholesome and bright!

So, I have been trolling the blog world and running into a lot of people preaching about taking the handmade pledge or embracing the simplicity of life or hissing the consumerism in our culture and let me tell you this stuff has seeped into my skull.

As a result, I decided to make cookies for half of my office (about 25 people) AND stuff them into little cellophane bags AND tie them with some pretty holiday ribbon AND make the gift tags AND hand-punch the little circle for the tags to be thread onto the said ribbon AND hand write every person's name on each little package.

Clearly, I had not thought out what it means to take a handmade pledge. Apparently making a handmade pledge, means pledging to make something by hand. As those of you who know me can guess, I did not think through the magnitude of this project.

I can at least say that I was wise enough to put the kids to bed BEFORE I got hot and heavy into this hand making business. I can also say that I saw the writing on the wall two hours into the project and recruited Brian to assist with the ribbon tying and the gift tag threading. :)

In the end, they looked really cute and it seemed that most people were glad to get their cookie bundle. Perhaps next year, I will take the hand made pledge prior to seven days before Christmas.

Perhaps.

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Recipe of the Week

Cinnamon Sugar Butter
for our homemade French baguette:

This is a great way to include the little ones so they can contribute to the enjoyment of homemade bread:

CINNAMON BUTTER
1/4 cup organic unsalted butter
2 tbsp organic sugar
1 tbsp organic brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Soften unsalted butter to room temperature.
Combine the softened butter and other ingredients together until they are completely blended.
Place the compound butter in a container. Or, shape butter in logs and wrap in parchment paper, then cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch discs.

Chill for a at least 1 hour and preferably one day.

NOTE: Compound butters can be store under refrigeration for up to 5 days or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Previous Recipes of the Week

Muffin Madness
from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Basic Wet Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4-1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Basic Dry Ingredients
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

For banana muffins: Add 1/2 cups of mashed ripe bananas to the wet ingredinets. Or just add whatever you have.

Mixe the wet. Mix the dry. Mix the wet and dry together. Put them in a lined muffin tin at bake at 350 for 22 minutes.

Best Quick Pancakes
from Martha Stewart Living Magazine

(I suggest you double this recipe)

1 cup all purpose flour (sometimes a do 3/4 cup and then make the other 1/4 cup whole wheat flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 tsp for griddle
* sometimes a throw in some wheat germ for extra nutrients

Heat griddle over medium high heat. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in bowl. Add egg, milk, and 2 tbsp butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps. Let it rest a minute or two.

Using a 1/4 cup or soup ladle, pour pancake batter in pools tow inches away from each other. when pancakes have bubbles on top, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minutes.

Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients
2 cups water
1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
3/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup regular grits
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 bacon slices (we skipped the bacon
1 pound medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
Lemon wedges

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Add Cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients. Keep warm.
Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.
Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour.
Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions, and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.
Serve shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits. Top with crumbled bacon; serve with lemon wedges.

Yield
Makes 4 servings
Chef: Chef Bill Smith

Southern Living, APRIL 2004

Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 2 dozen muffins

2 1/2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
16 0z. cooked or canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 cup oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup water

** 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two (9x5) loaf pans or line muffin pan with paper liners (AND spray with non-stick spray).

Mix the dry ingredients and set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients and set aside.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. If you are making the muffins, bake for about 30 minutes or until you start to really smell the muffins and then check them with a toothpick.

I found this recipe by goggling for the recipe to Great Harvest Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.

Creamy Oatmeal
(from Food Network Kitchens)

1 cup steel-cuts oats
4 cups whole milk
pinch of kosher salt
Two 3-inch long cinnamon sticks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup raisins or currants or whatever you have
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

Serving suggestions: Honey, sugar, maple syrup, milk, buttermilk, yogurt or cream

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the oats and milk. Cover and let soak in the refrigerator overnight.

Transfer the oat mixture to a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the salt and cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, currants, and sugar; and simmer for 5 minutes more. Remove cinnamon sticks and serve plain or with your toppings of choice.

Gingerbread Snowflakes makes 16 cookies
(from Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookie Magazine)

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surfaces
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 tsp ground ginger
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp finely ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment: mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add four mixture: mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly foured work surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into snowflakes with a 7-inch snowflake-shape cookie cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets liined with parchment paperk, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
4. Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
5. Decorate.

Magic Muffins
from the Martha Stewart Holiday Cookie Magazine

2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup dried cherries
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp coarse salt
9 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line the muffin tin with paper liners. Stir together coconut, chocolate, walnuts, and cherries in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with a paddle and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix, scraping down sides of bowl, until well combined. Mix in 1 cup coconut mixture.
4. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkel remaining coconut mixture over tops. Bake about 25 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Swiss Chard
from the cookbook Simply in Season

1lb Swiss Chard
Rinse, pat dry, and remove stems. Chop stem into small pieces. Stack leaves, roll up and slice in strips; separate from stems and set aside.

1 medium onion diced
In deep frypan saute in 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat until softened, 5 minutes.

1/4 cup raisins
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1.5 teaspoons sugar
Add along with chard stems, cover and cook for 8 minutes. Place chopped leaves on top of mixture (do not stir in), cover and cook another 2 minutes. Serve.

MmMm Tasty!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Christmas Bundles

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