Coffee, conversation, a little knitting refresher, too. She came bearing gifts of pastry from La Gourmandine. thanks Jen.
A Friend Stopped By This Morning
Tag: baking
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Butter, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, oatmeal, raisins the basic start to a cookie……but then you add Grape-Nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut, toasted pecans…..Kitchen Sink Cookies (click for recipe). There are other recipes that add potato chips, pretzels and toffee.
Idiom – “everything but the kitchen sink”
“……first print reference can be found in 1918 in the newspaper The Syracuse Herald. The expression became popular during World War II, where it was said that everything but the kitchen sink was thrown at the enemy.”
Flourless Chocolate Cloud Cake
Flourless Chocolate Cloud Cake recipe from Leite’s Culinaria
Whipped Cream will cover the cracks
Soft Peaks
Incorporating air into egg whites creates soft then stiff peaks. A good stress reliever. Whisking egg whites. No copper bowl on hand. This was before the Kitchen-Aid mixer head was secured by my friend.
A Favorite Appliance
Do you have a favorite appliance? My friend just repaired the pin that holds the head onto the body. It had worked its way out so the head wobbled when being used. I was so pleased it could be fixed as this Kitchen Aid mixer was a gift from my dad in 1986. It’s been a reliable workhorse in several kitchens where we’ve lived. A lot of birthday cakes and batches of cookies have been produced with it. And when I realized how happy I was it was fixed, I decided it’s my favorite appliance (with my toaster I received for my 50th birthday a close second).
Gato de Muez de Pesah Walnut and Orange Passover Cake
I am at my sister’s in NYC and sifting through old recipes and photos. This is from 2011.
When I googled this recipe title, from the one she wrote down on a piece of composition paper, I discovered that it is from The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York by Claudia Roden who says it is the Passover Cake of Istanbul and it is imperative to use walnuts that are not stale! You can see the actual recipe in the link above, if you have trouble viewing the handwritten version
Here is a link to a Youtube Video with
Claudia Roden an Interview on Jewish Food from the British Library
The photo of the recipe cuts off the word STIFF but that is how you need to beat those egg whites. 
Oatmeal in Another Form
Baking a batch of cookies warms up the kitchen when it’s single digit temps outside.
Here’s the recipe but they call it Oatmeal Coconut Crisps. I did not add coconut to my batch and I halved the recipe. 1 c butter 2 eggs….
The Last Package of Lebkuchen
When I got to Laura’s house there were three packages of Lebkuchen by the guest bed. My daughter knows me well. These are from Germany.
Unfortunately, Oscar the dog got one package and ate some (no ill effects even though he got a chocolate covered one)
but he didn’t get my favorite kind.
I just opened it tonight. One a day for six days and then will have to wait until next Christmas
Lots of Lebkuchen links below
Aunt Rhea’s Recipe post from her mother’s father.
Friends in Florida and Massachusetts Bake Aubt Rhea’s Lebkuchen recipe a double guest blog
And if you want to experiment with different recipes here’s the blend of Lebkuchen spices
Buttermilk in Blueberry Muffins
Baking with buttermilk creates delicious results. I used the Best Ever Blueberry Muffins recipe with buttermilk but reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup.
And I used 1/2 c of melted butter instead of canola oil. No butter necessary on the muffin. It’s already inside. The house smells so good when they are baking.
Bread Making- Guest Blog
Kristin sent these photos of her husband making bread.
Rick is really good at bread making.
He’s okay with the photos being posted.
I added the first photo of my grandmother’s ode to bread and the last photo of Rick kneading his famous and delicious bread in 2016.
