Brown Sugar Cookies

I baked these cookies simply because I have had a bag of dark brown sugar in my cupboard for months now. Its been sitting there, pretty much just in my way.
I don't even remember why I bought it in the first place.

I found a brown sugar cookie recipe on Joy the Baker's site.
It seemed pretty simple so I figured why not?

Only, I made a few mistakes along the way. So my cookies don't quite look as good as her cookies.
I forgot to add the egg.
I just forgot.
So it got added at the very end.
It should be OK, right?

Don't get me wrong.
The cookies are good.
The subtle cinnamon and ginger flavour is lovely.
I just wanted them to look prettier.
But hey, it's not all about looks!

If you make them do let me know how they turned out.

Here is a link to the recipe on Joy the Baker.

Here is a copy of the recipe:


Brown Sugar Cookies

makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies
from Epicurious September 2011

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened (170 gram)
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.  Set aside.

Place butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed for one minute more.

Add the dry ingredients, all at once, to the butter and sugar mixture.  Beat on low speed until the dough begins to come together  and the flour disappears.  Stop the mixer and finish incorporating the ingredients with a spatula.  Once all the flour is thoroughly mixed in, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the over and preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees Celsius).  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Dollop tablespoons size balls of dough onto the baking sheet.  Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.  Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cookies will last, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 5 days.

Salad Days

As the season changes I find myself craving salads.

Fresh lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onion and best of all avocado.

Mix it all, add a dressing, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top...

Glorious salad days!

Tiramisu

I've been wanting to make Tiramisu for a while now and I was quite happy to have an occasion to make dessert when we invited the neighbours over for dinner.

There are so many variations of this classic desert.

I spent almost an hour looking for an 'easy' version online and in my cookbooks.

Eventually I settled for this recipe.

It was the right choice.

The recipe was for one big Tiramisu but I decided to make 6 individual portions in glasses. Good idea. Worked like a treat and tasted great!

This is definitely going to be my basic Tiramisu recipe.

Wonder what I will experiment with next...

Here is a link to the recipe by EmmaMedu.

Here is a copy of the recipe:

Easy Tiramisu: The Best Tiramisu Recipe

Ingredients:

250g mascarpone

120g ladyfingers to cover the bottom of the bowl

3 fresh eggs, separate 3 egg yolks and 2 egg whites

70g brown sugar

0,5 cup Espresso coffee

1 tablespoon rum / Amaretto

Cocoa powder

Instructions:

Make the espresso and put it in the bowl where you will soak ladyfingers.

Pour one tablespoon of rum / amaretto and let it cool.

At the same time, mix egg yolks and sugar in the separate bowl.

Beat the egg whites until peaks form.

Add mascarpone to the mixture of egg yolks and sugar.

Add slowly beaten egg whites with the wooden spoon.

Mix everything to make thick mixture.

Soak the ladyfingers in the coffee mixture.

Break the ladyfingers into bite size pieces so that they will fit into the bottom of a glass.

Cover them with thick yellow mixture. Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers and mascarpone.

At the end, sprinkle the whole surface with cocoa powder.

Put it in the fridge to cool for 24 hours.

Kitchen Extension

I thought I'd give a little bit of an update on our kitchen extension.

It is going to take months (yes, months) to finish it... but we are saving a lot of money by doing all the work with the neighbours.

Normally I am not a patient person.

This one time I am making an exception ;-)

It really is for a good cause and slowly but surely my excitement about our bigger kitchen is growing.

Plus let me tell you how impressed I am with my husband.

He works in a corporate environment every day, always wears a suit and is glued to his laptop.

Somehow he managed to turn into the best handy man ever.

Lucky me!

Vegetable Patch #6

I'm really impressed with our vegetable patch.

It is a pleasure to tend to it, and of course to harvest from it.

Right now we are in the middle of a kitchen extension and it is surrounded by rubble.

Somehow it just continues to grow.

Today you will find me at the zelfgemaakte markt in Utrecht.

Come and say hello if you are in the neighbourhood!

DWZI...

This week I saw misty mornings, rain, traffic jams and glorious sunshine.

I also worked like a maniac to get things done.

There is never enough time... or perhaps I procrastinate?

Either way, I'm just about ready for tomorrow.

I especially love the cross I made, so if it doesn't get sold then I'll be finding a home for it in my own house :-)

Heidi loves the hearts.

Wish me luck!

You can find the Deze Week Zag Ik participants here.

Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Salad

It was the usual question.
What am I going to make for dinner.
I had chicken breasts, I had asparagus and I had a lime.
Of course I had a whole lot more than that but I really wanted to use the chicken, asparagus and the lime!

I browsed the Delicious Magazine website and stumbled across two potential recipes. I improvised and used a bit of this one and a bit of that one.

I was happy with the results and so was my husband!

Ingredients:

3 skinless free-range chicken breasts
Juice of 1 lime and lime zest
½ garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika powder
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
1 courgette, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
12 - 15 asparagus spears
2 cups arugula lettuce
60 gr couscous

Method:

Place the chicken breasts between sheets of cling film and carefully flatten with a rolling pin until they are 10mm thick. Place in a dish with the lime juice, the lime zest, garlic, dried spices and one table spoon olive oil. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for an hour or two.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place the chopped courgette, carrots and onions into an oven proof dish, season and drizzle some olive oil on top. Roast in the oven for approximately 40 minutes.

Prepare the couscous as per the instructions on the packaging.

Trim the asparagus and drizzle with olive oil.

Heat up your grill (I use an electric grill which looks a little like a George Foreman Grill!).
Now place the asparagus on the grill and let it cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
Next cook the chicken breasts on the grill - it shouldn't take long, but it entirely depends on your grill.

Combine everything, including the arugula, and enjoy a very healthy and tasty salad!