New Blog

Just wanted to let everyone here know that my sister and I have started a cooking blog!  Ever since I was very little, cooking and baking have been some of my favorite things to do.  So head over and check it out - we hope to start posting recipes and such soon! 

A Pat of Butter and a Rolling Pin

Dinner Party

Well it's been awhile since I've been on here and I am very sorry!  Life just seems to careen along at a rather quick pace!  When I made this pie yesterday though, I had to share the recipe - it is delicious! 

Cay Lime Pie

(pronounced "key")

Originally from Ship to Shore

Filling:
4 egg yolks
1 can condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice
4 eggs whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
gratings from 1 lime

Beat egg yolks until soft and lemon colored.  Beat in condensed milk and lime juice, and continue to beat with electric mixer for 2-3 minutes.  (if you want to do it by hand, it just says "for a long time" :))  Pour in cooled 9 in pie crust.  Beat egg whites until nearly stiff, then add sugar and vanilla and continue beating for a few seconds.  spread meringue over pic, make peaks with spoon and sprinkle the whole show with grated lime zest.  Voila!

Pie Crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
4-5 tablesoppns cold milk

Mix flour, sugar, butter and salt with fork or pastry blender.  Add milk little by little.  Form into ball of dough and chill if possible before rolling out.  Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes.

With no heed to the more conventional guidelines, I decided that it would be easier to just press the pie crust dough into the pan without having to go to all that trouble of chilling, rolling, etc.  The end result was that it totally stuck to the pie plate and required lots of scraping to get it out.  If you like really un-pie shaped pieces and aren't trying to impress anyone, go for it!  Otherwise, follow the directions.

 After dessert, we played a little game.....

  
Only reputations at stake, I promise!!  

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Many recipes may claim this title...but none are truly superior to this!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Crunchy on the edges, chewy in the middle, perfection.


I found this on Lindsay's blog, Content in Christ

Another Giveaway

Want one of these babies?

I've got one, they're great for cookies and make adorable little scoops of ice cream!

Honey and Jam

Cinnamon Rolls

Strawberry Muscadine Thumbprints.

I think Caroline might be posting about these in the next few days too.

Cranberry Thumbprints
from Martha Stewart Living

1 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 t salt
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients. Combine butter and 1/4 cup sugar. Add the vanilla and egg yolk to butter mixture, combine. Gradually (or not!) add the dry. Roll dough into balls, roll in egg white and then remaining sugar. Place balls on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and press thumb into the middle of each cookie. Bake 15 minutes. When done, fill the hole with jam or jelly of your choice.

Pumpkin Bread

Perfect for a chilly fall day.....
Perfect with a cup of tea....

To quote Mrs. Glenn...

"Lovely to share - lovely to be alone with."

Rutherford Wynd Pumpkin Bread
The Heritage of Southern Cooking
Camille Glenn

1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
1/8 t baking soda
1 1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
3/4 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar, add eggs and continue to beat until thick and smooth. Sift the flour with soda, powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the flour, pumpkin, and water alternately to the creamed butter and eggs. Do not over beat. Fold in the nuts with a spatula. Spoon the batter in to a large 2 lb loaf pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake about one hour.
Let cool before slicing. (but I know you won't be able to wait that long)

(I, naturally, skipped all the sifting and "alternataly adding" parts. I also used currants instead of nuts. It was still good.)

Baking Day

I am a very experienced baker.

Meaning...that I have experienced every possible failure. However, sometimes my efforts succeed, and Monday was, well, not one of those days.

What I wanted - crusty bread to go with soup.

Recipe used - Crusty White Bread, Making Fresh Bread

1 egg
1egg yolk
3/4 - 1 cup lukewarm water
4 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 t salt
2 t sugar
1 t yeast
2 T butter, diced

Combining the flour salt, sugar and yeast.

Note to self -
Next time, let MA watch a movie while I'm in the kitchen.

OK, back to work. Adding the butter.

Adding the eggs and warm water.

Oh, dear. Too much flour, perhaps? I added some extra water and
was able to get it to a knead able consistency.

After several hours of rising, the dough is
ready to shape.

Hum, this reminds me of something...

Aha! That's it!
(though I know that's not how it happened)

After rising a second time, I baked the loaves at 425 degrees.

The finished product

The bread was not at all like I wanted it to be. It wasn't crusty at all, with a strange taste. I think it was the whole wheat flour because last time I used white with this recipe and it was delicious.

Oh well, I'll try again another day.