Another Book O' Tips

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You know me, I love books about saving money--especially ones full of tips.  So, I was glad to review Cheaper, Better, Faster by Mary Hunt.  This book is really a revised edition of her book Tiptionary.  I remember having a copy of this book about ten years ago.  The tips were only broadly divided and lumped together.  It was one of those books that you could leave in the bathroom for reading when you just needed something light for a few minutes (similar to Uncle John's Bathroom Reader).

When I read the introduction to this book, it sounded like it was a new and improved version of the old one. I didn't find this to be so.  Improved to me would have been an improvement in the formatting and the ease of use of this book.  I am the kind of person who loves charts and being able to come back to information easily.   This book is really formatted for bathroom reading, like the old one.  It can be read 1/4-1/2 a page at a time.  It can be read in any type of order.  It is simply a book to read for fun--for ideas.  As the author says in the beginning of the book, no one could do all of the ideas in this book in their lifetime.  You can just look through and find the ones that sound fun to try!

If you love money saving tips, but would prefer to browse through them in book form than on the internet, then you'll enjoy this book.  My mom enjoys it, but I don't.  It's hard for me to find my way around it and at this point in my life, I prefer organized books of tips that I can use and refer to easily rather than ones that need me to sit down and read.  My life just doesn't allow for that right now.  But, my mom, who's in her 60s, does have the time to sit in the evenings with a book and a cup of tea.    

So, that's how I'd describe this book.  It's for folks who have time to sit, but not for those who don't!

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Revell Books.

Free Piano Practice Page

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In practicing and teaching piano at home, I realized that I needed an efficient record sheet for my kids to mark their practice days, but I didn't want to waste a lot of paper.  I made a sheet that I've posted here.  

As I start making my own printables for homeschooling, I'm going to be posting them on this blog:  http://lovetopaint.wordpress.com/    Wordpress allows me to attach files easier than blogger.  On my wordpress blog, I keep my lists of favorite books and resources.  

Freezing doorway!

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Yesterday, I went over to our front door and was surprised to feel how cold it was by the door.  I was so puzzled.  I caulked around the outside of the inside trim of the door last spring when I realized cold air was pouring in there.  I couldn't understand why it was so cold.  We have a storm door on the door and I'd caulked...  what else could be wrong?

I went over to the door and held my hand up to the door frame.  First, I put my hand around the outside of the trim.  No air coming in.

Then I put it up to the gap between the frame and the door.  

Air.  Air!!!  

Why?

I moved my hand around and discovered that the air was coming from where the trim meets the door frame. I wish I could draw a picture to illustrate....  but since I can't--picture an arch of the door trim around your door frame.  Last year, I caulked on the outside where the trim met the wall.  Now the air was still coming in where the trim meets the frame on the inside edge!

I pulled out a tube of clear caulk from the basement and quickly caulked all four edges where the trim meets the door frame.  

This morning I went over by the door frame.

It felt warm.  It felt WARM!  YIPPEE!

Caulk is a wonderful thing.  A very wonderful thing :)   

Soup!

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The best food for winter meals is soup.  I didn't grow up eating soup much.  Southern California weather and wearing shorts on Christmas Day.   But, now that I live where it snows and is cold throughout the winter, I love soup.  It warms one's bones on a chilly day.

Since I didn't grow up eating soup, I don't exactly have a lot of family soup recipes to make regularly.  I've found a few along the way from Simply in Season and America's Test Kitchen's Family Cookbook.  

But, when I saw a cookbook titled 300 Sensational Soups, I was very excited to try some new soups!


This cookbook by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds is packed with easy to follow recipes and great pictures.  It's published by Robert Rose Publishing and as usual they've done a great job making this cookbook easy to cook from.  

I made two soups and my mom made one.  The first soup I made was a corn chowder with ham.  I used some leftover ham cooked in my crockpot a few weeks ago.  My family gobbled up the soup and we had only enough leftovers for one bowl.  

The second soup I made was the Wild Mushroom and Orzo Soup with Italian Meatballs.  The soup was rich and flavorful.  I would recommend diluting it a little bit though.  We found it almost too strong.  The meatballs in the soup were spiced wonderfully and yummy.  My pickiest eater wouldn't eat it, but mushrooms aren't a vegetable she's willing to eat.  

My mom made the Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup.  She found it to be too thick and very mild.  Many of the soups do call for heavy cream.  She was surprised that she didn't like it more.

This is one of those cookbooks that gives you great recipes to start with.  Adjust the thickness and flavors to your family's tastes.  With the corn chowder, I used frozen corn.  With the wild mushroom soup, I substituted regular white mushrooms.  These are more affordable substitutions for me that don't sacrifice a lot of flavor.  I also often substitute milk plus some butter for half and half.  1 cup milk plus 3 Tbsp. butter can be substituted for 1 cup half and half.  1 cup half and half can be substituted for 1 cup of heavy cream to help make a recipe lighter and healthier.  

If you're looking for a soup cookbook with yummy recipes, I'd definitely check this one out!

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this cookbook for review from Robert Rose Publishing.  

February Doldrums

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It's February and I can feel it.  We were without a furnace on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I really felt it then.  usually it's my husband who misses spring and the warmer weather.  Right now, it's me.  One of the things I look forward to is picking strawberries at a farm nearby in May.  There's nothing like fresh, homemade jam.

When I was a kid, my grandma always made jam and jellies.  My mom learned how, but I never did.  I wish I had.  I've honestly been very intimidated by canning.  So, I have been looking for a good cookbook to help me learn how.  Two years ago I reviewed a canning cookbook published by Storey Publishing.  The recipes were good and it had a ton of information, but many of the recipes used Pomona pectin--which happens to be quite expensive.  One of my prerequisites for a cookbook I'll use over and over is that the recipes use affordable ingredients.  That one didn't fit the bill.  So, I've continued to look for a solid canning cookbook that would fit easily on any cookbook shelf (since the cookbook space in my kitchen has filled up) that would help me feel like I can tackle canning jam and be successful at it.  

So, I was excited to discover that the publisher of Simply in Season, Herald Press, published a canning cookbook:  Saving the Seasons: How to Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything.



This book is a nice size.  It's a thin volume, but it's just the right size for all the information that I found on the pages inside.  
I asked a friend of mine to look it over and give me her opinion of the cookbook.  She is an expert canner who is well known in my church for her jams, jellies, salsas, and condiments! She liked it.  She loved the pictures and was very interested to find out who the photographer was.  She was tempted to purchase the cookbook just for the photographs!  Her opinion is that is a great book for beginners - clear directions, good explanations,  The step by step pictorial directions are easy to follow.  The recipes are a good selection and are almost identical to the recipes she already uses--which have worked well for her for years.  She also thought there was a good selection of tomato based canning recipes.  The Farmer's Market Salsa recipe looked interesting to her.  She did try the marmalade recipe and it turned out just the recipe said it would.  
When I opened up this cookbook, I was immediately reminded of all the things I love about Simply in Season.  Both cookbooks are simply written and are easy to understand.  I did love the photographs.  The photographer did a wonderful job of capturing candids, portraits, and still lifes.  Saving the Seasons has the basic recipes that I want and more.  I don't have tons of time to look all over the internet for good directions and illustrations of how to can.  I need all the information in one place.  In the back of the cookbook, the author biographies reveal that Mary runs a CSA from her family's farm.  Susanna is her daughter.  Susanna is now involved in urban community farming in Pittsburgh, PA.  Mary has had lots of customers over the years ask for canning recipes.  This cookbook was the fruit of her effort to provide them with a good place to start.  I think the authors succeeded in doing just what they set out to do.  I am even inspired to seriously consider purchasing a dehydrator.  The information included answered one of my big questions--like the financial cost of using a dehydrator vs. an oven.  
This cookbook isn't as large as many canning cookbooks, but it's a lot more useable than many I've seen.  It will have a place in my kitchen for many years.  
If you're interested in canning and haven't done much before, I'd highly recommend this cookbook!  It is one that will be easy to use and follow.  And-- there's always the great pictures to look at!
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this cookbook for review from Herald Press.  

Parmesan-Cheddar Crackers with Poppy Seeds . . . You Can't Eat Just One!

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There are two very big silver-maple trees in our backyard, one of which always holds onto its leaves for dear life, as if to let them go might be painful.


But the wind that swooshed in last week, compliments of Sandy, stripped most of them off within a day or two. The yard is now cushioned like a feather bed with its leaves. You can hardly spot a patch of grass anywhere.


I know winter is on its way when that stubborn tree is almost bare. The leaves on the ground are so dried out, and so thickly layered, they positively crunch underfoot. It's like walking on a field of  saltines, or maybe thousands of Wheat Thins.

Hey . . . did someone just mention crackers?


About this recipe . . .

Adapted from Gourmet, these babies are addictive. Once your cracker-loving friends and family get samples, they'll keep coming back for more, so anticipate the demand. Make a lot.

What aspects of the recipe did I change? The original formula called for 3 parts white flour and 1 part cornmeal, but I decided to use a combo of mostly white flour, a little rye flour for added flavor, and just a wee smidgen of cornmeal so that mealy aspect would be limited. I also used Parmigiano Reggiano cheese along with some sharp cheddar, instead of using all cheddar, and I added in a couple pinches of dried thyme, well crushed, as well as a dab of garlic powder. And, I upped the baking powder slightly because, gosh, the spirit moved me.

I decided, just for the heck of it, to cut mine out with a scalloped-edge cookie cutter, but feel free to simply cut your rolled-out dough with a pastry wheel if you like, leaving far fewer dough scraps. That would also allow you to avoid transferring your unbaked crackers to another surface, one by one, as I had to do. Bake them long enough, and they'll be quite crispy and dark golden brown around the edges, which is what you want if you're going for maximum crunch.

These crackers smell ferociously good when they're baking, just so you know. (Forewarned is forearmed, theoretically at least.)

Parmesan-Cheddar Crackers with Poppy Seeds

(For a printable version of this recipe, click here!)

Yield: Makes approximately 6 dozen crackers

Ingredients:

3/4 cup and 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons rye flour
1 tablespoon well-ground yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (I used Holland Blue poppy seeds from Penzey's.)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup (half of one stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into very small chunks
1/2 cup well grated parmesan cheese (I used Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.)
1/2 cup well grated sharp or extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese
4 to 5 tablespoons very cold water

1 egg, large
1 tablespoon water
fine sea salt

In a big bowl, whisk together the white flour, rye flour, cornmeal, poppy seeds, and baking powder.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, or use your fingertips, until the mixture has lots of small coarse lumps. Add in all of the grated cheese, and mix with a fork. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of the cold water evenly over the dry ingredients, and stir with the fork until well distributed. Add in the final tablespoon of water if it still seems really dry.

Dump your dough out onto a clean work surface, and smear the dough away from you a few times to distribute the fat. Now, use a scraper to gather all the dough together again and shape it into a ball. Cut the ball in half. Press each half into a disk about 1" thick, and wrap the halves in plastic wrap. Let them rest in the fridge for an hour or so.



Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Or roll your dough directly onto the paper or onto mats, if you're not using a cookie cutter. See "Or, alternately," in the instructions below).

On a floured piece of parchment or a rolling mat or a pastry cloth, roll out one of your dough disks using a floured rolling pin (leaving the other disk refrigerated while you work with the first disk). Try to roll the dough evenly, so it's no more than 1/8th of an inch thick all over. Cut the dough with small, simply-shaped, cookie cutters of your choice and place the pieces on your prepared baking surface, lifting them with a thin offset spatula. (Or, alternately, roll your dough disk out directly onto the parchment sheet or silicone sheet upon which it will bake, and use a pastry wheel or sharp knife to slice the crackers into rows in both directions.)

Pierce each unbaked cracker with the tines of a fork; this will help the crackers lay flat and keep their shape as they bake.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the 1 tablespoon of water. Use a pastry brush, or even your index finger, to lightly coat each cracker. This egg wash will make the cracker tops nicely shiny and help them to brown. 
Take a pinch of fine sea salt and sprinkle a tiny bit on each cracker (remember, the cheese in the crackers is pretty salty too, so you don't need much added salt). 


Bake the crackers until they're deeply golden on the bottom and on the edges. This might take  12 to 15 minutes or more. If you want to help ensure crispness, turn the oven off when they're done and let the crackers sit in there for another minute or two. Let the crackers cool on the baking sheets, or if the crackers are on parchment, slide that off onto a cooling rack. Keep the cooled crackers in an airtight container.


(If you'd like to comment on this post, or to read any existing comments, just click on the purple COMMENTS below.)

Dead Man's Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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Devil's Food & Dead Man's Peanut Butter Mousse
Slathered in chocolate fudge.
Oh yea. 

We're revisiting my Dead Man's Peanut Butter Pie recipe today, with a few fun tweaks.

Today I found myself wrestling with a familiar peanut butter and chocolate craving.  In such situations I have the following options:

1. Go to the store and buy all the available peanut butter cups. Of course, this isn't much of an option since getting out of the house with two small children and going anywhere requires nearly as much planning and preparation as a mission to Mars.
2. Eat peanut butter from jar with a spoon, dipping it into that 20lb bag of chocolate chips I have. Also not a great option, since with this method of consumption, any semblance of portion control vanishes and I just bought skinny jeans.
3. Bake something with peanut butter and chocolate for the blog, while wearing said skinny jeans and pretend that they will encourage restraint while tasting and testing.

I think we all know how this worked out.




So today we're working with the base of my Dead Man's Peanut Butter Pie, which is actually a relative of my scrumptious cream cheese frosting. We're just adding peanut butter to the cream cheese, whip cream and sugar mixture, so naturally it doubles as a topping for cupcakes too. Though, I like to think of this rich and creamy concoction as more of a peanut butter mousse than a sugary-sweet frosting.

We're also taking a page from hi-hat cupcakes and dipping the peanut butter death into a fudge-y chocolate coating. Though it might seem like you're asking for trouble, inverting a cupcake into molten chocolate, the process actually works like a charm.  If I can do this with a toddler clinging to one leg and a squirming six-month-old hitched under one arm without any frosting falling off, you can too.

So let's get down to it, starting with the cake.


I decided to try a new chocolate cake recipe today. Now, usually when I want a cake recipe or to be inspired, I first look to expert--i.e. baking math oriented--cake makers like Nick Malgieri, Rose Beranbaum, and Susan Purdy. Today however, I'm trying out a new recipe from one of my Thomas Keller cookbooks.

I've had my eye on an interesting cupcake from Ad Hoc at Home. It's not an oil cake or a butter cake, but something a little different. The fats in the recipe come from a generous amount of sour cream and a little melted butter. Since I adore sour cream as a tenderizer in my coffee and pound cakes, I gave it a go and you should too. You'll find the recipe quite simple to make and the texture surprisingly light and moist.

Ad Hoc At Home's Devil's Food Cupcakes
from Ad Hoc At Home
yields 24 cupcakes
1 2/3 cups (188g) cake flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (33g) unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder (dutch processed)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups (330g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sour cream
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°F and prep cup cake pans with 24 paper liners.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and sugar into the bowl of your mixer. Stir in the salt and equip the paddle attachment.

In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk and sour cream, whisking until smooth.

In yet another bowl, combine the eggs and melted butter.

Now turn your mixer onto medium low and add your buttermilk mixture to the bowl in thirds, alternating with the egg-butter mixture. Scrape down the bowl, as needed to ensure everything is combined.

Divide the batter into your cupcake cups, filling each cup roughly half full.  Bake for 10 minutes and then rotate the pan(s) and bake for another 10 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool completely on wire racks before continuing.

(Cupcakes are best frosted and eaten the same day they are baked but can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

I guess I couldn't be bothered to remove the paper liner
on the other half of the cupcake before photographing it.

 While your cupcakes are baking, get cracking on the peanut butter mousse.

Dead Man's Peanut Butter Mousse Frosting
yields enough to kill anyone
2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, (recommend 40% ultra)
1/4 cup plus two tablespoons granulated sugar
12 ounces cream cheese (none of that low fat stuff)
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Beat the heavy cream and sugar together in the bowl of your mixer until stiff peaks form. Scrape the whipped cream into a second mixing bowl and it set aside. Now add the peanut butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar to the mixing bowl (you don't need to wash it) and equip the paddle. Beat the mixture on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Reduce speed to low and add the whipped cream, beating until just blended.

Refrigerate the peanut butter mousse mixture for a couple hours before using.

By then your cupcakes should be baked, cooled and ready to rock.

Grab your peanut butter frosting and fill a piping bag with it. We're not going to go mile-high on the cupcakes, simply because the peanut butter mousse is heavier than that marshmallow stuff typically used on hi hats.  Still we're going to be pretty generous. To frost cupcakes like these, use a bag equipped with a large round tip (believe I'm using an Ateco 804). Hold tip steady just above the center of the cupcake and squeeze a large blob onto the cupcake. Now lift your tip and hold it steady again just above the blob you just piped and pipe a smaller blob. Very technical language, I know. This is why I'll never teach baking.

Once you've blobbed all your cupcakes, place them on a sheet pan and then stash them in your freezer.  They need to freeze for at least 30 minutes, until they're firm to the touch before proceeding to the next step.

Chocolate Glaze
4 cups chocolate chips
1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Combine chocolate chips and oil in a large heat safe bowl and microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring often until smooth.

Pour this mixture into a narrow vessel, deep enough to accommodate your cupcake and the chocolate.

Now we're ready to get down to business.


After their rest in the freezer you'll find the cupcakes are now very sturdy. I wouldn't juggle them, but they'll certainly survive a dunk into your chocolate.

Slowly dip the cupcake, submerging the top completely in the chocolate. (Try to avoid coating the paper liners as it makes them pesky to peel and eat later.)




Once dunked, quickly remove and set upright. Transfer to the freezer again briefly to set the chocolate coating. 
If desired, sprinkle the freshly dipped cupcakes with chopped peanuts. 

Or just be a little weird and decorate these deadly-delicious cupcakes with little chocolate dead men, white chocolate skulls (piped onto parchment and allowed to set), or whatever other dark ideas you can dream up. 
The cupcakes are best eaten the same day, or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Allow the cupcakes to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. 
Enjoy! They're good. 





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Macarons Framboise - Ladurée's Recipe

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Well I'm back folks!

Not really, but bear with me I'll be back in the groove of things as soon as I'm settled. I really have been busy, juggling some major changes around here. You see, among other things, I'm buying a new house and dealing with all the madness that goes along with that process. It's been a hectic couple of months but hopefully, if everything goes well, I'll be baking future macarons in a brand new oven soon.

No, who am I kidding. The next several weeks will be spent packing and moving an entire household. Maybe replacing a few door knobs too, since our builder decided to go with a design that I can only describe as suitable for your Grandma's cottage--on Mars. Anyway, breaking in my bright and sunny new kitchen with a little baking will happen, I just need to get settled in.

Of course, this means you all have to wait and I just feel terrible about that. Those of you who check in regularly are just terrific and so patient and here I am producing nothing to entertain you. So here is what I'm going to do to make it up to everyone:

I'm going to forget this house craziness for the weekend, bake and give away a very lovely book.

And not just any book, a copy of Laduree's Sucre.



Say it with me now, folks: "Oooooooooh"

If you're not 'Ooohing', I'll assume you've unfamiliar with this cookbook. Sucre is an absolute jewel of a cookbook. The velvety little tome in Laduree's signature sea-green with gleaming gilt pages, wrapped in lavender tissue and nestled in a Laduree box. It is filled with such gorgeous photographs of dainty pastries that you will ache from an excess of sugar and cuteness.

It has a bird on it! Yeah!

Seemingly out of print, Sucre is just about impossible to get ahold of around here--unless you're willing to pay the exorbitant prices set by the very few people who have copies. As much as $999? Seriously. It's a rough market out there for shoppers looking for a copy of this book. In fact, I'm pretty sure I just made some Amazon Marketplace bookseller's boat payment for the month. But, I did what I set out to do months ago, that is actually get a copy of this perpetually-pending-restock book in my hands. So this week I'll be giving away a mint copy, unopened and in the original Laudree gift packaging to one lucky reader. For everyone else, the consolation prize is my decision to buy a second copy for the blog--so everyone will have a chance to see some of these recipes here on NSHP. Sound like fun?

I will note that the cookbook is indeed the English copy of Sucre--no French/English dictionary required--and it includes measurements in both weight AND volume.

So let's break out the book and give my kitchen here one last go before I start boxing up my pots and pans.

I think I know what recipe everyone wants to see too. One of the several Laduree Macaron recipes, right? Which one? Citron? Almond? Framboise? …Chocolate?


How about Framboise! Since it doesn't require me to run to the store. Don't worry though, I'll likely bake others from the book later on.

So this recipe, let's take a moment to talk about the cookbook, the recipe and how it went in my kitchen.

Right off the bat I'm going to warn you this cookbook does not hold your hand. It's very French, handsome and awesome--and you, as it's owner, are expected to be awesome too. At the very least, you're expected to have mastered some basic techniques, as it keeps the instructions succinct.

This recipe is within the general range of points tested during my French macaron madness period (the scatter plot macarons post). The almond flour ratio is towards the higher end, so it does give the cookie a more assertive and appealing almond flavor--especially if you grind your own almonds, as I do--and it is every so slightly less sweet than my own. Nor does it seem prone to large hollows if baked correctly, as every cookie I made was complete. This is all good, but these ratios do have their draw backs (as noted in my original scatterplot tests). The cookies are a bit heavier than my own and don't turn out quite as pretty. This can be considered a reasonable exchange though, as I think they taste a bit better.

24hr matured macarons.
See how the jam filling has absorbed into the once dry almond cookie?
 The cookie shell now gives way with a delicate crackle and the inside is now soft and tart with the flavor of fresh raspberries. 

There is one catch though to these macaron ratios. At the end of the recipe in italics: "It is possible your macarons shells will slightly crack on top for many different reasons….", it then goes on to pat your back and explain that it's okay and you may get it right in time.  It's almost like the author is right there, giving you a hug. Aww.

The recipe does seem to be more crack prone than my own. I had 2 trays that contained 30% burst shells out of 6. My first split shells in years. I'm pretty sure this was my own fault however, due to my oven temperature dropping nearly 50° after my first batch and then my putting new trays in while the oven bottom was hot and re-pre-heating. The back of my oven is also a hot spot and this is where all the burst shells were located. I allowed my subsequent trays of macarons to go into a properly pre-heated oven and everything worked out fine. Still, these cookies may be a bit more touchy when it comes to bursting.

Another somewhat non-issue issue: this is a rather large recipe. It makes a lot of trays of cookies (about 6 half sheets) and it is difficult to handle and bake that many cookies without allowing some of them to rest for ages on the counter. My advice if you're not going to divide the recipe is to pipe the cookies in stages while baking each batch. Avoid piping all the cookies at once. Macaron batter tends to be fairly stable inside of a piping bag, so pipe out trays and limit the resting time to 10-20 minutes. With prolonged resting periods I was seeing stunted foot formation.

Taste vs the real thing? Indeed the macarons shells are very similar in looks, taste and texture to bakeries' own cookies. They're very good.

Okay let's get to the recipe. I'll even throw you by-volume cooks a bone for once and include the measurements in cups for the recipe.


Laduree's Macarons Framboise 
Raspberry Macarons 
From Ladurée's Sucre: The Recipes 
Yields approximately 50-60 1" cookies


Macaron shells 
275g (2 3/4 cups + 1 tbsp) ground almonds (almond flour)
250g (2 cups + 1 tbsp) confectioners (icing) sugar
210g (6 1/2) egg whites (I used fresh egg whites)
210g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) granulated sugar
a few drops red or maroon food coloring gel

Raspberry Jam Filling
225g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
2 tsp powdered pectin
375g (3 cups) french raspberries
1/2 lemon

Start by preparing the Jam. In a large bowl combine the sugar and pectin. In your blender or food processer, puree the fresh raspberries and then pour into a medium sauce pan. Over low heat bring the berries to just barely warm then add the sugar and pectin mixture and the juice from the half lemon. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for two minutes.

Pour the jam into a bowl and cover, allow to cool and then refrigerate until chilled.

(Note: It is perfectly okay to substitute your favorite store-bought or homemade jam to save on time. Pick a jam that is bursting with fresh flavor and isn't too runny.)

To make the macaron cookies. Preheat your oven to 300°F with an oven rack in the lower third (If your cookies tend to burst, move the rack higher. If your cookies tend to brown, move the rack lower).

Combine almond flour and confectioners sugar together in a food processer and blend thoroughly. Sift the mixture through a medium gauge sifter to remove any lumps or large pieces of almond and repeat until fine.

In a large clean dry mixing bowl, beat your egg whites until foamy and then slowly add the granulated sugar beating on medium speed. Once the sugar has disolved, increase speed to medium high and beat until a thick glossy meringue forms. Add the food coloring and beat briefly to combine.

With a large flat rubber spatula, fold one third of your sifted almond/sugar into the egg whites until combined. Repeat, until you've added all the almond mixture. How much mixing beyond incorporation is the tricky part to describe.

If you're used to my most recent macaron recipe, you'll find that this recipe needs a few strokes more mixing. The batter is thicker and packs a lot of air and if you don't deflate it during mixing your shells may have nipples or crack.

My batter could have used a few more turns of the spatula.
 It was still a little thick and piping left the nipples on the cookies seen on the left. A few smacks of the pan on the countertop helped level them before resting and baking.

Pipe your cookies onto parchment or silicone baking mats (I used parchment and a Ateco round #11 tip) and then allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before baking.

Bake one sheet at a time for 15 minutes. To prevent hollows, I recommend snatching one cookie from the oven and breaking it open prior to removing the cookie sheet. If the insides are still overly moist or molten, leave the cookies in the oven for 1-5minutes longer until the insides are set. This will prevent the insides from collapsing during cooling and forming hollows.

Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet.

Fill the cookies with a small dollop of jam and then arrange in an air tight container. Refrigerate the cookies for a minimum of 24 hours to mature. Then bring to room temperature and serve.

Enjoy!

---

Okay, so back to this cookbook and how you win it!

Let's do something silly… I have some jellybeans on my nightstand. Take a guess at either the number of jellybeans OR the total weight (in grams) of the jellybeans here in my possession at this very moment--I won't eat any, don't worry--and post below (those who can't post below can email me at notsohumblepieblog@gmail.com). You have until noon (PST) next Sunday to enter, then I will select the winner. (You can leave your email address below, to make it easy to contact you about the book).

The best guess will win the cookbook and ANYONE can guess. In the event of a tie guess, I'll flip a coin or use a random number generator. Yes, even my international readers can participate. I'll ship this book anywhere my local post office allows (Try not to be located at an antarctic research station, okay?). However, I can't be held responsible for any duties, taxes or crazy customs regulations that your country may engage in.

Thanks for being so patient while I settle into my new home!


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Chicken and dumplings and Oatmeal Butterscotch bars( Cook's Country)

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On November 20, 2001, I walked off the airplane in Toronto and met Robin for the first time in person. We'd been emailing/talking on the phone since the end of September. Yep, we met online : ). We met on a diary writing website, where we both kept journals. I'm so thankful for that website, because I probably would have NEVER met Robin in my lifetime.

We were married on June 19th, 03, but November 20th is always a special day for me. Its also my baby Harley's birthday : ). I made this chicken and dumpling dish from Cook's Country. It was really good and comforting, and as a plus, it uses white meat chicken. The recipe calls for fresh carrots and frozen peas. I used 1 leftover fresh carrot, but also threw in a bag of frozen mixed veggies( I'm working on clearing out the freezer in preparation for Holiday Baking).

I was busy yesterday, cooking for a client so I forgot all about making a dessert. Robin said " don't I get a special dessert?". I whipped up these butterscotch Oatmeal bars from Cook's Country as well. Very good and easy!!

Because You Can't Exfoliate Too Much

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Actually you can...
Maybe I should re-think that title.

So, hello Texas summer with your 100+ degree days.
I left work Friday and was met with a most unpleasant summer side-effect: bum blisters.

Ok, not really blisters but you know the thing that happens when:
A) you have a car with leather interior
B) you forget to crack your windows before you head into work that morning,
C) it's Friday and you're in such a hurry to get off that you ignore the pizza-oven-type heat waves emanating from the open car door and hop right in anyway.
Beware friends, yelping, crying, and searing pain are sure to follow. 


I was afraid to move my hind parts at first. There was a split-second when I truly feared my bum and thighs might be permanently seared to the seat. Fortunately, I was able to protect my posterior by sitting on my delightfully over-sized purse for the duration of the drive home.

source

Don't crack your windows, buy one of those silly reflector thingies, or wait for the car to cool off.
Nah, just sit on your handbag and blast the AC. You'll cool down eventually.


Clearly I've been sweating a lot lately. And applying gobs of sunscreen.
I'm kind of a sunscreen snob truth-be-told. Well, only if buying the spray stuff counts.
Why bother smearing white goop all over when a gentle misting-spray is available? Plus, I always miss spots w the lotion and it takes like 20 years to absorb. Ick. No, thanks. Give me the spray. 



source - my fav btw

Speaking of sunscreen,  my brother keeps telling me that SPF protection over (I can't remember...think it was) 35 (?) is ineffective. He told me the reason but I can't remember. Any smarties out there know if that's true or not? 

All this sweating and poor-clogging is leaving me with a bit of an exfoliation complex so I was excited to run across this blog post about dry brushing the other day from Delighted Momma. BTW - I read the post then took a look around her blog. Love it. Check it out if you're looking for simple recipes, diy tips, pics of adorable babies, and loads of skincare/beauty tips from a former esthetician. 
source

I bought a dry brush last weekend and am happy to report pleasant results so far.
The only thing was (and I didn't realize this until afterwards), I bought a synthetic brush instead of natural bristle. Oops. I shall rectify this soon, but in the meantime I use it extra gently.
I will say it feels great in the morning and my skin is looking soft and healthy despite all the summer skin spoilers.
I'll keep you posted. 



Anyone else ever tried dry brushing? 
What is your favorite sunscreen? Are you a spray or lotion kinda person?

Twin Cities Food Workers Tattoo's

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Back in the early 90's, I used to have to do night club shows with a friend of mine named Brutus.
We did this grunge magic show called "Brutus & Nero's Entertainment Empire."
While larger scale "Freak Shows" like Jim Rose toured with La La Palooza, the thing that made my "Grunge Magic Show" unique was....me and Brutus actually had zero talent.
The premise of our show was to sit on top of inverted 5 gallon honey buckets, smoke cigarettes on stage while drinking gin straight from the bottle.
Many nights the show ended with one of us passing out before we reached our grand finale.
Funny......this actually worked to our advantage, crowds and event promoters found our perpetual stage of pathetic but cool.
In 94 we reached our peak, in fact we headlined in the Main Room of First Avenue (The Twin Cities most popular night club for decades - and scene to where Prince shot his film Purple Rain) doing our show. Showing horrible films that we would make in a day. Presenting puppet shows about who was "doing it" with who in the Twin Cities club scene.
Anyways, its a chapter of my life that I am kinda proud of, but at the same time, things occured that may have ruined my chances for a well established political career if you know what I mean.
Anyways, I don't see Brutus all that often anymore. Life changes, pages are turned, but with that said, I value his him above most people I've met.
So this last weekend we decided to go to big Tattoo Convention in Minneapolis, neither of us had been before so we decided it might be fun.
Brutus told me he was going to find somebody to ink a "New School" octopus on his arm, I wasn't sure what that meant, but figured I'd eventually find out.
Brutus family line reigns from Scotland, and my buddy is one of those guys that slides into a kilt and goes to parades and Fairs to march and get loaded with his countrymen.
His mother is actually a professional baker like me, and at the risk of sounding humble....her skillset is stronger than mine.
When I first had the mayor over to my plant, it was her that I hired to baked the featured items.
Recently I have been doing R&D with accelerated alchohol levels in my rye breads, so I figured I pull some aside for Brutus and give it to him on event day.
The longer I find myself baking, the more I enjoy developing items for specific people.
To be honest, I was excited to see his impression.
"This tastes like Shite" my friend announced while rolling down his car window and spitting a mouthful of contents onto the street.
Nothing brutal honesty huh?
Listed below are some of the main attractions that showed up to this big Expo that took place this weekend.
Take a quick look and we'll talk about these guys in a second.

Entertainment

Friday

7pm Penguin Boy
8pm The Enigma & Serana Rose
9pm Suspension
10pm Vespertine Tribal
10:30pm Burlesque
11pm Tattoo of the Day

Saturday
2pm Penguin Boy
3pm The Enigma & Serana Rose
4pm Olde City Sideshow
5pm Tattoo Contests
7pm Penguin Boy
7:45pm Olde City Sideshow
8:30pm The Enigma & Serana Rose
9:30pm Suspension
10:15pm Vespertine Tribal 
10:30pm Burlesque
11pm Tattoo of the Day

Sunday
1:30pm Olde City Sideshow
2:30pm Penguin Boy
3:30pm The Enigma & Serana Rose
4:30pm Tattoo Contests
7pm Tattoo of the Day

Megan Massacre from NY Ink

The Enigma & Serana Rose


Olde City Sideshow


Crazy Philadelphia Eddie book signing

Penguin Boy from AMC's Freakshow

Vespertine Tribal

MCing by DR. Blasphemy

First off, Megan Massacre is without a doubt this events headliner, she's got a huge reality TV fan base, even my son Tydus has a real thing for her.
But what made her presence interesting was that so many people attending seemed to go out of their way to avoid her, as if walking next to her and grabbing a quick peek-a-boo would damage their street cred.
Now I can say this being that over 2/3's of my body is inked.......
People with ink can really be posers.
Think about it, I was in a room with peeps that had dragons and snakes tattoooed on their faces.
Spiders on top of their skulls.
Portraits of Christ - Mary and not to mention their friend Satan plastered across their back.
The convention floor was littered with people who obviously are geared to change their body, their appearance for who knows what reason.
Why?
In my opinion we-they-I do it to be different than you.
To show you we are us, indaviduals unlike the norm.
As Alanis Morissette says.................
"Isn't it Ironic, don't you think? Just a little too ironic, yeah I really do think."
That over a thousand people, many of which pride themselves as being one of a kind end up in a room like this where their "claim to fame" gets deluded.
Now for the record, I am not dogging these people.
People of Ink are my family and I love them, if nothing else....I'm laughing at myself the hardest.
My boy jason Walstrom and his good friend "J" worked the convention together.
It was in many ways the media debut for my friends from Sea Wolf.
While Brutus sat in the chair, I filled requests to show my King Kong back piece, and even dropped my trousers several times to show my newest work of art....The 2 foot tall Organ Grinders monkey on my thigh.
I'll bet there was over 100 tattoo booths, but I'm not kidding......the talk of the town was those crazy kids at Sea Wolf.
My boy Jason has finally found his element, people were tossing him all kinds of arrow up love.
With that said L.A.B. Rats.....thanks for playing along today, and listed below is a special piece that was done featuring some of the Twin Cities best Restaurant tattoo's.....ENJOY.

Suspenion TBA

Kitchen Ink: Tattooed chefs in the Twin Cities

Skin art for local foodies

"EVERYONE HAS TO have a vice."

Kate N. G. Sommers

Emily Moore Harris, Cake Eater Bakery
Kate N. G. SommersScott Pampuch, The Corner Table

 For Geoff Hausmann, the lauded chef now at Travail in Robbinsdale, the vice he refers to is getting tattoos. Hausmann has turned his love of Star Wars into a full arm sleeve of illustrations of Jedi knights, Sith lords, and strange beings from alien worlds.

You'll find plenty more tattoos in the kitchen and the front of the house at restaurants these days than you did even 20 years ago. And not surprisingly, food, cooking, and baking images are often the subject.
"After I got my first one, I found it to be so addictive," says Sheela Namakkal, one of the owners of Minneapolis's Cake Eater Bakery. Many of her tattoos are food related. "I've got a full sleeve of pastries and a whisk on my right leg," Namakkal says. "I like to decorate myself."

Hell's Kitchen's Mitch Omer has taken his cues from a favorite artist, Ralph Steadman, famed for his illustrations of Hunter S. Thompson stories and books.
"The first tattoo I got was the Steadman on my right upper arm, 'Wild in the Bathtub' from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This is my first tattoo and my favorite ink. If you look at that crazed bastard, hair akimbo, wild-assed eyes, and flaying the knife...that's what it feels like to be a bipolar chef."
Omer went one step further with this tattoo—he had Steadman autograph his arm, which he then had permanently tattooed.

Tattoos and baking have long gone together, notes Dan "Klecko" McGleno, the master baker at the Saint Agnes Baking Company in St. Paul. One forearm has a tattoo of Ronald Reagan to commemorate the wild rice loaf he made for a summit between the former president and Mikhail Gorbachev in June 1990. His other forearm has the ISDN number for a book he wrote, K-9 Nation Biscuit Book. McGleno's other tattoos honor his family, friends, and special occasions. If someone asks, he's likely to add it, McGleno says.

Scott Pampuch, owner of the Corner Table and founder of Tour de Farm, has honored both businesses with a tattoo on each arm—one of a "farm to table" series of images, the other a set of knives and kitchen tools. The images are reminders of Pampuch's approach to cooking and food. They also are placed very deliberately.
"All of my tattoos are in places I can see," he says.
At Kings in south Minneapolis, chef Chad Rielander sports plenty of tattoos, including a full sleeve on his left arm that runs all the way to his neck, featuring a spiraling cast of spooky characters leading up to a "big explosion of chaos on the shoulder," he says. "It really celebrates all that is dark and evil."
Top chefs know all about dedication, and many bring the same commitment to their body art. Rielander's tat has taken nearly 30 hours of work—and it's only half done. But he says it's all worth the effort.
"Tattoos are definitely part of the Generation X thing," Rielander says. "I just love to think about having tattoos done."

The Corner Table
Scott Pampuch is serious about food, which is clear by the meals at the much-lauded Corner Table, his restaurant in the Kingfield neighborhood, and with Tour de Farm, which brings diners to local farms—the source of their food—for a four- or five-course, family-style meal. He has honored both of these businesses with his tattoos: a set of knives and other kitchen tools after Corner Table became a Twin Cities fixture, and, once Tour de Farm was up and running, a farmer's table covered with several highly decorated pieces of essential equipment.

St. Agnes Bakery
Dan "Klecko" McGleno has the story of his life tattooed on his body, from highlighting special events in his culinary and personal life to work added at the request of friends. For example, his forearms are tattooed with two pieces of Soviet-era bakery propaganda, commemorating a trip to the former Soviet Union. The master baker at Saint Agnes Baking Company—which offers high-quality breads to wholesale and retail customers—notes that the tradition of tattoos in the kitchen started with ex-military and convicts who, when they got done with their service or sentence, would bring their illustrated bodies with them to the kitchen.

Hell's Kitchen
Mitch Omer, owner of Hell's Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis, isn't someone to do something halfway. That dedication has made the restaurant, famed for its well-made but unfussy dishes and an epic weekend brunch, a top eatery in the city. It also means he—and many on the staff—have taken to decorating their bodies with tattoos. Omer's work includes a pair of Ralph Steadman pieces (including an ink blotch he added to cover a less-successful, earlier tattoo) and others. The dedication to tattoos runs deeper than Omer at Hell's Kitchen. "Tattoos are actually a prerequisite for working here," he says, noting that employees' tattoos include a hot dish, a Land O'Lakes butter container, and one that reads "mis en place," a French phrase for having a kitchen ready for any of the orders on the menu.

Travail
Having a giant tattoo of C-3PO from Star Wars on your arm is certainly going to get attention, especially when it's joined by a bevy of other images from the original trilogy of films (Jar Jar Binks need not apply). So Geoff Hausmann is used to being stopped by curious patrons whenever he walks through the dining room at Travail, the recently opened restaurant that has quickly become one of the best in the north metro. While Hausmann's images from a "galaxy far, far away" draw the most attention, chef Kale Thome also sports several designs, from a tiny piece of cash by his thumb to a flying eyeball around the crook of his elbow.

Kate N. G. SommersScott Pampuch, The Corner Table
Kate N. G. SommersDan McGleno, St. Agnes Bakery
Kate N. G. SommersDan McGleno, St. Agnes Bakery
Kate N. G. SommersMitch Omer, Hell's Kitchen
Kate N. G. SommersRuth Menard, Hell's Kitchen
Kate N. G. SommersMaurice Evans, Hell's KitchenPizza LuceWhen you say "restaurant" and "tattoo," the various Pizza Luce locations jump immediately to mind. It's another venue where tattoos—and piercings—seem to be a prerequisite for the job. Still, you won't find all that many food-related tattoos among the staff. And much of the work is extensive, featuring full sleeves, intricate designs, and images that range from dark to playful.

Kings
Chef Chad Rielander of Kings spends his days preparing potato gnocchi, pot roast, and other delights at his south Minneapolis wine bar and restaurant, but his tattoos are another passion. He has started work on an impressive but still-unfinished full-sleeve tattoo, sporting coils of barbed wire from his wrist through his arm and around his neck.

Cake Eater Bakery
Sheela Namakkal loves to bake, which is a great thing for the patrons at Cake Eater Bakery, where you can choose from dozens of kinds of cupcakes, cookies, muffins, and other goodies. It's also a love she shows on her body, from the "Live by the Whisk, Die by the Whisk" tattoo to a full sleeve of baked goods and equipment (highlighted by a giant mixing bowl). She's not alone in her decorations, however. Emily Moore Harris also showcases plenty of ink, highlighting a love of sewing and a fez-wearing bird.

Grand Café
At this south Minneapolis restaurant, where the brunch landed on Bon Appetit's Top 10 list in 2009, head chef Ben Pichler doesn't necessarily have food-related tattoos, though he does have several saffron lily flowers—a classic addition to many dishes—tattooed on the inside of one arm. Others are dedicated to his wife and kids. Sous chef Jim McIntosh goes for a more whimsical look for one of his tattoos: a coffee pot fully percolating.