Orange crispies, refrigerator cookies

On my search for a cookie that even I can bake, I found the following. And I must say, they are really really good. The orange flavour is there but not knocking you off your feet (which is in my opinion good), not overly sweet, with a crunch on the outside and a teeny bit soft on the inner. Now all I need is a pot of tea, a good novel or magazine and some quiet and peace of mind.... Can someone please keep those children away from me and my cookie-jar? Helloooo... To fill your "koektrommel" you'll need:
1 cup butter/margarine (200 gr), softened
1/2 cup sugar (95 gr)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (ik gebruikte witte basterdsuiker)
1 egg
1 tbs grated orange rind
2 tbs orange juice
1/4 ts vanilla extract
2.1/2 cups all purpose flour (350 gr patentbloem)
1/4 ts salt (I used less)
1/4 ts baking soda
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Cream butter; gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg, orange rind, juice and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, salt and soda; gradually add to the mixture. Stir in pecans.
Shape dough into 2 long rolls, 1.1/2" in diameter with the help of waxed paper. Chill 3 hours or until firm. Unwrap and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookiesheets. Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes (keep en eye on them, 8 is rather close) or until edges are lightly browned. Yield: 6 dozen!

Oops I did it again..

New book! I am definitely not thinking about my bookcases in the garage which I will need to finish painting real soon, nor about all our books stored in the attic, piles and piles of books threatening to slide....
No I am not! Instead I am sitting at the diningroom table, eagerly reading with a stack of post-it notes at my elbow....

I went for a quick visit to the city centre this morning, couldn't resist dropping by the second-hand bookstore, the envelope with birthday money burning a hole in my pocket... Secretly I wished that the Williams Sonoma collection I saw during my last visit would still be there, but alas, someone else beat me to it. Scanning the rows of books I saw a Betty Crocker edition of "Best of Baking" (pun intended!) and I thought this was more than appropriate! Only € 9,50! A steal!

The book starts with a glossary on cooking terms, how-to's, measuring (please America stop the stupid cups thing and get weighing! To scoop or not to scoop is not my favourite pastime) there's a fairly large bread section, a lot of cookies, muffins and brownies, even main dishes and a separate chapter "holidays"!
I was going to stay away from breadbooks this time, aiming for cookies and pies and such but now I have all this and more in one book. I will let you know about the results a.s.a.p. Yippee!
(And Angelika...I have bought a pair of "boots made for walking" as well! Shh don't tell, I want it to be a surprise).

Twisted onion loaves

I hesitated to do this to you, but yes, I am going to bore you with another bread post. (I do make other things too but not always have the time -or light- to make good photos).
This is a beautiful and very, very tasty loaf of bread. I really encourage you to make this one, it is not as difficult as it may sound and a perfect companion to a glass of wine on a windy autumn afternoon. Please try? And let me know...
Oh and eh...this time I was very careful in taking photos during the process but forgot to take the photo of the end result! I confess: too busy gobbling up half of one loaf while slicing ... (And for my Dutch readers: you can follow this recipe in Dutch, alleen de werkwijze is anders maar het deeg en de vulling zijn vrijwel hetzelfde!)This is the funny part; while I instruct you to divide your dough into three (!) parts, I subconsciously made 4 and subsequently (sub sub is this still english?) braided with four strands. It is do-able of course but with three it is easier, and faster. And as I had an appointment, the haste with which I braided didn't do much for the result. Being an all-boys-mum I don't get much practice in braiding....

Here's your free recipe:

Dough;
1 ts dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
3 tbs sugar
½ cup milk
½ cup warm water
¼ cup butter/margarine, softened
1 egg beaten
1.1/2 ts salt
4 cups all-purpose flour (560 gr)
Filling;
4 tbs butter/margarine, melted
1 medium sized onion, minced
½ cup grated cheese
1 tbs poppy seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tbs paprika

Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water in a large bowl. Add next 6 ingredients. Gradually add 2 cups flour, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and knead softly for 1 minute. Roll into a rectangle. Combine ingredients for filling, stirring well and spread evenly over dough. Cut dough lengthwise into three strips. (Or cut first and spread after). Roll each strip up, jellyroll fashion, beginning with long side.
Cut each strip in half crosswise. Place 3 halves, side by side, on a greased baking sheet, braid.
Repeat with remaining dough.Cover and let rise in a warm place 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.

adapted from "Southern Living 1984" (!) annual recipes

Ter aanmoediging van mezelf...

Ik ben de afgelopen tijd even helemaal suf geweest in het kader van binnenhuis-activiteiten. Er kwam werkelijk niets uit mijn handen en daar ben ik niet flauw in, dat geldt dan gewoon voor alles, inclusief bedden verschonen, strijken, bakken, koken, ramen, schilderen (jawel, de hal moet nog, en de boekenkasten en ... en ..) en natuurlijk bloggen.
Het helpt natuurlijk niet dat daar de jaarlijkse rommelmarkt in ons durpke tussendoor kwam, de voetbal- en basketbal wedstrijden van de kinders, ziekenhuisbezoek en de stress daaromheen en zo nog wat dingen.

Ter geruststelling, die bedden zijn inmiddels al lang verschoond, de strijk weggewerkt (kan inmiddels met beide vrolijk weer opnieuw beginnen), er is gestoft en gezogen, de ramen gelapt (nu boven nog grrrr), er is zelfs een jasje in de maak (aubergine kleurig, alleen nog zomen en doorstikken). Dus we beginnen langzaam aan weer boven water te komen. Er staat al een pan appeltjes van Larein te koken voor ouderwets appelmoes dus dat belooft wat voor vandaag. Misschien ga ik zelfs wel schilderen. Jullie hebben nog foto's van de trap tegoed.
Maar eerst even dit: bovenstaande foto is het resultaat van crea met een rest aardappelpuree. En ondanks dat de kinders inmiddels 47, 13, 10 en 10 zijn werden mijn gespoten letters en kringeltjes met enthousiasme ontvangen.....
Eigenlijk wel heel erg hè, loop je over het algemeen fanatiek te doen met fabuleuze recepten, neem je een keer in opperste wanhoop je toevlucht tot puree van de Lidl die ze vervolgens maar half opeten, mik je de hele boel de volgende avond in een spuitzak, gaat los op de bakplaat, strooi daar zeezout en kruiden overheen en schuif in de hete oven....
Ziedaar, gejuich aan tafel!

Waar doe je het allemaal voor vraag ik u af.....

Pioneer bread

Swaying wagons, creaking wood, mid-1800's, sturdy women and bearded men hardened by the trail life. Gusting winds and long tiring days, and every single day a fire had to be made and there had to be food on the table. These rustic loaves containing cornmeal, dark rye and whole wheat flour are an impression of the bread the pioneers baked in those days. Several recipes are to be found on the net, some using a sourdough starter which is likely to be more original than this yeasted version.

"Almost immediately the campfires started burning and dinner was begun. Cooking bread over a campfire was something of a challenge--the result was usually burned on the outside and doughy on the inside. Even worse, keeping bugs and dirt out of the mix was nearly impossible."

Pictured this? Okay, now it's time to hug your KitchenAid, pat your convection oven, roll up your sleeves and start baking!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (80 gr) yellow corn flour
4 tbs brown sugar, packed
4 tsp salt
1 cup (240 ml) boiling water
4 tbs vegetable oil
3 ts yeast
1 cup (140 gr) whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (70gr) dark rye flour
4.1/4 - 4.3/4 (650 gr plus) cup white bread flour

In a small bowl stir together the cornmeal, salt, brown sugar and oil; stir in boiling water. Cool mixture until just warm, stir occasionally. In a mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the unbleached white flour and yeast. Add cornmeal mixture. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, scrape sides of bowl. Add whole wheat flour and rye flour and as much white flour as you can to make a soft firm dough; turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough flour to make a smooth and elastic dough, about 6-8 minutes.

Put in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat; cover lightly and let rise until doubled in bulk. Divide in parts and shape into loaves. (Business envelope style). Place in greased bread pans and let rise until almost doubled in bulk. I used molds for decorating capuccino to make the flour decoration on the breads. This time I doubled the quantity of dough, divided into four equal parts and used my glass ovendish and stacked three parts of dough, the fourth I baked in a cloche. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and bake about 45 minutes. Remove from pans. You could brush the tops with butter, to obtain a softer, shiny crust. For obvious reasons: you don't want to do this if you have decorated your bread ;).

Yield: 2 loaves.

Macaroni and cheese?

Microwave pinging. Ah so this is the Blogging by mail macaroni and cheese? Mom, are you sure? It looks like someone has melted Cheetos Chipitos over macaroni...It smèlls like someone has melted Cheetos Chiptios over macaroni...
Stern female voice-over: "No children, listen carefully, this is what children in the United States get for dinner, so get ready, grab your forks and empty that bowl please. Your exhausted Mom has an entire cook-less evening today".
Hmm (stealthily looking at each other, at their mother, at their bowls)
Forks ticking
Sighs
One of them is appointed spokes-person: Maham, we really tried and I think we had enough. Scrapes throat: we do like it though but it is a bit eh much, our bellies are filled now. Can we please get some yoghurt for dessert?
Female voice-over doesn't trust her voice and manages to nod approval from behind the newspaper and her three dear children rush to the fridge.. So much for Trader Joe's Macaroni and Cheese, no preservatives added, and the all-natural Wisconsin cheddar macaroni and cheese which gets its orange color from annatto and beta carotene, not from artificial sources mind you....
There's a slight difference between Trader Joe's and Momma Karen's macaroni...theirs make better for pictures.

Portuguese Sweet Rolls

The recipe can be found here on their site, as well as in the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. I have mentioned here before that I would love to visit their company (and shop!) in Vermont and the ultimate dream would be joining one -or a couple- of their classes... I know a couple of baking friends from Bakkerswereld who would gladly join me. Imagine, a Dutch invasion in Vermont! Lindy from Toast I know would be happy to participate too. (And I bet Tanna, and Sue, and Angelika and Ivonne and...and...) Wouldn't that be nice? Ah..dreams. And money...and opportunity, but let's not talk about that, just dream..
And whilst dreaming, enjoy a roll -or two- with home-made grapefruit marmelade and double cream, or real old cheese with real butter... A cup of tea, heaven.
I followed the recipe to a t this time, the dough will not rise very much so don't be disappointed, the bread will still be quite light and airy. I particularly think the amount of butter and the lemon are great contributors to the flavour!

Swedish Rye bread

This is my take on Swedish rye bread, using some of the treasures I discovered during our holiday in Sweden. This recipe will make two large loaves, with a pleasant crackly crust and a faint anise flavor. The Graham flour adds a nice bit of crunch and the "sirap" makes for a little sweetness. I was very happy with my two different bottles of "brödsirap", only to discover that it is a sirupy concoction of sugar and malt or just sugar.... easily substituted I think by brown sugar, treacle, or molasses (stroop). Recipe (yields two large loaves):
350 gr rye flour
500 gr white breadflour
100 gr Graham flour (substitute: grof volkoren)
300 gr whole wheat flour
2 tbs yeast
3 tbs vegetable oil
3 tbs malted "brödsirap" (substitute: stroop/treacle)
150 gr milk
520 gr warm water
2 ts anise seeds (optional)
-----------
3 ts salt

In the bowl of your standmixer combine all ingredients (salt added later after autolyse) and mix until just combined, cover and let rest for about 20 minutes (=autolyse). Add salt and mix on speed 1 (Kenwood stand mixer has 6 speeds) for 7 minutes. This will make a supple slightly tacky doughball, and after this I like to knead by hand for just a few turns to get a feel for the dough and sometimes adding a little flour to make a more firm doughball.
Ferment (first rise) until tripled (approx. 1 to 2 hrs).
Divide the risen dough into two pieces, deflate and round them into tight balls. With your hands coat them lightly in oil, cover them with plastic wrap and let double in bulk, about 1 hour. (second rise).
Shaping and proofing: Again shape the risen balls into your preferred form (oblong, rounds), lightly oil their tops and cover again with plastic wrap. This third rise gives you a tender more finely textured interior.
Let the loaves proof until doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 450F or 225 C. Spray the loaves with water and bake for 10 minutes, turn down the oven to 350F/180C and bake for another 35 minutes, until deeply browned, check for doneness and let cool on a rack.
These breads are excellent with meat and cheese as well as jams or jellies (or chocolate sprinkles of course). Enjoy!

Ma.. ma.. ma.. Madeleines

Ah how my kids and husband love me! Not because of my pleasant disposition, my flawless character, my fabulous social skills, my kind and understanding way of raising them (yes, that includes the Husband but don't tell him) not to mention my cooking skills, the never ending support I randomly dish out.. No, I can make Madeleines! And they looooove Madeleines! And now they love me too!
The flexible silicon Madeleine molds were a birthday present and yesterday I finally tried the first batch following this

Recipe:
120 gr flour
1 ts baking powder
120 gr sugar
4 eggs
120 gr soft butter
zest of 1 lemon or/and 1/2 ts almond extract

In the bowl of your standmixer combine sugar and eggs and mix until thick and pale, add flavors. Gradually add sifted flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture. Rest the batter in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C. Spoon batter evenly into buttered and floured Madeleine molds (if using 1 mold, let cool between batches). Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. This recipe will make almost 36 small madeleines.This recipe came with the molds, but I searched the web and there is a wealth of recipes out there, so I bet there will be a Madeleine continuing story.

Achter de wolken....

hoop ik toch echt de zon te zien...
Op deze "behind the scenes" tour hebben de trouwe lezers inmiddels gemerkt dat ik als gevolg van een te vlugge rechtervinger plotsklaps een geheel andere compleet blauwe layout had met cursieve lettertjes, die rap vervangen werd door een neutrale witte, die vervolgens gisteravond weer aangepast is met behulp van veel koffie, thee (zelfs voor mij bestaat er een koffie-limiet) en vele, vele vellen volgekrabbelde aantekeningen. Het voorlopige? resultaat zit je nu te bekijken. Ik hoop dat dit een beetje leuk leest inmiddels. Ik ben er ook achter hoe ik een back-up kan maken. (haha, spreekwoord van kalf en put enzo) en d.m.v. trial and error ontdekt welke codes verantwoordelijk zijn voor welke veranderingen. Hoop ik. Ik heb ze nog niet allemaal te pakken, maar dit is een stukje zelf-educatie van de hoogste plank kan ik u verzekeren.

Nu nog een leuke banner (dat is dat blanco ding bovenaan waar nu alleen nog Bake My Day staat) maar dat is een hoofdstukje voor gevorderden. Ooit had ik ontdekt hoe dat moest, maja....

Wat ik graag van jullie wil weten.......léést dit nu een beetje? Oogt het een beetje leuk? Is dit nu waarvan je tegen je buurvrouw/vriendin/kapper zegt goh joh, dat zou je eens moeten lezen, dat is leuk!
Zo niet, vertel het me maar niet eigenlijk, moet ik een andere hobby gaan zoeken, of toch een keer mijn huis gaan schoonmaken, strijken, of andere o zo nuttige dingen gaan doen... Verheug ik me nu al op!

Under construction....

Zullen we voorlopig maar zeggen: UNDER CONSTRUCTION?

Ik krijg dit niet in een ochtend voor elkaar, tenminste, niet zoals ik het wil. Dus voorlopig blijft er óf dit staan, óf het verandert met het half uur...
Excuses voor het ongemak,