Catching Up and RED - 16 November 2013
Nov. 16th, 2013 07:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teddy_radiatorAh, Saturdays should always be this fun. Easy going, lazy morning, then we went over to mom's house to help her with a few bits and pieces. My mother is fiercely, stubbornly independent, and it has to be something either technological or trivial before she will ask for help. Apparently her surge protector went bang, and ironically killed her modem with the power surge.
I ordered her modem for her, and she took us out to lunch - all of us ordered the good old Southern meat-and-three, then we all went to Olde Tyme Pottery (yes, that's how they spell it), and waded in amongst the rest of the manic Christmas shoppers. I got a few really fun things, and we came home and ate leftover lasagne and crescent rolls. The High-Life, we livz it.
TheHubs® is going to have head shots done tomorrow, and is trying to decide what to wear. The stipulations for head shots remind me of the anxiety that is writing a query letter to agents. Poor guy; I've seen bridal gowns chosen with less care. But he's come bearing Lindor's Caramel Truffles. He could wear a hoop skirt if he wants to, after a few of these lethal goodies.
Sooper Seekrit project is almost completed - well the grunt work is still to come, but hopefully that won't be too traumatic. Hopefully it will work. If it doesn't, well, it will work - thinking positive thoughts! In reality, it's a silly little thing and I'm making way too much of it. It will probably be met with a resounding 'Meh.'
I'm starting to seriously get in the Christmassy mood. Lock up your children. There will be photos this year, I promise. I think my phone is up to it. One thing I'm definitely not putting out this year is my dad's miniature Christmas Village. As sweet as it is, it's really hard to do, and I found myself becoming really sad when I looked at it. We had featured it at the Shop every Christmas. It was my dad's favourite part of Christmas. I obviously still have issues with the feeling of failure on both counts. Maybe I'll put it away for next year.
Today's RED features one of my favourite spices/seasonings: cardamom. Just the name itself conjures exotic worlds, the places where Colonel Brandon declares, "The air is full of spices."
Browned Butter Cardamom Cookies
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
Melt butter in 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and watching closely, until butter just starts to turn golden brown (3 to 5 minutes). (Butter will get foamy and bubble.) Immediately remove from heat. Pour into bowl; refrigerate until cooled (30 minutes).
Heat oven to 350°F. Combine cooled browned butter and sugar in large bowl; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add egg yolk, vanilla and cardamom; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour, until mixture is no longer crumbly and forms a dough.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies puff and start to turn light golden brown. (Cookies will have cracks in them.)
Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool 1 minute. Roll cookies in powdered sugar while warm and again when completely cooled. Store between sheets of waxed paper in loosely covered container. (30 min.prep time, 1:30 total time; 4 dozen cookies)
I ordered her modem for her, and she took us out to lunch - all of us ordered the good old Southern meat-and-three, then we all went to Olde Tyme Pottery (yes, that's how they spell it), and waded in amongst the rest of the manic Christmas shoppers. I got a few really fun things, and we came home and ate leftover lasagne and crescent rolls. The High-Life, we livz it.
TheHubs® is going to have head shots done tomorrow, and is trying to decide what to wear. The stipulations for head shots remind me of the anxiety that is writing a query letter to agents. Poor guy; I've seen bridal gowns chosen with less care. But he's come bearing Lindor's Caramel Truffles. He could wear a hoop skirt if he wants to, after a few of these lethal goodies.
Sooper Seekrit project is almost completed - well the grunt work is still to come, but hopefully that won't be too traumatic. Hopefully it will work. If it doesn't, well, it will work - thinking positive thoughts! In reality, it's a silly little thing and I'm making way too much of it. It will probably be met with a resounding 'Meh.'
I'm starting to seriously get in the Christmassy mood. Lock up your children. There will be photos this year, I promise. I think my phone is up to it. One thing I'm definitely not putting out this year is my dad's miniature Christmas Village. As sweet as it is, it's really hard to do, and I found myself becoming really sad when I looked at it. We had featured it at the Shop every Christmas. It was my dad's favourite part of Christmas. I obviously still have issues with the feeling of failure on both counts. Maybe I'll put it away for next year.
Today's RED features one of my favourite spices/seasonings: cardamom. Just the name itself conjures exotic worlds, the places where Colonel Brandon declares, "The air is full of spices."
Browned Butter Cardamom Cookies
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
Melt butter in 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and watching closely, until butter just starts to turn golden brown (3 to 5 minutes). (Butter will get foamy and bubble.) Immediately remove from heat. Pour into bowl; refrigerate until cooled (30 minutes).
Heat oven to 350°F. Combine cooled browned butter and sugar in large bowl; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add egg yolk, vanilla and cardamom; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour, until mixture is no longer crumbly and forms a dough.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies puff and start to turn light golden brown. (Cookies will have cracks in them.)
Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool 1 minute. Roll cookies in powdered sugar while warm and again when completely cooled. Store between sheets of waxed paper in loosely covered container. (30 min.prep time, 1:30 total time; 4 dozen cookies)
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no subject
Date: 2013-11-17 12:40 am (UTC)Sounds like a very nice day.
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Date: 2013-11-17 12:55 am (UTC)And boo for my terrible baking skills which mean I can never make these cookies.
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Date: 2013-11-17 01:14 pm (UTC)One of my favourite 'old fashioned' flavours in sweets is bay leaves - wonderful to flavour custards, milk puddings and blancmange and I've used it as a boost in cakes too - goes very nicely with lavender and vanilla icing.