Conor, Mom and Dad Head to the Store

Conor, Mom and Dad head to the store for a few things, including a cupcake treat for Conor who shows patience waiting for Mom to check out of a busy Superstore. A few groceries can't stop Conor from flying home - in reverse.

autism

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A Beautiful Fredericton December Morning

autism

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12 Days of Cookies - A Gourmet cookie extravaganza

This wonderful event is the brain child of Andrea of Andrea's Recipes. How I got asked to be involved with this incredible group is beyond me but all the thanks goes to Kelly of Sass & Veracity. There are 7 of us that have decided to do The 12 Days of Cookies - A Gourmet cookie extravaganza. We will be choosing, baking, tasting, blogging and sharing with you a cookie a day for the next 12 days of December.

These cookies are coming from Gourmet's Favorite Cookie Recipes: 1941-2008. They’ve published a lot of cookie recipes in their 68-year history, many of them around the winter holidays. This season they decided to choose the very best from each year.

These are my partners in crime. We will all be choosing different cookies and surprising each other. How fun is that???? Be sure to check out their selections for the day!

Jerry - Cooking...by the seat of my Pants
Sandy -At the Baker's Bench
Courtney - Coco Cooks
Kelly - Sass & Veracity
Claire - The Barefoot Kitchen
Andrea - Andreas Recipes

Day 6 of The 12 Days of Cookies features Biscotti di Regina (Queen's Biscuits)!

You may have forgotten about this Italian take on sesame seed cookies, but their cakelike texture and sweetness will remind you why they’re an old favorite.- Gourmet

Biscotti di Regina (Queen's Biscuits) - November 1955 (link to the recipe as it was originally printed)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (I used unsalted butter *sigh* lol!)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
5 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 pound sesame seeds

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450°
  
• Cream butter and1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
  
• Beat in egg and add gradually milk and vanilla extract.
  
• Sift together into a bowl flour, salt, and baking powder. Make a hollow in the center and gradually work in the butter-sugar mixture. If the dough seems too dry, add more milk.
  
• Shape the dough into a ball and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Wash and drain well sesame seeds.
  
• Break off pieces of the chilled dough the size of walnuts and flatten them slightly between the palms. Roll the biscuits in the sesame seeds and bake them on a cookie sheet 1/2 inch apart in a hot oven (450° F.) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden. Makes 5 dozen biscuits.

I LOVE these...now I'm not sure if it was them or the fact that I was sooooooo tired of mocha and coffee and chocolate! No really. I LOVED these. They are so Italian cookie tasting. I wanted to just drown it in an espresso but alas I only had hazelnut coffee!

They are sweet and cake like and covered with wonderful toasted sesame seeds and on top of all of that they are so easy to make. I made the dough the day before and then in the morning used the 450° oven to warm my kitchen and bake these little bits of goodness!

Would I make these again? OMG yes and maybe next week...

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Pork Scallopini

The past couple of months we have been eating out a lot because of our crazy schedules, hectic entertaining plans and well, sadly it was all out of convenience. This month and going forward, I'm making more of an effort in having meals or ingredients ready to cook after work. So far, this week has been good... let's just hope it continues!

Tonight's meal was whatever I could make with pork cutlets. It was the first thing I grabbed this morning to defrost while I was at work. So when I got home, I didn't have a clue what to make. I was thinking of making a chicken scallopini dish so I just altered the recipe to use pork instead. It turned out great despite not having any breadcrumbs... but I managed to squeeze in some fiber. The best part? Dinner was done in less than 25 minutes!

Pork Scallopini
adapted from Cooking Light

4 (6-ounce) pork cutlets, halved
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup Fiber One cereal, processed into crumbs
Cooking spray
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 teaspoons capers
1 tablespoon butter

Place each pork cutlet half in a heavy duty freezer bag; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Brush chicken with juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place Fiber One cereal crumbs into another heavy duty freezer bag. Place pork pieces in the bag and toss in crumbs to coat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Add broth and wine to pan, and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in capers and butter. Reduce sauce and spoon over pork.

I served this over steamed brown rice and a side salad.

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Holiday Food Gifts!

Every year I take some time out to make a few holiday treats to share with friends and neighbors. This year, I made the following treats for friends... although these packaged goodies are only half of the items packaged up! Click on the links below for recipes...

Saltine Toffee Candy

Cinnamon Almond Biscotti

Candied Ginger Biscotti

Mini Twofer Tartlettes

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A quick break in our 12 Days of Cookies...

Go the The Adventures of Kitchen Girl and vote for my Arugula Pesto and Wild Mushroom Pizza! You know it was good!

Jo has made it real simple. Nothing to join just vote!

Thanks!!!

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QUICK CRANBERRY COFFEE CAKE

SWEET, EASY BEGINNINGS


Nothing is simpler than coffee cake. Simple to make and simple in its very essence. It starts with a no-frills, not-too-sweet cake, like the moister version of a muffin, the perfect base for the sugary, crunchy streusel topping. Lots of brown sugar and cinnamon, of course, held together with flour and lots of rich butter. From there, let your imagination run wild. Tickle your taste buds with sharp, tangy cranberries or soothe your soul with chocolate and nuts, that homiest of comfort foods.

This is a recipe I turn to over and over again, an adaptation from the most wonderful Joy of Cooking. It is a snap to put together and enjoyed by all, whether for breakfast or snack.

I always make this cake with mini chocolate chips swirling through the streusel. When I can get around a husband who is allergic to nuts, I add chopped pecans. Since it is the winter holiday season, I decided to make this more festive version using the last bag of cranberries I had in my freezer which can be so easily replaced with blueberries in the summertime. Either way, it is truly the ultimate comfort food, warm and cozy to wake up to in the morning or a calming, inspiring treat to pair up with your afternoon tea or coffee (of course).

QUICK ALL-OCCASION COFFEE CAKE

1 1/2 cups (150 g) flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbs (1/4 cup, 60 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup (75 g) sugar (or anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup - 50 -100 g to taste)
1 large egg
2/3 cup (150 ml) milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

STREUSEL TOPPING

2 Tbs (30 g) unsalted butter, cold
2 Tbs flour
4 - 5 Tbs sugar*
1/2 - 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Addition - handful or 2 of fresh cranberries or blueberries, mini-chocolate chips, chopped pecan or walnut meat, those are my favorites

* I normally use a mixture of light and dark, either half and half or 4 Tbs light + 1 Tbs dark


Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Grease an 8 1/2-inch (22 cm) round springform pan - or a 9 x 9-inch (23 x 23 cm) square pan or similar.

Prepare the Streusel Topping :

Put all the streusel ingredients in a small robot mixer and spin just until a homogeneous crumb forms - if it is overworked it may clump. Set aside.



Prepare the cake :

In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking powder and salt together.

In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and blend well. Add the vanilla.

Now beat in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions. Give a good beating until well blended and creamy!

Pour the batter into the greased pan, spread it evenly. Sprinkle the cranberries or mini chocolate chips and nuts evenly over the top. Now sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top making sure that it goes all the way to the edges.



Bake for at least 25 minutes* until a tester inserted in the center all through the cake comes out clean (except for the streusel which may cling to it). Remove from oven onto a rack and let cool in pan for 10 - 15 minutes. At this time, remove the ring from the springform and allow to finish cooling before sliding or lifting it carefully off the bottom and onto a serving platter.


* strangely enough, I have had this cake done anywhere from 25 to 50 minutes and can’t explain why. I also have varying results when making the streusel; sometimes it is clumpy and sometimes more like sand. Both work.


Enjoy!

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