Sunday, January 31, 2021

 

Basic Cookie Dough Variations

 Last week we talked about a Basic Cookie Dough Recipe from Taste of Home. There were also five suggested variations from their cookie recipe collection. I looked at those, and looked at the other recipes I'd found for Christmas cookies and combined them a little.

The suggested recipe was Jelly Sandwich Cookies. I used the basic cookie dough recipe to make rounds for the sandwich cookies, but instead used a variation for the filling from this Cranberry Orange Sandwich Cookie recipe. It was kind of like a buttercream frosting with orange flavoring. I am so sorry, but I forgot to take photos of this one!

Their Variation 5 was Cutouts, which I also made using this Basic Cookie Dough Recipe.

I also used the Basic Cookie Dough Recipe to make these Cranberry Shortbread Cookies. I chopped the cranberries in my food processor and worked it into the dough, making the whole batch a little pink. I rolled the log and wrapped it in plastic, refrigerating it for a couple of hours till I cut it into slices for baking.

I also used the basic recipe to add a little Caribbean twist, with flaked coconut, white chocolate chips, and rum extract.

These browned really quickly on the bottom and really need to be watched.

The last variation I made from this batch was a twist on these Peppermint Stick Cookies.

I took one section of the Basic Cookie Dough and dropped it into the food processor with two Tablespoons of peppermint extract and some candy cane bits. I processed it until the peppermint flavor was consistent throughout the dough and there were bits of candy cane all over. I rolled the dough into sticks, and baked them on a cookie sheet. Afterwards I dipped them in melted almond bark and rolled them in broken candy canes (smashed to bits inside a ziploc baggie, no muss, no fuss), then laid them on waxed paper to set. 

These were absolutely amazing and probably my favorite of the bunch. The cranberry ones were a little sour. I did like the rum and coconut ones, but they definitely need to be carefully watched because they had a tendency to burn easily.

Credit to my assistants again!

Basic Cookie Dough from Taste of Home

 I tried this Basic Cookie Dough recipe from Taste of Home, and some variations (though not necessarily the ones they suggested). I had lots of assistance for this particular endeavor, including an extra furry assistant. I will tell you this is a beast of a recipe and even my 6 qt. Kitchen Aid Pro struggled. I also forgot to turn down the mixer when I added the flour and it went EVERYWHERE!!!

The basic recipe is pretty simple and easy to put together, as shown below.

I separated the dough into five rounds, then wrapped and refrigerated them.

In next week's blog I'll share some variations you can make with this recipe. Taste of Home has a few suggestions, but I also tweaked some other recipes I found and made a few other types.

Easy Lemon Madelines

 I got a madeiline pan last year, because I had this big idea for my cookie jar for this year's fair (yes, the one that got canceled). I was going to paint my jar blue, decoupage an antique Patisserie label, and fill it with only French cookies. Last year's jar won a Judge's Choice Award and the whole contest was a lot of fun. 

I had a really hard time finding this recipe when I went back to look for it so I could give credit to the original author. It was shared in an email newsletter by author Amanda Flower. 

Easy Lemon Madeleines

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 sticks of unsalted butter

2 eggs

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 lemon, juiced and zested

Powder sugar

 

Directions:

1)    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and butter and flour madeleine molds.

2)    In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, and butter. After these three ingredients are well blended add flour, baking powder, lemon, vanilla.

3)    Spoon batter into molds 3/4 full. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees F.

4)    Remove from molds and cool on a rack.

5)    While still warm, dust with powder sugar if desired.

They were actually fairly easy to make. I think I filled my molds a little too full, and I also bought some of the baking spray with the flour in it for next time I make these, because I think it will help the design show better when they come out of the pan.

And of course, my handsome helper! 

Here's another batch I made later on this week, but this time I used the flour spray, the Ninja with the dough blade, and filled the cups less full...and I had helpers.

Sunday, January 10, 2021 - Abraham's Big Test

 

Pastor Paul Page January 2021 - Build Your House Upon the Rock

 

Building Your House Upon the Rock

Matthew 7:24-29 ²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:²⁵ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.²⁶ And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:²⁷ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.²⁸ And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: ²⁹ For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

At my grandparent’s old ranch, there was a wall, part of a house, that was still standing. This wall had probably been built 100 years ago. You could see where people had picked at it, but it was still standing, because it had been built from solid stone.

There are two kinds of people. Those who build their house upon the rock, and those who don’t. We are to hear Jesus’ words and no one else’s. He made it clear that He is “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”, no one else.

When you say Jesus is my rock and my foundation it isn’t just words. We need to be doers of the word and not hearers only. When we look into the mirror, the Word of God, it reflects onto us and lets us see what we are doing right and what we need to change. If you looked into a mirror and noticed your face was dirty and your hair was a mess, wouldn’t you comb your hair and wash your face? The Word of God gives us that opportunity, to change our lives to meet His will.

James 1:22-25 ²² But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.²³ For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:²⁴ For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.²⁵ But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

 

We have to remember that the storms will come and we have to believe that Jesus is in the storm, that He is stronger than anything the world can send against us and if our lives are built on the rock, Jesus Christ, we will never lose our faith. He will never leave nor forsake us.

 

Isaiah 43:2² When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

 

                                        

                                                                           Paul Brow, Haven of Rest

Sunday, January 3, 2020 - Jonah