Warm Fuzzies

Raspberry Shortbread Cookies with Almond Glaze

Ugh, is it Monday already?  This is what I feel like:

    

Oscar's not ready to begin a new week, either.  But there's a big difference between being a rabbit and being a human...the human must get out of bed.  Spoiled little rabbits like Oscar can just go on and sleep the day away, while his human runs around getting fresh food and water for him, cleans his litter box, and gets ready for a full day of work.  Ah, what I wouldn't give to be cute and cuddly for a day.

But Oscar's human had the foresight to make a little pick-me-up this morning.  They almost make her forget that it's Monday.  Almost.

Raspberry Shortbread Cookies with Almond Glaze (makes about 36 pieces)

A few ingredients go a long way with these buttery little thumbprint cookies.  While the glaze isn't an essential addition to the cookie, it brings out the almond flavor from the background, and makes for a pretty presentation.  Although I'm very fond of the combination of raspberry and almond, you can fill these cookies with any of your favorite fruit jams.  Apricot works well; so does cherry. 

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 to 1/2 cup seedless red raspberry jam

  For Glaze:

1 cup powdered confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 to 3 teaspoons water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the almond extract.  Gradually mix in the flour until the dough just comes together.
3. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, placing them 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
5. Using your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon, gently make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.  Fill with raspberry jam.  Note: be careful not to over-fill, as the jam may bubble over as the cookies bake.
6. Bake for 14-18 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden.  If desired, top off the filling with a bit more raspberry jam.  Allow cookies to cool completely on the sheets.
7. Mix the powdered sugar, almond extract, and water to make the glaze.  Spoon glaze over cookies, creating a zig-zag pattern.  Allow glaze to set.

    

Kate, Almond and Raspberry Meringue Bars, and a Mysterious Photo

I love the work of Jessica Hutchison.  She's widely known for making some very unique knitted toys and robots.  Jess had published a booklet of her toy designs, but by the time I stumbled upon her work and discovered said booklet existed, it was already way too late to get my hands on one; she stopped printing and selling them long ago.  Yes, I know.  Poor, poor me.  But I was able to get my hands on one of her patterns, for free, no less.  Jess contributed a pattern to Knitty's Winter 2005 issue: Kate, the Cat with Britches.

I found no reason to resist temptation.

    

While amigurumi and other smaller toys usually require you to really pack in the stuffing to better shape the toy and achieve better construction overall, Kate was different.  Kate held her shape fine with a loose stuffing, so she's light, soft, and huggable.  She's bigger than my usual toys, so I can actually pick her up and cuddle her.  Yippee for truly soft toys.

Speaking of soft, squishy things, I have a recipe to share with you: Almond and Raspberry Meringue Bars.  Deconstructed French almond macarons, with raspberry filling and a touch of coconut is the best way to describe them.  The almond shortbread base is surprisingly soft, and the marshmallowy meringue is deliciously chewy (how are you liking those adverbs?  haha).  But really, I think I'm in love with these.      

Almond and Raspberry Meringue Bars (makes about 36 pieces) adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

7 ounces almond paste (usually next to the marzipan in stores)

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup seedless red raspberry jam

3 large egg whites

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil.  Grease lightly.
2. To make the Base: In a large bowl, mix the butter, almond paste, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in one large egg and the almond extract. Mix in the flour until the dough just comes together.  Press into prepared pan, bake 20 to 25 minutes, until edges are golden.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.
3. Using a spatula, evenly spread the raspberry preserves over the base.
4. In a large glass or metal bowl, whip three egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup of granulated sugar until the peaks are stiff and glossy. Lightly spread the meringue over the jam.  Sprinkle with coconut.
5. Return the pan to the oven, and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until meringue is firm and coconut is lightly toasted. Allow to cool in the pan.  Carefully lift the foil from the pan.  Using a sharp knife, cut into bars.

I'll end this post with a bit of fun.  Anyone care to guess what crafty goodness is front and center in this cropped photo?

Work in Progress: Backyard Leaves...and some Cranberries

We're going to have a very mild winter this year...the average temperature for New York is expected to be 40 degrees...all winter!  Not so frosty, and probably not much snow at all.  Heck, the temperature was in the 60s this weekend, hardly what I would call December weather.  So there you have it.  But that doesn't mean that I won't need some nice knitted goodness to keep me warm.  After all, 'tis the season, and 40 degrees is plenty cold.

I've started on Backyard Leaves, a scarf that I've been coveting for, oh, about a year.  I chose a darker olive green instead of the bright apple green suggested, but I've got to say, a piece of me is regretting that decision.  The color of the original scarf is so bright and spring-y.  Just like me!  (erm, right).  But I figured a darker green was a little more formal, and something I'd be able to wear with the ubiquitous NYC black suit year-round.

This is my first time trying lace knitting, and I'm really enjoying it.  I like how every row is different; it keeps the knitting process infinitely more interesting than row upon row of stockinette.  But, heh, the coin has two sides.  Because the pattern changes from row to row, I've found that I really have to think about what I'm doing, or else m-i-s-t-a-k-e-s happen.  There, I said it.  The "m" word.  And they've been happening waaaay to frequently with this scarf.  I've had to rip back more times than I can count.  It seemed like a good idea at the time to watch cartoons and work on the scarf at the same time, but, apparently, that's a little too much for my brain to handle. 

I'm spending the holidays with my family in California, so I kind of had my ticket to a lazy holiday season...not so much baking or decorating going on here.  But I did make a tasty little something that I'd like to share, a little recipe for Sugar-Frosted Cranberries.  These are absolutely delicious, and beautiful, to boot.  Sweet and crunchy on the outside, the juice from the poached whole berries just burst in your mouth, filling it with cranberry goodness.

Sugar-Frosted Cranberries (makes 2 cups)  adapted from Cooking Light

• 2 cups water
  
• 2 cups granulated sugar
  
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
  
• approximately 1/2 cup of superfine granulated sugar
  

1. Combine 2 cups of granulated sugar with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Bring to a simmer, and remove from heat.  Make sure the mixture does not boil---if it's too hot, the cranberries will burst.  Stir the cranberries into the syrup, and pour the mixture into a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Transfer the cranberries into a colander to drain.  Place the superfine sugar on a baking sheet.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer a few cranberries at a time to the sheet, lightly roll them around to coat with sugar.  Place coated cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Allow the cranberries to dry at room temperature (this takes about an hour).

Enjoy!

Coasters and Chocolate and Pudding, Oh my!

My parents were in town all last week, and I've been having such a blast with them (eating, shopping, watching shows, living the good life) that I just cut loose and didn't do much else...for 9 days.  It was just what I needed to end a busy summer and kick-off the fall.

But now my parents have returned to California (*sniff sniff*), and I've gotten back into the swing of things.  Well, okay, that's not entirely true.  My list of neglected chores gets longer by the day; I have errands galore, an empty refrigerator to fill, and a pile of laudry high enough for the princess not be able to feel the pea underneath the mess.  But I did manage to start to ease myself back into the crafting groove.

I've had this project bookmarked and on my mental list of to-do's for a while.  I didn't own any coasters (my poor tabletops suffered for it), and had an abundance of throwaway CDs lying around, so this was the perfect project.  I only made one (I intend to use it as part of another project that I've been dying to work on...more on that later), but I'm planning on making a whole set of them.  In green, of course. Can't wait to put my soon-to-be-made coasters to good use.

A little while ago, I promised Hershey bookmarks to a couple (and by a couple, I mean two) people.  Well, I purchased the Hershey bars right away, but didn't have a chance to finish the bookmarks until early this morning.  And what did I do with the milk chocolate? Voila!  I give you Spoon Candy.

I found this image while browsing through collections of old food labels online (having my parents around made me feel nostalgic for things of the past).  Apparently, Spoon Candy was quite popular as a treat for children in the 70's.  I've never had it before, but my interest had been stirred, and I immediately decided to make a little Spoon Candy for myself.

The original product's been discontinued for quite a bit of time, but I figured that it'd be easy enough to make something similar.  Since Spoon Candy was originally a Jello product, I just used Jello pudding for the base.  For the chocolate layer on top, I just melted the chocolate from my two Hershey bars with a touch of butter.  Ah, so quick and easy.  And the result? 

Pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.  I even ate the chocolate layer...all of it.  It's nice to set food snobbery aside and enjoy something simple and fuss-free once in a while.

Jello Spoon Candy (serves 4-6)

• 1 (3 oz.) package of vanilla flavored Jello instant pudding
• 2 cups fat free milk
• 2 (1.55 oz.) bars of Hershey milk chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1-2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4-6 ramekins, or other small containers

1. Put the instant pudding in a bowl, gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk while you do so.  Continue whisking for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pudding is thickened. 
2. Divide the pudding evenly between the ramekins.  Refrigerate, uncovered, until firmly set.  (This will take 45 minutes to an hour).
3. When the pudding is set, take the ramekins out of the fridge and set them on the counter.  In a small saucepan, combine the butter and chocolate.  Turn the heat to low, and hold the pan over the flame, a few inches above the stove.*  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until the chocolate is melted.
4. The refrigerator chill should have left the pudding by now.  Spoon between 1 and 2 tbsp (depending on the size of your ramekins) of the melted chocolate on top of the pudding, and swirl the dish around a little to make a nice, even layer.  Return the ramekins to the fridge for 5-10 minutes, until the chocolate layer hardens.
5. Break out the spoons and dig in!

* You can use a double boiler to melt the chocolate, too.  I've found that when melting just a small amount of chocolate, the method I described above does the trick.

Hershey Bar Bookmark

I was dying to make one of these ever since I saw it.  What a clever idea!  I'm not a fan of chocolate (I know, I'm some kind of freak), but I wanted to make a chocolate bookmark so badly that I *gasp* went out and purchased a Hershey bar.  I let Kyle do the hard part (eating all that chocolate). ..and then he immediately threw the wrapper away, even though I specifically told him to save it.  I mean, I spent a good 5 minutes carefully cutting the back of the wrapper with an X-acto knife.  What freak takes that much care in opening a candy wrapper if she didn't have bigger, better, plans for it?!?  He said it was a reflex.  Suuuuuure.

At any rate, my wrapper was retrieved, albeit a little crumbled and ripped in more places than I would have liked.  The tutorial is really great in explaining the process, and I followed it very closely.  The only thing that I did differently was use an X-acto knife instead of the tip of a mechanical pencil to score the foam; I think this substitution makes it easier to make clean lines.

I like how the brown foam gives the chocolate bar some depth.  After cutting out the bite mark, the bookmark turns into a pretty convincing Hershey bar.

Before I left for work in the morning, I left the completed chocolate bookmark on top of a book that Kyle had been reading.  He said that he thought it was a real candy bar when he first saw it.  But his dreams of eating a candy bar for breakfast were shot when he saw the post-it note that I left him.

The drawing's supposed to be me with cat ears.  Yeah, don't ask, I did it in 10 seconds.  Kyle says it's "Evil Shirley."  I don't think she looks evil!  Anyway, back to the bookmark: here's a shot of it in action.  (The picture's a little dark; I took it when I got home at night, so the lighting wasn't too great).

Making these would be the perfect excuse to go out and buy a case of chocolate bars (heh, if chocolate's your thing).  I know I'm tempted to make a couple more...after all, you can never have enough chocolate bookmarks.

Linguine with Creamy Brie Sauce

We had planned to go grocery shopping last night, but the heat really put us off, so I had to scrape together a meal from what we had on hand.  Although it doesn't really use fresh ingredients, the addition of scallions to this pasta dish made it taste very fresh.  And the creamy cheese sauce turned out delicious.

Linguine with Creamy Brie Sauce (serves 2-3)

• 8 oz. linguine (dried or fresh)
• 4 slices of thick-cut bacon
• 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 /2 freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1.5 oz. brie cheese, rind removed and sliced thinly
• 4-5 reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp dried basil (or a small handful of fresh basil, shredded)

1. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, until crispy.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta according to pasta directions.  (If you're using fresh pasta, you can wait until after you've finished the sauce to cook the pasta).  Transfer the bacon to a plate, and set aside.  Drain the skillet, saving the bacon fat for another use.
2. Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and milk, scraping up all the browned bits.  Bring the liquid to a boil.  Crumble the bacon.
3. Slowly add the Parmesan cheese, stirring until it melts.
4. Season the sauce with cracked black pepper and basil, add in half of the bacon bits and all of the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
5. Reduce the heat to low, and gradually add the Brie cheese, allowing each addition of cheese to melt completely before adding more.  The sauce will be pretty thick.
6. The linguine should be cooked al dente by now; drain it well.  Add the linguine to the sauce in the skillet and toss the pan lightly to coat the pasta with sauce.
7. To serve: Transfer a portion of the linguine onto a serving plate.  Garnish with reserved crumbled bacon and chopped scallions.  Optional:  Put a poached or soft-boiled egg on top, and lightly pierce the yolk before garnishing with bacon and scallions.

I soft-boiled some eggs to eat with the pasta, but had forgotten about them until after I took the photo.  By then, our dishes were less than picture perfect.  But we ate the rest of the pasta with the addition of the egg, and I think that made everything taste even better.  Serve the pasta with a small side salad for a light dinner.

I was able to work on my illustration for about 2 hours last night.  It's far from being done, but I'm happy with the progress I made.  I woke up early this morning to get a jump start working on my drawing today.   What can I say, I'm one of those morning people.  I usually wake up early enough every morning (including weekends!), to watch the sun rise while I'm having tea or breakfast.  Scary, huh?  Anyway, I'm ready to give my illustration a fresh look now, so it's back to the drawing board for me!  No pun intended.  Man, I crack myself up.

Chocolate Mocha Pudding Cake

Yesterday, Kyle was whining about how I've been spending all my time on crafts and not enough time keeping him fat and happy.  Yeesh, what a baby.  Maybe he should make me fat and happy instead of playing video games on weekends.  *hint hint*  Yeah, I know, wishful thinking.  Anyway, last night, I made this Chocolate Mocha Pudding Cake for dessert.

Chocolate Mocha Pudding Cake (serves 6)

• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 cup boiling hot water
• 1 tbsp instant espresso powder
• 1 tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease and flour an 8" by 8" square pan.
2. Cream 1/4 cup butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar until light and creamy.  Add milk and vanilla extract.  Mix well.
3. Mix 1 cup flour with 3 tbsp cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Add to wet ingredients, mix until just combined.
4. Use a spatula to transfer the batter into the baking pan, and spread evenly.
5. Mix together 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of cocoa.  Spoon this mixture evenly over the first layer.
6. Next, place the espresso powder in a small bowl.  Add hot water, and stir briefly to dissolve the powder.  Stir in the 1 tbsp of butter, until the butter is completely melted.  Pour this mixture into the baking pan.
7. Bake for approximately 45 minutes; the cake should spring back when touched.
8. Cool 30 minutes before serving.  To serve: Cut into squares.  Place each square on an individual dessert plate, and spoon some chocolate pudding around the cake.  Garnish with a sprig of mint.

The cake separates into a cake layer on top, and a pudding layer on  the bottom as it bakes (like the more well-known lemon version).  The espresso flavor really comes through in the pudding, and is balanced out by the chocolate cake.  As with most things chocolate, it's best with an ice cold glass of milk.

I have a good idea brewing for Illustration Friday (this week's theme is sacrifice).  I'm going to start working on it after dinner tonight.  I hope I can finish my piece in time!  Anyway, time to eat breakfast and then hit the subway.  And since I know you wake up every Monday singing and dancing (yeah, right), Happy Monday all!

Chipmunk and Fresh Cranberry Banana Bread

I finished this little chipmunk (he's a chipmunk, not a hamster) this morning.  You can't see it in the picture, but he has a curly tail in the back (and little hind legs, too!)

 

It's summer, so he can come out of his nest and enjoy the weather.  We've had surprisingly good weather here this weekend, I hope it stays this way. 

I had wanted to start a small sewing project today, but a couple of my friends from college called this morning to say that they were going to be visiting tonight.  So I cleaned the apartment like a madwoman today.  I swept, mopped, dusted, and scrubbed.  Every faucet, and even the toilet is sparkling clean.  Feels good.  (Heh, on a separate note, I've pledged to myself to clean the apartment thoroughly every Saturday, but um, I haven't been pushing myself to actually clean the apartment...you know, dusting a couple corners counted.  There's nothing quite like a surprise visit from friends to get me back on track in a jiffy). 

Anyway, I baked a Fresh Cranberry Banana Bread so that we'd all have a nice breakfast to wake up to in the morning.

But I couldn't help myself from "tasting" a bit this afternoon.  It's really wonderful with a cup of tea.  I also added walnuts, which adds a nice texture to the bread.  Fresh cranberries are really quite tart, so they are a pleasant (and juicy!) surprise when paired with the sweeter bananas in the bread.

Fresh Cranberry Banana Bread

• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (coarsely chopped or leave whole)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a 9" x 5" loaf pan.
2. Cream butter with sugar until light and creamy.  Add mashed bananas, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Mix well.
3. Mix flour with baking powder.  Add to wet ingredients, mix until just combined.  Stir in walnuts and cranberries.
4. Pour batter into pan.  Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.  Cool in pan 15 minutes, then place on rack to cool completely.