Posted on 11/28/2017 3:26:23 PM PST by Jamestown1630
Now that Thanksgiving has passed, the bustle of preparing for Christmas begins. This weekend my husband put up our lights (every year he adds a little something, and by now I suspect our balcony and windows can be seen from space) and we've got most of the gift shopping done. Now I'm thinking about food.
I have never made Christmas cookies as much as I’d like because I felt they had to be done close to the holiday, when I'm usually very busy; and many recipes lose a lot if you freeze the baked product.
For some reason I didn’t think to make at least the dough ahead and freeze that, though I’ve done it with savory pastries. Here from All Recipes is a guide to freezing and then baking your cookie dough, and even your cookies:
http://dish.allrecipes.com/freezing-cookies-and-cookie-dough/
I recently obtained a copy of the first Food52 cookbook, " the first-ever online community cookbook", which has a lot of very interesting recipes, including a good recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana, and a roasted beet/citrus salad that I want to try.
It's a very nice book, the Kindle version of which is currently available on Amazon for $.99; and it includes ‘Secret Cookies’ - which apparently got their name because they were passed down in confidence by an elderly woman who said, “After I’m gone, you may give out the recipe.”:
https://food52.com/recipes/165-secret-cookies
-JT
yes
My best friend from High School loved them - we’d buy a box and finish it off during a night of gossip and playing with makeup.
When she was dying of cancer but still conscious and eating a little, I bought a box thinking it might tempt her. By the time I arrived with it, she wasn’t able to eat anymore :-(
But I’m sure she’s in Heaven, eating those things - we always wondered how they made them ‘cool’ - there seems to have been something else going on than just little specks of concentrated lemon, and powdered sugar. The way they burst ‘cold’ in your mouth reminded me in a way of ‘pop rocks’ ;-)
Liz has a concise - and actually very logical - short-hand, when it comes to recipes :-)
I usually like Molasses anything but preferred the older Archway ones that were big, sugary, a dollop of solid sugar in the center, and soft and yummy.
I don't know why they would stick them by the freezer, probably depends on the stocker and when they come in or they are overstocked and want to move them, who knows?
I make my list for my daughter and screen cap a photo with the Aisle #, then print it out. Some she gets to know but it makes it easier for her to find stuff. That's why I hated shopping there, didn't know where most stuff was except generally.
I haven't been too hungry for candy, got some tavener's licorice from um amazon or someplace. The full flavor comes out if you can chew them and they come fairly fresh which means softer. If I see or think of something I want badly enough, I don't care how it's packaged. I don't like most of it these days. Oh junior mints, the big mint patty, a couple other things if we could find them. Had a plain high-quality chocolate bar from my sister, tried to take a bite, too hard so handed it to my daughter. I could have let it dissolve but didn't seem worth it.
Yeah, if it's something I really like, wrapped or not, I eat way too many at a time.
Dang basketball again. I'm sick of those sportscasters and miss my regular shows. Always griping about something.
Joy of baking.com is one of my favorite recipe sites. That, and Food Wishes.
I dislike redundancy....in conversation, the written word.....especially in recipes.
That’s why my recipes read the way they do.
I’ve always been able to figure them out.
Carry on ;-)
bttt
Does anyone have the recipe for Dutch apple squares? It has a moist, almost cookie like crust, raw, then topped with sliced apples, then with sour cream and powdered sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest mixed together and poured over, then baked. It is so good. Had the recipe 25 years ago. I’ve hunted everywhere on line, but never found it. It’s the crust part I don’t have a recipe for.
Will check it out.
Maybe someone here who has worked for a small bakery can tell me what ingredient they use in cookies and even brownies that gives them all a certain unique taste. Big commercial bakeries or grocery store bakeries don’t use it. Whatever it is, you can smell it when you walk into a local type bakery. (Or an I just nuts?)
They use better ingredients. You pay for that.
But nothing is as good as home-made.
I went to elementary school across the street from a commercial bakery - and this was back in the 1950s. The smell was wonderful - but even then it was always somewhat ‘off’, compared to the smells of my Grandmother’s home baking.
You just can’t pull off the same quality and freshness in large-scale commercial baking, as you can at home.
No, you are not nuts.
What a lovely & sad story. Maybe she & my grandfather are the main taste testers in heaven ; )
And yes they had that cool pop. Haven’t had one in forever. Will remedy that this weekend!
I love wedding cookies w/ a passion & they are one of my most made cookies. I don’t like the archway version.......they have a chemical aftertaste & are sickeningly sweet.
She was a very accomplished artist. The last time I ‘saw’ her was in a dream, where she was teaching some little kids how to draw. She was happy, and looked the same as she did when we were in our ‘heydays’ and about 22 years old :-)
I love the title your hubby acquired!
Thanks for the instant pot info. I’ll keep considering it. I’m sure when my old crockpot, yogurt maker, or pressure cooker dies, I’ll get one. Or the next big sale.
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