CookieD-oh

These are last years' Halloween cookies.  I was playing around with colors and eyeballs and this is what I came up with. I think they came out kind of cute. I was also playing around with the square monster cookies that have been going around.  They were fun.  And no fancy cutters required! I did these with glaze, and the green especially got a bad case of sugar bloom.  I'm really not sure why.  I've use the same recipe for YEARS, and, suddenly, with no warning, I start getting sugar bloom.  I was frustrated.  And it kept happening.  In fact, I have essentially stopped using glaze because of it.  It's sad, really. I kind of liked these pumpkins, too.  Just a little bit different. Anyhoo, I hope you like the cookies. I have not started any Halloween/fall cookies so far this year.  I got the Wilton mad scientist cutter set last year, and I really want to try them out.  Time permitting, I will do that soon. Enjoy!

As I was making this cake, I was talking to the girl about Hello Kitty.  During the course of the conversation, I mentioned something about Hello Kitty being a cat.  She froze.  Her eyes got big.  She exclaimed, "I thought Hello Kitty was a bunny!" I'm glad we were able to get that straightened out before she got any older. Top tier is chocolate, bottom is vanilla.  Buttercream filling with marshmallow fondant.  And lots of disco dust. Tha't all for today!  Enjoy!

OK, so in an effort to stave off the onset of fall, last week I made pink lemonade cupcakes and took them to work.  I'm not really ready for summer to be over. My cousin posted these on her blog a while back...you can see them here.   Let me just say up-front that she is a much better photographer than I am.  Because I was taking these to work, I doubled the recipe.  I got 23 cupcakes.  If I make them again, I will fill the cups a little fuller and maybe only make 20 or 21.  Here's the recipe: Pink Lemonade Cupcakes 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda Pinch salt 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 egg whites 1/3 cup thawed frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate 1/4 cup buttermilk 2 or more drops red food coloring 1 tablespoon lemon juice* Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with liners. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a l

  Behold...Brownie Pudding Cake:     I know, bad photo.  It was dark and my countertop is yellow.  Enough said. Anyhoo, I have also heard this called Chocolate Cobbler, but where I come from, it's always been Brownie Pudding Cake.  It's three desserts in one.  What could be more perfect? It's really easy to make, too.  Start with flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, milk, melted butter, vanilla and chocolate chips.  Mix it all together and spread in an 8x8 banking pan. Now, whisk together some hot water, more cocoa powder and some vanilla.  Pour it, gently, on top of the batter.  No, really.  Go ahead.  It's ok. And then you'll have this: Now very carefully pop it into the oven and bake it until it's done.  My son and I had a nice talk about science once when we made this dessert.  The leavening in the batter will cause it to rise up through the water/cocoa mixture, creating a very yummy sauce on its' way through.

One of my co-workers is expecting a new little girl.  What better way to celebrate than with cookies? Well, that's all for now.  Enjoy!

Since I just posted cornbread, I figured I'd give biscuits equal time.  Biscuits are really easy to make from scratch.  And pretty quick, too, once you get a system down. I use a recipe adapted from  here , and they always come out great. Start by mixing your dry ingredients in a bowl: Then cut in the fat.  I use a mix of butter and shortening.  The butter makes them extra tender and gives a little extra flavor.  Beat the eggs and milk together until well-blended. Here I used regular whole milk, but if I have some on hand, I'll use buttermilk If using buttermilk, add about 1/4 tsp baking soda with the dry ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just blended. Now comes the fun part!  Turn the dough out on to a well-floured surface and knead 20 times.  Now pretend I took a picture of that part.  I forgot because I was busy trying to get gooey bits of biscuit dough off of my hands. Next, roll the dough out about 3/4 inch thick. Here&

What?  You think the post title a little over the top?   Well, before you judge, try this. Cornbread.  A staple. It's simple, yummy, and goes with lots of things.  Most especially chili.  And since fall is just around the corner (I refuse to give up on summer just yet), it's time to break out the cornbread recipe.  I have been making this corbread (found here ) for many years.  In fact, here's when I last printed it off:  I'm kind of surprised this copy has been around for so long. I'm generally hard on my recipes. Anyhoo, soak your cornmeal and milk in a small bowl for no less than 5 minutes, but more if you can.  Whisk it a few times while it's soaking.  Mix your dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the eggs and oil together. Pay no attention to the pie in the background. Now, add all of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk the heck out of it for a few minutes (like, 5). Seriously.  You won't hurt it.  Now p

My brother and his wife just added baby #4 to their family!  So I made cookies!  And then I took crummy pictures because we were in a hurry to get out the door!  Go me! And here are some close-ups: Vanilla-lemon sugar cookies with vanilla-lemon royal icing.  Quite yummy. Enjoy!