365 in 365 - Who Wants Cookies??

OK....here we go.....I have decided to see how many of my dear family, friends and readers would buy shortbread cookies if I made them to sell.   I am not looking to be the next Martha Stewart or Paula Dean, but I am interested in putting a smile on your face and a cookie or 2 in your tummy.

The flavors that I have already developed are:

• White Chocolate, Apricot & Macadamia
• Chocolate & Chile
• Dark Chocolate, Cherry & Pistachio
• Lavender & Mint
• Basil & Ginger

I have had several requests and am very interested in exploring this, especially for the holidays.  I will most likely also sell our family Pumpkin Chiffon Cake during the holidays.

So....your thoughts, feed-back and flavor choices are requested.

Have a great evening!

S.

365 in 365 - Royal Icing Recipe

I wanted y'all to know that I have updated the royal icing recipe for the cookies and it seems to be working very well.  One of the issues that I was having was with the flavor of this concoction and the original amount that recipe made.  First, there was no flavor except for sweet and secondly, there was tons of it left over and no cookies to dress, unless I wanted to make a triple batch of cookies.  So, here is the recipe with all the updates:

Royal Icing - These flavor and the amounts have been adjusted for the shortbread cookie recipe so that not very much is left over

1 teaspoon meringue powder

1 - 1/4 cups of confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup water mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix the meringue powder into the powdered sugar, add 1/8 cup of the water and vanilla mixture to start with and beat on medium with a hand held mixer until mixed and thickened and a bit fluffy.  You may or may not need a little bit more of the vanilla water that remains. 

Spread about 1 teaspoon of icing on each cookie and let the icing dry.  This icing will dry to a firm consistency, but will not be so hard that it will crack or crumble.  You can use a bit more if you like.  Also, using a pastry bag with a very small tip works well too.

I will be working on various flavors of this icing and once I get those nailed down, I will share these as well.

365 in 365 - #75 - Basil & Ginger Shortbread Cookies

This idea for a cookie came to me by way of a co-worker.  He had been talking about a gelato that he had at a restaurant somewhere and mentioned that the flavor was basil & ginger.  I thought that was very interesting, so on my way home, I stopped at the store and bought some fresh basil and some crystalized ginger.   I decided to go with the crystalized ginger because of the sweet heat that it provides and because of the texture......sort of like a raisin, but with an attitude.   Now, don't get me wrong, raisins have their place....in oatmeal cookies, in trail mix, etc., but not necessarily in my mouth.   They are not my favorite dried fruit.

When I got home, I took a small leaf of basil, wrapped it around a little piece of ginger and popped it in my mouth.  Can you hear the choirs of angels singing??  Well, I sure did.  The flavor was incredible.  That sweet, almost licorice note from the basil with the mild, sweet heat from the crystalized ginger made me sit up and sing.

So, I made the basic shortbread cookie dough, and kept the vanilla in the mix, but added 2 teaspoons of dried basil and 1/2 cup of minced crystalized ginger.  Baked them and before the cookies could cool off and have the royal icing applied to them, my husband at 7 of them, right off the cookie sheet.  He unhinged his jaw and they were G-O-N-E, gone!!!!

Now, the next time I make these, I will use fresh basil to see what happens with the favor and will let y'all know how that turns out.

But in the mean time.....these are pretty darn great.  Taste testers loved them.  One person was not that fussy about them, but she is not crazy about ginger.  Most importantly, I have several other flavor combinations up my sleeve for this simple cookie dough and as I work through the recipes and the amounts of ingredients, I will post them for you.

In the mean time, please try this flavor combination......they are phenomenal.  Here is the entire recipe for you:

This recipe makes 30 cookies

For the cookies

1 cup of butter at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons of dried basil

1/2 cup of minced crystalized ginger

Beat until completely mixed

Then, add 2 1/4 cups flour, a pinch of salt and beat until mixed

Preheat oven to 400' F.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and flatten into discs, about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick

Place 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown

I frosted my cookies with royal icing, but you can frost them with any plain icing that you like.

Royal Icing - These amounts have been adjusted for the recipe so that not very much is left over

1 teaspoon meringue powder

1 - 1/4 cups of confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup water mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix the meringue powder into the powdered sugar, add 1/8 of the water and vanilla mixture to start with and beat on medium with a hand held mixer until mixed and thickened a bit fluffy.  You may or may not need a little bit more of the vanilla water that remains. 

Spread about 1 teaspoon of icing on each cookie and let the icing dry.  This icing will dry to a firm consistency, but will not be so hard that it will crack or crumble.  You can use a bit more if you like.  Also, using a pastry bag with a very small tip works well too.

From my purple kitchen to you!!!

S.

365 in 365 - New Web Site under development

I'm so excited......I met with a web designer today and am moving forward with building a new web site.  I just loved meeting with the team.  Such a sweet woman and very nice gentleman.  Why can't all business meetings be this friendly, relaxed and fun???

Please know......this blog will remain perfectly accessible and will not be changing or moving.  In fact, we will link this very blog to my website.  I love my blog....it has become an extension of my heart and soul, something that I share with my readers.  After all, readers are just friends I simply have not met yet.  Everyone that I know always says, "Susan, there is not a stranger that you haven't met, is there?"  And I say, "Nope, if I don't know them all, I will".

I will continue to post here on a regular basis and will let everyone know when the website goes live.   More recipes are coming......I promise.

Have a great nite!!!
Susan

365 in 365 - #74 - Grilled Salsa

Summer is a great time to play with your food.  As children, we were most likely told to not play with our food and that may have stuck with us throughout our lives......until now.  This home cook blesses you to go forth and play with your food, don't be shy, no one is watching and no one will make you stop.....

Cooking flings open the doors to experiment with different flavors, cooking techniques, new combinations, making a mess, throwing parties and just plain having fun.  

Grilled anything takes on a much different and deeper flavor.  This includes grilling all kinds of fruit.  If it can hold it's shape through cooking, it can be grilled.  

Any of the following fruits can be grilled and used in this recipe:

• Peaches
• Plumbs
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Papaya
• Star fruit
• Cherimoya (I'll have to check the spelling on this one)
• Granny Smith apples (with the skin on)

For the salsa:

1 fresh pineapple, trimmed and sliced into about 1/2 inch slices  and brushed with a bit of olive oil

1 purple onion, sliced, brushed with olive oil

2 limes, cut in half and brushed with a bit of olive oil

Grill the fruit and onion on each side until grill marks are nicely visible.  Limes need only be grilled on the "cut" side.  Time for cooking depends upon how hot your grill is.  Try to avoid direct flame on the fruit.

Jalapeno (1 - 3) and / or serrano peppers (1 - 3) washed and brushed with a bit of olive oil and grilled until charred.  For this part, be sure to wear gloves......peel off the outer charred skin, seed and mince.

1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Chop the pineapple and onion into about 1/2 inch pieces and combine with the remaining ingredients, squeeze in the lime juice, stir and serve. 

This works very nicely on baked / grilled fish, salmon burgers, with tortilla chips, on beef burgers, with turkey chicken and pork / ham.  

I simply know that you will enjoy this wonderful salsa.

Have a wonderful day!!!

S.

365 in 365 - #73 - Candied Jalapenos

I have several recipes that were posted before the 365 recipe challenge began.  I am re-posting them into the 365 challenge because it will make them easier to find and will give me a chance to review them and update the recipes with any changes that I have made.  


Typically, candied jalapenos are made from pickled jalapenos.  But that just takes too long for me.  Who wants to get a 5 lb jar of pickled jalapenos, try to fit a bag of sugar in the jar and then wait days for them to be ready?

I have come up with a great and easy recipe.  However........


First and foremost - be very careful with this recipe.  Please keep in mind these very important safety tips when working with boiling sugar and water mixtures:

• Boiling sugar and water is basically a clear form of molten lava and can cause severe burns. 
• DO NOT make this recipe with small children in the kitchen or with them trying to help you.  If you have small children, it might be best is you make these after they go to bed
• DO NOT inhale the fumes from the pan....these can irritate your airway and make you cough...you will be able to smell the peppers throughout the house/apartment.   If memory serves me correctly, the chemical that makes peppers hot is what is used in the pepper spray that police use.  
• DO NOT leave the handle of the pan sticking out from the stove
• DO NOT put your finger into the pan to try and do a taste test
• DO NOT try and sample the peppers with a spoon - these take time to cool.
• Leave the pan on the stove and let the jalapenos cool......this will take at least 2 hours, if not more.  
• When preparing the peppers, wear plastic / vinyl gloves....and DO NOT touch your face, ears, mouth, nose or any other body parts until you have removed the gloves and washed your hands. 

I actually made the mistake of cutting too many peppers (over 100 peppers) and didn't wear gloves.....let me tell you, my hands burned for days......and nothing helped with the burn.


Start with 30 - 45 peppers, wash and slice into 1/2 inch rings (I keep the seeds and veins).  
In a large heavy pan, add 3 cups of sugar, 3 cups of water, 3 tbsp of light corn syrup, 
In a piece of cheese cloth, place 1 cinnamon stick and 6 cloves and tie to secure the contents, Let the liquid get warm enough to melt the sugar & add the jalapenos, being very careful so that you don't get splashed with the boiling sugar water.
Simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally, or until the liquid boils down by about half so the syrup gets nice and thick and let cool.  
If you want a thinner consistency to the syrup, cook the peppers for about 30 minutes.

My husband LOVES these peppers and I make a batch every 2 weeks.

If I'm feeling very ambitious, I will cut the peppers in half, and seed and devein them......as noted above, be sure to wear gloves.  The Christmas gift for our party guests was a Mason jar filled with red and green candied peppers and a card with serving suggestions on it....think Goat cheese on garlic bruschetta topped with candied jalapenos, chopping the peppers and adding them to cornbread...and maybe a few other ideas.

Other tips: strain some of the spicy sugar syrup for use in Margaritas, Mango iced tea, brownies, home-made chocolate truffles or for any time you feel like adding something sweet and spicy to a drink or dish.


If you like sweet and spicy, you will like these.


Enjoy,
S.

365 in 365 - #72 - Dried Cranberry, Ginger and Walnut Shortbread Cookies

For something a little different, try these flavors instead of the lavender and mint.  This flavor combination has an amazing sweet heat that will make your taste buds stand up and sing an operatic "Hello"!

Use the basic shortbread cookie dough recipe found in #71.

Instead of the lavender and mint, add:

• 1/3 cup minced dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup minced crystalized ginger
• 1/3 cup minced walnuts

Cook and frost just like the original recipe.

These are really good.....the crystalized ginger makes a world of difference in the intensity of flavor.

I just love crystalized ginger......as a snack by itself,  in savory and sweet treats and in another flavor combination that I am sure you will find very interesting....but not quite yet.  This combination is being saved for a rainy day.

I hope y'all enjoy!!
S.