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Browned Butter Molasses Oat Cookies with Maple Icing

Let the baking begin! November is the kick-off to the official start of baking season.

Holiday cookies, Thanksgiving rolls, party appetizers, loaves of bread for nice neighbors…the list goes on an on. Soften your butter, get out the cinnamon and the mixer and start baking.

A freezer can be a baker’s best friend, as most baked goods freeze beautifully.

You can have all of your holiday cookies mixed up by mid-December, and bake them when you need them.

It’s tough to find something new under the sun when it comes to cookies. However, there are many, many delicious variations on a theme.

Below find a recipe for an amped up oatmeal cookie–deepened with the fragrance of browned butter and the rich taste of molasses. A drizzle of maple icing sweetens it up just enough.

It’s from Anna Ginsberg’s cookbook, The Daily Cookie. Ginsberg takes you through an entire of year of well-known and bizarre holidays, giving you a cookie recipe to commemorate each one.  Continue Reading »

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Posted 10 November 2012 | baked goods   cookbook review   cookies   dessert   winter holiday | Comments Off on Browned Butter Molasses Oat Cookies with Maple Icing Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Pie Palooza!

 

What a way to kick off November–eating pie! In my opinion, November 1 kicks off the official start of baking season, and pies are one of those things that people should make more often. They seem intimidating, but with a little practice, mixing and rolling out pie crust is a cinch, while pouring in filling and baking is even easier.

And who doesn’t love pie?

If you’re not quite ready to dive in and bake your own, local WI folks should consider attending REAP’s Pie Palooza this Sunday, November 4th.. REAP is a wonderful local organization that works hard to educate and encourage people to grow, shop, cook and eat locally and sustainably. I especially admire their efforts with children and schools. See their press release below for more details on the event and a link to their web site:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REAP Food Group’s 8th Annual Pie Palooza:
Eating Local is Easy as Pie!
 

Tickets on sale now for REAP’s Pie Palooza 2012
November, 4th 2012 – Goodman Community Center
Contact: Miriam Grunes
miriamg@reapfoodgroup.org
608-310-7836
 
 
MADISON, WI -Come grab a slice of local pie at REAP Food Group’s 8th Annual Pie Palooza event on November 4th, 2012! REAP’s last event of the season will transform the Goodman Community Center in to a pie-licious paradise. Chefs and bakers from all over town dream up special sweet and savory pies packed with locally-sourced ingredients, creating a unique Sunday brunch experience for the whole family to enjoy.A ticket to the event covers your choice of two slices of pie, a farm-fresh salad and a beverage. Savory pie choices will appeal to vegetarians and meat lovers alike, while sweet pies will include traditional favorites and innovative creations. With such mouth-watering options as Hickory Nut, Bourbon, Caramel Pie and Roasted Winter Squash, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Galette, the hardest part is deciding which slices to try!
 
Previous Pie Paloozas have attracted sell-out crowds and this year is expected to be no different. Advanced tickets are $16, and highly recommended, or $18 at the door if the event is not sold out. (Order online at www.reapfoodgroup.org, or in person at the REAP office at 306 E. Wilson St.) To assure shorter lines and plenty of seating, tickets are sold in four separate time slots. You may purchase a ticket for 9:30-10:30am, 10:30-11:30am, 11:30am-12:30pm, or 12:30-1:30pm. Walkups welcome if slots are not sold out!
 
If you’re thinking ahead to Thanksgiving, consider purchasing a whole, ready-to-freeze pie. Whole pies will be available for sale at the event until sold out. Hungry for more? Be sure to enter the on-site raffle for a chance to win pie for a year from Sun Prairie’s Market Street Diner and many more great prizes.
Visit reapfoodgroup.org for updates on pie bakers and flavors to be featured.
 
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REAP is a non-profit organization based in Madison, Wisconsin, focused on building a regional food system that is healthful, just, and both environmentally and economically sustainable. REAP connects producers, consumers, policy makers, educators, businesses, and organizations to nourish the links between land and table. REAP is committed to projects that shorten the distance from farm to table, support small family farmers, encourage sustainable agricultural practices, preserve the diversity and safety of our food supply and address the food security of everyone in our community.

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Posted 01 November 2012 | baked goods   comfort food   dessert   Ideas | Comments (1) Tagged: , , ,

Fried Green Tomatoes

It’s officially over–tank tops and shorts have been replaced with jeans and a sweater. I’m drinking hot tea instead of lemon and mint-spiked ice water. The ice cream machine is at the back of the cupboard–but there’s a plum crisp in the oven.

But I think I can squeeze in one last summer recipe. As I close down the garden for the season, I’m left with a staggering amount of green tomatoes. I’ve finally accepted that they are not going to ripen come October, so it’s time to cry uncle and just pick them.

Some I may be able to ‘help’ ripen using the Christmas tomato method, but it is possible to cook with green tomatoes.

The most obvious is the best (in my opinion): Fried green tomatoes. Over the years I’ve made these baked, but last week I overcame my fear of deep-frying (kind of) and dove right in.

It was pretty easy (I’m sure it’s easier if you have some sort of fancy fryer), and the results were delicious. We ate them straight up with a Southwestern rice pilaf, but they’re also good on sandwiches in vegetarian tacos (think Baja, but with tomatoes instead of fish). If you still have some ripe tomatoes, make a killer BLT with fresh and fried green tomatoes. Continue Reading »

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Posted 30 September 2012 | appetizers   comfort food   gardening   Vegetables   vegetarian | Comments (2)

Salty Caramel Ice Cream

Summer is drawing to a close.

V’s of geese are cutting through the skies most evenings. The temperatures have cooled (slightly). A few ambitious trees have sent  leaves scarlet.

It’s been a good one–very hot, very dry, but good. The garden is full to bursting, we’ve logged many hours at the pool and we’ve made many, many quarts of homemade ice cream.

Ever since discovering Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (which has since won a James Beard award), I have hardly used any ice cream recipes but hers. They are amazing. As good as any premium ice cream you can buy, but with only fresh ingredients that you’ve sourced.

You can read more about the cookbook here–if you enjoy homemade ice cream, I strongly recommend it. Britton Bauer has mastered the science of making perfect homemade ice cream at home and has shared the secret with you. Her seasonal flavors are innovative, yet leave plenty of room for experimentation. Continue Reading »

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Posted 19 August 2012 | comfort food   cookbook review   dessert | Comments (1) Tagged: , , ,

Raw Kale Salad

Despite the drought, my garden is flourishing (thanks to my drip irrigation and marsh hay mulch). I WAYover-planted summer squash (more on that later), and I have an abundance of kale.

I typically blanch and freeze kale for winter soups and stir fries, but I’ve been eating plenty of it in salads this summer.

The trick is to make a great vinaigrette and dress the salad a few hours before enjoying. It makes raw kale perfectly edible, if not delicious. If you have access to garden kale, the newly grown middle leaves are the tenderest, but with a few hours of salad dressing marination, even tougher grocery store leaves are rendered yummy.

For more info about kale and this salad, see my column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Continue Reading »

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Posted 24 July 2012 | condiments   gardening   lunchbox   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article   salad and salad dressings   Vegetables   vegetarian | Comments (1) Tagged: , , , ,