Thursday, December 16, 2010

Fig cookies!


These fig cookies are a new recipe for this year, but quickly proved to be a favorite and future stand by.
A tasty butter dough is folded over a filling of dried figs, oranges, and walnuts to create a log, then sliced diagonally and baked.

I got the recipe from A Taste of Home, a recipe magazine from my mother-in-law.
The dough originally called for Crisco instead of butter, but here is the recipe with butter. I try to find recipes without Crisco because substituting with butter often changes the way the cookies result. This recipe, however, claimed to be an old Italian recipe, so i was hopeful that butter would work because the original most likely used butter. After a side by side test of butter and Crisco in the dough, I concluded that butter was better. The cookie part tasted better with butter (it was bland with Crisco) and the finished cookie held it's shape well.

So, here's the recipe:
filling:
2 cups raisins
3/4 lb. pitted dates
3/4 cup sugar
2 small navel oranges, peeled and quartered
1/3 lb. dried figs
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
(if too thick, add up to 1/4 cup water)
Process in food processor until finely chopped. Set aside.
dough:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, milk, vanilla. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda gradually. The dough will be very thin and you'll have to use a fork to handle it. Divide into four pieces, cover and refrigerate an hour or more.
When ready to assemble and bake cookies, take dough out to soften slightly. Roll between two pieces of parchment paper into a thin rectangle 16" X 6". Remove top parchment to spread 1/4 of filling mixture down center of dough. Using lower parchment, fold one side of dough over the mixture. then fold the other side to overlap. use fingers to pinch and seal all edges. Cut diagonally into 3/4" slices. Place seam side down on parchment paper.
Bake at 400 F for 10-14 min until edges are golden. Cool for 10 min before removing from pans to cool completely.
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp. milk
Combine, adjusting ingredients to get a thin glaze. Drizzle over cookies.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Hazelnut cookies

Here is one of my favorite family Christmas recipes. I made them this week to eat and give to friends:

German Hazelnut Cookies
3 eggs
4 cups hazelnuts, finely chopped in a food processor
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 sticks butter
3 cups flour
cinnamon and nutmeg to please
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Mix ingredients together. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters or into squares. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes.

When cookies are cooling, mix lemon juice with powdered sugar to make a thin glaze. Glaze cookies when cool.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Mt. Baker Lodge


We are back from a fun weekend with friends at the Mt. Baker Mountaineers Lodge near the Mt. Baker ski resort north of Seattle.
It was very fun and I skied for the first time since 1st grade / 6 years old and I didn't get hurt!
Check me out:


Adam snowboarded like a champ after a 3 year break (his ankle has finally sufficiently recovered)

Now we want to get season passes!

The Mt. Baker Mountaineers Lodge was very cool. It's set up like a hostel: there are men's and women's bunk bed areas and everyone signs up for cooking and cleaning chores. They provide breakfast and dinner, and it's only $27/night for Mountaineers members and $37/night for everyone else.

Beside enjoying winter sports, we went to celebrate Bartek's Birthday!

Thanks for a great trip!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Punk Rock Flea Market December report


All went well.

Adam and I had a festive time selling lentil soup, tea, and handmade goods to Seattle folks:

Friday, December 3, 2010

PRFM Announcement


The December Punk Rock Flea Market is tomorrow!

It's in downtown Seattle from 12-10 PM.

I will be there selling a wide variety of goods including headbands, zipper bags, vintage trim by the yard, soup and tea.
I hope to see you there!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Deseret Industries


Look what I snatched up at the Provo, Utah D.I.!!!

...a grab bag with yards and yards of cotton and wool trim in bright colors :)

I love Deseret Industries.