Category: Food

The Truth

Sadie4 Comments

Let’s be honest with ourselves.  Sprinkles is the best discovery you’ve made since you were born.

I’ll have Butter Pecan in a cone with chocolate sprinkles please (vanilla with chocolate sprinkles if it’s soft serve).  

I would say they’re the best ice cream topping, but sprinkles are so much more than just a topping for ice cream.  What else can they do? Decorate cakes, cookies, cupcakes…  They are no one trick pony.

New Jersey loves it’s Italian bakeries, and a staple of the Italian bakery is the sprinkle cookie.  These remind me of childhood and all that is right with the world. Who needs chocolate chips when there are sprinkles?

Italian Sprinkle Cookies

Adapted from Food.com

Yields about 2 dozen (more or less depending on size)

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbs and 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil or shortening
  • 1/2 Tbs almond extract
  • 1 1/2 Tbs lemon zest
  • 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
  • Sprinkles (chocolate or rainbow of the traditional oblong shape)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Use an electric mixer to blend the eggs until frothy.
  3. Combine flour, sugar, shortening, baking powder, almond extract, lemon juice and zest in separate bowl.
  4. Add eggs to the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine.
  5. Roll dough into tablespoon size balls.  Flatten the dough slightly and dip one half of the ball in the sprinkles.  Place the dough sprinkle side up on a parchment lined cookie sheet (you want the dough closer to discs rather than balls so the cookies come out somewhat flat).  Most recipes call for the sprinkles to be added after baking with a glaze or frosting, but I prefer this method.
  6. Bake cookies at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until edges are slightly brown.
  7. Allow to cool and enjoy.  Be careful about handling the cookies when they’re hot because the sprinkles might melt in your hands.  Let them cool!

Five Things

Sadie2 Comments

I love to eat, but you probably don’t.

1. Cottage Cheese.  I think you either like this or you don’t.  I love it, always have, especially with some berries.  Also it’s a great source of protein, usually a serving (depending on the brand and milk fat percentage) has around 100 calories, and more than 10 grams of protein.  Can you say bang for your buck?  It’s a great alternative to the yogurts that way more sugar and not even half the protein.

2. Wheat Germ.  This is a little random I must say.  Usually it’s an ingredient in healthier baking recipes, and who knows what else.  I love to add some to my cereal, or have a bowl of berries with almond milk and some wheat germ to add a little texture.  It adds a nice nuttiness I think.  Apparently it’s high in some vitamins and minerals too.

3. Bulgar.  Say what?  This is a grain like barley that has a nice nuttiness as well.  I use it in anything that I would use rice or quinoa.  It’s good in soups and with veggies.  You just cook it with some water for a few minutes or soak it hot water for longer.  I’m not sure how I got hooked on it, but I definitely enjoy it.

4. Kombucha.  This is a new one for me.  It’s a type of fermented tea kind of drink that is supposed to have all sorts of magical qualities.  Depending on the flavor or additives there are all kinds of vitamins, and it’s supposed to help detox.  It’s the kind of drink you can only find at Whole Foods or other health food stores.  It totally crunchy granola and not for the faint of heart.  It doesn’t taste bad, but it definitely tastes “healthy.”  You have been warned.

Lucky me, I just made a Whole Foods run!

5. Protein Powder.  So as I’ve mentioned I like to work out, and I’m actually not big on eating meat for fish.  I’m not a vegetarian, but I’ll go days or a week or two without eating meat.  This means I need protein from another source.  This might be strange but apart from protein shakes and just adding water to the powder, I have a new method: cereal.  If I need a solid breakfast I will add the following to my bowl: 1 sliced banana, some cereal (something plain like Life), a half to full scoop or vanilla protein powder, almond milk, and maybe some sliced almonds for texture.  Make sure you give it a good stir to get the powder to incorporate.  It’s quite yummy, and I think adding protein to cereal is kind of genius. Yes it adds about 50-140 calories depending on how much powder you use, but it’s basically a complete and completely satisfying breakfast in one bowl, no side dishes or mid morning snack needed.

I let my freak flag fly, so what unique or unpopular food do you swear by?

PS- I’m headed my friend’s wedding today, recap to follow at a later date.  Here’s a preview of the dress and shoe color combo:

Old School Baking

SadieLeave a comment

I had a culinary discovery the other day in the super market in Connecticut: Hermit cookies.  I found them in the bakery section of the store.  I’ve never seen such a cookie.  They are baked in a loaf and sliced like fat biscotti, but they are a lot softer.  Their texture is somewhere between a cookie and a muffin, and they are traditionally spicy, they taste a lot like gingerbread because they have all of that flavoring.  Long story short: Yum.

I tried to research them online since I’ve never heard of them before and I found a lot of conflicting information.  All I can figure out is that they are older, more traditional cookies from the religious groups who settled in New England.  Here I am thinking that the New England baking expertise revolved around donuts of the Dunkin variety, and I had totally overlooked these gems.  As I said, they are spicy, and reminiscent of Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert flavors.   A good cookie, a good snack, a good find.  Give them a try!

Hermit Cookie

From The Food Network

Yields 4-5 dozen cookies depending on size you slice them (about 6 loaves that you will end up slicing, it’s a big recipe)

Ingredients

  • 4 cups AP flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup)
  • 2 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 eggs, plus 1 for eggwash
  • 2/3 cup molasses
  • 3/4 cup golden raisons
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • 2 1/2 Tbs chopped crystalized ginger

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Sift together flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Set Aside
  3. Cream together butter and brown sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, then molasses.  Gradually add dry mixture but to not over mix.
  4. Fold in dried fruit and nuts.

    They look appetizing, right?
  5. Line cookie sheets with parchment.  Form dough into about 6 thin logs with plenty of space to spread while baking (believe me, they will spread).  Logs should be 1-2 inches wide and about 1 inch high.  Paint logs with egg wash before placing in oven.
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 (make sure they are done, mine took a little longer but I’m blaming my oven).
  7. Allow to cool then slice into thick slices (like fat biscotti).