I didn't like ginger snaps for a very long time. I only started to like them when I had my Grandma Nell's soft ones. They are scrumptious!
Ginger Snaps:
4 1/2 C flour
4 tsp baking soda
2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 C shortening/vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1/2 C molasses
Preheat oven to 375.
Stir together flour, soda and ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
Combine remaining ingredients and beat well.
Add flour mixture all at once. Beat until dough comes together. Dough will be tough.
Roll into 1" balls, then roll in sugar.
Place on cookie sheet & flatten with fork (I didn't flatten them).
Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
Do those not look delicious to you?! I was scared I wasn't going to get the awesome crinkles in them, but it worked! I'm happy. No mistakes this time either, it was nice. :)
I learned at work the other day that Ginger Snaps are also called "Wellness Cookies". What?! Then I thought about it and remembered that Ginger Ale cures an upset stomach, so Ginger Snaps would probably do something similar...if the sugar from the cookies didn't upset your stomach in the first place. We also discovered that Ginger Snaps are Chad's mission president's favorite cookie!
I love the Japanese culture. I took one year of high-school Japanese (while taking my fifth year in Spanish) and I loved it. My Sensei was fabulous and not only taught the language but the reasons behind why things were said that way, what they meant culturally and so forth. Without really even studying the language, I fell in love with the culture. When I saw this movie come out I really wanted to see it, obviously it took me a while. Then Chad found the book at the library, so I read that. Oh my word. It's definitely a good read. I loved the book. It contained a lot of culture, and the premise was fascinating. A Geisha, many people believe, is a Japanese prostitute. That's what I thought, but the book--a dictation of stories from the life of a Japanese Geisha--clarified this misunderstanding. A Geisha is a walking piece of art. They are known for their music, dances and their singing. Anyways, definitely a good book.
Needless to say I was ecstatic to see the movie! It was decent, I guess. It'd probably be better if I had not read the book, but the book had so many details they simply could not capture in the movie. Also, be wary, there are a couple awkwardness-es that happen, due to the nature of the book. I do believe it is a fabulous glance into culture, and also the way that the war affected their people and their culture.
It has been a couple weeks, hasn't it? A lot has happened! We've had General Conference and Easter, and I've been slacking on using my camera! I need to get back into it. Today, I want to talk about Peanut Butter Cookies. I love peanut butter. I would cry if I became allergic to it, because that would be sad. I'm very sorry for those of you who are allergic to anything, especially peanut butter.
Here's the recipe:
Peanut Butter Cookies:
5 C flour
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 C butter
3/4 C shortening
1 3/4 C sugar
1 3/4 C brown sugar
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
3/4 C PB
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet, or get out non-stick cookie sheet. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. in large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in PB. Add flour mixture and stir until well blended. Drop dough by tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Using fork dipped in flour, flatten each cookie slightly in a criss-cross pattern. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Do not over bake.
I didn't take pictures of the whole process, it's pretty simple, and I forgot. Oops. My first batch in the oven were perfect. They were still a bit soft in the middle and we ate them fast! The second batch was in there a bit too long and they were really crunchy. They sat around in the Zip-Lock bag for a couple days until I discovered that they are divine dipped in milk!
These are my beautiful peanut butter cookies (done a little bit too much).
At work (I work at a bakery, as I've mentioned before), we put granulated peanuts in our peanut butter cookies, and we don't bother with the criss-cross pattern. I grew up putting the criss-cross pattern in the Peanut Butter Cookies, so that's what I do.
If you have a different Peanut Butter Cookie recipe that you just love, please share it!
I've realized lately that I have been trying to hard to make everything so amazing that I'm getting lost in the details. So, back to the basics this week! Back to the chocolate chip cookies and the BK for date-night...okay, In-N-Out (It's Chad's favorite, so why not?).
This past Sunday Chad and I were craving donuts, so out comes the beautiful deep fryer we got at Bed, Bath & Beyond a couple weeks ago!
Delicious Delights: Donuts/Doughnuts
I used the same recipe for the donuts that I used for the Pizza Bites (Rolls). Here it is again:
Scones--Peggy
2 C warm water
1 T yeast
1/2 t salt
2 T sugar
4 C flour (2x water) (I always end up using more flour, because I like my dough less sticky)
5 T oil
In large mixing bowl combine water, yeast, salt, sugar and oil. mix slightly. Wait for yeast to bubble and float to top. Add enough flour. Knead five minutes (I don't ever count how much I knead it. I just knead it until it is the right texture) Roll out. Cut. Fry.
The glaze I used was the same one I put on the Danish Puff Pastry
Here it is again:
Traditional Buttercream Frosting: (learned from Mom)
2 C powdered sugar
1-2 T butter, melted
sprinkle of salt
1/2-1 t vanilla/almond ext
milk
Put everything but milk into a bowl and mix until you can't anymore. Add milk, 1T at a time until glaze is consistency you want it. (I like mine pretty soupy)
And that's that. :D
While I was at work, one of my coworkers and I got talking about healthy food--we work at a bakery, so it doesn't come up all that often. :) While we were talking about it, I told him I make a fruit smoothie every day and without it I can definitely tell the difference. I'm more tired and everything's a bit more fuzzy. He asked me what I put in it, and here it is:
Delicious Delights: Daily Smoothies
1 banana
4 very large frozen strawberries (or the equivalent of frozen fruit)
1 normal yogurt--whichever flavor you choose. I use Activia from Costco, or the low-fat kind from the normal grocery store, and I love the combo of peaches with the frozen strawberries.
2 Tbsp Jell-O powder--supposed to help your joints, again, any flavor. I usually use raspberry.
Milk, to make the blender work
It's best if you blend the frozen strawberries with the milk first. I usually don't, just because it takes a bit longer. I use the magic bullet type thing I have to make my smoothies. (I'll try the blender soon!) I layer it like: (the list is like it is, the ingredient on the bottom, on the bottom--closest to the blades, and the ingredient on the top, on the top)
They are wonderful, and I presume pretty healthy for you. :)
I volunteer in the elementary schools frequently, and the other day I was a couple minutes later than I usually am, so I was in the middle of the hallway when all the students began singing the Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem. Which, despite the incredible talent it takes to sing the song well, it touched my heart to hear them all singing together, memorized by heart, the anthem of our country. Needless to say, they probably don't recognize the significance that it has to me. I was alive and in elementary school myself when the attack on the Twin Towers in New York occurred, so it can only be natural for me to find comfort, strength and courage in this song. Just my experiences. :)
This week I also cleaned Chad's muddy tennis shoes that have been muddy and waiting for me since November's Turkey Bowl...I used the fabulous knowledge source of Google, which led me to many Yahoo questions about it, and determined I would brush off as much mud as I could with a toothbrush, then wash them in the washer with Oxi-Clean and air-dry them.
This is what they looked like when I took them out of the bag to clean them.
Close up. It's pretty caked on there.
After I cleaned them with the toothbrush I decided
I needed to clean it with a wet toothbrush.
Here they are after the wet toothbrush. Amazing wouldn't you say!? Just water and a toothbrush.
And this is after the Oxi-Clean in the washer. I'm impressed. Now you know what to do! Thanks to a conglomeration of Google and Yahoo. :P
Today Chad and I went with our congregation up to Salt Lake to do service at the LDS Temple there. It was such an uplifting experience, and the temple is so beautiful!
Us, in front of the temple, across the reflecting pool.
A picture of a fountain on the other side of the lot, and another picture:
This was from the view of that same fountain.
(you can see them fussing over a new bride getting her pictures taken.
It makes me remember my wedding day!)
Chad, posing for the camera...kind of.
It's bright!!!
here's my smile...haha, he makes me laugh.
He is such a wonderful husband. He keeps talking about how he can't wait until it's summer. Spring is here though:
as evidenced by these photos! So happy it's warm! (at least for the next day or two...)
Next week will be some cookies and at least a craft project or two. Have a great one!
I never know what to title my posts! There are so many things to put up here, since it's been a whole week! The evenings get busy. I'm still trying to adjust to being a new wife. It's fun, believe me. And busy. But I love being busy, so it's great! Today I've got a kitchen tip, a favorite song, fashion, thoughts, food, food and more food. :)
Ever had rock-hard brown sugar? Well, I have, but never this bad! It was bending my spoon as I tried to get it out! I figured that since it is in a canister on my counter, I would just get a paper towel wet with hot water, ring it out as much as I could, and stick it in the top of my canister. Like this:
Looks kinda dorky, I know. BUT my brown sugar is as soft as it was when it came out of the bag! I was amazed, so I thought I would share.
Okay, so time for a taste of the music I love!!! I know Josh Groban is amazing. You know it too. :) His new CD, Illuminations has got to be my favorite. I don't own it yet though. I know. Sad. :( I went to his concert in Salt Lake City, Utah last August. I almost cried just because he was there, singing to me. Like...actually! He sang Happy Birthday to a gal who's birthday was that day. Oh. My. Gosh. I was so jealous. I almost wished it was my birthday! haha. Anyways, I love Josh Groban. Plus, he's hilarious! Have you seen the tweets of Kanye West by Josh Groban? If not, here it is (sorry, the beginning isn't my favorite :(, just skip a little):
Okay, so he's hilarious, has a gorgeous voice...what could be better?! This song:
Made me cry the first time I heard it. Any favorite Josh Groban songs you guys???
While I was sitting in class, listening to group presentations on ESL curriculum guidelines, I saw one of the girls in my class, and I could not get over how everything she was wearing was so cute! Here's Karen:
Just, how she pieced together the whole thing amazes me! Okay, here's where she got everything: Pants: Zara, Shoes: Aldos, Cardigan & Belt: H&M, Shirt: Banana Republic. I love shoes. A lot. and I think that's what clinched the outfit for me. All the colors and tones were just perfect, and the shoes made it heaven. Thank you Karen!
I've been thinking a lot about how much people know. I'm a heavy Pinterest user, and the things I find on people's blogs are amazing! Just, the vast amounts of knowledge that are in this world...I just wanna grab everyone on the street and get to know who they are and what they know. Osmosis through a hug would be the coolest thing ever! It just makes me want to learn everything! I think that's why I'm a teacher. I love everything, so therefore I can teach my students to love everything.
I love food. I love desserts. Danish Puff Pastry (something my Grandma Nell would make at Christmas) is one of my favorites! You think pastry, and you go, oh no! I don't wanna fold this a billion times to make it fluffy and full of goodness! But you don't have to! It just requires some cutting in of butter.
I don't know where the recipe came from, but here it is:
Delicious Delights, Danish Puff Pastry:
Danish Puff Pastry:
1 C flour
1/2 C butter (a stick, cut into pieces)
2 T water (I always use 3 or 4)
1/2 C butter
1 C water
1 C flour
3 eggs
1 t almond ext
Measure 1 C flour into bowl, cut in 1/2 cup butter. Sprinkle 2 T water and mix with a fork. round into ball, divide in half. Make 12"x3" strips, 3" apart on ungreased baking sheet
Combine second amounts of butter and water in saucepan
Bring to rolling boil and remove from heat. Stir in 1 C flour (all at once) to keep from lumping. Stir until smooth. This is what it will look like: kinda doughy, weird texture.
Add one egg at a time. This is the weirdest step. The egg doesn't really mix in very well so you have to mix it forever.
Add extract and beat again. Divide in half and spread over the two crusts on baking pan.
This is the top view. The dough covers the whole crust. Try not to get it over the edges.
This is about how thick it is on the top. It looks weird and tastes nasty all by itself,
which is why you need the frosting (coming later)!
Bake at 350 for 60 minutes (check at 50, especially if you don't know your oven very well, like me, in my new apartment. 60 minutes was a little too much) If you bake it the right amount, it'll be soft in the middle.
This was how mine was:
little toasty
Traditional Buttercream Frosting: (learned from Mom)
2 C powdered sugar
1-2 T butter, melted
sprinkle of salt
1/2-1 t vanilla/almond ext
milk
Put everything but milk into a bowl and mix until you can't anymore. Add milk, 1T at a time until glaze is consistency you want it. (I like mine pretty soupy)
I cut these in half long-ways and then into pieces short-ways.
Yummy yummy!
Then I made dinner...I know. Dessert tends to come first in my mind... :P I work at a bakery, and there are always extra donuts. I used to think they were so amazing. Now, I can only eat a bite before I'm so done with the donuts. Unless they're cake/old-fashioned donuts. *sigh* those are the best ever. I could eat those until...well forever I think. Anyways, I found a recipe on Pinterest!
Pinterest Pinned, Mini Mexican Pizzas:
I actually didn't make mini pizzas, I made big pizzas, but here's the reference recipe, from Dashing Dish!
What I did:
1 lb ground beef, cooked (no seasoning)
1 can refried beans, heated
2 T taco seasoning
1/2 C peach pineapple Chipotle salsa (from Walmart, the Great Value kind)
Mix all that together and spread on 2 normal sized flour tortillas, on greased baking sheet. I put a flour tortilla on a cookie sheet--so I ended up using 2 cookie sheets. Cover in shredded cheese with chives:
yummy yummy
Bake at 425 for 8-9 minutes. It was so surprisingly delicious. Except for the pieces of pineapple (I strongly dislike the texture of pineapple) Thank you Dashing Dish!
Last night Chad and I went to Chili's! I am such a fan of their 2 for $20 right now! It has steak on it!!! But, I didn't get the steak. That'll have to be for next time. I got the Honey Chipotle Chicken Crispers.
plus a corn on the cob! It was so delicious! And the seasoned fries in the ranch...mmmmm. The chicken was the perfect texture, perfect amount of sauce...It was just so good.
Chad got the ribs with the dry rub...look at him! He just can't wait for me to take the pictures so he can eat!
I took a few bites, it reminded me of being in a log cabin up in the woods. Chad said it reminded him of Independence Day on the 4th of July.
Well, welcome to the end of our week! Our next door neighbor just had a baby! So excited for them to come home tomorrow! I'm excited to hear baby cries through the walls! (no, that was not in the least bit sarcastic)
Hope y'all enjoyed! Better try some recipes at home! "Everyone can cook!"--Ratatouille, the Disney/Pixar film. <3 movies! Tell me about good movies you've seen! I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End this weekend. I love love love that movie! It's so clever, and the plot goes everywhere...its good.
