Shun Knife Giveaway! (closed)

Source

If you've been an Espresso and Cream reader for a while, then you may have noticed that giveaways have been a little sparse around here lately. I think the last giveaway I did was back during the beginning of October. I've been a little bit busy, sure, but the real reason I've been holding back on the giveaways is because I wanted to make December's giveaway something really special.

When I turned 18 my mom gave me the best gift a food-loving high school senior could get, my first real knives. Although I'm sure there were a few people who thought it was a strange gift, I was overjoyed. I still remember going to Williams-Sonoma with my mom to pick out the perfect knives to start my collection. Of trying to be terribly 'grown up' and pretending I actually knew what in the world I was talking about. I'm still not entirely sure I know what I'm talking about sometimes, but I do know how much I love my Shun knives, even to this day.

So today, as we kick off the Christmas season of gift-giving, I wanted to give one of you a gift as a token of appreciation for being awesome, for reading Espresso and Cream, and for making being a part of this food community such a wonderful experience.

In order to do it up big, I'm giving away a Shun Classic 7 1/2" Double Hollow-Ground Sumo Santoku knife (pictured above). To enter, leave a comment below between now and November 30th at 9 p.m. letting me know what you are thankful for this holiday season.

Madison

Toasted Pecan Shortbread

Nothing like getting a jump on December cooking making, right? I was sitting on the couch with some of my cookbooks last week when I stumbled upon a shortbread recipe in Gourmet Today. There wasn't anything different about the recipe. In fact, it was pretty simple. Straightforward and to the point is how I like my recipes.

What really got me hooked on the idea of making this shortbread was the idea that it could be a blank canvas for almost any holiday flavor my heart desired. So instead of leaving it plain, as the recipe suggested, I tossed some chopped pecans with ground cinnamon and salt for a little play on the sweet and salty.

When this cookie first came out of the oven, before I cut it into wedges, Joey was quite skeptical. However, after serving one up with a glass of milk, he was a believer. Upon first bite, he demanded they make an appearance on the blog as well as at family Christmas.

Toasted Pecan Shortbread
Recipe adapted from Gourmet Today

Ingredients
*1/2 cup pecan halves, chopped
*1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1 stick unsalted butter, softened
*1/3 cup sugar
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350°F. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
*In a small bowl combine the pecans, cinnamon and salt. Toss together to coat. Spread nuts on an ungreased baking pan and toast in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until pecans are fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from oven to cool.
*Meanwhile, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Add in the flour and worth together with your hands until evenly incorporated. Mixture will be slightly crumbly. Transfer dough onto prepared baking sheet and press mixture into a disc about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Spread the toasted nut mixture atop the dough and press lightly with your hands to get the nuts to adhere to the dough.
*Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are slightly browned and the dough is puffed up. Cool on wire rack. Cut cooled cookie into wedges to serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings

Happy Baking!
Madison

A Happy Thanksgiving, Indeed!

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of delicious food and plenty of dessert. And if you are a little bit crazy (like my family is), then I hope you got some amazing Black Friday deals, too! 

We arrived back home to Orange City on Wednesday night and got to prepping for the Thanksgiving meal right away. My mom had already set the tables and had the turkey soaking in a brine, but there was plenty to do. Since we hosted the meal for my extended family this year, we were also in charge of the menu. My mom had pulled out all the stops, making her own turkey stock and drying her own sage. Unfortunately, on Thursday morning my mom woke me up at 6 a.m., sick with the flu and unable to continue on with turkey day prep. 

Although we hadn't planned on being Thanksgiving hosts or solo cooks without my mom's help, Joey and I jumped in and carried on my mom's elaborate plans for an amazing meal. Since she is incredibly organized and did much of the work ahead of time, I only freaked out a little bit. I'm happy to report that a great meal was had by all and my mom has recovered from her 24-hour bug. 

Here are a few pics of what we made and ate!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Madison

Video Tutorial: How to Make an Infinity Scarf

As promised, I filmed a video tutorial this week on how to make the infinity scarf I posted a couple weeks back after getting a number of people asking me for the pattern I used. The thing is, I didn't use a pattern, I just sort of flew by the seat of my pants and made it up as I go.

Before you watch the video, know that:
a. I know very little about crocheting, so my verbage and explanations are very elementary
b. I have no intentions of becoming a craft blogger.
c. The only time I find for crafting is when I'm in my sweatpants, sans makeup, late at night.

Please have mercy on me. And if you find time this weekend for a little craft project, give this scarf a go!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Madison

Baked Oatmeal

Since I'm guessing by now most of you have your Thanksgiving meal planned and your recipes selected, I thought it might be helpful to shift gears a bit. Chances are that during the next month you will probably have guests staying at your house overnight, or perhaps you are planning on hosting a brunch in the days leading up to Thanksgiving or Christmas.

For me, this type of situation has always proved to be a little tricky. The most common large-group breakfast and brunch dishes seem to be sugar-laden pastries, coffee cakes and greasy egg bakes. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just prefer to start off the morning with something a little healthier.

I have no idea why it took me so long to get on the baked oatmeal bandwagon, but I'm so glad finally took the plunge. When Heidi's recipe for baked oatmeal started making its way around the internet, I was intrigued. But it wasn't until last night that I gathered up my ingredients and fired up the oven.

Although the original recipe calls for fresh berries, I used thawed, frozen berries since I wasn't about to pay an arm and a leg for fresh this time of year. I also baked the oatmeal in a 9x13-inch pan instead of an 8x8 and upped the number of bananas used, since the baked bananas are the best part of this recipe. Heidi's original recipe also calls for three tablespoons of butter, an ingredient I left out without any issue.

This dish left our house with the most heavenly aroma while it was baking and had us drooling when we pulled it out of the oven. I couldn't help but sneak a small bowl for dessert last night, and helped myself to more for breakfast this morning. While it still tasted good the next day, I would highly recommend baking it the morning you plan to serve it, since that's when the flavor and texture is pure perfection.

Baked Oatmeal
Recipe slightly adapted from 101 Cookbooks 

Ingredients
*2 cups rolled oats
*1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted and chopped
*1/3 cup natural cane sugar
*1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
*1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
*1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
*2 cups milk (I used 2%)
*1 large egg
*2 teaspoons vanilla extract
*3 ripe bananas cut into 1/2-inch pieces
*1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries and raspberries), thawed

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
*In a large bowl, combine the oats, 1/2 of the pecans, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
*In a second bowl, combine the milk, egg and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
*Line the bottom of the prepared baking pan with the bananas in a single layer covering the entire bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of the thawed berries. Sprinkle the oats mixture evenly over the bananas and berries in the pan. Evenly pour the milk and egg mixture atop the oat layer. Give the baking pan a couple shakes to evenly distribute the milk mixture through the oats. Top with the remaining berries and pecans. Sprinkle with a little additional cane sugar, if desired.
*Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the edges are slightly bubbly and oatmeal looks set. The mixture will still be slightly moist but should feel 'set up' when you touch with your finger. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack before serving. Makes 6 servings or 12 servings as part of a larger brunch spread.

Approximate calories for 6 servings: 332 calories, 11 g fat (2 g sat. fat) , 314 mg sodium, 50 g carbohydrates, 9.6 g protein.  

Happy Baking!
Madison

Rachael Ray: The FInale

By now I think that many of you have seen the finale of "Hey, Can You Cook?! All-Stars". If not, head on over here to watch. I won't spoil the ending for those of you who are planning to watch this afternoon or have it recorded on a DVR. 

But since the final episode has now aired, I figured it was high time I shared the rest of the photos on my iPhone from the finale, as well as the little video above. One of our fellow competitors, Tim, thought he was taking a photo of Tamar and me when it was actually a video recording. 

I wanted to also say a huge THANK YOU to each and every one of you who watched the show along the way, sent me encouraging e-mails and Facebook messages, Tweeted along with me and cheered from a distance. You all made the experience so much more fun, and I can't tell you how much it means to me. 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Madison

Healthier Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

I promise that once Thanksgiving has come and gone, I will return to posting things that aren't filled with pumpkin. But my love for the stuff is still going strong, and I intend to keep baking with pumpkin until Turkey day arrives.

Last weekend I spent a little time scouring magazines looking for recipes for our family Thanksgiving. I don't know about you all, but on Thanksgiving I prefer to indulge responsibly. There is nothing I hate more than the "oh my gosh I feel so full I want to die" feeling. It's really less about calorie consumption and more about how I feel after eating a huge meal and the days following. Also known as Thanksgiving hangover.

When I spotted a recipe for Pumpkin-Almond Cheesecake in Cooking Light's November issue, I knew I had to give it a try. Instead of making the almond cake that was intended as the bottom layer, I used a crispy graham cracker crust and poured the lightened up cheesecake mixture atop.

I was expecting to be a bit underwhelmed by the dessert when I threw in a block of low-fat cream cheese, Greek yogurt and very little sugar. But to my surprise and delight it was awesome. Smooth, rich-tasting and lightly sweet, Joey and I both ate a piece without feeling stuffed afterward. Things only got better when I calculated the nutrition information for the bars and found that when you make it into 12 servings, each serving only has around 190 calories. Not an ultra low-calorie dessert, but hardly a gut-busting indulgence, either.

Healthier Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light magazine
Ingredients
For Crust:
*1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
*2 tablespoons sugar
*3 tablespoons butter, melted

For Filling:
*8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
*1/2 cup sugar
*3 large eggs
*1 tsp. vanilla extract
*1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
*1/3 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 300°F. In a small bowl, combine the crust ingredients until well combined. Press the crust mixture evenly into an 8x8-inch square baking pan. Set aside.
*In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Add in the vanilla, pumpkin, Greek yogurt and cinnamon and beat until smooth and incorporated.
*Pour filling mixture into prepared crust pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the cheesecake center barely moves when pan is touched. Cool completely on a wire rack. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 8 hours. Makes 12 servings

Approximate Calories per serving: 190

Happy Baking!

Madison

Rachael Ray in Mexico

 

Ever since I returned from Mexico while traveling there for "Hey, Can You Cook?! All-Stars" I've been dying to share photos from my trip. Alas, I have had to keep my mouth shut and my photos to myself for quite a while in order to keep where and what we were filming a surprise for everyone watching at home. 

Now that our Mexican adventure episode has aired, I'm happy to share a little glimpse into a week that I will never forget. Truth be told, we spent more time cooking, filming and flying around the country of Mexico than we did lounging poolside and perfecting our tan. But when we did crash at the end of the day, we had more than adequate accommodations for our stay.  

The second half of our trip, while we were in San Miguel de Allende, was spent at the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, without a doubt the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed. The staff was kind, courteous and accommodating to the extreme. They even tracked down peanut butter for me when I was desperate for some on the sixth day of our trip. I could tell you more about the hotel, but I think the pictures (from my iPhone) do it more justice and words ever could.

 

{I wanted to take these mirrors back with me so badly!}

 

{I took a bath every single night we were there, and this tub is the reason why.}

 

{The view from the rooftop bar and restaurant at sunset.}

 

{Room service was extremely affordable. I enjoyed fresh carrot juice and a bowl of steel cut oats with apple compote. And coffee, of course!}

 

{My fellow contestants helped make my birthday away from home feel special by having the restaurant staff put this little chocolate mousse dessert together.}

 

{We ventured into downtown San Miguel one afternoon and stopped at an adorable pastry shop and restaurant.}

 

{Holy YUM}

 

{Okay, so we did manage to spend one afternoon out by the pool. The sun and water felt great, especially since I knew it was getting cold back home!}

Time to fess up: Have you ever been to Mexico? If so, where did you go and what did you think? 

I've been a couple times before, mainly to the Cancun area, and will admit that I wasn't a huge fan. But after traveling to San Miguel, my feelings about Mexico have most certainly changed!

You Should Roast a Chicken

Quite often when Joey and I don't feel like cooking (well, when I don't feel like cooking), we pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store and I made a bunch of steamed and roasted veggies for me to eat and for him to pair with his chicken. As someone who knows how easy it is to roast a chicken, buying a rotisserie chicken always kills me inside because I know I could do it better.

Well this past weekend, I finally got my butt to the store and picked up ingredients for a roasted chicken meal. You know the crazy part? I picked up a whole organic roasted chicken, a pound of green beans, two large russet potatoes and an onion for just NINE dollars. Crazy, right? Anyone who says you can't eat well on very little money, or who says that fast food is cheaper than real food, hasn't spent much time at the grocery store or in the kitchen.

Food prices aside, this meal was incredibly easy to make and would be impressive enough to serve for company, or in our case, on a casual Friday night in. Sure, you need a bit of time, but 90% of the time is hands-off. We actually got a workout in while our chicken was roasting, that's how easy it is.

One word to the wise: unless you feel like cleaning your chicken or making something with the giblets, I would recommend buying a chicken that says it is 'without neck and giblets' for the easiest (and much less gross) chicken roasting experience


Easy Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
*2 medium russet potatoes chopped into large bite-sized pieces
*1 tablespoon olive oil 
*1 medium-sized whole chicken without neck or giblets
*1/4 cup mayonnaise
*Salt and black pepper
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 medium onion, sliced
*Additional salt and ground black pepper

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
*Place potatoes on the baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper. Set aside.
*Rinse chicken thoroughly making sure to clean the inside cavity. Dry with paper towels and discard paper towels. Place chicken atop some of the potatoes. Rub chicken with mayonnaise. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste. Top chicken with the minced garlic.
*Place chicken in the oven and bake for 65 to 75 minutes, adding the onions halfway through cooking. Chicken's juices should run clear when pierced with a fork, potatoes should be crispy brown and the skin of the chicken should be dark golden brown.

Happy Cooking!

Madison

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

First of all, thank you SO much for your kind responses to my infinity scarf post! I am trilled that so many of your are interested in making one yourself. If I could share the pattern I used, I would. Unfortunately, I didn't follow a pattern as much as I just experimented until I found something that worked. I'm thinking of putting together a video tutorial in the upcoming weeks for any of you who would like to give it a try at home!

Although gluten-free baking and cooking scares me, I'm determined to do more of it. Partly because I know a lot of Espresso and Cream readers are going or have gone gluten-free and in another part because my cousin is starting a quinoa business! The company is called Feed Adam and will be launched in the upcoming months.

Since I'll be doing a big of recipe development for the company, I've been cooking with their products (quinoa flour, quinoa pasta, and regular quinoa), and have been super pleased with the results. I've been swapping quinoa flour for regular flour in a lot of recipes and been using the quinoa pasta in place of whole wheat pasta in our favorite dishes.

A few weeks back I saw an already gluten-free recipe from Lisa over at With Style & Grace. She is an amazing blogger with style by the buckets and amazing gluten-free recipes. She posted a recipe for gluten-free pumpkin pistachio bread a while back and I couldn't wait to try it. I adapted the recipe slightly, adding a bit more spice and turning them into muffins instead of a quick bread loaf.

If you are looking for a sweeter than sweet muffin that is more along the cupcake line, these are not your baked good. But, if you are looking for a pleasantly sweet and satisfyingly spice-filled muffin that would go well on a breakfast buffet or holiday dinner table, then these may be just the fit.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted just slightly from With Style & Grace

Ingredients

*1 1/2 cups quinoa flour (or other gluten-free flour of choice)

*1 teaspoon baking soda

*1/2 teaspoon baking powder
*2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
*1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
*1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1 cup canned pumpkin puree
*1/2 cup olive oil
*1 cup sugar
*2 large eggs
*1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease muffin cups. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.
*In a large bowl beat together pumpkin, olive oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
*Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until muffins are lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
*Cool on a wire rack. Store leftovers in a zip top bag or container with a lid.

Happy Baking!

Madison

Winter Necessity: Infinity Scarves

I'm not going to lie, I'm already pretty bummed about the inevitable fact that winter is on the way. Although I love this time of year and celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, come January, I'm ready to be over with snow an colder temps.

To keep me warm as the winter months drag along, I dusted off my crochet needles and made a couple infinity scarves in various weights and colors. A couple years back I made one for a friend of mine and she wore the heck out of it. Now I see why. I'm not entirely sure why I waited so long to make one for myself, but now that I have, I wear the scarves with everything from jeans to sweat pants on the weekends.

I've also gotten a few questions anout whether or not I would considering making a few scarves for Christmas gifts or to keep for yourself. While I'm not starting a scarf making business just yet, if you are interested, email me and we can chat.

Caramel Pumpkin Pie

This weekend Joey and I got together with a group of young couples at our church on Saturday night to share what we are thankful for, what God is doing in our lives and eat pie. Pretty awesome, right?

Since we are still pretty new to our town and church, I knew I couldn't bring just any old pie. I needed a pie that pulled out all the stops. And when I want a recipe that is sure to impress and go above and beyond without being complicated or overly fussy, I go to Gourmet Today. It a monster of a cookbook, coming in at just over 1,000 pages, and one that I'm realizing I don't use nearly enough.

But before you think that this pie is just like a hundred other pumpkin pies, let me assure you it isn't. The sugar and water are cooked until the mixture caramelizes, then gets infused with a hefty dose of heavy cream and spices that are substantial but not overpowering.

Edited on Monday to Add: The pie was a hit! There was only one slice left, and Joey took that problem off my hands on the way home from church.

Caramel Pumpkin Pie
Adapted slightly from Gourmet Today

Crust
*1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
*4 tablespoons butter, melted
*3 tablespoons sugar
*1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling
*2/3 cup sugar
*1/4 cup water
*1 1/2 cups heavy cream
*1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
*1 teaspoon ground ginger
*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*3 large eggs, lightly beaten

*Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and ground cinnamon until well combine. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch pie plate and press into the plate and up the sides to form a shell. Set aside.
*In a large heavy saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring, washing down sides of pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in cold water and gently swirling pan for even cooking until mixture is a deep golden carmel, about 10 minutes.
*Reduce heat to moderate and carefully add half of the cream (mixture will bubble vigorously), stirring until caramel is dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in remaining crema and bring just to a simmer. Remove from heat.
*Whisk together pumpkin, spices and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in hot cream mixutre, then eggs, whisking until well combined and smooth.
*Pour filling into prepared pie shell. Bake until filling is firm and just slightly wiggles in the center when the pie plate is touched, about 40 minutes.
*Cool pie compltely on a rack, about 2 hours.

Happy Baking!
Madison

Happy Birthday, Nutmeg!

This weekend we celebrated the fifth birthday of our little princess, Nutmeg. She pretty much rules the roost around here and is most definitely our baby, so we had to celebrate in style. She is now sporting a new collar and has a belly full of birthday treats.

This morning before church I whipped up a batch of 'Pumpkin Pupcakes' based off this recipe for pumpkin bars. I halved the recipe and scaled back the sugar to 2/3 cup, but aside from that I kept the recipe pretty close to the original. And to top things off I mixed up a batch of peanut butter frosting using a cup of whipped heavy cream, 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter and 1/3 cup powdered sugar.

Joey and I were both pretty blown away at how delicious the pupcakes were (yes, we ate one, too). So if you are in the market for a sweet treat that will please dogs and people alike, I would highly suggest giving this recipe a go.


Happy Birthday, Nutmeg! We love you so much little lady!


Madison

Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies

Is it just me, or has it been too long since I posted a new cookie recipe? Truth be told, most baking and elaborate cooking endeavors have taken a back seat to other, more pressing maters. Between filming and traveling for "Hey, Can You Cook?! All-Stars", keeping up with work responsibilities, traveling to catch football games and meeting our new little nephew, and spending a little bit of time Joe, too, time has been short.

But I know that despite the craziness that has been the last month, there are a lot of wonderful things going on right now. I feel blessed to be where I am, surrounded by my amazing support system, and energized by the new experiences that are pushing me way out of my comfort zone.

As we enter into November, the month of thanks, I hope you will all consider taking time out of every day to reflect on something you are thankful for. If you're on Twitter, take a cue from Tina's post over at Carrots 'N' Cake and take part in Tweeting what you are thankful for with the hash tag #bethankfulchallenge. It's a great way to see what others are thankful for and get you in the right frame of mind amid the craziness of the day-to-day.

Right now, I'm thankful to be home. And for these cookies. Because they are super tasty, chewy and perfect for keeping warm as the weather gets cooler.

Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies
Ingredients
*1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
*1/2 cup sugar
*1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
*1 large egg
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1/2 cup peanut butter chips
*1/2 cup toffee bits (Heath Bar bits)

Instructions
*Place racks in the middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

*Sift together the flour and baking soda and set aside. 

*In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. 

*Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sugar, brown sugar, salt and creamy peanut butter. Continue creaming the mixture on medium speed until it is smooth and lump-free, about 1 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.

*Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until the egg is fully incorporated. Do not overbeat. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

*On low speed, add the sifted flour mixture. Beat slowly until all of the flour is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the peanut butter chips and toffee bits and stir in.

*Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, 2-inches apart. Flatten slightly with your hand. Bake, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking, for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment off the baking sheets onto a work surface. Cool the baking sheets between batches. Allow the cookies to cool for at least five minutes before serving.

Happy Baking!

Madison

Weekend Happenings

We did a lot (and a lot of nothing) this past weekend. It seems like each weekend that we don't have anything on the agenda, we end up doing a lot of cleaning, organizing, bill-paying and exercising, balanced out with an equal amount of napping, puppy cuddling, football watching, magazine reading and general lazing around. Not a bad combination if you ask me. And isn't the hubs cute when he is organizing?

Madison