Monday, September 25, 2006
Cookie Monster
Every Christmas season, I’d make about a dozen different types of cookies, my annual selection perfectly balanced in flavor, texture and appearance (X types of spice cookies, X number with chocolate, X types of cookies vs. X types of fudge -- yep, I'm fussy that way.) I gave them as gifts, saved some for visitors (and midnight snacking), made a tray for the breakroom at work, etc. And each year, my friends and coworkers moaned with joy and asked for my recipes.
That was all shot to hell three years ago when I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Celiac means no wheat, which means no regular flour, which means cookie-baking stopped being a expression of love and started being a science experiment. I played around with my old recipes and wound up with some that tasted right, but looked awful. And if they looked good, they were gritty. I finally gave up and stuck with just fudge and truffles. No one seemed to mind… except me.
Last week I came across a recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, and I got the baking jones again. Whoopie pies – a New England & Pennsylvania Dutch treat of cakey chocolate cookies held together with buttercream – were some of the first cookies I learned to bake when I was little. After taking a food and wine pairing class in which the instructor served dessert wine with what were basically tarted-up whoopie pies, I changed the filling recipe to make it richer and less cloyingly sweet. A pumpkin cookie would work with the new filling, and I had all the ingredients. Might as well give it a go.
Well, I’ll be darned… I cracked the code. They were moist, they were delicious, they looked great, they were gluten-free. And –- hee, hee! -- my family couldn’t tell the difference.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Cookies:
2 c. gluten-free flour blend (I used Kinnikinnick's)
½ c. almond flour
½ c. amaranth flour
¾ tsp. xanthan gum
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
11/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
1 c. vegetable oil
1 ½ c. packed brown sugar
½ c. sugar
1 ½ c. solid-pack pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Filling:
½ c. + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. chilled heavy whipping cream
1 8-oz. container chilled mascarpone cheese
Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease baking sheets. Mix together flours, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
Whip oil and sugars together. Mix in pumpkin puree and eggs, beating well. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Then slowly incorporate dry ingredients.
Refrigerate dough for 30 min.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 – 12 min. Let cookies cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack.
Whip together filling ingredients.
When cookies are completely cool, spread 2 tbsp. of filling on half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies. Enjoy!
That was all shot to hell three years ago when I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Celiac means no wheat, which means no regular flour, which means cookie-baking stopped being a expression of love and started being a science experiment. I played around with my old recipes and wound up with some that tasted right, but looked awful. And if they looked good, they were gritty. I finally gave up and stuck with just fudge and truffles. No one seemed to mind… except me.
Last week I came across a recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, and I got the baking jones again. Whoopie pies – a New England & Pennsylvania Dutch treat of cakey chocolate cookies held together with buttercream – were some of the first cookies I learned to bake when I was little. After taking a food and wine pairing class in which the instructor served dessert wine with what were basically tarted-up whoopie pies, I changed the filling recipe to make it richer and less cloyingly sweet. A pumpkin cookie would work with the new filling, and I had all the ingredients. Might as well give it a go.
Well, I’ll be darned… I cracked the code. They were moist, they were delicious, they looked great, they were gluten-free. And –- hee, hee! -- my family couldn’t tell the difference.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Cookies:
2 c. gluten-free flour blend (I used Kinnikinnick's)
½ c. almond flour
½ c. amaranth flour
¾ tsp. xanthan gum
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
11/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
1 c. vegetable oil
1 ½ c. packed brown sugar
½ c. sugar
1 ½ c. solid-pack pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Filling:
½ c. + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. chilled heavy whipping cream
1 8-oz. container chilled mascarpone cheese
Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease baking sheets. Mix together flours, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
Whip oil and sugars together. Mix in pumpkin puree and eggs, beating well. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Then slowly incorporate dry ingredients.
Refrigerate dough for 30 min.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 – 12 min. Let cookies cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack.
Whip together filling ingredients.
When cookies are completely cool, spread 2 tbsp. of filling on half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies. Enjoy!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
That "Awkward" Age
In my mailbox at work yesterday:
1. An inquiry about advertising in AARP magazine.
2. An invitation to Austin Fuzion, featuring DJ Spooky.
Nice to know I span the demographics.
1. An inquiry about advertising in AARP magazine.
2. An invitation to Austin Fuzion, featuring DJ Spooky.
Nice to know I span the demographics.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Meow
It's finally happened. I've turned into the Crazy Cat Lady. It's not enough that I'm in my 40s, single and proud parent of two furry feline children. I'm now feeding a couple neighborhoods' worth.
Mom's in the hospital (everything's OK... now), so I'm taking care of her two "indoor" cats.
And... feeding the three strays on her back porch. (Yes, I come by this honestly. Of course, at this point, they're really not strays. They don't so much stray anymore as come out from under the patio table twice a day to eat.)
And... feeding the six adorable kittens that hang out next to the parking garage at work. Plus their parents.
No, I don't know why I do it. Well, yes I do, but I don't really want to examine that part of my psyche. They're happy; I'm happy. We're covered with cat fur, we're hungry, we're needy, but we're happy.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Art is Where You Find It
Loads o' links today, all covering some sort of public art or wild and wonderful display of creativity:
1. An infinite photo collage. Maybe all the stoners were right and the world does fit inside a giant's fingernail.
2. Recently I read Ellen Hervey's New York Beautification Project. Rather than tagging a building with graffiti, she painted miniature landscapes on the structure, in the style of Constable or Corot. The only people who gave her grief over the project were the NYC police. Most passersby were hopeful that the building was being renovated. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
3. Those of you who know me know I love vintage neon and old street signs. To me, this is another New York Beautification Project.
4. Remember Bert, the sidewalk chalk artist from Mary Poppins? These artists put him to shame.
5. Amazing origami.
6. Migraine sufferers are invited to paint their pain. I remember seeing an exhibit of migraine art about 10 years ago. I identified most with the profile view of a head that had a blazing orange-red blob at the base of the skull and black oil shooting out of the eyes.
7. Mmmmm.... chocolate. Life-size rooms. In chocolate. Bury me here.
8. Courtesy of Pop Culture Junk Mail, a step far beyond "Wash me!"
9. Your chance to be a tortured artist and icon of the '50s. Lee Krasner not included.
10. I love this more than I can possibly say. I want to find an outpost of this group in San Antonio. Be sure the read of their exploits in Best Buy and their cell phone symphony.
11. This giant marionette walked down London streets last May. She's part of a larger project derived from a Jules Verne tale. Creepy... and fascinating. (Sorry, am having trouble embedding the clip. But it's definitely worth a look.)
1. An infinite photo collage. Maybe all the stoners were right and the world does fit inside a giant's fingernail.
2. Recently I read Ellen Hervey's New York Beautification Project. Rather than tagging a building with graffiti, she painted miniature landscapes on the structure, in the style of Constable or Corot. The only people who gave her grief over the project were the NYC police. Most passersby were hopeful that the building was being renovated. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
3. Those of you who know me know I love vintage neon and old street signs. To me, this is another New York Beautification Project.
4. Remember Bert, the sidewalk chalk artist from Mary Poppins? These artists put him to shame.
5. Amazing origami.
6. Migraine sufferers are invited to paint their pain. I remember seeing an exhibit of migraine art about 10 years ago. I identified most with the profile view of a head that had a blazing orange-red blob at the base of the skull and black oil shooting out of the eyes.
7. Mmmmm.... chocolate. Life-size rooms. In chocolate. Bury me here.
8. Courtesy of Pop Culture Junk Mail, a step far beyond "Wash me!"
9. Your chance to be a tortured artist and icon of the '50s. Lee Krasner not included.
10. I love this more than I can possibly say. I want to find an outpost of this group in San Antonio. Be sure the read of their exploits in Best Buy and their cell phone symphony.
11. This giant marionette walked down London streets last May. She's part of a larger project derived from a Jules Verne tale. Creepy... and fascinating. (Sorry, am having trouble embedding the clip. But it's definitely worth a look.)
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Coolest Water Balloon Ever
"Sam's Club sells enough Gatorade during the '100 days of summer' to fill 40 Goodyear blimps."
- www.walmartfacts.com
And you'd want to fill blimps with Gatorade because...?
- www.walmartfacts.com
And you'd want to fill blimps with Gatorade because...?
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Last of the Summer Wine
Now that Summer is winding down, I'll pass along two lovely tastes:
1. X-rated Fusion Liqueur. Sounds steamy, leads to interesting conversations in the liquor store, but tastes like summer: Vodka with blood oranges, passion fruit & mango, with a hint of grapefruit. Perfect with plump, juicy grapes. Ignore the "buckawow" '70s porno music at the link I noted.
2. Chicken Guadalajara. Hatch chiles are in season, and I can think of no better use for them than this easy recipe:
4 – 6 boned & skinned chicken breasts, cut into strips (or 10 – 12 chicken tenders)
½ c. cornstarch, seasoned w/ salt and pepper
3 -5 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, sliced
2 -3 fresh, long chiles, sliced into rings, seeds and ribs removed (do not roast or peel)
½ c. heavy cream
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Coat chicken with cornstarch mixture and saute in butter until browned. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Add butter to pan drippings and saute onions and chiles until limp and browned slightly. Add cream to mixture and mix well. Add chicken strips and cook until chicken is heated again. Turn off heat. Sprinkle cheese over chicken and immediately cover. Let stand 3 – 5 min. until cheese has completely melted.
1. X-rated Fusion Liqueur. Sounds steamy, leads to interesting conversations in the liquor store, but tastes like summer: Vodka with blood oranges, passion fruit & mango, with a hint of grapefruit. Perfect with plump, juicy grapes. Ignore the "buckawow" '70s porno music at the link I noted.
2. Chicken Guadalajara. Hatch chiles are in season, and I can think of no better use for them than this easy recipe:
4 – 6 boned & skinned chicken breasts, cut into strips (or 10 – 12 chicken tenders)
½ c. cornstarch, seasoned w/ salt and pepper
3 -5 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, sliced
2 -3 fresh, long chiles, sliced into rings, seeds and ribs removed (do not roast or peel)
½ c. heavy cream
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Coat chicken with cornstarch mixture and saute in butter until browned. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Add butter to pan drippings and saute onions and chiles until limp and browned slightly. Add cream to mixture and mix well. Add chicken strips and cook until chicken is heated again. Turn off heat. Sprinkle cheese over chicken and immediately cover. Let stand 3 – 5 min. until cheese has completely melted.
