We had peppermint ice cream last week at my sister’s birthday, and we decided we like it. So another sister decided to serve it at her son’s first birthday party last night. Problem being that peppermint ice cream is a seasonal flavor, and our local grocery store was already out of it. Yesterday my mother and I decided to try to find some for her while she was at work, so after calling a few places, we drove to a local dairy which had some home-made peppermint ice cream. We bough 3 or 4 pints and I called and left a message for my sister that we had found the ice cream, and would bring it to the party that night. I was well satisfied with our cleverness and went to the gym. Upon my return, I saw had a message that my sister had found peppermint ice cream at another store and had bought a quart for the party and a quart to give it us. I went to tell my mom that we didn’t need to bring the ice cream to the party and learned that while I had been at the gym she had gone to another store and found peppermint ice cream there as well and bought two quarts (one for the party, one for us). So now, we have a lot of peppermint ice cream. Be sure to drop by if you’d like some.
Christmas apron December 15, 2007
My grandmother makes all kinds of beautiful aprons. When we used to visit her house for Thanksgiving when I was in college, I always came away with a new one. This is one of my favorites. I was feeling pretty grumpy and overworked last night, and one of the things I had to do was whip up some toffee bars, and when I walked into the kitchen this apron caught my eye. I put on some Christmas carols, my trusty Christmas apron, and had a pretty good time baking up a storm.
TOFFEE SQUARES
Crust
2 c. flour
1 c. pecan halves
1 c. light brown sugar
½ c. butter, softened (do not substitute)
Topping
1 c. butter (do not substitute)
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ c. light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For crust, combine all ingredients (except pecans) with a pastry blender until mixture resembles cornmeal. Press with fingers into bottom of an ungreased 9 X 13 aluminum pan. Distribute pecans over the crust. For topping, combine butter and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Pour over pecans and crust. Bake exactly 20 minutes. The surface will be bubbly. Allow to cool for one minute. Sprinkle chocolate chops evenly over the top. Wait a few minutes until chips soften completely; spread with a knife to cover the top. Chill well. Bring to room temperature before cutting. Makes 48 to 50 1-inch squares.
Three Layer Chocolate Mint Brownies December 11, 2007
Brownies
| 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate | ½ c. butter |
| 2 eggs | 1 c. sugar |
| ½ c. flour | 1 ½ tsp. vanilla |
| ¼ tsp. salt |
Mint Cream Filling
| 1 ½ c. powdered sugar | 3 T. butter, softened |
| 2 T. half and half | 1 tsp. peppermint flavoring |
| Green food coloring (several drops) |
Chocolate Glaze
| 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate | 2 T. butter |
| 1 ½ tsp. vanilla |
For Brownies, preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9-inch square pan (may be doubled and baked in a 9×13 inch pan) and set aside. Melt chocolate, butter, vanilla and salt together in a double boiler over hot water. In a bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until thick. Add flour and chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Pour into pan and bake for 20-35 minutes. Let cool. For mint cream filling, beat together all ingredients for filling until smooth. Spread filling evenly over the brownie layer; cover and chill until firm, at least 1 hour. For glaze, melt all ingredients for glaze in a double boiler over hot water. Drizzle the glaze over the mint layer using a spatula. Cover and chill again until firm. Cut into squares.
Caramel Brownies November 2, 2007
1 pkg. 12 oz. chocolate chips
1 pkg. 14 oz. Kraft caramels
1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix
2/3 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 inch pan. Melt caramels with 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk. In large mixing bowl combine 1/3 cup evaporated milk, melted butter, and cake mix. Spread 1/2 cake mixture in pan and bake 6 minutes.
While cake is hot, sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Spread melted caramel mixture over chocolate chips and crumble remaining cake mixture over caramels. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.
Happy Halloween! October 31, 2007
Last night I was frantically making a coffee cake for a morning meeting, and I knocked over a grocery bag full of stuff. I looked inside and found the seasonal ingredients (decorative pumpkin candies and Kraft caramels) for two of my favorite autumnal treats that I should have been making the for the last month at least! I’m not sure I’m going to get around to them this year, but I thought I should at least share the two yummy recipes with my friends. These Pumpkin bars are really easy, and always a huge hit. I like to serve them chilled. Tomorrow I’ll share the Caramel Brownies that are to die for when served warm from the oven.
Pumpkin Bars
2 C sugar
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
4 eggs, beaten
2 C Bisquick All Purpose Baking Mix
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C raisins (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat sugar, oil, pumpkin and eggs in large mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in baking mix, cinnamon and raisins. Pour into greased jelly roll pan and Bake until top springs back, about 25 minutes. Cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting, cut into bars and decorate with candy pumpkin. Refrigerate left over bars.
Cream cheese Frosting
1 small package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 C butter, softened
1 Tbl milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 C powdered sugar
Beat everything except the powdered sugar together until creamy. Add sugar and beat until smooth and of spreading consistancy.
Optional: You can also add 1/2 tsp of orange flavoring in addition to the vanilla.
British Food Goddess September 5, 2007
Nigella Lawson’s Food Philosophy
I have a total “biffo” crush (as my friend Johanna would say) on Nigella Lawson. Erin gave me her most popular cookbook, How to be a Domestic Goodess, some years ago, and the love has been growing ever since.
Hot Night in the City August 15, 2007
Having a visitor in town means getting to do those NY things I never get around to on my own.
Last night Rachel and I headed downtown (a place I always go with a certain amount of trepidation) to visit The Strand bookstore. Incredibly famous for “18 miles of books” and low prices, it’s someplace I’ve been meaning to go for years, and I’ll admit, have been held up by the fact that you have to check your bags – something I have an unnatural fear of. Of course, once we got there I cursed myself for not visiting before as we browsed the children’s books and fiction section, barely scraping the surface of the store. We left, both feeling we’d shown considerable restraint in only purchasing a book or two.
On the way to the bookstore, we passed a restaurant I’d heard a lot about, and I didn’t give Rachel much of a choice about making that our second stop. Chocolate by the Bald Manopened last fall, just in time to coincide with my strict diet and exercise program, and so while I was much saddened to turn down invitations of visiting the chocolate wonderland, I knew I must. That was then, however, and this is now. I felt that Rachel and I had stumbled on Brigadoon – chocolate style, and it’d be a crime not to visit. We ordered dinner which was quite good (mostly breakfast food. Breakfast + Dessert = Heaven), and spent most of it avidly discussing what our best dessert option was. We looked at everyone’s table that we could see, and went through the dessert menu (which is, not surprisingly, ample) many, many times. It was a big decision. We ended up going for the chocolate fondue for two with fruit, marshmallows, and chunks of chocolate chip banana bread. We did not regret the decision. I of course had to spill chocolate down the front of my shirt, but fate had helped even in that – I was wearing a brown shirt so I could pretend no one would notice the spot. It was a wonderfully sweet night all around, sharing my city with a dear friend.
gimme all your recipes, now! May 30, 2007
It’s summer, and I want to eat yummy healthy food that I will prepare myself which is something that’s good for my figure and my wallet. Here’s the problem, I don’t know what to make. Do you have a recipe that you just love? I’m looking for healthy, yummy, and easy to make. If you’ve got a recipe or three that match that criteria, please share.
Catherine down the rabbit hole March 6, 2007
Last weekend I had a wonderfully Alice-filled weekend, and I thought you might want to feel like you were there, so I took tons of photos, and here they are. Erin and I have been meaning to get to Alice’s Tea Cup for brunch for some time, and I’m so overjoyed that we finally did. The place is charming and whimsical, and for a bonus, the food is delicious too!
So, here’s the outside view. Very eye catching and fun. If you look to the right of the door (in the photo down right) you can see Erin browsing their picture postcards…
There’s a little gift shop in the front, where you can buy journals, books, teapots, etc. as well as take out orders (I was absolutely going to buy a ginger cookie, but I was so full by the time we left I didn’t, so I’ll need to stop in again very soon). They sell all kinds of tea (of course) as well as cookies, cake, pastries, scones (made fresh daily). Very charming, very yummy.
There was a longer wait than I expected, but there were so many things to look at, and there were chairs under some lovely pictures and poetry, so we didn’t mind chatting for a while.
The Food!! There was a lot to choose from, and believe me, the decision was not taken lightly. I’m not a big tea drinker, but I have made big strides this year (what with the ginger tea and all), and I do so love all the ritual involved, but in the end, I went with the cocoa. It was yummylicious, so I’m glad I did it, but definitely not for the faint of heart…this is the only size they serve! (“Excuse me, I ordered a large cappacino.” -So I Married an Axe Murderer)
Erin convinced me to get a couple of scones to split with 
her, and she was so right!! I couldn’t help but devour all of my pumpkin scone before I took the picture. Here are the remains of the mixed berry chocolate chip scone. So, so, so good! Really, you could just come for scones and be very, very happy. Erin got a couple of delightful crepes, and I got the Eggs Benedict, of course!!
Later in the weekend, I went to see Lookingglass Alice, sort of on a whim. I’d received an advertisement about it, and thought I would enjoy it. That’s pretty much all I knew. Once the show began, I was sorry I’d waited so long (it was closing weekend), because I wished I’d urged all of my friends to see it. It was breathtaking, mesmerizing, fun, and smart. It’s a Chicago based company that features very physical performances (Alice has trapeze and other wire-work, juggling, stilts, unicycles, and all manner of tumbling), and I highly recommend if you’re ever in town to check them out.
simple pleasures February 1, 2007
I have a new “thing.” Ginger tea. I happened to see Martha Stewart making it on her show one morning, and although I’ve never enjoyed tea of any kind before, I decided I wanted to try it.
One 6-inch piece ginger, skin left on, thinly sliced crosswise, and roughly chopped
Light-brown sugar (optional)
Honey (optional)
1. Combine ginger and 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; strain mixture into a teapot or 2 teacups. Serve with sugar or honey, if desired.
Martha also added some lemon to the simmering pot which I think is a good call. It’s so easy to make, supposed to be quite good for you, and really, a nice way to shake off the cold when you get home. Plus, it finally gives me a reason to use my ME teapot!
a Rochesterian lunch January 2, 2007
One of the things Rochester is famous for is Zweigles hots (that’s hot dogs for those of you non-Rochesterians). I didn’t really believe claims that they were the best hot dogs until they were the only ones I ate for a couple of years, then moved to Manhattan and had a regularhot dog again. Don’t get me wrong, I pretty much never turn down a hot dog with mustard, but I will say I was converted to the “Zweigles are the best” persuasion. So, whenever I visit, I make a point of getting lunch at one of the local “hots” restaurants (there’s basically one for every town). You can’t read it on the window in the top picture, but it says “home of the bada-boom plates” which makes me laugh. It would be funny in and of itself, but it’s referring to another Rochester tradition of a “garbage plate.” These are truly repulsive, consisting of a layer of macaroni salad, then home fries on top of that, then two meats (hots or hamburgers usually) on top of that, with meat sauce poured over the whole thing. Anyhoo, the biggest hots restaurant, and claimer of the dubious title of creator of the garbage plate, has I guess, patented the term, requiring all of the other restaurants to rename their “plate.”
As for me, I’m more than content with just a couple of white hots (you can also get red, but I never do), and a side of crinkle fries. Below is a picture of my perfect lunch, hots, fries, fry sauce (I picked that up in Provo, UT. Mayo & ketchup mixed together), and a glass of diet cherry coke. Scrumptious.
life changes November 28, 2006
So, I’ve started drinking soy milk. Why? No big reason, besides finally trying it and realizing it wasn’t so bad, and having a vague idea that it’s good for you. I do know that it has more protein than milk, which I’m trying to have a lot of right now, so it seemed like a good idea.
Just in case you were wondering if I drink soy milk, I do.
