Another week and another opportunity to bake up a blessing.
Recently I've been reading through the book of Ecclesiastes. The poetic verses lined with the words "for everything there is a season" are well known to any kid that grew up in Sunday school. I've always known that part of Ecclesiastes but have spent very little time reading past those lyrical verses. What I've found in reading past Ecclesiastes three has made my baking ministry an even greater personal blessing.
Ecclesiastes four is about oppression and toil and friendlessness. It doesn't sound very uplifting. At least that's what I thought when I read the heading of the scriptures to follow. But as I read on I started to see past the dark, depressing words at the top of the page. By the time I got to verse nine I was practically joyful! Toiling away for personal satisfaction is meaningless. Envy is meaningless and downright destructive. But working together is good and unity is powerful.
Baking is a way for me to unite with my brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a way to share in the love of Christ by contributing to a good outside of myself. There is no lasting pleasure in self-gratification but there is eternal blessing in giving, serving and uniting in Christ.
This week as I baked a few classic standby recipes I did so with a renewed joy. Ecclesiastes reminded me that I'm not just baking for the sake of filling stomachs. I'm baking to bless God's cherished children, share in the spreading of Christian fellowship and shine the light of Christ's love. Baking brings me together with my sisters in Christ and for that I am abundantly thankful. Because two is truly better than one, the Bible tells me so.
This week I baked some classic recipes that I've shared with you before. My favorite peanut butter cookie recipe and zucchini muffins (without the walnuts). Bake up a blessing to share with the body of Christ and I'm sure you'll experience the joy of coming together in fellowship that the Bible promises in Ecclesiastes.
Showing posts with label cookie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookie. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014
Romans 15:13 Ministry: Week #2
I looked up the word joy in the dictionary and found a terrible definition. According to Webster's it is a "feeling of great happiness."
This definition left me feeling joyless so I decided to go back to the root of the word, before the days of Webster, and find what joy is really all about.
Sure enough, there it was, the true meaning of joy: rejoice. It comes from the Latin "gaudere" which means "rejoice." The French turned that into "joie" and the English turned that into joy.
Irma Rombauer turned that into the "Joy of Cooking" but more on that in a minute.
Let's just stick to the simple word joy for just a moment.
There are two ways to look at joy. One, you can look at joy as a thing that happens to you. Or you can look at joy as something you make happen. If you simply look in the library dictionary for guidance on joy you will be hard pressed to have it in abundance in your own life because the joy that is taught by Webster's isn't the kind of joy you can choose, it is the kind of joy that just "happens" to you.
But that isn't true joy.
True joy is rejoicing and rejoicing is a choice. No one has rejoicing happen to them. Rejoicing is a verb. Rejoicing is a decision. Rejoicing is a definitive action taken by a person.
And so is joy.
Joy isn't just a feeling of elation because of good circumstances. That would make joy a response, not a decision. But joy is so much more than a conditional response. It is an unconditional action taken by someone who makes a conscious decision.
That brings us to cooking and baking and the joy in those actions. Just ask Irma, there is joy in cooking. Even in the midst of the Great Depression, on the heels of her husbands suicide, Irma found joy in the kitchen and in the formulating and preparing of a meal. She wrote a cookbook on the subject matter, titled it "JOY of Cooking" and 75 years later it is the best selling cookbook of all time.
She found joy in the kitchen because she decided to cook not because it just happened to her. The joy was a product of a decision to go and grab it off the shelf, mix it in a bowl and bake it in an oven. Her joy was roasted, sauteed and broiled along with her meats and potatoes. Her joy wasn't born out of a happiness of life circumstances but out of a decision to make joy happen.
That joy is available to everyone whether or not they choose to cook or bake or order carry out. Joy is as easy to attain as making a decision. If you find decision making hard then I suppose joy is hard to capture and sustain. But if you can make up your mind to be joyful, to live in a state of rejoicing, the joy will flow abundantly without need for a particular mood or "happiness" to overtake you.
And if you do decide to express your joy in the kitchen then I encourage you to share that joy with others through the blessing of your baking and cooking bounty. When joy is shared it is multiplied. I do believe Irma would have agreed that the more joy - the more cooking, the more baking, the more sharing - the better.
For a treat worthy of sharing I suggest these Glazed Pumpkin Muffins (recipe below). My recipe is adapted from AllRecipes. I read countless pumpkin muffin recipes before tweaking this one to make it the perfect muffin recipe (in my humble opinion). I shared these muffins with the women's Bible study I have started to bake for as an outreach of my Romans 15:13 Ministry. These muffins along with thumbprint cookies (recipe can be found recipe here) were my treats of the week. They were a hit with my tasters and a joy to bake!
Pumpkin Muffins
1 cup pumpkin (canned "or" fresh)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup veg. oil
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 TB heavy cream
1 TSP vanilla extract
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 TB maple syrup
Whisk sugar, heavy cream and vanilla together until blended. On low to medium speed add cream cheese and syrup (amount may vary depending on personal taste). If the glaze is too thick add some more heavy cream. Blend until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle on cooled muffins.
This definition left me feeling joyless so I decided to go back to the root of the word, before the days of Webster, and find what joy is really all about.
Sure enough, there it was, the true meaning of joy: rejoice. It comes from the Latin "gaudere" which means "rejoice." The French turned that into "joie" and the English turned that into joy.
Irma Rombauer turned that into the "Joy of Cooking" but more on that in a minute.
Let's just stick to the simple word joy for just a moment.
There are two ways to look at joy. One, you can look at joy as a thing that happens to you. Or you can look at joy as something you make happen. If you simply look in the library dictionary for guidance on joy you will be hard pressed to have it in abundance in your own life because the joy that is taught by Webster's isn't the kind of joy you can choose, it is the kind of joy that just "happens" to you.
But that isn't true joy.
True joy is rejoicing and rejoicing is a choice. No one has rejoicing happen to them. Rejoicing is a verb. Rejoicing is a decision. Rejoicing is a definitive action taken by a person.
And so is joy.
Joy isn't just a feeling of elation because of good circumstances. That would make joy a response, not a decision. But joy is so much more than a conditional response. It is an unconditional action taken by someone who makes a conscious decision.
That brings us to cooking and baking and the joy in those actions. Just ask Irma, there is joy in cooking. Even in the midst of the Great Depression, on the heels of her husbands suicide, Irma found joy in the kitchen and in the formulating and preparing of a meal. She wrote a cookbook on the subject matter, titled it "JOY of Cooking" and 75 years later it is the best selling cookbook of all time.
She found joy in the kitchen because she decided to cook not because it just happened to her. The joy was a product of a decision to go and grab it off the shelf, mix it in a bowl and bake it in an oven. Her joy was roasted, sauteed and broiled along with her meats and potatoes. Her joy wasn't born out of a happiness of life circumstances but out of a decision to make joy happen.
That joy is available to everyone whether or not they choose to cook or bake or order carry out. Joy is as easy to attain as making a decision. If you find decision making hard then I suppose joy is hard to capture and sustain. But if you can make up your mind to be joyful, to live in a state of rejoicing, the joy will flow abundantly without need for a particular mood or "happiness" to overtake you.
And if you do decide to express your joy in the kitchen then I encourage you to share that joy with others through the blessing of your baking and cooking bounty. When joy is shared it is multiplied. I do believe Irma would have agreed that the more joy - the more cooking, the more baking, the more sharing - the better.
For a treat worthy of sharing I suggest these Glazed Pumpkin Muffins (recipe below). My recipe is adapted from AllRecipes. I read countless pumpkin muffin recipes before tweaking this one to make it the perfect muffin recipe (in my humble opinion). I shared these muffins with the women's Bible study I have started to bake for as an outreach of my Romans 15:13 Ministry. These muffins along with thumbprint cookies (recipe can be found recipe here) were my treats of the week. They were a hit with my tasters and a joy to bake!
Pumpkin Muffins
1 cup pumpkin (canned "or" fresh)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup veg. oil
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray 16 muffin tins with cooking spray.
- Blend pumpkin, eggs, water and oil in large bowl.
- Stir together all dry ingredients and then pour and mix into wet.
- Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake for about 25 or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 TB heavy cream
1 TSP vanilla extract
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 TB maple syrup
Whisk sugar, heavy cream and vanilla together until blended. On low to medium speed add cream cheese and syrup (amount may vary depending on personal taste). If the glaze is too thick add some more heavy cream. Blend until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle on cooled muffins.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Happy Monday: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Have you ever woken up to a day that feels, how shall I put it, blah? The weather is overcast. The days agenda for what lies ahead is the same old, same old. Your hair is flat and make up just isn't doing the trick to perk up your looks or your mood.
This isn't necessary a case of depression or even a day in the dumps. What you might be experiencing is what we Americans like to call "Monday."
You might think that the case of the Mondays only happens to those who wake up to the sound of an alarm and must trudge off to work after a blissful weekend away from the desk. But let me tell you, the Mondays happen to workers and non-workers alike. There is something inherent in the day itself that seems to foist a stale, lackluster mood onto us all.
Maybe it goes back to the childhood, grade school years - at least that's where I place my blame for lack of Monday enthusiasm. I never liked Mondays growing up. I loved Saturday and Sunday best of all. Let's just say I wasn't school's number one fan. I was, and still am, a home body. I left my house each morning and immediately started the hourly countdown till the final bell rang that would release me from the confines of the prison, I mean, school I attended. Needless to say graduation was one of the greatest days of my twenty four years thus far.
So you see this is why I blame my dislike for school on my dislike for Mondays. Somewhere out there on Monday there is a kid just like me wishing it were still the weekend, wishing they could just stay home and not go to the institutional setting of a classroom with a blackboard, stern teacher and cruel students. Somewhere there is a kid who just wants to stay home with Mom, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch instead of standing in a cafeteria line picking through a blob of mystery meat. Somewhere there is a child who is sitting in class, embarrassed to raise their hand and ask a question for fear of mockery and snickers from fellow classmates. I get that kid. And I get why they don't ever want Monday to come.
Today I'm baking for that kid. I'm baking them a cake because on Monday, after a day spent back at an uncomfortable desk in a room flooded with harsh fluorescent lights and the stinging smell of disinfectant, there is nothing better than a cake sitting on the kitchen counter, freshly frosted and waiting to be enjoyed.
I can't bake a cake for every child who suffers from the case of the Mondays but I can bake a cake for the kids in my life who got up this morning and were met with the sight of school uniforms and lunch boxes. I pray that their day wasn't one of endless torture as they watched the clock, but I couldn't blame them if it felt tedious and never ending as they sat in the confines of a school that feels like a world away from home.
This cake is a cake to celebrate that even Mondays spent in school give way to Tuesdays. The dismissal bell always rings. The bus always takes you back home. And a pair of play clothes is always waiting in the drawer.
And, as hard as it is to believe in elementary school, Mondays are a day made by the Lord. They are beautiful in His sight no matter how dreaded they may feel to you and I. Monday can be just as blessed and beautiful as Saturday and Sunday if we choose to look at the glory of God in our mopey Monday.
So here's a cake to kick off the week! May yours be one of immeasurable goodness and bountiful blessings! Happy Monday.
For your own Happy Monday cookie cake creation visit Sally's Baking Addiction for this chocolate chip cookie cake. (Hand written message was my own personal touch.)
This isn't necessary a case of depression or even a day in the dumps. What you might be experiencing is what we Americans like to call "Monday."
You might think that the case of the Mondays only happens to those who wake up to the sound of an alarm and must trudge off to work after a blissful weekend away from the desk. But let me tell you, the Mondays happen to workers and non-workers alike. There is something inherent in the day itself that seems to foist a stale, lackluster mood onto us all.
Maybe it goes back to the childhood, grade school years - at least that's where I place my blame for lack of Monday enthusiasm. I never liked Mondays growing up. I loved Saturday and Sunday best of all. Let's just say I wasn't school's number one fan. I was, and still am, a home body. I left my house each morning and immediately started the hourly countdown till the final bell rang that would release me from the confines of the prison, I mean, school I attended. Needless to say graduation was one of the greatest days of my twenty four years thus far.
So you see this is why I blame my dislike for school on my dislike for Mondays. Somewhere out there on Monday there is a kid just like me wishing it were still the weekend, wishing they could just stay home and not go to the institutional setting of a classroom with a blackboard, stern teacher and cruel students. Somewhere there is a kid who just wants to stay home with Mom, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch instead of standing in a cafeteria line picking through a blob of mystery meat. Somewhere there is a child who is sitting in class, embarrassed to raise their hand and ask a question for fear of mockery and snickers from fellow classmates. I get that kid. And I get why they don't ever want Monday to come.
Today I'm baking for that kid. I'm baking them a cake because on Monday, after a day spent back at an uncomfortable desk in a room flooded with harsh fluorescent lights and the stinging smell of disinfectant, there is nothing better than a cake sitting on the kitchen counter, freshly frosted and waiting to be enjoyed.
I can't bake a cake for every child who suffers from the case of the Mondays but I can bake a cake for the kids in my life who got up this morning and were met with the sight of school uniforms and lunch boxes. I pray that their day wasn't one of endless torture as they watched the clock, but I couldn't blame them if it felt tedious and never ending as they sat in the confines of a school that feels like a world away from home.
This cake is a cake to celebrate that even Mondays spent in school give way to Tuesdays. The dismissal bell always rings. The bus always takes you back home. And a pair of play clothes is always waiting in the drawer.
And, as hard as it is to believe in elementary school, Mondays are a day made by the Lord. They are beautiful in His sight no matter how dreaded they may feel to you and I. Monday can be just as blessed and beautiful as Saturday and Sunday if we choose to look at the glory of God in our mopey Monday.
So here's a cake to kick off the week! May yours be one of immeasurable goodness and bountiful blessings! Happy Monday.
For your own Happy Monday cookie cake creation visit Sally's Baking Addiction for this chocolate chip cookie cake. (Hand written message was my own personal touch.)
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Romans 15:13 Ministry Week #1
Baking on the Fritz has had a blessing territory expansion! Fritz (me) is not only baking to keep my family fat and happy but now I'm baking for a ministry - a real, honest to goodness Christian ministry that reaches out to inner-city women.
If it were proper literary terminology I'd write "wahooo!" to express my excitement that way but because that isn't exactly proper English or even a word found in the dictionary I'll refrain. Just know that it is in that spirit that I announce this latest baking development.
You may be wondering how I went from baking simply as a way to keep my family in an abundance of sweets to baking for a weekly ministry. I could embellish some elaborate story about how my baked goods happened to be tasted by a pastry chef who was blown away by the crumb of my cookies and the delicate sweetness of my cream cheese frosting.
I could then think up a story about how that pastry chef was best friends with a director of a ministry outreach to inner city women and how this woman was just dying to have homemade baked goods to treat the women to each week when they came to Bible study. I could say that this pastry chef looked at me and said, "You must bake for them! I insist on it!" And then I could tell you that this pastry chef took me to the ministry director and presented me and my baked goods, giving his blessing to my baking ministry endeavor.
But that would be completely made up. What I would call a lie. So I'll just tell you the truth.
I emailed the ministry director and asked if I could bake for the women's Bible study that meets each week. She said yes and the rest is history.
Although my foray into baking ministry doesn't have an elaborate story it does have a meaningful beginning. Sometimes God doesn't throw a pastry chef at you and tell you to start baking up blessings. Sometimes you have to take the first step and reach out!
God planted in me this love to bake and has given my body the stamina to stand all day in the kitchen without fatigue. Over these past few months the call to bake for the spreading of Christ's love has grown stronger and stronger. I sat on the idea for a while praying over how to proceed and if to proceed. It was after that period of contemplation that I decided to take a leap of faith and offer what I have to give, my baking.
Can words explain how thrilled I am that my baking ministry was welcomed? I'm beyond thrilled!
Yesterday was my first day of baked goods delivery. I made three treats: pumpkin cookies with a vanilla glaze, blackberry oat bars and apple cherry oat bars. I covered all my treats in foil and wrote on the top "Romans 15:13."
I don't know what God has in store for Baking on the Fritz. And that's the most exciting thing about this whole baking adventure. I have no idea where it's going! All I know is that next week I'm going to be baking for a room full of women who are opening up their Bible's (maybe for the very first time) to hear about their creator and savior.
Through baking God is showing me that I don't have to venture off into foreign lands and third world countries to be smack dab in the middle of God's territory and God's mission field. This might be right where he wants me, in my kitchen baking up blessings for the society right outside my door. I'm trusting where God leads, embracing the task set before me to spread the love of Christ one baked up treat at a time.
If it were proper literary terminology I'd write "wahooo!" to express my excitement that way but because that isn't exactly proper English or even a word found in the dictionary I'll refrain. Just know that it is in that spirit that I announce this latest baking development.
You may be wondering how I went from baking simply as a way to keep my family in an abundance of sweets to baking for a weekly ministry. I could embellish some elaborate story about how my baked goods happened to be tasted by a pastry chef who was blown away by the crumb of my cookies and the delicate sweetness of my cream cheese frosting.
I could then think up a story about how that pastry chef was best friends with a director of a ministry outreach to inner city women and how this woman was just dying to have homemade baked goods to treat the women to each week when they came to Bible study. I could say that this pastry chef looked at me and said, "You must bake for them! I insist on it!" And then I could tell you that this pastry chef took me to the ministry director and presented me and my baked goods, giving his blessing to my baking ministry endeavor.
But that would be completely made up. What I would call a lie. So I'll just tell you the truth.
I emailed the ministry director and asked if I could bake for the women's Bible study that meets each week. She said yes and the rest is history.
Although my foray into baking ministry doesn't have an elaborate story it does have a meaningful beginning. Sometimes God doesn't throw a pastry chef at you and tell you to start baking up blessings. Sometimes you have to take the first step and reach out!
God planted in me this love to bake and has given my body the stamina to stand all day in the kitchen without fatigue. Over these past few months the call to bake for the spreading of Christ's love has grown stronger and stronger. I sat on the idea for a while praying over how to proceed and if to proceed. It was after that period of contemplation that I decided to take a leap of faith and offer what I have to give, my baking.
Can words explain how thrilled I am that my baking ministry was welcomed? I'm beyond thrilled!
Yesterday was my first day of baked goods delivery. I made three treats: pumpkin cookies with a vanilla glaze, blackberry oat bars and apple cherry oat bars. I covered all my treats in foil and wrote on the top "Romans 15:13."
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I'm filling people's bellies with treats made by hand, made from scratch and made with love. But more importantly I want to share with them the joy, peace and love found in Jesus Christ. I want them to be full not just on cookies and cake but on the power of the Holy Spirit. I don't know what God has in store for Baking on the Fritz. And that's the most exciting thing about this whole baking adventure. I have no idea where it's going! All I know is that next week I'm going to be baking for a room full of women who are opening up their Bible's (maybe for the very first time) to hear about their creator and savior.
Through baking God is showing me that I don't have to venture off into foreign lands and third world countries to be smack dab in the middle of God's territory and God's mission field. This might be right where he wants me, in my kitchen baking up blessings for the society right outside my door. I'm trusting where God leads, embracing the task set before me to spread the love of Christ one baked up treat at a time.
To find the recipes I used to bake up these goods follow the links below!
Oat bars: Better Homes and Gardens New CookBook
Pumpkin cookies:http://cookingwithruthie.com/2012/11/09/thee-best-pumpkin-cookies/
Monday, September 15, 2014
Failed: Pumpkin Snicker-doodle Cookie
Failure is a part of life. Sometimes failure can be big, monumental, life changing. Take, for example, a failed marriage or a failed business venture. These failures can be crushing and, for some, absolutely devastating.
Other failures aren't so life altering. Sometimes the failure can be as simple as a batch of lousy tasting pumpkin snicker-doodle cookies - my failure of the day. Thankfully this failure isn't the life-ruining variety but it still isn't enjoyable to put forth time and effort only to be left with a lousy cookie lacking in flavor and short of sweetness. What is a cookie supposed to be if not deliciously sweet and flavorful?
My snicker-doodle snafu could keep me out of the kitchen. Let's face it, failure has a tendency to do that to do that to people, bakers and non-bakers alike. We fail, screw up or fall short of our goal and we become paralyzed to give it another go. Failure isn't fun. Failure is embarrassing - like delivering a lousy batch of tasteless cookies to a dinner party!
Unfortunately, failure in life is inevitable. It happens and it happens frequently. Sometimes in big ways and sometimes in small ways, but in every life failure is inescapable. The key is to not let failure ruin you but renew you!
Over the past four years of searching for an answer to my health dilemma I've tried so many different doctors, therapies, supplements and alternative treatments. I've gone from one side of the country to the other looking for a successful approach to treating what has plagued my body.
But for four years I came up with nothing but failure. One doctor after another would try different approaches to treating me and one after another would prove ineffective in giving me any lasting, permanent relief. The flare ups still came. My body remained on the fritz no matter what anyone tried to do to provide answers and healing.
Now, four (almost five) years later, I have a piece of my puzzle. I have a diagnosis. It is a step in a direction of healing and wellbeing. It isn't the "answer" or a "cure." It is a label and a name but it is also a big flashing billboard along my journey shouting the words, "Exit now!" After all of the failed attempts at finding some kind of answer I am just thankful to have success in the arena of test results, no matter how upsetting they may be.
But the journey isn't over yet. There is bound to be more failure to come as I begin down the road of finding what will provide my body relief and healing. There are so many options when it comes to treating MS. Therapies, supplements, diet plans, exercises, drugs, surgeries… the list of options runs the gamut. The trick is that not every treatment works for every person. This is not a one-size-fits-all disease with a one-size-fits-all pill to make it all go away. It is individualized in how it attacks the body and therefore the approach to treatment is just as personalized.
As I search for what will work for me I have to remember the lesson in the failed pumpkin snicker-doodle: don't give up when you run into failure.
There are going to be treatments that I will try and will prove be be entirely ineffective. I could spend months on a particular medication or supplement only to find that it made no difference at all. I could spent hours researching therapies and alternative treatments that will render useless for my personal case of MS. But I must not let those failures cause me to give up, reason to throw in the towel and stop searching.
With every failure I can choose to become paralyzed, worn out and depleted of the emotional stamina to continue on or I can pick myself up again and keep pursuing the health and well being God has for me.
If and when I run into failure I am determined that I will not let it crush my spirit. I will get back to searching for a new way to treat my muscles on the fritz just like I will get back in the kitchen this afternoon to bake up another batch of pumpkin cookies (not eggless snicker-doodles this time around, I can guarantee you that!)
Thankfully, failure is never the end of the journey. It may be a twist in the road or a complete U-turn, but it isn't the end. Failure is a lesson in what doesn't work and a directive to try another path. It is a fresh start, a new beginning.
So when you fail (which you will because you're human) don't let it keep you out of the kitchen. Clean off your counter. Wash out the dishes. Put your apron back on and get back to baking. Because there is a recipe out there with your name on it and if you search long enough, experiment with enough different ingredients and quantities and recipes, I guarantee you will find your home-run success of a snicker-doodle. And who knows, it may even have pumpkin in it!
Other failures aren't so life altering. Sometimes the failure can be as simple as a batch of lousy tasting pumpkin snicker-doodle cookies - my failure of the day. Thankfully this failure isn't the life-ruining variety but it still isn't enjoyable to put forth time and effort only to be left with a lousy cookie lacking in flavor and short of sweetness. What is a cookie supposed to be if not deliciously sweet and flavorful?
My snicker-doodle snafu could keep me out of the kitchen. Let's face it, failure has a tendency to do that to do that to people, bakers and non-bakers alike. We fail, screw up or fall short of our goal and we become paralyzed to give it another go. Failure isn't fun. Failure is embarrassing - like delivering a lousy batch of tasteless cookies to a dinner party!
Unfortunately, failure in life is inevitable. It happens and it happens frequently. Sometimes in big ways and sometimes in small ways, but in every life failure is inescapable. The key is to not let failure ruin you but renew you!
Over the past four years of searching for an answer to my health dilemma I've tried so many different doctors, therapies, supplements and alternative treatments. I've gone from one side of the country to the other looking for a successful approach to treating what has plagued my body.
But for four years I came up with nothing but failure. One doctor after another would try different approaches to treating me and one after another would prove ineffective in giving me any lasting, permanent relief. The flare ups still came. My body remained on the fritz no matter what anyone tried to do to provide answers and healing.
Now, four (almost five) years later, I have a piece of my puzzle. I have a diagnosis. It is a step in a direction of healing and wellbeing. It isn't the "answer" or a "cure." It is a label and a name but it is also a big flashing billboard along my journey shouting the words, "Exit now!" After all of the failed attempts at finding some kind of answer I am just thankful to have success in the arena of test results, no matter how upsetting they may be.
But the journey isn't over yet. There is bound to be more failure to come as I begin down the road of finding what will provide my body relief and healing. There are so many options when it comes to treating MS. Therapies, supplements, diet plans, exercises, drugs, surgeries… the list of options runs the gamut. The trick is that not every treatment works for every person. This is not a one-size-fits-all disease with a one-size-fits-all pill to make it all go away. It is individualized in how it attacks the body and therefore the approach to treatment is just as personalized.
As I search for what will work for me I have to remember the lesson in the failed pumpkin snicker-doodle: don't give up when you run into failure.
There are going to be treatments that I will try and will prove be be entirely ineffective. I could spend months on a particular medication or supplement only to find that it made no difference at all. I could spent hours researching therapies and alternative treatments that will render useless for my personal case of MS. But I must not let those failures cause me to give up, reason to throw in the towel and stop searching.
With every failure I can choose to become paralyzed, worn out and depleted of the emotional stamina to continue on or I can pick myself up again and keep pursuing the health and well being God has for me.
If and when I run into failure I am determined that I will not let it crush my spirit. I will get back to searching for a new way to treat my muscles on the fritz just like I will get back in the kitchen this afternoon to bake up another batch of pumpkin cookies (not eggless snicker-doodles this time around, I can guarantee you that!)
Thankfully, failure is never the end of the journey. It may be a twist in the road or a complete U-turn, but it isn't the end. Failure is a lesson in what doesn't work and a directive to try another path. It is a fresh start, a new beginning.
So when you fail (which you will because you're human) don't let it keep you out of the kitchen. Clean off your counter. Wash out the dishes. Put your apron back on and get back to baking. Because there is a recipe out there with your name on it and if you search long enough, experiment with enough different ingredients and quantities and recipes, I guarantee you will find your home-run success of a snicker-doodle. And who knows, it may even have pumpkin in it!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {flour-less}
A flour-less cookie? It sounds like an oxymoron. How could a cookie possibly be flour-less? Gluten-less I get. Even those with a severe allergy or intolerance to gluten can have a cookie made with almond flour, coconut flour or even oat flour (as long as its gluten free). But no flour whatsoever? The whole concept baffles my baking mind.
And so I had to give it a try. Five simple ingredients were all the recipe called for to create a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie….without flour.
Here's the recipe (from memory, that's how simple it is!):
1 cup peanut butter (creamy)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
And then, equally as simply, the instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the first four ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. Form dough into tablespoon balls and place them on parchment lined baking sheet. Put in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. Take out of oven and let cool on sheet for about a minute. Remove from sheet onto wire rack to cool. Eat.
I will be honest, I was extremely skeptical of how this recipe could possibly turn out with any level of success. But I was curious, too, so I decided to test out the theory of flour-less cookies and see if this phenomenon could actually produce a delicious cookie.
Amazingly enough, the cookies didn't just "turn out" they were stand-outs! Unlike a normal peanut butter cookie with a faint peanut flavor, the flour-less cookie had an intense peanut flavor that said, "I'm a nut and I'm here! Eat up and enjoy!" There was no flour to dilute the goodness of a a rich peanut butter flavor. And the chocolate chips weren't overpowered by thick dough. The pleasure of the flour-less cookie is that it highlights all the goodness of a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie without being diluted by the addition of a flavorless gluten invader! Without flour every bite concentrates on peanut butter, sugar and chocolate. Flour-less cookies don't just taste delicious, they make logical sense, too!
Once again there is a lesson to be found in this simple cookie. Sometimes I think I know what I need. To bake I thought I needed flour. In life I often fall into the temptation of believing that I need to be healed from MS or I fall into the trap of believing that I need to put on weight to be happy, find friendship to be fulfilled and have a significant other to be validated. But the truth is that none of those things are necessary.
All that I will ever need I have today, right now in this moment because I have Christ. He is all I need. He is my all in all. He is the peanut butter and the chocolate chips. The rest is just flour. It can make my life denser but none of those extras will add to the true goodness of what I already have as a child of God. The truly divine richness and joy of life is found in Jesus. And I am already His and He is already mine.
If someday I am healed of this MS or I find a Godly man to share life with then that will be a wonderful blessing. But the bottom line is I don't need those blessings to be blessed, full and content. True contentment and true joy are found in being full of Jesus Christ, overflowing with His love.
And there's no flour required.
And so I had to give it a try. Five simple ingredients were all the recipe called for to create a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie….without flour.
Here's the recipe (from memory, that's how simple it is!):
1 cup peanut butter (creamy)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
And then, equally as simply, the instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the first four ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. Form dough into tablespoon balls and place them on parchment lined baking sheet. Put in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. Take out of oven and let cool on sheet for about a minute. Remove from sheet onto wire rack to cool. Eat.
I will be honest, I was extremely skeptical of how this recipe could possibly turn out with any level of success. But I was curious, too, so I decided to test out the theory of flour-less cookies and see if this phenomenon could actually produce a delicious cookie.
Amazingly enough, the cookies didn't just "turn out" they were stand-outs! Unlike a normal peanut butter cookie with a faint peanut flavor, the flour-less cookie had an intense peanut flavor that said, "I'm a nut and I'm here! Eat up and enjoy!" There was no flour to dilute the goodness of a a rich peanut butter flavor. And the chocolate chips weren't overpowered by thick dough. The pleasure of the flour-less cookie is that it highlights all the goodness of a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie without being diluted by the addition of a flavorless gluten invader! Without flour every bite concentrates on peanut butter, sugar and chocolate. Flour-less cookies don't just taste delicious, they make logical sense, too!
Once again there is a lesson to be found in this simple cookie. Sometimes I think I know what I need. To bake I thought I needed flour. In life I often fall into the temptation of believing that I need to be healed from MS or I fall into the trap of believing that I need to put on weight to be happy, find friendship to be fulfilled and have a significant other to be validated. But the truth is that none of those things are necessary.
All that I will ever need I have today, right now in this moment because I have Christ. He is all I need. He is my all in all. He is the peanut butter and the chocolate chips. The rest is just flour. It can make my life denser but none of those extras will add to the true goodness of what I already have as a child of God. The truly divine richness and joy of life is found in Jesus. And I am already His and He is already mine.
If someday I am healed of this MS or I find a Godly man to share life with then that will be a wonderful blessing. But the bottom line is I don't need those blessings to be blessed, full and content. True contentment and true joy are found in being full of Jesus Christ, overflowing with His love.
And there's no flour required.
Glazed Sweet Potato Pie Cookies
Google (or Bing if that is your preference) the question, "What to do with leftover sweet potato" and you will receive over 28,000 responses. Make a pie. Fix a casserole. Prepare a quick bread or whip up a batter for a cake. Some cooks even suggest forming the mash into little patties and frying them in copious amounts of butter. Or you could become your very own Paula Deen and turn those spuds (or yams) into biscuits.
As tantalizing as those options sound I knew I wasn't looking for another cake, a quick or slow bread or even a pie. Today I wanted to mold dough, whisk a glaze and create a cookie! The only trouble with this baking adventure was the lack of recipes featuring both a cookie and sweet potato and glaze. I saw a few chocolate chip sweet potato cookies that touted, "butter free, gluten free, healthy!" I eat healthy. I am a big fan of healthy. But my dessert loving family prefers their sweets not healthy. They like the gluten, the sugar and most certainly the butter!
So the chocolate chip cookies were out.
Finally I fell upon Sweet Potato Pie Cookies with Orange Glaze. I looked at the picture. Not the tantalizing image I was hoping for. I read the ingredients. Sugar, butter, flour, cinnamon, more sugar, more butter - all the necessities were there. I read the reviews. Five stars and rave reviews with few substitutions or tweaks from the bakers. Still I was hesitant to give this recipe a try. I did more searching for other recipes but kept coming up short. I turned back to the Sweet Potato Pie Cookies and decided to give them a try with the hope that I wouldn't be wasting a massive amount of ingredients and time.
So I put out a stick of butter and one egg to bring them to room temperature. I measured out a cup of leftover sweet potato and pulled out my sugars, spices, flour and vanilla extract. As I beat the ingredients into a moist dough I started noticing the scent of the sweet potato, all spice and sugar. It was divine. The consistency looked perfect, too. Not too thick and not too thin, perfect for shaping cookies. The color was even perfect for the fall season. My heaping tablespoons of dough looked like the rich brown of a leaf in its final stages of change before it is due to fall to the earth.
I said a prayer and popped my cookies in the oven set at 375 (convection - a must for proper browning of cookies). Twelve minutes later I pulled out the first sheet of cookies to find a golden crisp forming on the edges and a perfectly puffy top rising in my oven. And that scent! It had gained sweetness and deliciousness in those twelve minutes spent baking in the oven.
As soon as the cookies were cool enough to eat I employed my trusty taste tester (Mom) and waited with baited breath for a verdict. Success. The cookies were not a disaster! The ingredients were not wasted! The cookies were edible, even satisfying and scrumptious!
For the glaze, at the request of my taste tester, I decided to forgo the recipe's suggested orange flavor in lieu of maple and vanilla. I don't have a precise recipe for the glaze. I can tell you this much, it started with a lot of browned butter, confectioners sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla and then an undocumented amount of maple syrup and heavy cream. For that combination I must give credit to my official taste tester who had a sudden stroke of baking desire and took over in the completion of the glazing process.
From the creation of leftovers turned cookies I learned a lesson: trust the recipe. I was so concerned that the cookies wouldn't turn out. I vacillated over whether or not to give them a try and almost went in an entirely different baking direction. But in the end I decided to trust the developer of the recipe. And I'm glad I did.
Much like with baking, with Christ I have a choice: trust the author of life (the ultimate recipe developer) or rely on my own (very limited) understanding. Just like when it comes to baking, I will be better off to put my confidence in the instructions and follow them precisely. It is in heading the directive of Christ that I will get the best results.
I'm not a recipe developer for cookies or the developer of the best plans for my life. That's why it is best that I leave both the recipe instructions and the life instructions to those who know best. For Sweet Potato Pie Cookies that would be the Food Network website's Patrick and Gina Needly. In life that would be God.
The lesson is a simple one: trust and obey. As the little song goes, "trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey."
Ready to take a leap of faith and trust an out-of-the-ordinary recipe? Try sweet potato cookies. Here's the recipe I used for the cookie: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/sweet-potato-pie-cookies-with-orange-glaze-recipe.html.
As tantalizing as those options sound I knew I wasn't looking for another cake, a quick or slow bread or even a pie. Today I wanted to mold dough, whisk a glaze and create a cookie! The only trouble with this baking adventure was the lack of recipes featuring both a cookie and sweet potato and glaze. I saw a few chocolate chip sweet potato cookies that touted, "butter free, gluten free, healthy!" I eat healthy. I am a big fan of healthy. But my dessert loving family prefers their sweets not healthy. They like the gluten, the sugar and most certainly the butter!
So the chocolate chip cookies were out.
Finally I fell upon Sweet Potato Pie Cookies with Orange Glaze. I looked at the picture. Not the tantalizing image I was hoping for. I read the ingredients. Sugar, butter, flour, cinnamon, more sugar, more butter - all the necessities were there. I read the reviews. Five stars and rave reviews with few substitutions or tweaks from the bakers. Still I was hesitant to give this recipe a try. I did more searching for other recipes but kept coming up short. I turned back to the Sweet Potato Pie Cookies and decided to give them a try with the hope that I wouldn't be wasting a massive amount of ingredients and time.
So I put out a stick of butter and one egg to bring them to room temperature. I measured out a cup of leftover sweet potato and pulled out my sugars, spices, flour and vanilla extract. As I beat the ingredients into a moist dough I started noticing the scent of the sweet potato, all spice and sugar. It was divine. The consistency looked perfect, too. Not too thick and not too thin, perfect for shaping cookies. The color was even perfect for the fall season. My heaping tablespoons of dough looked like the rich brown of a leaf in its final stages of change before it is due to fall to the earth.
I said a prayer and popped my cookies in the oven set at 375 (convection - a must for proper browning of cookies). Twelve minutes later I pulled out the first sheet of cookies to find a golden crisp forming on the edges and a perfectly puffy top rising in my oven. And that scent! It had gained sweetness and deliciousness in those twelve minutes spent baking in the oven.
As soon as the cookies were cool enough to eat I employed my trusty taste tester (Mom) and waited with baited breath for a verdict. Success. The cookies were not a disaster! The ingredients were not wasted! The cookies were edible, even satisfying and scrumptious!
For the glaze, at the request of my taste tester, I decided to forgo the recipe's suggested orange flavor in lieu of maple and vanilla. I don't have a precise recipe for the glaze. I can tell you this much, it started with a lot of browned butter, confectioners sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla and then an undocumented amount of maple syrup and heavy cream. For that combination I must give credit to my official taste tester who had a sudden stroke of baking desire and took over in the completion of the glazing process.
From the creation of leftovers turned cookies I learned a lesson: trust the recipe. I was so concerned that the cookies wouldn't turn out. I vacillated over whether or not to give them a try and almost went in an entirely different baking direction. But in the end I decided to trust the developer of the recipe. And I'm glad I did.
Much like with baking, with Christ I have a choice: trust the author of life (the ultimate recipe developer) or rely on my own (very limited) understanding. Just like when it comes to baking, I will be better off to put my confidence in the instructions and follow them precisely. It is in heading the directive of Christ that I will get the best results.
I'm not a recipe developer for cookies or the developer of the best plans for my life. That's why it is best that I leave both the recipe instructions and the life instructions to those who know best. For Sweet Potato Pie Cookies that would be the Food Network website's Patrick and Gina Needly. In life that would be God.
The lesson is a simple one: trust and obey. As the little song goes, "trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey."
Ready to take a leap of faith and trust an out-of-the-ordinary recipe? Try sweet potato cookies. Here's the recipe I used for the cookie: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/sweet-potato-pie-cookies-with-orange-glaze-recipe.html.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Iced Oatmeal Cookies
This morning I had four little reasons to start baking. Their names are Lucas, Hailey, Eliot and Juliette. They are four of my ten nieces and nephews and this morning they came over for a babysitting date with Grandma (my Mom) while their Mom's had a morning out with yours truly, the childless sister-in-law.
The kids in my life are one of the primary reasons I bake. It is how I bless them. On days when my leg is flaring (like today) and my digestion leaves me house bound (way too often) I can still impact the lives of those adorable little kids by baking treats they'll love.
Little Eliot is one of my biggest fans. When I pull into the drive way, open his front and walk in with a tray, plate or tin full of the latest goodie he always comes running asking in the cutest little voice you've ever heard, "What did you bake today, Stephie?" He always uses my name and is always the first to dig into whatever dessert I have on hand. I don't think anyone loves what I bake as much as Eliot.
This morning got busy in the kitchen. I woke up knowing that by ten o'clock I wanted to have a special treat baked and ready for the kids to enjoy when they arrived. Eliot would be excited to see what sugary surprise I had in store and the rest of the kids would be more than willing to dig into a cookie at ten in the morning.
In an attempt to keep this dessert semi-healthy (a stretch to say the least) I decided to stick with an oatmeal cookie. This is a faux Archway cookie. It is a classic oatmeal base with a sugary glaze. Like I said, healthy is a stretch when describing this cookie. But, hey, oatmeal is healthier than chocolate chips, right? And after all this is Grandma's house. Dessert at ten in the morning isn't off limits!
So to the recipe we go! This delicious and classic treat comes courtesy of Annie Eats. You can check out her blog and the recipe at http://www.annies-eats.com/2014/09/04/iced-oatmeal-cookies/.
For a classic cookie beloved by little hands and grown ups alike I highly suggest giving this cookie a try. If you're really feeling decedent, have it for breakfast. I won't tell, and neither will Eliot. After all, he's a morning cookie lover, too.
The kids in my life are one of the primary reasons I bake. It is how I bless them. On days when my leg is flaring (like today) and my digestion leaves me house bound (way too often) I can still impact the lives of those adorable little kids by baking treats they'll love.
Little Eliot is one of my biggest fans. When I pull into the drive way, open his front and walk in with a tray, plate or tin full of the latest goodie he always comes running asking in the cutest little voice you've ever heard, "What did you bake today, Stephie?" He always uses my name and is always the first to dig into whatever dessert I have on hand. I don't think anyone loves what I bake as much as Eliot.
This morning got busy in the kitchen. I woke up knowing that by ten o'clock I wanted to have a special treat baked and ready for the kids to enjoy when they arrived. Eliot would be excited to see what sugary surprise I had in store and the rest of the kids would be more than willing to dig into a cookie at ten in the morning.
In an attempt to keep this dessert semi-healthy (a stretch to say the least) I decided to stick with an oatmeal cookie. This is a faux Archway cookie. It is a classic oatmeal base with a sugary glaze. Like I said, healthy is a stretch when describing this cookie. But, hey, oatmeal is healthier than chocolate chips, right? And after all this is Grandma's house. Dessert at ten in the morning isn't off limits!
So to the recipe we go! This delicious and classic treat comes courtesy of Annie Eats. You can check out her blog and the recipe at http://www.annies-eats.com/2014/09/04/iced-oatmeal-cookies/.
For a classic cookie beloved by little hands and grown ups alike I highly suggest giving this cookie a try. If you're really feeling decedent, have it for breakfast. I won't tell, and neither will Eliot. After all, he's a morning cookie lover, too.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
The Classic Snickerdoodle
Did you know that you and I were created for today, for right now, for this very moment? We aren't created to be caught up in what's ahead, banking on changed circumstances. In doing so we'll miss who we are right now and what you have right now.
I've spent so much time speaking the words, "this will change" in regards to my health and my weight. I've tried on dresses that I can't fill out and pants that my butt won't hold up and I've been discouraged. To help me overcome the frustration of being severely underweight I've told myself, "You'll wear those someday when you weight more. You won't be this way forever."
But hey, wait a second! What if I am like this forever? What if this is my "perfect" weight according to God's scale? Am I going to constantly be dissatisfied with my weight, pinning for it to be higher, longing for curves in the right places and a butt that fits into size 00 pants? Am I going to spend the rest of my life looking ahead to a different body?
This is the body I have been given and it functions and it runs and it bakes and it is beautiful! It doesn't need another single pound to be blessed and touched by the hand of God. If God doesn't see fit for me to weigh an ounce more than I can go on the rest of my days at this weight and survive and thrive. My problem with my weight isn't that I'm about to keel over, it's that I'm not content with it. Despite my constant refrain that "this too shall pass" it has yet to pass, God hasn't changed it yet.
Could it be that He wants me to be satisfied, content and at peace with my body - weight and all?
I think that is precisely what He desires of me.
I have been created in the image of God. My MS, my weight, even my boney appearance are all part of God's plan for my life. Who am I to question His goodness? Who am I to question the body He has put me in and the path He has plotted for me? Do I need to be at a certain weight to be happy? Do I need to fit into a certain size pants to like the girl I see in the mirror?
No, this body was delicately and purposefully created by my all-mighty Father who knew down to the ounce what I would weigh when I was born and what I would weigh today at age twenty four! None of this is a surprise to Him and none of it is out of His control. If I am living according to God's will, following obediently as He leads then I shouldn't question why He won't let me put on a single pound. I just need to trust He has my weight, just like my life, right where He wants it.
I can go on wishing and hoping that some day I'll weigh more but in doing so I am telling God that where He has me right now isn't good enough. When I lament my current circumstances I tell God that He hasn't gotten this one right. What foolishness!
Of course God has it right. I am the one who can't see the grand plan. I'm so focused on single pieces of the puzzle while God sees the entire picture, the completed masterpiece and He knows how to put it all together.
I'm not going to question why I'm in this body any longer. And I'm not going to wish it away, either. I'm going to stop looking ahead to a different set of circumstances, different weight on the scale and different body. I'm going to love me just the way I am right now because this is how God has created me! And this I know for sure, He doesn't make mistakes. He is the perfect Creator who has made my body perfectly for me!
To celebrate my simply perfect, God given life today I am baking up a simple, sweet and classic cookie, the snickerdoodle. This cookie doesn't have a single chip, swirl or crumble yet it is a favorite in the world of cookies. Who would think that something so easy to prepare with such a basic list of ingredients could produce something so beloved?
I turned to Mrs. Sigg's for the "best snickerdoodle recipe ever" (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mrs-Siggs-Snickerdoodles/). I haven't tried every snickerdoodle recipe so I can't promise that this is the best ever but over three thousand reviewers have given it almost a full five stars so it is a promising recipe to say the least. The result is a classic cookie sure to please practically any palate. I made a few minor tweaks to the recipe as advised by other bakers. First I increased the amount of flour to three cups. Secondly I lined my baking sheets with parchment paper and baked at convection 375. Last I upped the amount of the cinnamon sugar rolling concoction.
My cookie celebration was another success! More importantly my whole day was one of joy and peace because it was filled with contentment in the moment and thankfulness for life as it is right here, right now.
I've spent so much time speaking the words, "this will change" in regards to my health and my weight. I've tried on dresses that I can't fill out and pants that my butt won't hold up and I've been discouraged. To help me overcome the frustration of being severely underweight I've told myself, "You'll wear those someday when you weight more. You won't be this way forever."
But hey, wait a second! What if I am like this forever? What if this is my "perfect" weight according to God's scale? Am I going to constantly be dissatisfied with my weight, pinning for it to be higher, longing for curves in the right places and a butt that fits into size 00 pants? Am I going to spend the rest of my life looking ahead to a different body?
This is the body I have been given and it functions and it runs and it bakes and it is beautiful! It doesn't need another single pound to be blessed and touched by the hand of God. If God doesn't see fit for me to weigh an ounce more than I can go on the rest of my days at this weight and survive and thrive. My problem with my weight isn't that I'm about to keel over, it's that I'm not content with it. Despite my constant refrain that "this too shall pass" it has yet to pass, God hasn't changed it yet.
Could it be that He wants me to be satisfied, content and at peace with my body - weight and all?
I think that is precisely what He desires of me.
I have been created in the image of God. My MS, my weight, even my boney appearance are all part of God's plan for my life. Who am I to question His goodness? Who am I to question the body He has put me in and the path He has plotted for me? Do I need to be at a certain weight to be happy? Do I need to fit into a certain size pants to like the girl I see in the mirror?
No, this body was delicately and purposefully created by my all-mighty Father who knew down to the ounce what I would weigh when I was born and what I would weigh today at age twenty four! None of this is a surprise to Him and none of it is out of His control. If I am living according to God's will, following obediently as He leads then I shouldn't question why He won't let me put on a single pound. I just need to trust He has my weight, just like my life, right where He wants it.
I can go on wishing and hoping that some day I'll weigh more but in doing so I am telling God that where He has me right now isn't good enough. When I lament my current circumstances I tell God that He hasn't gotten this one right. What foolishness!
Of course God has it right. I am the one who can't see the grand plan. I'm so focused on single pieces of the puzzle while God sees the entire picture, the completed masterpiece and He knows how to put it all together.
I'm not going to question why I'm in this body any longer. And I'm not going to wish it away, either. I'm going to stop looking ahead to a different set of circumstances, different weight on the scale and different body. I'm going to love me just the way I am right now because this is how God has created me! And this I know for sure, He doesn't make mistakes. He is the perfect Creator who has made my body perfectly for me!
To celebrate my simply perfect, God given life today I am baking up a simple, sweet and classic cookie, the snickerdoodle. This cookie doesn't have a single chip, swirl or crumble yet it is a favorite in the world of cookies. Who would think that something so easy to prepare with such a basic list of ingredients could produce something so beloved?
I turned to Mrs. Sigg's for the "best snickerdoodle recipe ever" (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mrs-Siggs-Snickerdoodles/). I haven't tried every snickerdoodle recipe so I can't promise that this is the best ever but over three thousand reviewers have given it almost a full five stars so it is a promising recipe to say the least. The result is a classic cookie sure to please practically any palate. I made a few minor tweaks to the recipe as advised by other bakers. First I increased the amount of flour to three cups. Secondly I lined my baking sheets with parchment paper and baked at convection 375. Last I upped the amount of the cinnamon sugar rolling concoction.
My cookie celebration was another success! More importantly my whole day was one of joy and peace because it was filled with contentment in the moment and thankfulness for life as it is right here, right now.
Friday, August 22, 2014
PB&J Thumbprint Cookies
"I need a new beach cover up."
About two seconds after that sentence left my mouth I knew it had been a ridiculous statement. Who needs a beach cover up? Answer: no one.
On one side of my brain I am well aware that a beach cover up is a completely unnecessary item, especially when you already have a beach cover up from a few seasons back that still does the job of covering up on the way to the beach. Yet, despite my brain's understanding of need versus want I still find myself falling into the trap of overconsumption. I see something that looks pretty and I think, "I'd like to have that. I shall have that!" And before you know it my debit card is sliding through the little machine, I'm punching four numbers onto a little electronic pad and my desired item is in a bag on its way to becoming another member of my closet's wardrobe family.
That scenario is a sure thing if I act simply off of impulse and the emotional reaction that speaks to me and says, "If you like it, get it." It is only when I stop, ponder and think that I can reason through what is a reasonable indulgence and what is just plain silly.
The statement, "I need a new beach cover up" was completely silly. I did not and do not need a new beach cover up. Would I like a new beach cover up? Yes. Do I need one? Absolutely not. In fact, if I got a new beach cover up I would have to sit on my suitcase to close it to fit all of my current apparel and new purchases into the same bag. I'm barely zipping that enormous bag(s) as it is.
The first time that sentence left my mouth I couldn't help but laugh a little at the sheer absurdity of my thoughts. What a land of abundance I live in! I am overwhelmingly blessed to be surrounded by beautiful things, beautiful sights and all the creature comforts a person could ever want. Not only am I well stocked with everything I need but I am overflowing with things that I simply want and certainly don't need.
Over the next few days following my silly "need" statement I found myself thinking about wants versus needs as I passed beach cover ups in the store. I combed through the hangers considering what could be bought if I so desired and what could be had if I left empty handed.
In the end I left empty handed. And here's why: I decided that leaving without a new beach cover up gave me the pleasure of being satisfied and content with what I have right now, today, in this moment. I didn't need to buy anything new with fresh tags and a new style. Instead I choose to be satisfied with what I have instead of finding satisfaction in buying the perfect "thing" for that moment. It may not be a monumental decision but for me it was a symbolic action to show to myself that I don't need anything more than what I have right now to be happy and fulfilled.
With that satisfied and contentment front and center in my thoughts I let that principle influence today's baking adventure. Instead of hitting the grocery store for an array of new ingredients I opened the pantry and let the bounty in my cupboards give life to another delicious dessert.
Enter: PB&J Cookies.
There is nothing more comforting and classic then the combination of peanut butter and jelly, both of which are in my cabinet just waiting to be baked into a sugary treat.
With crunchy PB in one hand and blackberry jelly in the other I got to work on my cookies. A little flour, sugar, vanilla, butter, baking soda, salt and one egg yolk later my dough was ready to be rolled in sugar and baked at 350 for ten minutes.
At first I was a bit concerned about how this recipe would turn out. The instructions said to put the jelly in after the cookies baked. I'd never made thumbprint cookies this way but trusted the expert (Dessert for Two blogger) and baked the cookies jelly free.
The blogger didn't steer me wrong. The cookies were a hit, yet another small batch recipe success! To try baking up your own comforting classic PB&J cookies head over to Dessert for Two at http://www.dessertfortwo.com/2012/01/pb-j-cookies/.
About two seconds after that sentence left my mouth I knew it had been a ridiculous statement. Who needs a beach cover up? Answer: no one.
On one side of my brain I am well aware that a beach cover up is a completely unnecessary item, especially when you already have a beach cover up from a few seasons back that still does the job of covering up on the way to the beach. Yet, despite my brain's understanding of need versus want I still find myself falling into the trap of overconsumption. I see something that looks pretty and I think, "I'd like to have that. I shall have that!" And before you know it my debit card is sliding through the little machine, I'm punching four numbers onto a little electronic pad and my desired item is in a bag on its way to becoming another member of my closet's wardrobe family.
That scenario is a sure thing if I act simply off of impulse and the emotional reaction that speaks to me and says, "If you like it, get it." It is only when I stop, ponder and think that I can reason through what is a reasonable indulgence and what is just plain silly.
The statement, "I need a new beach cover up" was completely silly. I did not and do not need a new beach cover up. Would I like a new beach cover up? Yes. Do I need one? Absolutely not. In fact, if I got a new beach cover up I would have to sit on my suitcase to close it to fit all of my current apparel and new purchases into the same bag. I'm barely zipping that enormous bag(s) as it is.
The first time that sentence left my mouth I couldn't help but laugh a little at the sheer absurdity of my thoughts. What a land of abundance I live in! I am overwhelmingly blessed to be surrounded by beautiful things, beautiful sights and all the creature comforts a person could ever want. Not only am I well stocked with everything I need but I am overflowing with things that I simply want and certainly don't need.
Over the next few days following my silly "need" statement I found myself thinking about wants versus needs as I passed beach cover ups in the store. I combed through the hangers considering what could be bought if I so desired and what could be had if I left empty handed.
In the end I left empty handed. And here's why: I decided that leaving without a new beach cover up gave me the pleasure of being satisfied and content with what I have right now, today, in this moment. I didn't need to buy anything new with fresh tags and a new style. Instead I choose to be satisfied with what I have instead of finding satisfaction in buying the perfect "thing" for that moment. It may not be a monumental decision but for me it was a symbolic action to show to myself that I don't need anything more than what I have right now to be happy and fulfilled.
With that satisfied and contentment front and center in my thoughts I let that principle influence today's baking adventure. Instead of hitting the grocery store for an array of new ingredients I opened the pantry and let the bounty in my cupboards give life to another delicious dessert.
Enter: PB&J Cookies.
There is nothing more comforting and classic then the combination of peanut butter and jelly, both of which are in my cabinet just waiting to be baked into a sugary treat.
With crunchy PB in one hand and blackberry jelly in the other I got to work on my cookies. A little flour, sugar, vanilla, butter, baking soda, salt and one egg yolk later my dough was ready to be rolled in sugar and baked at 350 for ten minutes.
At first I was a bit concerned about how this recipe would turn out. The instructions said to put the jelly in after the cookies baked. I'd never made thumbprint cookies this way but trusted the expert (Dessert for Two blogger) and baked the cookies jelly free.
The blogger didn't steer me wrong. The cookies were a hit, yet another small batch recipe success! To try baking up your own comforting classic PB&J cookies head over to Dessert for Two at http://www.dessertfortwo.com/2012/01/pb-j-cookies/.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Crisps and Cookies
With each new day and each new recipe I'm all the more convinced that baking is the perfect way to bless other people. Baking is a way to serve. Baking is a way to show love, care and compassion.
For the past four years I've been asking God to use me. I've felt so useless just stuck at home, trapped in an unpredictable body with unpredictable nerves. I've wanted to be a giver, doing for others and serving people in a way that would show the love of Christ. I've cried out to God and begged Him to make me useful for Him.
At first I thought He wasn't listening or didn't hear me because my health just worsened and my life became more limited. The ways I used to serve and give can't be part of my life in my physical state. As I've watched my life become reduced in so many ways I've faced moments and seasons of frustration, feeling that God was leaving me out to dry.
But then something happened. I found that God could use me right here at home, in my own kitchen. All I had to do was bake and I could start sharing blessings.
Isn't it amazing how God is working even when we feel like He's gone silent? For years I wondered what God was doing with my life and how He would ever make anything out of it given my physical condition. But He doesn't need me to be in perfect health to be busy in the kitchen. He just needs me to have a willing spirit.
Today my spirit has been very willing. So willing in fact that I baked up two different desserts for two different crowds.
First off was a Blueberry Peach Crumble (or Crisp). These seasonal treats were for some of my favorite church ladies who came over for a luncheon. I baked up my crumbles/crisps in individual ramekins and topped them with vanilla ice cream. I love individual sized desserts, they are special and, of course, cute! The golden brown, bubbling crumbles topped with a heaping scoop of refreshing ice cream were truly the perfect dessert for an August afternoon.
The days second adventure in the kitchen was for my all my nieces and nephews. Those kiddos are growing quite accustomed to my daily dessert delivery. But seriously, what kid wouldn't like a new dessert delivered every afternoon to their doorstep? Especially when it comes hot out of the oven and contains chocolate chips.
The recipe I used for my cookies is the infamous Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie. To be honest I'm not sure if the recipe I used is the legitimate "top secret original recipe." I saw some conflicting opinions on what goes into the famed cookie but, either way, these cookies were a big hit. I choose a recipe that didn't use oatmeal (a controversy in the blogging world) and went for a recipe that used instant coffee powder. I baked them at 300 degrees for about fifteen minutes. At first I was reluctant to bake them at such a low temperature for so long but reviewers all over the internet swear by this method so I gave it a go. I'm so glad I did! The cookies were moist, a little puffy and slightly crispy. They turned golden but not burnt. The cookies looked like little balls of baked doughy perfection and everyone who tasted them agreed.
Let's just say that the Neiman Marcus cookie is famous for a reason. I think they just became by go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Way to go Neiman….or Marcus. You came up with one seriously scrumptious cookie.
For today's recipes check out these sites...
For the crumble/ crisp: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/blueberry-peach-crumble/
I followed this recipe almost precisely except that I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the fruit base. I'm a cinnamon lover. The scent… the taste… I just can't get enough cinnamon in my life.
For the cookies: http://neimanmarcuscareers.com/story/recipe.shtml
Didn't change a thing! Absolute perfection.
For the past four years I've been asking God to use me. I've felt so useless just stuck at home, trapped in an unpredictable body with unpredictable nerves. I've wanted to be a giver, doing for others and serving people in a way that would show the love of Christ. I've cried out to God and begged Him to make me useful for Him.
At first I thought He wasn't listening or didn't hear me because my health just worsened and my life became more limited. The ways I used to serve and give can't be part of my life in my physical state. As I've watched my life become reduced in so many ways I've faced moments and seasons of frustration, feeling that God was leaving me out to dry.
But then something happened. I found that God could use me right here at home, in my own kitchen. All I had to do was bake and I could start sharing blessings.
Isn't it amazing how God is working even when we feel like He's gone silent? For years I wondered what God was doing with my life and how He would ever make anything out of it given my physical condition. But He doesn't need me to be in perfect health to be busy in the kitchen. He just needs me to have a willing spirit.
Today my spirit has been very willing. So willing in fact that I baked up two different desserts for two different crowds.
First off was a Blueberry Peach Crumble (or Crisp). These seasonal treats were for some of my favorite church ladies who came over for a luncheon. I baked up my crumbles/crisps in individual ramekins and topped them with vanilla ice cream. I love individual sized desserts, they are special and, of course, cute! The golden brown, bubbling crumbles topped with a heaping scoop of refreshing ice cream were truly the perfect dessert for an August afternoon.
The days second adventure in the kitchen was for my all my nieces and nephews. Those kiddos are growing quite accustomed to my daily dessert delivery. But seriously, what kid wouldn't like a new dessert delivered every afternoon to their doorstep? Especially when it comes hot out of the oven and contains chocolate chips.
The recipe I used for my cookies is the infamous Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie. To be honest I'm not sure if the recipe I used is the legitimate "top secret original recipe." I saw some conflicting opinions on what goes into the famed cookie but, either way, these cookies were a big hit. I choose a recipe that didn't use oatmeal (a controversy in the blogging world) and went for a recipe that used instant coffee powder. I baked them at 300 degrees for about fifteen minutes. At first I was reluctant to bake them at such a low temperature for so long but reviewers all over the internet swear by this method so I gave it a go. I'm so glad I did! The cookies were moist, a little puffy and slightly crispy. They turned golden but not burnt. The cookies looked like little balls of baked doughy perfection and everyone who tasted them agreed.
Let's just say that the Neiman Marcus cookie is famous for a reason. I think they just became by go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Way to go Neiman….or Marcus. You came up with one seriously scrumptious cookie.
For today's recipes check out these sites...
For the crumble/ crisp: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/blueberry-peach-crumble/
I followed this recipe almost precisely except that I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the fruit base. I'm a cinnamon lover. The scent… the taste… I just can't get enough cinnamon in my life.
For the cookies: http://neimanmarcuscareers.com/story/recipe.shtml
Didn't change a thing! Absolute perfection.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Mini Brownie Ice Cream Cupcakes!
Girls just wanna have fun. Cyndi Lauper had it right back in the 1980's. Well, she had some things right. Not her hair style but that's a whole other story.
But back to the fun.
In that fun-filled spirit today I baked up little mini brownie crusts for little mini ice cream cakes. This dessert is seriously fun! Exactly what I want. I would like to tell you that I played Cyndi Lauper's #1 billboard hit while I baked these little mini brownies but I would be fibbing and I'm not into that. I believe honesty is the best policy. But I can honestly say that these little treats are enjoyable to create even without a soundtrack of feminism in the background. Feminism is another thing I'm not into. But again, that's another story.
So, the mini ice cream cakes. You might be wondering what recipe I used, where I came up with the genius idea and how they turned out. First of all, I did not dream up this tantalizing treat without the assistance of Pinterest, my favorite place to scour for clever ideas. Joy the Baker provided inspiration for my little cupcake, brownie, ice cream cake delicacies. You can find her blog and this particular recipe at http://joythebaker.com/2009/04/brownie-bottom-ice-cream-cupcakes/.
For my own personal miniature cupcake, brownie, ice cream cakes I used a different brownie recipe. That can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-brownies/. These brownies are highly recommended with over five thousand reviewers putting in a good word for the little cocoa bars. I felt quite safe using the recipe and was not disappointed. They turned out perfectly. I baked them in my lined muffin tin at 350 for about eight minutes. They were perfectly cooked through without being too dry or too moist. The perfect base for the rest of my cake treat!
After allowing the brownies to cool I scooped out ice cream onto the tops of my partially filled cups. I chose mint chocolate chip, peanut butter cup and chocolate chip cookie dough as my ice creams. I filled six different cups with each ice cream making a grand total of eighteen cakes. I refroze the cakes while I made the chocolate topping Joy recommended. After putting on my chocolate top (working quickly so the ice cream didn't melt, just as Joy advised) I put the treats back in the freezer until serving time. Then, last but not least, I cheated and used a prepared whipped topping. No whip cream from scratch tonight. I guess you could say that purchasing the whip topping was more fun!
Today my tasters were a house full of kids and adults with seriously intense sweet teeth! The personal sized ice cream cakes were a hit with young and old.
Here's a heads up to any parent who might feed this treat to their child, have them eat it outside! These decedent desserts are seriously messy. I recommend a plate underneath and a handful of napkins (or Viva paper towels) at the ready.
Today I learned that sometimes it's just fun to prepare a cute, miniature, special treat for sugar loving loved ones. And girls just want to have fun. So my advice for the day is, ladies, scoot on into the kitchen and bake up something adorable and definitely something fun! Oh, and turn on some Cyndi Lauper while you're at it!
But back to the fun.
In that fun-filled spirit today I baked up little mini brownie crusts for little mini ice cream cakes. This dessert is seriously fun! Exactly what I want. I would like to tell you that I played Cyndi Lauper's #1 billboard hit while I baked these little mini brownies but I would be fibbing and I'm not into that. I believe honesty is the best policy. But I can honestly say that these little treats are enjoyable to create even without a soundtrack of feminism in the background. Feminism is another thing I'm not into. But again, that's another story.
So, the mini ice cream cakes. You might be wondering what recipe I used, where I came up with the genius idea and how they turned out. First of all, I did not dream up this tantalizing treat without the assistance of Pinterest, my favorite place to scour for clever ideas. Joy the Baker provided inspiration for my little cupcake, brownie, ice cream cake delicacies. You can find her blog and this particular recipe at http://joythebaker.com/2009/04/brownie-bottom-ice-cream-cupcakes/.
For my own personal miniature cupcake, brownie, ice cream cakes I used a different brownie recipe. That can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-brownies/. These brownies are highly recommended with over five thousand reviewers putting in a good word for the little cocoa bars. I felt quite safe using the recipe and was not disappointed. They turned out perfectly. I baked them in my lined muffin tin at 350 for about eight minutes. They were perfectly cooked through without being too dry or too moist. The perfect base for the rest of my cake treat!
After allowing the brownies to cool I scooped out ice cream onto the tops of my partially filled cups. I chose mint chocolate chip, peanut butter cup and chocolate chip cookie dough as my ice creams. I filled six different cups with each ice cream making a grand total of eighteen cakes. I refroze the cakes while I made the chocolate topping Joy recommended. After putting on my chocolate top (working quickly so the ice cream didn't melt, just as Joy advised) I put the treats back in the freezer until serving time. Then, last but not least, I cheated and used a prepared whipped topping. No whip cream from scratch tonight. I guess you could say that purchasing the whip topping was more fun!
Today my tasters were a house full of kids and adults with seriously intense sweet teeth! The personal sized ice cream cakes were a hit with young and old.
Here's a heads up to any parent who might feed this treat to their child, have them eat it outside! These decedent desserts are seriously messy. I recommend a plate underneath and a handful of napkins (or Viva paper towels) at the ready.
Today I learned that sometimes it's just fun to prepare a cute, miniature, special treat for sugar loving loved ones. And girls just want to have fun. So my advice for the day is, ladies, scoot on into the kitchen and bake up something adorable and definitely something fun! Oh, and turn on some Cyndi Lauper while you're at it!
Friday, August 8, 2014
Sugar Cookies
Christmas time isn't the only occasion for a crisp, light, frosted sugar cookie. Turn that cut-out Santa into an ice cream cone and you have the perfect summer time cookie treat.
Today's fun in the kitchen goes back to the basics and what could be more basic than a sugar cookie? The ingredients are simple but the result, when done correctly, is perfection. The wrong kind of sugar can create a dense, heavy cookie. Too much flour and the cookies won't crisp. And if the icing is too thick or too sweet the cookies will leave the taster with a mouth full of sticky sugar. One cookie will be one too much.
But when the classic cut-out sugar cookie is baked to a golden brown with a slight crisp along the edges and then topped with the perfectly sweet and light icing, cookie perfection is attained. That classic, unadorned cookie can't be beat.
My Mom has always instructed me to find one particular kind of sugar cookie recipe. She doesn't have a go-to recipe to hand down on a worn and tattered index card but she still manages to direct my sugar cookie recipe selection. Go for the confectioner's sugar. With that advice as my guide I bring you this cookie recipe from AllRecipes (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Marys-Sugar-Cookies/). I followed it precisely, chilling the dough for about two hours. The dough was easy to work with, didn't crumble and didn't feel overly sticky.
After about seven minutes in the oven at convect 350 my cookies were a perfect golden brown - crisp edges and not too puffy. I topped them with a simple icing of about two cups confectioners sugar with two tablespoons milk and one teaspoon vanilla. Those measurements are just an estimate. I didn't measure. I used the instincts of my inner baker to guide my icing preparation.
Of course, the best part of baking sugar cookies is the fun of decorating them with assorted colors and little sprinkles. Mom and I used our not-so-professional tools of toothpicks and small butter knives to put the finishing touches on my crispy treats.
The exciting verdict is that these cookies turned out tasting as good as they look. So that makes them cute and delicious, the perfect cookie combination!
Today's baking foray was a success and a great reminder of not only a basic cookie recipe, but a basic principle in life: Mom knows best. Whether it is choosing a recipe in the kitchen or putting together the recipe of life, my Mom is my most trusted guide and constant voice of wisdom. Where would my baking be without her?
Today's fun in the kitchen goes back to the basics and what could be more basic than a sugar cookie? The ingredients are simple but the result, when done correctly, is perfection. The wrong kind of sugar can create a dense, heavy cookie. Too much flour and the cookies won't crisp. And if the icing is too thick or too sweet the cookies will leave the taster with a mouth full of sticky sugar. One cookie will be one too much.
But when the classic cut-out sugar cookie is baked to a golden brown with a slight crisp along the edges and then topped with the perfectly sweet and light icing, cookie perfection is attained. That classic, unadorned cookie can't be beat.
My Mom has always instructed me to find one particular kind of sugar cookie recipe. She doesn't have a go-to recipe to hand down on a worn and tattered index card but she still manages to direct my sugar cookie recipe selection. Go for the confectioner's sugar. With that advice as my guide I bring you this cookie recipe from AllRecipes (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Marys-Sugar-Cookies/). I followed it precisely, chilling the dough for about two hours. The dough was easy to work with, didn't crumble and didn't feel overly sticky.
After about seven minutes in the oven at convect 350 my cookies were a perfect golden brown - crisp edges and not too puffy. I topped them with a simple icing of about two cups confectioners sugar with two tablespoons milk and one teaspoon vanilla. Those measurements are just an estimate. I didn't measure. I used the instincts of my inner baker to guide my icing preparation.
Of course, the best part of baking sugar cookies is the fun of decorating them with assorted colors and little sprinkles. Mom and I used our not-so-professional tools of toothpicks and small butter knives to put the finishing touches on my crispy treats.
The exciting verdict is that these cookies turned out tasting as good as they look. So that makes them cute and delicious, the perfect cookie combination!
Today's baking foray was a success and a great reminder of not only a basic cookie recipe, but a basic principle in life: Mom knows best. Whether it is choosing a recipe in the kitchen or putting together the recipe of life, my Mom is my most trusted guide and constant voice of wisdom. Where would my baking be without her?
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Failed: White Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies
Today's recipe comes to you with lackluster enthusiasm. I hit the ground this morning low on spunk and pep. I attribute my low energy to the LDN - low dose naltrexone. Last night was my first night taking medication for MS. There are few side effects with this particular medication. Unfortunately there is one sacrifice that must be made during the first week on the meds: vivid, frequent, crazy dreams. I can attest to the severity of this side effect. It feels like I was running in circles all last night, not getting my beauty sleep.
It is only to be expected that my sleeplessness took its toll on my baking adventure of the day. It was a half-hearted effort that resulted in a decent, edible but far from exciting cookie.
The recipe, "White Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies" sounded divine. Cheesecake itself sounds luscious and the simplicity of a cookie can't be beat - especially when baking on empty. The pictures showed a soft, pillowy cookie with a light crumb and golden hue. With high hopes, I set out my butter and cream cheese to get them softened and ready for baking.
After mixing all of my ingredients and refrigerating my dough for the recommended two hours, I popped my little balls of dough in the oven on a parchment lined baking sheet. Convect 350 instead of bake at 375. Ten minutes later and my cookies were looking good. A golden brown crisp was forming on the edges and the tops were almost precisely like the picture. I pulled them out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes and then transferred them to a sheet of foil.
From my vantage point the cookies looked perfect but from the mouth of my official taste tester came a different story. Her face said it all: these cookies were not a home-run, smash-hit goodie.
I left the next few batches in the oven for a few minutes longer at the directive of my taste tester but still the cookies never met the high expectations I had set for them. With every bite the cookies just simply fell flat….
As you know I usually post a photo and link to a particular recipe at the end of each baking experiment recap. Not so today. The recipe was a failure. The pictures were just so-so. My recommendation for today is this, don't get discouraged when your cookies fail and your tasters give your creation two thumbs down. Just bake again tomorrow. Which is precisely what I'm going to do.
Every day won't be the greatest day of your life and every cookie won't be "the best ever." Simply get up and give it another go. Learn from the failure and use a different recipe the next time around.
As for me, I won't be baking up another batch of White Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies again any time soon. I'm moving on to another recipe, another dessert type and another day of baking.
But first, some much needed sleep.
It is only to be expected that my sleeplessness took its toll on my baking adventure of the day. It was a half-hearted effort that resulted in a decent, edible but far from exciting cookie.
The recipe, "White Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies" sounded divine. Cheesecake itself sounds luscious and the simplicity of a cookie can't be beat - especially when baking on empty. The pictures showed a soft, pillowy cookie with a light crumb and golden hue. With high hopes, I set out my butter and cream cheese to get them softened and ready for baking.
After mixing all of my ingredients and refrigerating my dough for the recommended two hours, I popped my little balls of dough in the oven on a parchment lined baking sheet. Convect 350 instead of bake at 375. Ten minutes later and my cookies were looking good. A golden brown crisp was forming on the edges and the tops were almost precisely like the picture. I pulled them out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes and then transferred them to a sheet of foil.
From my vantage point the cookies looked perfect but from the mouth of my official taste tester came a different story. Her face said it all: these cookies were not a home-run, smash-hit goodie.
I left the next few batches in the oven for a few minutes longer at the directive of my taste tester but still the cookies never met the high expectations I had set for them. With every bite the cookies just simply fell flat….
As you know I usually post a photo and link to a particular recipe at the end of each baking experiment recap. Not so today. The recipe was a failure. The pictures were just so-so. My recommendation for today is this, don't get discouraged when your cookies fail and your tasters give your creation two thumbs down. Just bake again tomorrow. Which is precisely what I'm going to do.
Every day won't be the greatest day of your life and every cookie won't be "the best ever." Simply get up and give it another go. Learn from the failure and use a different recipe the next time around.
As for me, I won't be baking up another batch of White Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies again any time soon. I'm moving on to another recipe, another dessert type and another day of baking.
But first, some much needed sleep.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Let's start with a classic. I don't know if I would call Peanut Butter Blossoms the "very beginning" but they are certainly a classic cookie. Chocolate Chip probably trumps them in "classic-ness" (yes, there is such a classification and yes, that is a made-up word). Today I wasn't feeling like baking with little chips of anything. I was feeling big kisses. So Peanut Butter Blossoms it is.
There is something inherently homey about the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. The two go together like a good thunderstorm and a front porch swing. The creamy, smooth texture of peanut butter paired with the sweet richness of chocolate wrap their arms of deliciousness around the taster as if embracing them with a hug. This is the delight of a Peanut Butter Blossom that I hope to share with those who will eat these little classic delicacies!
My recipe today is not my own. I didn't even tweak it in the least. I first looked at the bag of Hershey kisses for recipe guidance but was leery of following the steps without some feedback on how the cookies would turn out. So to Bing I went and came up with a slightly adapted recipe from All Recipes. I'm a sucker for All Recipes because I can read other bakers feedback, comments and suggestions. Since I don't do my own taste testing I rely on the feedback of previous bakers for guidance on what recipes will be home runs.
**A side note, I never ever eat what I bake. I don't eat sweets. I don't even nibble. I make frostings and doughs by looking at them, smelling and having my Mom as my official taste tester.
Back to Peanut Butter Blossoms.
I picked the highest rated recipe on All Recipes and went to town.
The result?
The cookies turned out but my advice to all those who might try this recipe is I suggest upping the amount of peanut butter by at least a 1/4 cup. This recommendation comes on account of my own desire for a stronger peanut butter scent and my Mom's desire for a stronger peanut butter taste. I was hoping for my house to smell like a tub of peanut butter but upon baking the cookies I found that I only got a slight whiff of the creamy goodness I was anticipating. Same went for my official taste tester. So a word to the wise, up the peanut butter.
Other than the less than overwhelming peanut butter flavor the cookies were a success. I followed the recipe almost precisely besides the fact that I convected them at 350 instead of just simply baking at 375. This helps retain moisture (so I've read). I also didn't time my cookies. I never time anything. This results in some cookies baking for ten minutes and other for twelve and maybe even a tray or two for fourteen. This isn't a precise science on my part, more of a forgetfulness about the cookies being in the oven. I try to eye them up for the perfect golden brown top with a slight crisp around the edges. That to me is the perfect looking cookie!
Here's the recipe I used for any Peanut Butter Blossom lover (or Peanut Butter Blossom baker who doesn't eat sugar but loves the scent of peanut butter). Enjoy!
Peanut Blossom Cookies
There is something inherently homey about the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. The two go together like a good thunderstorm and a front porch swing. The creamy, smooth texture of peanut butter paired with the sweet richness of chocolate wrap their arms of deliciousness around the taster as if embracing them with a hug. This is the delight of a Peanut Butter Blossom that I hope to share with those who will eat these little classic delicacies!
My recipe today is not my own. I didn't even tweak it in the least. I first looked at the bag of Hershey kisses for recipe guidance but was leery of following the steps without some feedback on how the cookies would turn out. So to Bing I went and came up with a slightly adapted recipe from All Recipes. I'm a sucker for All Recipes because I can read other bakers feedback, comments and suggestions. Since I don't do my own taste testing I rely on the feedback of previous bakers for guidance on what recipes will be home runs.
**A side note, I never ever eat what I bake. I don't eat sweets. I don't even nibble. I make frostings and doughs by looking at them, smelling and having my Mom as my official taste tester.
Back to Peanut Butter Blossoms.
I picked the highest rated recipe on All Recipes and went to town.
The result?
The cookies turned out but my advice to all those who might try this recipe is I suggest upping the amount of peanut butter by at least a 1/4 cup. This recommendation comes on account of my own desire for a stronger peanut butter scent and my Mom's desire for a stronger peanut butter taste. I was hoping for my house to smell like a tub of peanut butter but upon baking the cookies I found that I only got a slight whiff of the creamy goodness I was anticipating. Same went for my official taste tester. So a word to the wise, up the peanut butter.
Other than the less than overwhelming peanut butter flavor the cookies were a success. I followed the recipe almost precisely besides the fact that I convected them at 350 instead of just simply baking at 375. This helps retain moisture (so I've read). I also didn't time my cookies. I never time anything. This results in some cookies baking for ten minutes and other for twelve and maybe even a tray or two for fourteen. This isn't a precise science on my part, more of a forgetfulness about the cookies being in the oven. I try to eye them up for the perfect golden brown top with a slight crisp around the edges. That to me is the perfect looking cookie!
Here's the recipe I used for any Peanut Butter Blossom lover (or Peanut Butter Blossom baker who doesn't eat sugar but loves the scent of peanut butter). Enjoy!
Peanut Blossom Cookies
1 cup shortening
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
|
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar for decoration
2 (9 ounce) bags milk chocolate candy
kisses, unwrapped
|
DIRECTIONS:
| 1. | Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. |
| 2. | In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and stir in the milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture until well blended. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. |
| 3. | Bake for 10 to12 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from oven, and immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie. Allow to cool completely; the kiss will harden as it cools. ** Courtesy of http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peanut-Blossoms-II/ |
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