December 10, 2009

I’ve been talking about it for a while, but in case you haven’t heard, our Bake Sale benefiting the SPCA of Texas is coming up on Monday.  This Monday! Great googly moogly!  So much to do in so little remaining time!

We want this to be the best sale we can possibly put together for the SPCA, and we’re pretty much driving ourselves wacka-doodle-doo over it.  That’s what happens when a few OCD perfectionists come together on a project they’re passionate about I guess, but we’ve created a really stressful week for ourselves.

Hissy-Fit Photo by Vaughan

I freaked out big-time yesterday and had a little hissy fit about some things that weren’t going the way I wanted them to.  By the end of a really long frustrating day, I was about to cry and decided to just go to bed and start fresh this morning.

I was thinking that bunches of us are hissy-fitting this time of year, not just me.  I sometimes wish I could be more lackadaisical and nonchalant about things instead of giving myself an anxiety attack trying to get it all done.  The challenge I think is how to arrive at a balance; how do you be more nonchalant and less compulsive without turning into a full-blown procrastinator who doesn’t get things done?   I have no idea since I’m not good at balance and moderation; I’m all or nothing about everything I do.  When it comes to the bake sale and other things I care about, it’s 100%-full-blown-all-I’ve-got.

How do you manage to achieve this kind of balance in your life?  I really want to know.  When I start melting down like this, all I know to do is try to slow my breathing down.  It does seem to help.  Also taking a minute to focus on what’s really important helps a bit too.  Am I freaking about something that even matters?  Probably not.  Am I making too much of this right now and overreacting?  Probably so.

If you have any tips on this topic, please send them on.  I betcha I’m not the only one doing the Hissy-Fit Freak right now!

~BigSis

December 9, 2009

Last week I shared with you some cute photos of TomTom in his new Santa Hat and scarf and I decided that since he was so patient during that photo shoot, I’m going to get him something special for Christmas this year. (Plus I feel guilty because we will be in Chicago for Christmas and he’ll be home with the pet sitter.)

I think he’s been trying to tell me that he’d like to have a really tall perch to hang out on. This past week, he found a new hiding spot up on top of our cabinets out in the garage. The first time we found him up there it was about 11:00 p.m. and we had been looking for him and calling his name for about a half an hour. We were starting to get worried that he may have accidentally gotten outside when I finally looked up and saw him.  I think he was really amused sitting up there being quiet as a mouse watching us look for him. HayHay snapped this photo once we found him. He looks crazy, doesn’t he?

Spooky TomTom in his new hiding spot.

Even though he’s a real pain in the butt sometimes, I’d like to get him a really tall perch for inside the house. If I could find room, I’d love to get something like this Cat Tree House Condo that I found on Amazon. These are normally way too expensive for me to even consider buying one so I was surprised when I saw this one on Amazon for less than $85.00.

Cat Tree House Condo

This next item is a little more extravagant and I won’t be getting one for TomTom, but a little kitty with claws would be thrilled to find this waiting for them under the tree on Christmas morning. For $160.00, The Sweet Lounge by Marmalade Pet Care is made from recycled cardboard so it’s comfy for napping or for doubling as a scratching post.

There are so many cute little Christmas gifts online for the kitty or doggie in your life. These next two items for dogs are so cute I can barely stand it! Wouldn’t it be cute to walk your little furkid wearing a pair of these Doggles.

These are adorable for $19.95!

Or how about one of these cute little Hound Hoodies from Annie’s Sweatshop for walking on chilly mornings? The Hoodies are $45.00, come in a choice of eight colors, are reversible and custom made of 100% fleece derived from recycled plastic. I love the cute removable pom pom on the hood.

The Hound Hoodie

These Hoodies almost make me wish I had a little doggie to dress up in cute little clothes!

So whether you’re doing your shopping online or venturing out to the malls, don’t forget about your four legged friends! They’ll love ya for it! 🙂

~LilSis

December 8, 2009

There’s definitely something about Christmas time that makes us want to bake. For some, it may be a family tradition to make dozens of cut-out cookies for the kids to decorate, and for others it may be the fun of building and decorating a magnificent gingerbread house, or maybe just baking the traditional pumpkin or pecan pie. I miss the days when our kids were younger and we would spend a day making and decorating dozens of cut-out sugar cookies.

I’ve mentioned before that on a normal day-to-day basis, I don’t do a lot of baking, but around this time of year, I do make more of an effort. I love giving homemade gifts so I’ll usually bake up a variety of mini loaves of bread or a nice assortment of festive cookies for friends and neighbors.

There are so many amazing Christmas cookies splashed on the covers of magazines and on the food blogs this month that make me wish I had more time to make Christmas cookies.

Maybe I need one of these to help me out! I bet this little gem would get the job done a lot faster than my little hand held mixer.

90th Anniversary Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

It just so happens that Susan over at She’s Becoming Doughmesstic is giving away one of these beautiful Candy Apple Red KitchenAid Stand Mixers! I’ve never owned a stand mixer, but if I had one, I would definitely put it to good use. 🙂

~LilSis

December 7, 2009

Our “little baking team that could” has been baking up a storm the last two weekends, and we have just one more week to get everything baked, packaged and organized!

We’re trying to raise another $3000 for the SPCA of Texas here in Dallas.  Last year’s sale raised $3055 and we really hope we can do better than that for the animals this year.

It seems like an overwhelming task to prepare $3000 worth of baked goodies, and then sell them all in just one day.  We all agree though that this is some of the biggest fun we have all year long!

So far, I have bunches of these things wrapped up in my freezer:

• Cranberry Pumpkin Bread with Walnuts

• Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Walnuts

• Strawberry Bread with Pecans

• Texas Pecan Pie Bars from the Pastry Queen

• Texas Pecan Pie Bars with Chocolate and Bourbon from the Pastry Queen

• Barefoot Contessa’s Outrageous Brownies

• Barefoot Contessa’s Outrageous Brownies with Mint Oreos

• Barefoot Contessa’s Outrageous Brownies with Bittersweet Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

SisMama has made a whole slew of awesome pound cakes in lots of flavors, and K & P have made oodles of breads.

Next weekend, we’ll be making all of the candies and other treats that we don’t want to freeze.  If you’re in the Dallas area, email me or leave a comment if you’d like to come visit us at the sale and I’ll send you the details.  If you’d like to donate to the SPCA of Texas but you’re too far away to visit us, you can use the web site that’s been set up for our donations.  It’s http://www.spca.org/goto/bakesale.

Meanwhile, wish us well!  The SPCA of Texas – like lots of animal organizations right now – is in serious need of funds in this economy, and we’d really like to help!

~BigSis

December 6, 2009

Why have I been doing things the hard way?  You know how you get used to doing some things the same old way, and don’t even think about whether there might be a better or easier way?

I’m not a big fan of kitchen gadgets that have limited uses, with few exceptions like my garlic press.  I’ve seen these food choppers on TV, and thought they were unnecessary and would just take up my limited kitchen storage space.  But let me tell you, I found out that they’re spectacular!  I impulsively bought this Martha Stewart Chopper for $14.99 on Black Friday, and can’t believe it took me so long to get one!

I’ve tried my new chopper on one thing so far, and if that’s all I ever use it for, it’s money well-spent.  I can’t stand how nuts bounce and fly all over the kitchen when you chop them with a knife.  They end up all over the floor and the cats bat them around like little hockey pucks, and then I step on them in my sock feet and say colorful words I shouldn’t say.

I don’t like to chop nuts in a food processor because they get too fine too fast, even if I pulse.  Now I have the solution: this chopper was made for nuts!  I spread a layer on a paper plate, center the chopper on a pile of them, press down on the plunger 2 or 3 times, then move to a new spot on the plate; repeating til all the nuts are as fine as I want them to be.  You can also use the base of the chopper as a little cutting board for small quantities.

The chopper comes apart for easy cleaning, and doesn’t hog too much cupboard real estate.  I’m loving it, and can’t wait to try it on onions, herbs, and olives (also bouncy little buggers).

I love Pampered Chef, and they make their own version of the chopper, but it’s double the price at $29.50, and I don’t see how you need to spend that much for this gadget.

If you’re out Christmas shopping and see this chopper at Macy’s, get yourself a gift and buy one!  It’ll make your holiday baking easier, and who knows what other uses you’ll find for it!

~BigSis

December 5, 2009

How ’bout we kick off this month’s series of ‘Caturdays’ with a early Merry Christmas wish from TomTom? Can you tell how much he loves his new Santa Hat and scarf?

"Fa La La La La La La La La"

"I better have a nice present under the tree after being put through this!"

Here’s what happened after the photo shoot was over.

Hopefully, we’ll get to see some photos of BigSis’ little furkids in their Christmas hats since they wouldn’t cooperate at Halloween!  🙂

~LilSis

December 4, 2009

(Sorry for the strange glare in the photo. I guess I should have made and photographed the cocktail at noon instead of 4 p.m. Then again, if I had started making and tasting these at noon, I might not have ended up with this post!)

Is it just me or does it seem like pomegranates have recently become the “in” thing? It’s true that they are loaded with more antioxidants than Cranberry Juice, Concord Grape Juice, and even Red Wine, but why are we suddenly hearing more about the health benefits of pomegranates? I dunno!

When we were kids, we had a friend in the neighborhood that had a Pomegranate tree and we used to eat them all the time, not knowing of course that they were good for us. (I could tell you about the birthmark on my leg that I thought for many years was a stain from a pomegranate seed, but you probably wouldn’t believe me.)

Anyway, BigSis and I were lucky enough to receive some trial bottles of POM Wonderful Pomegranate juice from the lovely people at POM Wonderful.  Honestly, these little bottles of POM juice in the produce section of my store have been tempting me for some time, so I’m glad to finally have the chance to try it. And, since I love a tart fruit, I love this juice.

It’s really great alone and can also be used as a substitute in a recipe like these Cherry-Pecan Meringue Bars, or even in a salad dressing, but I decided to try it out in a cocktail first. After talking it over with my friend, V, I decided to adapt a recipe of hers from a 2007 Outdoor Living to come up with this Pomegranate Orangetini.

I bet Santa would like to find one of these waiting for him alongside his plate of cookies!

Pomegranate Orangetini
(adapted from Outdoor Living 2007)

2 parts Pomegranate juice
1 part Vodka
splash Triple Sec
splash fresh lime juice
splash Fresca or Ginger Ale
sugar

Prepare a cocktail glass by wetting the rim with a lime and frosting it with sugar. Mix the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, strain into the prepared glass, top with a splash of Fresca or Ginger Ale and garnish with a lime slice.

~LilSis

December 2, 2009

Cherry-Pecan Meringue Bars

Gearing up for the SPCA Bake Sale, I had one more promising recipe to taste-test.  Like the Double Chocolate Peppermint Bars I tested recently, the inspiration again was Carole Walter’s “Great Cookies” – a James Beard Award winner and IACP winner.

These bars took a little doing – about an hour to put together – and are a touch too fussy for the Bake Sale.  You have a brown sugar shortbread base, with a cherry filling and a meringue pecan topping.  The combination of flavors was great, especially if you’re a nut lover.  All in all, pretty delicious, and lighter than a lot of the things that come out of my oven this time of year!

So, these bars gets thumbs up for flavor but don’t get invited to the Bake Sale!  I’ll be making Cookie Madness’ White Chip Raspberry Bars for the sale again, since they were well-received last year.  You get a similar zip from the berry jam (I use my homemade cranberry jam) with a nutty complement from sliced almonds.  If you double Anna’s recipe, it fits nicely in a 13 x 9 pan, and will give you 12 healthy-size bars.

If you have a little bit of time on your hands, do try these Cherry-Pecan Meringue Bars.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Cherry-Pecan Meringue Bars
(adapted from Great Cookies)

Filling:

1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup water
1 cup cherry preserves or jam (I used homemade cranberry jam)
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of salt
2 Tblsp POM Wonderful juice (the original recipe called for Cherry Heering liqueur which is a bit pricey, and unnecessary IMHO)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 13 x 9 pan with nonstick foil.

Place the cherries and water in a small saucepan. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until cherries are tender and almost all of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the rest of filling ingredients. Bring to a boil. Place the mixture into a food processor and pulse 5-6 times. The mixture should still have some texture, rather than being a puree.  Chill mixture for 30 minutes or up to 1 week.

Crust:

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (I used salted)
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1-3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Place the butter in a medium saucepan and barely melt over low heat, remove from heat and allow to finish melting. Set aside to cool to tepid, then stir in brown sugar. Blend in the flour and salt all at once.

Drop 8 spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared pan. Press dough evenly into bottom of pan. Bake at 350 for 15 to 17 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes then spread the cherry filling evenly over crust.

Meringue:

8 oz pecans (2 cups chopped)
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place the pecans in a food processor and add 1 tablespoon of the sugar and pulse 3-4 times, or until finely chopped. Set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy.  Add the salt.  Increase the speed to medium high and beat until firm but not dry. Add the remaining sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, taking about 1 minute.  Add the vanilla and beat 30 seconds longer to form a shiny meringue. Fold in 1 cup of the chopped pecans.

Spread the meringue evenly over the cherry mixture, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining pecans. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack. Remove from pan, using the foil to lift it out, and cut into bars.

~BigSis

December 1, 2009

December’s gifts – custom, ceremony, celebration, consecration – come to us wrapped up, not in tissue and ribbons, but in cherished memories. This is the month of miracles. The oil that burns for eight days, the royal son born in a stable, the inexplicable return of Light on the longest, darkest night of the year. Where there is Love, there are always miracles. And where there are miracles, there is great joy.

Sarah Ban Breathnach

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Albert Einstein

~LilSis

November 30, 2009

You know how some people always say that this or that is a “hot mess”.  Have you ever wondered exactly what a hot mess is?  What does a hot mess look like?  Wonder no more…voila!

This, my friends, is a bonafide hot mess.  No, this is not what I was going for.  Ha!  Not even close.  I was aiming for a variation of Peabody’s Hazelnut Honey Cookies.  A few of her commenters mentioned trying almond meal in place of the hazelnut flour.  I thought, well, hecky darn; I have an endless supply of dried almond meal since I’ve been making my own almond milk for months now.  Why don’t I conduct a little experiment with the almond meal substitution, and report back on my marvelous success; much to the delight of Peabody and her readers!

Instead, I have to fess up to my failure hot mess and submit my name to the Baker’s Hall of Shame.

Where did I go wrong?  I subbed agave for half of the honey but I don’t think that would cause a disaster of this magnitude.  I also added a tablespoon of cocoa powder, and even added an extra half cup of almond meal since the mixture seemed loose.  Little did I know, it had only begun to be loose!

When I first looked into the oven, the cookies seemed to be spreading a tad, but on the second look…good gravy!  I had a sea of bubbling, bumpy, grainy goo.  Not what I was going for at all.  😀 Looks a bit like the surface of the moon or Mars, doesn’t it?

I think the problem was with the almond meal.  I probably should have only substituted almond meal for part of the hazelnut flour.  I also might have goofed in using the almond meal in it’s coarse state.  Maybe it would have behaved better if I had pulverized it.  I’d certainly like to pulverize it, now that I’ve wasted those tasty little cherries and other ingredients!

It was a fun little experiment, even though it flopped.  If you try something new, you have to be prepared to fail sometimes, right?  Thank you, Almond Meal Gluten Free “Cookies”.  You gave me the best laugh I’ve had in ages!  😀

~BigSis