Molasses Spice Cookies

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp table salt
1/2 cup chopped raisins (optional, I didn’t use them but my mom said they would have been a good idea, and The Joy agrees)

Heat oven to 350. Beat the butter until soft, then add the sugar and blend until light and creamy. Beat in the egg and molasses.

Sift the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Alternate adding in thirds the sifted ingredients and the buttermilk to the mixture in the bowl, beating smooth after each addition. (Er, that wasn’t terribly clear. Sift those things together. Add a third of the buttermilk to the butter/sugar/egg/molasses mixture. Beat smooth. Add a third of the sifted flour/soda/spices/salt to the bowl. Beat smooth. Add another third of the buttermilk, etc.)

Drop the batter in teaspoons onto a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes.

(Note: these baked up as soft little puffy cookies. I have a feeling if I made them in warmer weather, they might have coalesced into an large amorphous cookie. This happened with the Pfeffernüsse. So just be careful, and if you feel like the dough is way too loose [this may be hard to tell, as it’s a pretty loose dough anyway], put it in the fridge for 10 minutes or so before baking.)

Light and Fluffy Dinner Rolls

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

1/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup hot water
1 egg
3 cups AP flour
Nonstick cooking spray

Combine the warm water and yeast. Whisk together and let sit.

Combine the butter, salt, sugar, and hot water. Stir together until the butter melts. Place in the fridge for five minutes or so to cool down to under 120 degrees. Add the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Beat in the egg, then mix in the flour. The dough will be very, very soft.

Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for 2 to 12 hours. (I rose it on the counter, but the dough was very sticky and hard to handle. I think it’s better to refrigerate it.) Punch it down. Prepare a muffin pan or baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray (you may have to use both, as this recipe yielded 15 rolls for me), and fill the cups about halfway full with dough. Oiling your hands may be necessary if the dough is really sticky. If using a baking sheet, place the rounds about two inches apart. Let rise for about 30 minutes (turn the oven on to 425 about 15 minutes in), or until doubled in bulk. Back at 425 for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from pan or sheet and cool on a rack.

I am lacking drive this week. I’m feeling a lull. I have a bunch of recipes that I like, that I’m basically happy with. I don’t know what else there is I really want to make.

Sorry, pity party, table of one. I’ll get inspired soon. I’m sure of it.

Katamari cosplay stuff.
The website was updated with little comments by the King of All Cosmos:

“Hmm…big. The Prince and Kuro too. A bit too big? Getting a bit carried away? We know you want to grow up but stay tiny for a bit longer!”

“Romantic lighting and a cool pose. Nice mood…but big. Since when did you get so big?”

Oh, I found the best bowls today at a dollar store in Mountain View. Not only did they have excellent bowls for the normal Prince/cousin head, they actually had PERFECT bowls for Honey. If only I had found them first! Oh, well. If I ever need to make another Honey (yeah, right), I’ll know where to go. Still haven’t found the right yellow shoes. Gr.

So, the following recipe is one I made a while ago for Ryan’s birthday. She liked it and said it would be good with naan. I meant to make one more dish, an eggplant one, but the recipe doesn’t interest me anymore. I need to read through my books again.

I just finished making potato-leek soup. That is an awesome soup- and an easy one, to boot. Leeks must not be in season quite yet, because the ones at Sigona’s looked terrible. I supplemented my meager supply of them with some chopped onion. Tastes good.

If you’re in the area, Sigona’s was having some excellent sales today. Local white mushrooms for ninety-nine cents a pound. Some lovely camembert for $4.99 a pound (usually $11.99!). I bought some of each. The cheese will be good on my bread, and I’ll use the mushrooms in Jonsauce either later tonight (if I get myself to Trader Joe’s to pick up some basil), tomorrow morning, or Monday evening.

The family’s getting together on Tuesday night for dinner. My contribution will be cornbread. Oh, I need to go to TJ’s for stuff for that, too. Buttermilk and frozen corn. Ooh, buttermilk, that means I could make this again (but with chicken).

I’ve been reading The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook: A Consuming Passion (pardon me while I roll my eyes at that subtitle) the last couple of days. The Inn was where Aunt Peggy picked up that great soup recipe. It’s not in their cookbook, but a lot of other great-looking stuff is. Man, I have never wanted an ice cream maker, but the recipes in this book look so good, I’m tempted to run out and buy one (even though I have no place to store it). Mulled cider sorbet? I’m so there. A lot of the recipes in the book are way too complicated for making at home, however.

Bhutta aur aloo ki mazedar tarkari (sweetcorn and potatoes with mustard seeds and mint)

from Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
5 oz. potatoes, boiled, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
3 Tbsp mint, finely chopped
1 hot green chile pepper, finely chopped
Fresh or frozen/defrosted sweetcorn kernels measured to the 15 fl. oz. line in a measuring cup
3 fl. oz. coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp ground, roasted cumin seeds (put the seeds in a small pan over medium-high heat and stir until they darken and become aromatic, then grind with a mortar and pestle)

Put the oil in a large nonstick frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the mustard seeds and 1/4 tsp cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop (a few seconds), put in the garlic and potatoes. Stir and fry until the potatoes are lightly browned. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, mint, and chile pepper. Stir and fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the corn and stir, then add the coconut milk, salt, cayenne, and lemon juice. Stir again to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the corn is cooked. Uncover, add some black pepper and the ground, roasted cumin seeds. Stir to mix, and taste for the balance of seasonings.

10/12/2005

Of the things I wanted to make over the weekend, I made three, plus one or two things that weren’t on the list. I roasted a chicken on Friday night, baked bread on Saturday morning, and made tortilla soup Saturday evening. Other things I made were the world’s most unspicy salsa (I am never buying chiles at that Safeway again) and some very gelatinous chicken stock. I made the stock for the potato-leek soup that never happened. Why? I couldn’t find leeks in the stores. I guess I need to go to Sigona’s to find them. Annoying.

So yeah, I’m sick. Have been since Sunday night. I hope I feel better tomorrow. I’ve already told Scott that I probably won’t be making it to D&D. I may put in an appearance at work for a couple of hours to get some stuff done (and to show everyone I’m not faking it).

10/10/2005

Dear Immune System,

I was sick last week (nausea/headache). Please don’t let me get sick this week, too. I’ve got a bit of a stuffed/runny nose thing starting to happen. Head that off at the pass, would you?

Love and kisses,
Sarah

P.S. (an hour later) Oh, I KNOW you didn’t just set my body to hurting! You did NOT just do that!

P.P.S. (the next morning) You suck. Now I have to stay home from work.

10/7/2005

Things I want to make this weekend:

Roast chicken
Tortilla soup
Potato-leek soup
Jonsauce
Bread

Next week, Jer and I are going to stop wasting money and start bringing our lunches to work instead of perpetually going out (well, except for Indian food on Fridays). This is a good thing. Unfortunately, none of those recipes are new. Sucks to be my blog. (Well, I did get a new recipe for baguettes, but I’m tired of getting frustrated with the sticky dough of French breads. Maybe in a month or so I’ll try again.)

I need to buy more extra-virgin olive oil. There’s some kind at Trader Joe’s that Jon really likes. It’s good- I made a tasty spaghetti aglio e olio on Tuesday with it. I also splashed it all over one of my favorite old t-shirts. That was annoying.