Sugar Cookies

I was so in the mood for cookies last night but didn't have ingredients for chocolate chip or oatmeal. So I found a basic sugar cookie recipe and altered it to what I was in the mood for. They came out picture perfect and taste fantastic. I think the combination of nutmeg and orange is just so wintery. And they were great to snack on while I was writing...

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp orange zest

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg; cut in 1 cup of softened butter until the mixture is crumbly.
2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and orange zest until light and fluffy. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Cover bowl and chill for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). For simple round cookies: roll into small balls and press gently onto ungreased cookie sheet. For cookie cutter shapes: on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown. Decorate as desired.

Let me know how they turn out!

Apple-Raisin Bran Bread

I've been looking for a good bran recipe for a while because I really like bran muffins and the like. This one is from the back of a cereal box and it came out really good. I didn't put walnuts in and I added the cinnamon to the recipe because I think it's the perfect companion to apples. I made three little loaves and they came out beautifully.

1 1/2 cup Raisin Bran cereal
1 cup milk
1/4 cup veg oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/12 cups finely chopped peeled apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine cereal, milk, eggs and vanilla. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir to break up cereal; stir in apples and walnuts.
3. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Add to cereal mixture all at once and stir just until moistened. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
4. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Focaccia Bread

This is my new favorite recipe. I tried it for a church potluck and it came out beautifully. We didn't even get to eat it because it was gone so fast. The recipe instructs to bake them on a cookie sheet, but they are so much better if you bake them in round cake pans. They come out thicker and softer, and they're also a perfect circle - I have trouble getting them right on a cookie sheet. Let me know what you think of it and how yours comes out!

2 1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pkg dry yeast (or 1 Tblsp)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup very warm water
Olive oil
Canned Parmesan cheese
Herbs, dried or fresh (basil, oregano, rosemary)

1. Mix 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil and the water. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves side of bowl.

2. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Kneed 5 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

3. Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into flattened 12-inch round on greased cookie sheet (or press into two 8-inch or 9-inch greased round cake pans). Cover and let rise in warm place 20 minutes.

4. Prick centers of rounds thoroughly with fingers. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese and herbs.

5. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheets (or cake pans) and cool on wire rack.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

So for all my talk about getting things done this weekend, I didn't work on my novel at all. But I don't feel bad because my sisters are in town. Juberry and I made these cookies yesterday and they're fantastic.

1/2 C butter
1/2 C shortening
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
Chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl combine softened butter with shortening, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 8-10 minutes.

These are the best soft chocolate chip cookies I've found. Let us know how they turn out for you!

Hawaiian Sweet Bread

I've made this twice now and I absolutely love it. Try it toasted - you'll love it, too! This bread is also really good for a ham sandwich.

5 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1/4 cup & 3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/3 pkg/Tbsp. yeast
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2/3 cups milk
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup pineapple juice
2 eggs
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1. In large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, potato flakes, sugar, yeast, salt, and ginger. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, water, butter, and pineapple juice to 120-130 degrees F. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

2. Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

3. Punch dough down. Turn onto lightly floured surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a ball or elongated loaf. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

4. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool.

That's it! Let us know how it turns out for you and enjoy this wonderful sweet bread.

Orange Biscotti

This is my favorite biscotti recipe - they are so good with hot chocolate. I usually have a couple of these before I start writing and they always put me in a literary mood. Let me know what you think of these.

1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Makes 3 1/2 dozen biscotti

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour large baking sheet.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and zest. Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Divide dough into two pieces. Form into long flat loaves about 1/2 inch tall and 12 inches long. Place the loaves 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.

4. Cut diagonally with serrated knife into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Lay slices flat on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, turning over once. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

5. (Optional) Melt chocolate chips in microwave stirring until smooth. Spread onto one side of the biscotti. Let stand at room temperature until set.

Farmer's Bread

I found this recipe online and its one of my favorite. Its easy to make, has only a few ingredients, tastes great, and looks so cool (which is the best part). The smell of baking bread completely fills my house when I make this and I always feel so domestic. Have fun and let me know what you think!

2 pkgs dry active yeast (2 Tablespoons)
2 cups warm water
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, chilled and diced

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine 4 cups of flour and salt. Cut in the butter and stir in the yeast mixture. Beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Butter a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

3. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a large oval loaf. Place on lightly greased large baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. When the loaf is risen, cut a 1/2 inch deep cross onto the top of it. Brush the top with water before baking.

4. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Food and the Written Word

Food is such a great source of comfort. The smell of homemade bread baking, the aroma of turkey dinner on Thanksgiving or Christmas, bacon and eggs when you first wake up, and that cup of coffee or hot chocolate - these are all things that bring us comfort and a sense of home. Maybe this is why so many of us like to have a comforting cup or something to nibble on while we read or write. Because food is such a great companion to the written word, I'd like to be able to talk about food here and share some of our favorite recipes.

I love to make bread and I also have a fantastic recipe for biscotti and I'll be sure to post them here for you all to try. These are two of my favorite snacks when I'm either reading or writing. What do you like to eat? What are some of your favorite and most comforting smells associated with reading or writing?