Warning - too many cookies can make you fat!

I  have never been very good  practicing "moderation". I like to think that I can look a whole batch of freshly baked cookies in the eyes and say, "thanks, just one to taste".  I can't.  Firstly, cookies don't have eyes and though I am quite sure that they call out out to me, I know in my heart that they can't really talk.  Therefore, I have to take responsibility for my cookie munching ways. 

Last week, I felt that I really needed a break from baking sweets, so I decided to make a bread instead.  This was not my first time making bread, I used to bake my own bread quite regularly before Lilyan was born, but found myself a little busy after she came along.   I decided that I would bake a challah because it is delicious and makes me feel connected to my Jewish heritage.  There is a recipe for challah in Martha's book, so in keeping with my project, I decided to use that one.  While looking over the recipe, I noted that it used 8 - count them 8 egg yolks and was shaped in the traditional braid.  It all looked good so I went out to get some bread flour and some yeast.

Now, you may be thinking - a challah recipe from Martha Stewart?  Revered Queen of all Shicksas everywhere?  And you would be right!  No so great.  I will readily admit to not being the best baker-in-training, but it was not sweet enough, and lacked that cake-like quality that all Jews look for in a good challah.  I will take full responsibility for shape....

I also noticed that during my sugar free week, I felt better, did not have cravings for sweets and lost weight.  Hmmm....could there be a connection??  Well of course there is.  That stuff is damn addictive for me!  So, I put my cookie baking on hold for another week and decided to make a better challah.

During the week, I  browsed through a number of recipes looking for what I thought would be the perfect one.  I came across a recipe on a site for Jewish holidays that was contributed by Norene Gilletz from Second Helpings fame - the only cook book I remember having in the house when we were growing up.  This one had many less eggs and a little more sugar.  Instead of a braided challah, I thought that I would divide the dough in half and bake one half in a loaf pan and with the other, make some rolls that we would use for our fresh salmon cakes for dinner.

Why, oh why do I second guess myself?  The dough looked beautiful, shiny and smooth and it rose perfectly (twice), but when I punched it down the second time, it looked rather small and I thought dividing it would be a bit of a disaster.  I decided then to roll it into a loaf pan and make only the loaf and no buns.  Zut alors!  what a mistake!  Really there was too much dough for one loaf and it came out all misshapen on one side. From one side, it looked like a beautiful loaf of bread but from the other it had this huge ugly bulge!  I had completely forgotten to ask for a picutre to be taken of it before I  cut into it, so I cannot prove how ugly it was...let's just say I named it the Phantom of The Opera Challah.  Fitting because Lily, my friend Debra and I went to see the filmed version of the 25th anniversary production that was broadcast live from the Royal Abert Hall in London a few weeks prior.  It was phenomenal and if you have not seen it - go and do so!

Since I am on a roll (no pun...) with my weight loss at the moment, I will not yet go back to baking cookies and instead will make a third attempt at the perfect challah this coming weekend. I hope to report a great success next week.

Turkey and Treats

You must be asking yourseleves what does turkey have to do with baking?  You shall see....but first, let's talk about the treats.

Oh snap!! Lemon and ginger snaps I mean.  These were next in line in my cookie capers and because I love lemon as well as ginger, I had to make both.   I was also bringing some over to my sister's house for dinner Sunday night top celebrate my brother-in-law Gerry's birthday.  (Gerry is married to Ellen of the banana bread fame). 

I made the dough the night before, one for the lemon and the other for the ginger.  Sunday morning I go down stairs to bake and as I reach in to get out the ginger dough I remeber that I did not grate any ginger into the ginger snap dough.  I don't think you can call it a ginger snap if it does not have any ginger!  So I had to let the dough soften and then grate the ginger into it and re-refrigerate.  This is a typical Susan (in Lucy Ricardo mode) move.  You just gotta laugh!

Everyone seemed to like the cookies that I brought over, but I had forgotten to ask Chin to photograph them before we left for dinner.  I figured that he can just do it later when we got home with the ones that I kept for ourselves.  Except that the next morning all the lemon cookies were gone!  Who stole the cookies form the cookie jar?   Lilyan - that's who.  I should have been on guard when she kept saying how much she loved them!  So, no pictures of the lemon cookies.  Actually they look exaclty like the ginger snaps, only yellow.  So either use a highlighter or your imagination.

Another nice thing about these cookies is that you roll them into balls and then roll them in sugar before you bake them.  They spread out really nicely and since I used sanding sugar instead of table sugar, they had a nice sparkly finish on top.  Here they are:


Back to the turkey:
For those of you who don't know, it was Thanksgiving in Canada yesterday.  Because we were going to Ellen's on Sunday and then out for lunch with Chin's parents on monday, the only time for me to make a turkey was Saturday night.  And both Lily and Jim really wanted a turkey.  When we went grocery shopping, there were only really big turkeys left and we have trouble finishing a small one.  So instead I bought a bone-in Turkey breast and made stuffing, cranberry sauce  and of course gravy.  To be perfectly transparent...because this was last minute, I did not have the time to make my own stuffing or gravy, so I bought them.  (Good old Stove Top and Club House). Dinner was good.

There were of course  lots of leftovers, so I decided to make a turkey pot pie.  In the past, given my apprehensions about pastry and in particular pie dough, I would just buy the unbaked pie shells from the grovery store.  I was really tempted to do that, but then felt ashamed that I, who am working so hard to learn how to bake would use store-bought pie shells!  so I mustered up the courage to make my own. 

I am so glad that I did!  The pot pie was fabulous!  Not only beautiful to look at - but flaky and delicious as well.  Wow.  What has come over me?  The filling was really tasty with fresh vegetables (except the peas) and a creamy consistency. 

On top of all of that - I managed not to burn myself!!  It was a good long weekend.

Happy Days are Here Again

I am happy to report that my bitterness toward sugar cookies is gone!  Obliterated by a great weekend of baking.  First up was banana bread because I had a bunch of overripe bananas and what else is there to do with them?  Come to think of it, perhaps it was just a big conspiracy between Lily and Jim.  If they don't eat the bananas all week, then I will have to make banana bread on the weekend.  Hmmmm....I'm on to them now!  I tried a different recipe that only included bananas, so I did not have to make any omissions or substitutions and voila!  A beautiful looking banana bread.  Jim used the words moist and  banana flavour to describe and as of this morning all that was left was a tiny sliver, so I call it a success.  Once again, I asked Lily the magical question...."Is it better than Auntie Ellen's?" She had that deer in the headlights look and told me that it was close.  I am not trying to be competitive...really I am not...but it's hard to resist. 

Here is a picture of a slice that Jim took ....ummm..when he was upside down!

Back to Martha now....

This next recipe really intrigued me.  Reading it over I found that it had very little sugar and NO BUTTER! With that, Ina Garten and Paula Deen declined my offer of tea, but no matter.

They are called Seville Olive Oil Wafers.  A thin, crispy wafer with just the right amount of savoury and sweet.  They are also made with anise seed and smell divine when they are baking.  One must be patient though, because you can only bake four at a time using two baking sheets.  Well worth the wait....

This picture does not do them justice in the least. You really have to try them.  I brought them into work yesterday and a number of my colleagues insisted that I give them the recipe.    I am going to reprint it here, because they are so easy and so delicious that I want to share them with the world!  Okay, maybe that's a just a little bit dramatic....but do try them and do let me know!

Seville Olive Oil Wafers

                                                            From: Martha Stewart’s Handbook of Baking

1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup sesame seeds

3 tablespoons of sugar plus more for sprinkling

1 tablespoon of anise seeds

1 teaspoon of baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of ice water

2 large egg whites beaten until foamy

Preheat oven to 400^o F. with racks in the upper and lower thirds.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (can also be made with a hand mixer) mix flour, sesame seeds, sugar, anise seeds baking powder and salt on low speed until just combined.  In a small bowl combine water and olive oil and add to flour mixture.  Beat on low speed until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Shape a 1 ½ tablespoon of dough into a ball.  Place two balls at a time on a piece of parchment paper, at least 5 inches apart, and cover with another piece of parchment.  Roll out into very thin 8-by-4-inch ovals.  Transfer dough and parchment to a baking sheet.  Lift off top piece of parchment.  Generously brush ovals with egg white and generously sprinkle with sugar. Repeat with two more balls of dough. 

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are brown around the edges and in spots on top, 6-8 minutes.  Transfer parchment and cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining balls of dough.  Cookies can be kept stacked between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days.