Love is Always worth celebrating...

While I am not a believer in all the marketing hype that surrounds our yearly celebrations, I am a believer in taking every opportunity to celebrate life!  Valentines is always a wonderful reason for us to show extra special love to those around us.  In keeping with tradition we made oodles of sugar cookies and delivered them all over, Daddy spoiled his kiddos with balloons and treats, and I was the lucky recipient of some gorgeous roses and a lovely, heartfelt card.  For the first time in a loooong time, we went on a Valentine's date and had a really wonderful evening together.  Love is always worth celebrating...Valentine's Day or not.

Black & White...

My mom gave me a great cookbook for Christmas.  It's a Good Housekeeping cookbook that has cookie recipes only.  Mmmm, cookies!  While flipping through the book I noticed a recipe for Black & White cookies.  This immediately sparked a memory from a Seinfeld episode where Jerry & Elaine are stuck in line at a New York Bakery for hours waiting for some kind of special bread that ends up being sold out, of course.  But, in the duration of their wait they have a debate about the black and white cookie and which side is better to eat.  When I saw this recipe I KNEW I had to make them for myself so I could see what all the hubbub was about!  They were super easy to make, and just a little time consuming.  But they were something different to try and really, quite good.  I took them to my post-Christmas work party and they seemed to be popular!  Here's the recipe:

Cookie batter (very soft):
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
10 tbsp butter/marg softened (this is equal to 1 1/4 sticks of marg)
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Buttermilk (easy to make by adding 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of regular milk - let stand for 5 minutes to bind)

Icings: (keep in mind these ingredients are for BOTH icings)
1 3/4 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
8-10 tsp warm water
1/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Preheat oven to 350*
In small bowl stir flour, baking soda and salt together.
In large bowl (I used my mixer) beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Reduce speed and add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. 
Drop batter by 1/4 cup spoonfuls onto cookie sheet leaving 3" gaps between cookies (I did 6 per sheet just to be safe)
Bake until edges begin to brown and tops spring back when lightly touched.  15-17 minutes.  Once baked transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

Prepare Glazes:
Start with white glaze: mix 1 1/4 cup icing sugar, 1 tbsp of corn syrup, and 5-6 tsp water, 1 tsp at a time.  Mix to good consistency, not runny, but still thin.  Once cookies are cooled, using metal icing spatula, ice the BOTTOMS of each cookie with white icing on half the cookie bottom.  Allow to set for 15-20 minutes.
Chocolate glaze:  mix remaining 1/2 cup icing sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, remaining tbsp corn syrup, and 3-4 tsp water, 1 tsp at a time.  Ice other half of cookies. 

Once completely iced, let them set for a good hour. 
These cookies get very soft if stored in plastic.  It's best to eat em' all, or freeze right away.  The above recipe makes only 12 cookies (or so) so I doubled everything and made a double batch.

Cranberry Bliss...

Baking is one of my favourite hobbies, period.  But, Christmas baking is even MORE fun!  I already posted about our big bake-fest, but I decided to do a few other recipes just for fun.  This one was a first for me.  I googled 'Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars' and came up with a whole realm of suggestions, but this is the one I singled out.  I have to give bragger rights to top secret chef Todd Wilbur for his version of this creation. 

Cake:
1 cup butter at room temp.
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups diced, dried cranberries ( I chopped mine up fine in my mini food processor)
6 ounces (squares) of while chocolate, cut up


Frosting:
4 ounces (1/2 block) cream cheese softened
3 cups icing sugar
4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup diced, dried cranberries


Drizzled Icing:
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp vegetable shortening


Preheat oven to 350*F
To make cake:  Beat butter and sugar together until smooth. 
Add eggs, vanilla, ginger and salt, beat well.
Gradually mix in flour until smooth.
Mix 3/4 cup cranberries and chopped chocolate into batter by hand
Pour batter into greased 9x13" pan.  Spread evenly across pan
Bake 35-40 minutes or until cake is light brown on edges
Let cool


Frosting: combine cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla with electric mixer until smooth.  Once cake is cooled, spread over top of cake.
Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cranberries over the frosting.


Drizzle:  whisk together 1/2 cup icing sugar, milk and shortening.  Drizzle over the cranberries in sweeping motion.  ( I used piping bag with small round tip)


Once the cake has set/cooled for several hours, slice once, lengthwise down the centre, then 3 more times width-wise.  This makes 8 large squares.  Then, I cut each of these squares into 3 finger length slices.  You could also slice them the 'starbucks' way and cut each square diagonally creating 16 triangular slices.

BakeFest 2010

I think we just started a new tradition.  A group of us girlfriends decided to get together and do a bunch of Christmas baking.  Some fun facts about our bakefest:

Fact #1 - There were 6 of us.  Each girl picked 2 recipes and provided ingredients for 15 dozen of EACH recipe!

Fact #2 - Heather brought a huge bottle of bubbly

Fact #3 - It was really good bubbly.

Fact #4 - We baked over 2100 cookies that night

Fact #5 - It took us approx 7 hours to do it.  We started at 7pm - yes, you did the math right, we were up until 2 in the morning.  I'm paying for it this week.

Fact #6 - There were 3 workstations, 3 mix masters, 2 ovens running full time, and a fine layer of flour over every surface, including our faces. 

Fact # 6.5 - Elise taught us all kinds of things about feeling true freedom.

Fact #7 - There were 2 adorable little baby girls to snuggle.

Fact #8 - It took me over 3 hours to clean up the next day (they offered to help but I declined)

Fact #9 -  I found cookie batter up the wall and on my curtains over the sink.

Fact #10 - This was one of the most memorable nights I've had with my besties and I'd do it all over in a hearbeat.

Love the memories we created, the food we made, the laughs we had, the youtube clips we watched, the time with these women who are so special in my life.

Here's a picture of my cut of the take:

These are the recipes I made:

Sugar Cookies:
Preheat oven 350-375*
Cream together: 1/2 cup margarine (cold), 1 cup white sugar.
Add: 1 beaten egg, 2 tbsp milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla and beat until fluffy.
Sift together: 1 3/4 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and add to wet mixture.
Chill for a few hours as it is very soft dough.
Roll out to approx 1/8" thick, cut desired shapes. 
Bake for 6-8 minutes or until slightly golden on edges.
Ice cookies if you like  ( I combine marg, icing sugar and milk for my icing)

Ting-A-Lings:
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
2 cups crisp chow mein noodles
1 cup salted peanuts
Melt both chocolate and butterscotch chips in a double broiler.  Once melted, remove from heat and stir in noodles and peanuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed or parchment paper.  Chill until set.  Store in fridge or freezer.

Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?

Here's who stole the cookie from the cookie jar!

Our favourite Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 cup butter (room temp)
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 (4 serving) size pkg. vanilla instant pudding
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups choco chips

Beat together: butter, sugars, pudding mix, baking soda, and vanilla.  Beat in eggs.  Add flour and mix well.  Add chocolate chips and mix.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet. (I use a cookie scoop).  Bake for 10 - 12 minutes at 350*.
You can substitute chocolate pudding powder for vanilla if you like.

Rhubarb Season...

As a kid growing up we NEVER had rhubarb. All I knew about rhubarb was that a lot of people grew it, and my Dad didn't like it! So, we never had it. It was after I met Rob that I tasted it for the first time and I loved it! We lived on the farm for several years and there were rhubarb plants there so I baked with it when it was in season. Now that we've moved off the farm I buy my rhubarb by the pound from a friend in the community. She grows tons of it and supplies it to local produce stores. I bought 5 lbs from her and started my rhubarb baking. So far I've made rhubarb danishes, rhubarb platz, and I still want to make some rhubarb custard pies! Our freezer will be well stocked with rhubarb! I even have a recipe for yummy rhubarb punch. So...bear with me these next few weeks as I share some of my rhubarb recipes!

First up...Rhubarb Danishes. I got this recipe from my lovely neighbor Sheryl. She served them when we were having tea one day and I had to have the recipe. They are very time consuming, but they always turn out for me.
Mix together (I use my kitchenaid): 1 1/2 cups milk, 3/4 cup butter (not marg), 1 1/2 warm water.
Add: 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tsp. salt, 3 eggs, 3 tbsp yeast, 7 cups of flour.
Mix well in machine with dough hook. You may need to add up to another cup of flour to get the dough to the right consistency. It should pull away nicely from the bowl.

Pour into bigger bread bowl, let rise until double in size.


Divide dough into 3 balls. Roll out into big rectangle...my guess is about 12 x 20 (ish).

Spread a thin layer of butter (no marg) across rectangle.


Roll up like a jelly roll.


Slice into 1" rolls.

Place on pans (I use parchment because I don't have that many pans) and let rise again until double.

Prepare fruit: mix 3-4 cups rhubarb, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Make small indents in rolls, place a tsp-tbsp of fruit mixture into indent.

Optional: sprinkle sugar on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
These are best sampled fresh, otherwise freeze in ziploc bags.

Well, there you have it. There were a few of you who've asked for this recipe in that past, so this is for you. I've also had success doing these with cherry, lemon and blueberry fillings.
Sorry for the poor quality pictures...I made this batch at night once the kiddos were in bed.

Me & My Girls

The girls and I did lots of baking together this year to get ready for special events. I wasn't in my usual 'gotta bake everything and bake it perfect' mode this year. I had my times where I enjoyed making some trickier recipes that aren't so kid friendly, but I really enjoyed the time that I spent baking with the girls. It is so wonderful to see their sisterly bonds starting to show. Don't get me wrong, they still fight and all the normal kid stuff, but I've really noticed their desire to be friends lately. There is an age gap of almost 5 years between the girls so I feel as though there is an added challenge for them to find areas of common interest. But, both my girls love being in the kitchen, just like their mama! Abby especially enjoys it. We have a tradition, as do many of you, of making sugar cookies for the special seasons. We do the bunnies and eggs in spring, leaves and pumpkins in fall and bells and snowflakes at Christmas, just to mention a few. It took me years to find just the right sugar cookie recipe, and everyone has their favorite. I made my hubby's favourite jam-jam cookies this year. They are a boatload of work, but the smile on his face is worth the flour on mine! Good thing I made all that plum jam this fall! Plum jam works the best in these cookies as it's thicker and doesn't run out while baking. Even the icing is a labour of love! The freezer is well stocked and the next time I bake it will be plain ol' chocolate chip cookies or banana bread...we haven't seen those regulars in a looong time!

Good to go...

for another year I hope! I always look forward to strawberry season. They are hands down my favorite fruit..although pineapple is a close second! Local strawberries are so tasty here but the weather always reeks havoc on them. So this year when we had beautiful weather all through strawberry season I had super high expectations for these berries, too high apparently. It seems that despite the beautiful weather we had the berries weren't all that great. They tasted ok, but they were usually mushy and dirty looking. I would pop by the local stands every few days to pick up a basket for us to enjoy for snack and dessert, but was never super impressed. Oh well, what matters is that I got my jam done! My family has an addiction to strawberry jam it would seem. Every year I make jars and yet we run out before the next season hits...and that's along with raspberry and peach jam too! I don't mind jam every now and then on a piece of toast, but the rest of the fam inhales it! My hubby loves it on waffles too. So, 30lbs of berries later, I've got 50 jars of jam and lots of containers in the freezer for smoothies and such. Next I'll do a little raspberry, and then some peach once we scoop up a box on the way home from Osoyoos!

Tea Time....

Spring is finally here and that means tea time for our women's ministries team! We start planning the tea months in advance and it's always a fun evening! This year our theme was a Country Fair. There were exhibits of all kinds of hand crafted items from quilts to photography to canning and preserves! We had about 130 women attend and we raised money for a local teen crisis centre. We had special music by the 'ditzy' chicks, our own homegrown group. Food is always the highlight at these things and this year was no exception! My job? Strawberry tarts...mmmm. This is one of my favorite things to make in the spring and summer...if its not strawberry shortcake then its strawberry tarts! So, here's a few shots of the making of the tarts....its quite simple really, there's no family secrets here! Although I would much rather use local berries they aren't quite ready yet, so California berries here we come. I think all said and done there were about 150 tarts here. I bought the frozen tart shells, and the glaze mix, chopped up the berries, mixed it all up and voila...strawberry tarts! Now, I prefer a little dollop of whipped cream on the top but that's a last minute add on and I couldn't do it at home. The fun part was transporting them all to the church...no sharp corners or fast stops!

First time Paska...

Now I'm not an authentic Mennonite..but I sure married one! So, I've been told that makes me 'menno by marriage'. One of the things I've tried to do over the last 13 years is learn about my husbands heritage and the traditions that go along with it. I love to hear the stories from my husbands Aunt, Tina, about their journey here to Canada. Although she was just a child she has very vivid memories. It is very evident when she tells me her stories that she is so grateful for the chance she had to come to this country.

My hubby is the easiest guy to please when it comes to cooking but every now and then I like to try something special that I know he'll enjoy...sometimes that means making something Mennonite! I have discovered this treasure of a blog called 'Mennonite Girls Can Cook'. This blog not only has great recipes for every day cooking but these gals also share their traditional mennonite recipes for wives like me! I want to thank these girls for the dedication and work they put into their blog because it really is amazing and it is about so much more than just the food.

Well, that being said, I asked my hubby before Easter if paska bread was a big thing in his house when he was growing up. Many of my mennonite friends are making piles of it this time of year and I thought I'd tackle it. Although Rob doesn't remember his Mom making it, he remembers his aunts making it and was more than eager to taste my attempt. I headed off to this wonderful blog and got just the recipe. I was nervous, I'll admit it. BUT, it turned out wonderful...on the first try! I happily served it to friends and both menno and non menno family members and the results were the same....yummmmmm! I guess I'm bragging a little now so I'll go, but not before encouraging you to check out this wonderful website if you haven't already, and oh, try the paska too....it's marvelous!

I can't seem to get my pics to post in the right order...so, reverse in your mind ok?

Best Ever Strawberry Shortcake....

Yup, without a doubt, this is the best ever shortcake recipe you'll find! It doesn't matter where I take this cake I get asked for the recipe. Now, I don't know if it's my Grandma's original recipe or not, but it's always been called hers....the name of the recipe is 'Dot's Shortcake'. (My Grandma's name is Dorothy) This Easter season seemed the perfect time to break out this recipe for the first time this year. It's one of those fussy, 'make one wrong move and the whole thing will flop' recipe. I'll still encourage you to try it because even if it flops you'll still love it!
Here it goes:
In mixer (I use my Kitchen Aid with whisk beater), beat 4 eggs really well. Add 2 scant ( just less than) cups of white sugar. Beat until thick. Add 2 slightly rounded cups of flour, 1 tsp. salt, and 4 (yes 4) tsp. of Baking powder. Mix really well. It will be very thick!
Meanwhile, in a microwave safe measuring cup scald 1 cup of milk. Scald simply means getting the milk to an extremely hot temp without actually boiling it. To do this I turn my microwave down to half power and heat the milk for anywhere from 3-5 minutes....keep an eye on it or it'll start to boil and make a mess all over your microwave. (voice of experience typing here)
You can tell its scalded by looking at the surface...there should be a very faint skin on it and it'll have a distinct smell. Add 1/4 cup butter or marg into the hot milk and let it melt completely.
Add milk mixture into your first mixture and mix really well. Now add 1-2 tsp vanilla and continue to mix. Scrape the bottom of the bowl while mixing otherwise you'll have thick, lumpy batter when you pour it out!
Now, line a pan (I use a metal pan) with waxed paper and slowly pour mixture in.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. This is one of those, 'no running in the house, no slamming doors, no angry stomping' cakes or it'll fall! At first you'll just smell the wax paper heating up but once the cake starts to bake.....mmmmmmm, nothing but goodness!
Once cooled I peel away the waxed paper and place back in the pan, cut into 12 pieces. When ready to serve, cut each square in half to open, and spoon sugared berries and whipped or ice cream. This is a favorite in our house and between summer entertaining and parties I make this recipe at least 20 times each year!
It also just happens to be my Moms favorite cake and I love to bake it just for her!
Let me know how you like it!