Monday, July 19, 2010

An Ode to a tree.


I can't believe that I have tears in my eyes as I write this. I mean, it's just a tree right? or is it?  In a matter of days, on my birthday to be exact, this beautiful tree will be ripped from the border between ours and our neighbor's yard. This tree is one of the reasons our back yard feels a bit like a sanctuary. I love the shade it has provided. I love the sound the leaves make when the wind blows through them. I love the privacy it provides from the ugly apartments behind us. I love laying on the grass and looking up through its many branches as the light filters in from high above. I guess you could say that I am heartbroken. 



Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Damn good Peanut Butter Cookies.

I bought a jar of peanut butter that I didnt particularly like, but instead of just tossing it, I decided to make these cookies. I had forgotten about these gems, and remembered them as I was also trying to come up with a treat for a friends daughter who is gluten and dairy intolerant, who had jsut broken her elbow. ouch. I first discovered these in Gourmet or some other magazine a while back, and was intrigued by the fact that they were so easy to make and only had a handful of ingredients. even better now, with less time to bake. any recipe that I can do one handed while holding a curious 28 pound toddler is a keeper.





you MUST try these.
and, if you like your cookies chewy like me, you should definitely underbake them just slightly.

1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 oz chocolate chips (if you are dairy intolerant, make sure the bag says "Parve,"meaning Kosher, or dairy free. I used the Trader Joes chips)

mix all ingredients except the chips until smooth. add the chips. mound by the Tablespoon onto a siplat or an ungreased cookie sheet. Should make just over a dozen cookies. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes, turn the tray, then bake for about 7 minutes more. check on them before the 14 min mark to see how they are. when they look puffy, but just slightly under, pull 'em.

I took these to a playgroup and so wish I could have had a camera to capture the chocolate all over the faces of the kiddos. they are messy, but delish.
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Strawberry Shortcake.


Finally, some summer weather around here. Have been doing a little more baking around these parts now that I am in the second trimester bliss. energy and appetite restored. it feels good. and after a loooooooooooooong gray spring and june, the forcast calls for sun all week. lets hope it sticks around. SO, now that I am in the mood, its time to bake with those damn good strawberries I have been wolfing down for the last couple weeks.

I had a gripe with strawberry shortcake that I wanted to clear up. When visiting with my parents, I wanted to show them that even though I am 2 years out of the kitchen, that I can still make a dessert. so, I made some shortcake. I made biscuits and topped them with macerated berries and a dollop of softly whipped creme. Trouble was, I hated how the shortcakes turned out. Then, I realized, strawberry shortcake can also be made with a nice sponge cake. no need to use heavy biscuits when you can use a light cake that does its part to soak up all those nice berry juices. I suppose I just needed a different and more fluffy biscuit recipe, but instead of trying to perfect it, I went a whole different direction. This time, I whipped up a lemon butter cake, soaked it with a lemon simple syrup and then doused it with my macerated berries. I let it sit for the afternoon to give the cake time to soak up all the berry goodness. Then, when it was eatin' time, I whipped up the creme and spread it over the top of the cake. Now, this is more like the shortcake I was craving the first time around.