Month: December 2012

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Sadie3 Comments

Surprise, surpise, December is going to be all about the cookies.  It’s cookie season people, and I take it very seriously.  I really enjoy mixing it up every year with a combination of traditional and family recipes, and then a few new options to broaded my horizons.  I love the holiday flavors: gingerbread, buttery pecans, chocolate and pepermint!

For this first cookie I’m a little stuck in November because I can’t get enough pumpkin!  I found this recipe through Pinterest I believe, and I must say, after making several pumpkin recipes this fall, this was a great one to end on.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Yeilds about 40 depending on size, adapted from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter; softened
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside: flour, spices, oats, salt, and baking soda.
  3. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.
  4. Gradually encorporate dry mixture into wet being careful not to over mix.  Fold in chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
  5. Drop cookies onto parchment lined cookie sheet in generous teaspoon size. Bake 12-14 minutes.

Top 3 at Reading Terminal Market

Carrie1 Comment

Last week, I went to the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. It was everything I had imagined it to be. Square foot after square foot of gourmet delights. If you live in the heart of the city, it is the perfect place to do your holiday food shopping. Aisle after aisle, you are able to explore the world of luxury eating. Here are some of the highlights.

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1. Tommy DiNic’s
This is the place where you can get a roast pork sandwich that is to die for. It was written up on Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food and Best Sandwich in America. The roast pork with broccoli rabe and provolone cheese was featured on the latter program. It’s something you don’t want to miss. Make sure to plan your trip around lunch or dinnertime.
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2. Termini Brothers Bakery
This picture does not do this bakery justice. You can only see the biscotti in this photo, but this bakery has every Italian specialty you can imagine. I was not able to make room for a treat after the roast pork sandwich, but I have only heard great things about this bakery.
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3. The Flying Monkey Bakery
This vendor has the greatest bakery treats you can ever imagine. They have a creative flair that takes them above and beyond any normal bakery. I tried their coconut macaroons (a classic) which were so good I didn’t have time to take a picture. You can check their menu out here for yourself and be the judge. The Elvis whoopie pies were also amazing. Two shells of banana chocolate chip cake with peanut butter frosting sandwiched between them!

I hope this helps you in your travels to the Reading Terminal Market!

Nerd Alert!

Sadie3 Comments

Guess what.  I am a Thomas Jefferson fanatic.  Do you think it’s a coincidence that I go to business school at his alma mater?  I think not.  I actually love US presidents in general. I know a lot of useless trivia about them, but TJ is my favorite by far.

Last year I had the pleasure of visiting his house, Monticello, outside of Charlottesville, Virginia.  I was in Charlottesville by myself for a completely different reason, but you better believe I booked a tour at Monticello before I left.  I’ve done a lot of mansion tours in my day: up in Newport, RI, The Biltmore in NC, Versailles in Paris, the Mark Twain House in Hartford, CT, and several chateaus in the Loire Valley just to name a few.  This tour was different because I knew TJ was there. I loved learning about all of the choices he made in the design, and about his daily habits in the house.  I highly recommend it if you’re in the area!TJ

But I digress, this post is actually about a new book about TJ that I recently bought on tape (well CD actually).  I bought the audio version of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, because I’m doing a lot of long drives this month, so I thought it would be good for that.  I haven’t even finished the book yet, but I’ve decided to give it a good review. Often times, these types of books are rather dry, and difficult to get through at times.  I find this one continually interesting.  I am filled with little tidbits about TJ and his family that I never knew before and I’m only up to 1784.  Here are a few I’ve learned so far:

  1. Martha Jefferson (TJ’s wife) actually went by Patty
  2. Patty made TJ swear on her death bed that he would never re-marry and he abided by her request
  3. TJ’s relationship with his mother is largely unknown because all of their correspondence was destroyed when her house burnt down, there is question as to how well they actually got along
  4. Sally Hemmings (TJ’s slave and mistress) was actually his wife’s half sister because her father was Patty’s father (the Hemmings served Patty’s family until Patty’s father died)
  5. Though TJ held numerous leadership roles, perhaps his most disappointing was his stint as governor of Virginia, to his embarrassment, his tenure was largely criticized in an official capacity by the Virginia House of Burgesses

The fact that I live in Virginia is an added bonus as I listen to this book.  I am constantly hearing the names of streets and schools in the area, and now I can identify the significance of their namesake.  Who knew there were so many important Virginians!

Have you read or listened to any good books lately?