A Great Start - Steel Cut Oats

I hope everyone had a great holiday with plenty of good food, fun and family! This morning we had a hearty cereal of steel cut oats. I've made them before the over night method, but this worked just as well.

I have a health food store within walking distance from my house so it is easy for me to pick up any grains, flour, rice, etc... they sell many in bulk as well as herbs and spices. So if I need a cup of special flour or a table spoon of a spice I haven't tried before, I can buy just that and try it. So I picked up a couple cups of steel cut oats...

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, add 1 cup steel cut oats and toast for about 2-3 minutes.

Add 3 cups boiling water, stir and reduce to a simmer, gently simmer for 25-30 minutes, stir occasionally.

Stir in 1 cup milk (I didn't have milk so I used coconut milk) and cook for 10 minutes until the milk is almost absorbed stirring 1 or 2 times.

Remove from heat and let stand for 2 minutes.

It will keep up to 3 days in refrigerator.

My daughter had a friend over so I let them decide what they wanted on their oatmeal. My daughter like cinnamon and brown sugar. Her friend had coconut milk and honey. I had cardamom, dried Michigan cherries, coconut, coconut milk, sunflower seeds. You can enjoy it with any fruit, nuts, berries, or sweetener...that's the fun of making it your way!


Just a few recent photos to share from my two weeks off... my husband called me outside to see if I could get a photo ot the snail moseying along the cactus...


..close up! It's pretty cool!



We joined some friends at their house for Christmas dinner...


I brought this pork roast...
Gary made a beef roast and potatoes. ..


...they are from South Africa so they don't have family in town at Christmas either.


Maranda, playing with some toys that we get in the Christmas crackers...and that is sparkling cider she's drinking.


Some other goodies that were in the crackers...the kids at school will love them!

Another friend Sarah joined us and she brought her dog too. So we had four dog with us at Christmas...we couldn't leave them home...well 2 belong here and we brought Tucker, and Sarah brought Sadie the Lab was welcome too. They all got along fine and were so well behaved. Jeanne did a good job getting them all together for the photo...with treats in hand!

This time of year my lemons are in full swing...good thing, I used it all week for my ginger, tea with lemon and honey.

I used my new Tervis Tumbler (made right here near us in Florida) I got it for Christmas from my aunt and uncle. It's perfect for keeping drinks warm or cold.

.., another sunset walk on the beach, (ha! caught them off guard). it was a really nice evening...this was Monday the day after Christmas. We've been having perfect weather lately.

The sunset wasn't that spectacular, but we saw some dolphins as soon as we got there. They are so hard for me to catch a good photo of , but they are always so cool to see, I never get tired of it!

Hope you all had a wonderful week! Looking forward to the New Year to come, and visiting you all.
Back to school (work) tomorrow, and here I thought I'd get more done than I did. Will post more soon!

Cranberry Bread

I am feeling a little better, I went to the doctor and found out I had a sinus infection...which gave me laryngitis. Started out with allergies...and this isn't the worst of the pollen that bothers me. that comes in February.

We had a cold snap come through last night and today we will be lucky if we reach 70. At least it's clear and sunny! :) But my coconut oil is now solid, I've guess I am a lot like coconut oil...I like it when the temperatures are warm enough to keep the coconut oil liquid. I really can't complain mush though because for the last three weeks or so we've been have gorgeous 80 degree plus sunny weather.

Taking advantage of this baking weather I am trying to get as much in as I can...yes it's after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, but is still good to use up all those cranberries that you might have left over or tucked away in the freezer!

I used a muffin recipe and I the cranberries whole, because that is the way I like them...


...you can see the bright red cranberries peeking out! I added some cinnamon chips to the recipe just to make it festive! Okay, I love these cinnamon chips, I hope I can still get them at the store, and stock up before they disappear until next year.



Cranberry Muffins or Bread:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg beaten (large)
1 teaspoon orange rind
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups cranberries (whole)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional, I didn't use nuts cinnamon chips instead)
1/2 cup cinnamon chips (optional, you can use nuts instead)

Method:
Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder together in a bowl, mix well.
Stir in beaten egg, cranberries, cinnamon chips, orange rind, juice and butter.
Add some of the chips on top before baking for a nice look and a good topping.

For muffins bake at 350° 20-30 minutes.
For bread bake longer 50-60 minutes until pick comes out clean.


I love cranberry bread and it is so easy to make. I like biting into the tangy whole tangy berry in this bread. The addition of the cinnamon chips were very good...not too much, and gave it a little more depth...or something!

It was nice and moist and yummy for breakfast and afternoon tea!

The tree is coming down today...getting ready for the new year!!

Banket (Dutch Pastry with almond filling) family recipe

I have been wanting a chance to make it with my mother and document it for the blog, but she lives in Michigan and with me in Florida for the last 21 years it just never happened. When my parents visit in February she will bring me some almond paste and one year she did show me how to assemble it, but the filling and dough was already made. The one time we did make it back to Michigan for Christmas a couple of years back, of course it was already made and ready to eat.


.
Grandma Bouwman's Banket
Crust:
1 pound butter/oleo, soften at room temp (I used cold butter, like you would making pie crust)4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar (optional) I skipped the sugar3/4 cup milk - make sure it's coldMix well until crumbly, add milk. Form into dough using fork, divide into eight balls.
Roll out each ball to form rectangle, put almond filling on crust.



My take on this: I used a pastry cutter like you would when making pie crust, cutting in the butter until you get a crumbly oatmeal-like texture. Use cold butter and cold milk or water so it will be nice and flaky...form into dough try not to over-work the dough. After talking to my mother she said another old recipe she had has you refrigerate the dough and filling overnight. My personal tip would be to form it into the eight balls, and then flatten them first before refrigerating them.


Filling:
1 pound almond paste (2 cups)
2 cups sugar (you could probably use a little less, but I use a scant 2 cups)3 eggs (I think next time I will us 2 eggs)Mix well, put in fridge to harden. Add flour to make it less sticky when putting it on crust.
My take on this: I had a block of almond paste that mom brought down from Michigan. They can get it every where up there...if you can't find almond paste, you can make your own almond paste try this one here
My mom told me to beat the eggs and sugar first then add the almond paste after breaking it into crumbles.Bake 10 minutes at 425° then 15 minutes at 350°
I found I had to bake this longer. If you want to bake it like a pie you can bake it high heat for 15 minutes then turn it down and bake another 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Make sure your dough is nice and cold. I would brush an egg wash on before baking next time, I didn't on these and they came out fine, but sometimes my grand mother would.

This was the almond paste mixture after it was in the refrigerator overnight.

When I was trying to mix the almond paste my mom suggested to beat the eggs first with a hand mixer, so I did, I think I did it too much and it became a little frothy, then I added the crumbled almond paste and sugar. I think I should of added the sugar with the eggs, then added the almond paste. Mine turned out fine, but it was different from my mother's. I think 2 eggs would work fine in it. I didn't add any extra flour because it was very spreadable this way...maybe because of the three eggs. Maybe I should stick to it this way, my mom would spread it with her hands and flour her fingers, and place little pieces around all over the dough. It was sticky to work with!

I just used a rubber spatula to spread it on. My mom cautioned me not to have too much filling do it won't ooze out on the baking pan. She said she added too much last year and she didn't like the way it turned out.

You are supposed to roll the dough out into rectangles, but I got it as close as I could, and they still turned out even without smooth edges. You can cut and paste it, the dough seems to handle it well.


To keep it a family tradition I got my daughter involved...of course she asked to roll some of her own...so I had to stand back and let her do it!!
And she did great! Of course I have such a small area it's so difficult to have two people in the kitchen at the same time. It was also 80° out and seemed very hot with to oven on, I know my grandma and mom didn't have to deal with weather like that in Michigan at Christmas time! :)

The dough is rolled out thin sorta like a pie dough would be...dusting the work surface and rolling pin with flour as you go. After you roll up the filling inside the logs, seal it with water. Since I used a little more filling than my mother did I made sure it was sealed well and gave it a little pinch too.


I have baked the "logs" that my mom gave me (they freeze really well) at 350° or 375° for 30 - 35 minutes. I didn't know the directions at that time, so I think you can do it that way without having to start out baking it at high heat and turning it down. Just keep any eye on it until its a nice golden brown.


If you don't have a stoneware baking pan or pizza stone, line your cookie sheet with parchment paper so it browns up nicely. I didn't use an egg-wash in this batch.


After the first batch was done baking I had to call my mom again to see how long I had to wait before I can cut into them. I couldn't wait... mmm...so good and reminds me of my mom's...


...they were nice and flaky, the almond filling didn't ooze out (of course I like it oozing out a little when it caramelizes up a little) .


It is so good for breakfast the next morning, not too sweet, delicate flavor.

Even though I kept calling my mom several times throughout the process...and she said "why don't you wait until I get there in February" I think it turned out pretty good.

I do think that it is easier to cut if you can wait until it cools completely. I gave one (log) to my aunt and uncle when we met them for dinner, after all it is his mother's recipe...they are going north for Christmas. She says it's been awhile since she's had it she's never made it...I hope they enjoy it as much as we do.

Another Cookie revisited and sharing some Christmas

I first posted these cookies two years ago, I was looking for a gingerbread that used crystallized ginger...just like I had bought when I was up in the Lake District in England years before. I never found that gingerbread recipe or any that came close, but I did find this ginger shortbread that soon became a favorite of mine. I like the buttery flavor of the shortbread, then you get that little gingery kick when you bite into a piece of the candied ginger. I did increase the amount just a touch, you don't want too much or it could over power the buttery shortbread. I make these for Christmas, but have froze one of the logs and pulled it out later to use at another time! Thought I would bring them back and share with my new friends.

These delicate, buttery cookies are nice with a cup of tea or coffee.

Ginger Shortbread cookies
Bon Appétit March 1997
yield: 36 cookies

2 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coarsely chopped crystallized ginger (I used a little more about 1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon sugar (for chopping the ginger)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional powdered sugar (optional)


Combine flour, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, ground ginger and salt in medium bowl. Combine crystallized ginger and 1 tablespoon sugar on work surface; chop finely.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light. Add lemon peel and extracts. Beat in crystallized ginger mixture. Beat dry ingredients into butter mixture in 4 additions.

Transfer dough to floured work surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into 6-inch log. Shape each log into 2x1x6-inch-long rectangular log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets. Cut each dough log into 1/3-inch-thick cookies. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart (cookies will spread slightly during baking). Bake cookies until edges are pale golden, about 24 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 3 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to racks. Sift additional powdered sugar over warm cookies, if desired. Cool completely. (Can be made ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.)



I also wanted to share little Christmas with you. I received this card from Mrs Yoder's class. She had emailed everyone at school that was chosen to get a card and handcrafted ornament (I left the ornament hanging at school) from her class explaining that her writing prompt was for everyone to choose a person that they think was helpful and write a letter to them.



Miguel chose me and here is my letter. I just love gifts like these, my favorite and they are always cherished. (But I don't help the kids get hurt, just help when they do...hehe)


I have been trying on some new wings on the shell angels that I make. Here is some nylon tulle instead of the feathers.


and this is the one with some wired sheer ribbon with snowflakes on it. I think I will double it next time.


First attempt on making a character ornament...reminds me of the shell figure my grandma used to get when she lived in Clearwater. I think the slice shells that I used for the antler would make good angel wings too. This was a gift to one of the diabetic students that I see everyday...he helped me decide what to do for the ears. I think he liked it.


a different way to display the sea urchins other than my jellyfish and placing them over the little bulbs.


This was so delicate, some liked it better without the pearl trim.

There you can see the sea urchin over the light.

I dropped my daughter off at Cha Cha Coconuts at St Armand's Circle so she could meet a friend for lunch. Such a fun place to visit and shop...especially around the holidays!


Okay I had to sneak a shot of my favorite owl that I bought at Pier 1 . I gave a few away as gifts, but they all have such personality it was difficult to part with. The rest of the photos are just more of the ornaments that I made, except the snowman...he came with the owl. I sold quite a few this year. So if you just want to skim past them I understand.















I finally caught something, and have been feeling miserable for the last couple of days...I don't get sick!!! I work around sick kids all day, the nurse caught something and so did my husband...I was bound to, but I have not been sick for quite sometime now at least two years...like with a cold or flu that is. I just get allergy related things. Well at least I didn't miss any work...I have two weeks of Christmas break, and I still can't seem to get things done.

Poppy Seed Pinwheel Cookies

A little while back I went to Geier's Sausage Kitchen to shop for some ingredients for my Feijoada. While I was there I found all sorts of goodies, one was a tub of poppy seed filling, I was wondering what I could do with it. I spotted some poppy seed strudel for sale in the deli/bakery case. So I picked some up thinking I would find some way to use it. I was thinking about using puff pastry to try and make a strudel, but then saw some spiral cookies with poppy seed. It seems Eastern European countries like poppy seeds and all seem to have a version of cookies that they make. From Kolache, pinwheels, logs and just mixed in the cookies. Sooo....after some research this is what I made.

Poppy Seed Pinwheel Cookies

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened or 1 stick
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
-1 tsp grated lemon peel
-1 large egg
-1 Tbsp sour cream
-1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp ground cloves
-1 tsp vanilla (I used my homemade vanilla extract)
-*Poppy seed filling ¾ cup ( I bought mine made at the German Store and used the whole tub)

*You can use canned or make your own, I bought mine at Geier's Sausage Kitchen a German meat market and food store. Or you could make your own, here are a couple of recipes:
•1/2 cup milk
•1 Tablespoon honey
•1 cup ground poppy seeds
•2 Tablespoons sugar
•1 teaspoon ground allspice
or:
1 cup poppy seed
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup chopped nuts
Dash of cinnamon

Make the Dough:
With an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, egg, and sour cream in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, salt, cloves (I added a little mace to mine too) and lemon zest to make a soft dough. (The dough may be made ahead and refrigerated covered, for up to two days.) I wanted to say I had to make mine by hand because my electric mixer burned up making my molasses gingerbread cookies. I can be done!
I don't think my dough was stiff enough, but I rolled it in between two sheets of waxed paper into a...err...rectangle..


... which is easier said than done, so I adjusted it with a a little cut and paste.

Then spread the filling on, which went on quite easy. Yes, it's not the neatest, but you can get picky with yours if you like. This photo is with a flash...

and this one without, it was after dark when I made it and it's so hard for me to get good shots in the dark! :D

When you roll it up start to peel back the waxed paper as you go. You can use parchment paper instead if that's what you have. Some suggested to refrigerate before rolling...

At this point I tried to cut the cookies and the dough was just too soft, the end just mushed. So I refrigerated it for a bit until it was easier to cut. When you are ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Then cut roll into ½-inch slices and arrange them about 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets (or just use your stoneware jelly roll pan like I do). Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges are light brown.

Cool pinwheel cookies on baking sheets for a couple of minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving if desired.

See that end piece? These are great because you can get a taste to see how they turned out without wasting a good one! Mmmm....

These got a little too brown, but I liked them like that...they were still good. I'm sure with more practice I can get them right. I will definitely be making these again.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year! Cheers!