Mom's legwarmers were delivered on Christmas. I was a little nervous about how well they'll stay up. We'll see how it goes!
I'm hoping that a) all the new electronics will play nicely with each other tomorrow (once we get the right cable) and we can start sorting out what needs to go and where it can go.
Here's what's been going on with me:
- 11:58 My dog was bad- broke through dad's fence, went after neighbor's dog+neighbor. Then came back through fence-hole. #
- 13:37 Headin' out. #
- 13:42 Twisting, turning roads, slick streets. Good one. #
- 13:58 Nao iz x-mas. twitpic.com/v71ce #
- 14:14 Some family people or something. twitpic.com/v74u1 #
- 15:14 ...And later there's THIS! @geekyvetgirl twitpic.com/v7har #
- 15:35 Not just a free range turkey, but the guy who shot it is at the table! twitpic.com/v7lpl #
- 16:13 white x-mas. Proof. twitpic.com/v7tl1 #
- 16:55 Just set Jacie's new ipod touch to Portuguese. Hehehe... I got recruited to turn it back. I told 'em that I did it... #
- 18:42 Mid present opening. #
- 19:16 Xmas treeeeeeeeee twitpic.com/v8soy #
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See you in 2010!
Here's what's been going on with me:
- 16:47 The X-mas tree. twitpic.com/v122s #
- 18:08 Sirius x- mas eve. twitpic.com/v1k1j #
- 18:10 2nd pict Sirius. twitpic.com/v1kc7 #
- 19:24 Opening gifts. Lots of swag. #
- 19:46 Loot dropped. twitpic.com/v24jb #
- 19:48 Loot 2 twitpic.com/v252d #
- 21:31 Dad and Bella. twitpic.com/v2r9i #
- 23:27 Did not bring a USB charger - phone is going offline. #
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Here's what's been going on with me:
- 10:59 What a quiet day... #
- 11:20 Getting ready to head to lunch w/ the boss. I'm driving, he's buying. Gods help us both. #
- 11:56 We also do catering for group 15 peoples & up. twitpic.com/utjat #
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Do you really hate gingerbread? Even if your name isn't Hansel, or Gretel, or if you're not recovering from some other gingerbread-related revenger/murder pact, you're probably not alone.
For something popular as gingerbread is supposed to be, I honestly think you'd be hard-pressed to even find 10 people in your immediate circle of friends, family and colleagues who would own up to actually liking the stuff. Go ahead! Check… I'll wait right here.
…
So… how did it go? Harder than you thought, wasn't it? And didn't even the people who said they like it have some qualifier to add to their answer? "I only like my mom's, " or "If it isn't crisp like a gingersnap I can't eat it," or "If it's too gingery, it's a deal breaker," or "Not the cookies, but the cake is nice." And those are the people who are supposed to like it! Let's face it, compared to, say, chocolate -- gingerbread has very little in the way of actual fan-base.
I used to be one of you people -- you haters. And maybe I still am; I'm one of those "qualified" gingerbread-likers. I only like this recipe. And of course, once again, it just HAD to be a gingerbread recipe from the virtual Qu'ran, Bible, and Torah of all fully tested American recipes, Cook's Illustrated.
Now, a caveat: while I love food processor doughs, which seem for some reason much easier (maybe it's just a perception thing with me) this is, after all, a Cook's Illustrated recipe, which means it is likely to take you all freaking day. They do like micro-managing the process -- I mean there's a line that says, "cut the butter into 12 pieces." That is SO adorable.
That said, the exhaustive instructions are meant to ensure a faultless outcome each and every time, so you can forgive them a little. So don't be i intimidated by big recipes! If you're anything like me (and if you've bothered to read this far, I think you are), you'll want to read it just to read it. And anyway, a basic familiarity of the steps of a recipe is a great idea, especially when baking.
People nowadays seem to be constantly bemoaning how busy we all are. There's just no time at Christmas to go to the trouble to make your own cookies, or make your own family dinner, or actually throw your friends a real party. I'll admit that the business of everyday life, let alone at Christmas, keeps one tied up enough that the prospect of complicating things more seems foolish at best.
However, I would like to make an argument for going to the trouble. Accomplishments -- whether they are as small as making a home-baked something for someone you love, or as big as organizing to improve your town, state or nation -- accomplishments are worth the trouble. They have a measurable end. They make the world -- YOUR world -- a better, more interesting, and more fulfilling place to live. And it feels good!
The folks at Cook's Illustrated are going to the trouble so that we -- the eager and creative, the hungry and motivated, the starving and geeky -- we'll have something to feed our need. They've gone to the trouble. We should, too.
And besides, it's Christmas. I don't think Hillel would mind me saying, "If not now… then when?"
THICK AND CHEWY GINGERBREAD COOKIES** WITH ROYAL ICING
Listen up, haters: this is the gingerbread cookie that will change your mind. It's soft, it's got taste, and it looks like a zillion bucks on your cookie plate, even with the most rudimentary of decorative touches.
Beyond the somewhat exhaustive (and, let's be honest, a little exhausting) detail in the recipe provided by Cook's Illustrated (including some additional information added by me), I do have some practical advice that came from making these a couple years (and in more than one batch one year) in a row:
- Firstly, my favorite baking trick: to soften cold butter slightly, try zapping it for 1 minute on 10% power. Two minutes would bring it to room temperature. Since the microwaves are acting on the fat and water in the butter, it won't matter much (especially at such low power) if the butter is cut into pieces or not.
- This dough is quite soft and sticky, so keeping it cold is a pretty important part of the process. If you're in the middle of a heat wave, or your kitchen is especially warm, take extra care or you'll have soggy dough that will fight you ever step of the way.
- Along those same lines, if your cookie cutters are especially elaborate (think those fancy brass snowflakes you see on display at cooking stores all the time) , you may want to consider rolling out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper instead of wax paper (like CI recommends). That way when cutting out the shapes (leave about an inch between each), you can pull away the excess dough, leaving the shapes on the pan where they are to bake. This will obviously require using more parchment, but it might be worth it for you; nothing is more frustrating than watching your beautifully elaborate snowflake rip into several, less beautiful snowflakes during the transfer to the baking sheet.
- Finally, if you are an extra big fan of ginger, consider using some candied ginger, too. According to the testing CI did, it adds "a nice urgency without imparting a harsh bite." They say a full half cup (about 2 ½ oz) was needed to really make a noticeable difference. You have to grind it very very fine, or they'll be islands in the dough that will impede your cutting. Slice the chunks into thin flakes and combine with the brown sugar in the recipe in the food processor. Process until the ginger pretty much disappears into the sugar (about 2 minutes). Add the remaining dry ingredients and process to blend. Don't decrease the amount of ground ginger the recipe calls for! You'll still need it to avoid a bland cookie. If all that sounds like too much, just increase the amount of ground ginger in the recipe to a quarter cup (about one oz) and you'll have a very "hot" cookie indeed!
- You can make and chill the dough (tightly wrapped in the fridge… not the freezer!) up to a week before baking, and the cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 10 days.
- 3 cups (15 oz.) all-purpose flour ( CI calls for unbleached, but regular is OK), plus a small amount more for rolling out and the cutters
- ¾ cup (5 ¼ oz.) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 12 Tbsp (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened slightly
- ¾ cup molasses
- 2 Tbsp whole milk
- Royal Icing (recipe follows)
- Special equipment: standard-sized food processor*, wax paper (or parchment paper, see above)
MAKE AND CHILL THE DOUGH:
Prepare a place in your refrigerator (or freezer if you want to bake that same day) for at least one sheet pan to sit.In a food processor, process flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves until combined; about 10 seconds.
Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, and process until the mixture is sandy and resembles a fine meal; about 15 seconds.
With the machine running, gradually add molasses and milk. Process until dough is evenly moistened and forms a soft mass; about 10 seconds.
Scrape dough onto a work surface, and divide in half. Working with one portion of dough at a time (the other half should be in a bowl lightly covered in plastic in the fridge), roll between two large sheets of waxed paper into an even ¼ inch thickness, taking care that it should fit onto your sheet pan for chilling. Leave sandwiched between the wax paper, and place in refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight. Alternately, you can place the dough sheets in the freezer until firm, about 15-20 minutes.
BAKE THE COOKIES:
Heat oven to 350°F. Line two or more baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Prepare work surface and have cutters and a bit of extra flour at the ready.Remove the dough from the fridge or freezer and place on work surface. Peel the top layer of wax paper, very lightly dust the surface with flour, and gently lay it back in place. Flip the dough over, peel off the other layer of wax paper and set it aside. Very lightly dust the second side with flour also.
Cut out shapes, dipping sharp edge of cutters into flour every so often to avoid sticking. Pull away excess dough and set aside. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, placing them just less than an inch apart.
Repeat with the second sheet of dough or until your sheet pan is full. The excess dough can be re-rolled in waxed paper and chilled for cutting again, though the cookies will get progressively tougher the more you work the dough.
Bake the cookies until centers are set and dough barely retains imprint when touched very gently with your fingertip, about 8-11 minutes. Better to have softer cookies than burned ones, so not over bake!
Cool cookies on their baking sheets for two minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature, or decorate with Royal Icing (recipe follows).
Makes about 20 5-inch cookies, 30 3-inch cookies.
*If you want to use a stand or hand mixer, place everything but the butter, molasses and milk into a the mixer bowl and stir to combine. Stop the mixer and add the butter pieces, and mix on medium low until sandy. On low speed, add the molasses and milk and stir until dough is moistened. Increase to medium speed and mix until thoroughly combined. Then proceed as described with division, rollout, and chilling.
**For a Thin and Crispy Gingerbread Cookie that is nice for hanging on the tree (they have a more gingersnappy quality, and so are not as nice to eat without something to drink -- like tea or milk), try this variation from Cook's Illustrated:
Quarter, rather than halving the dough once it is mixed. Roll the dough to a ⅛ inch thickness and chill. When cutting out shapes, use a small straw, as skewer or even a toothpick to cut a small hole near the top (at least ⅛ inch from the edge) for threading a piece of ribbon through. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F, and bake the cookies until slightly darkened and firm in the center when gently pressed, about 15-20 minutes. Decorate after cooling completely, and hang with a ribbon on the tree when dry.
Makes about 2 ½ to 3 dozen 5-inch cookies or 4-5 dozen 3-inch cookies.
ROYAL ICING
Here again is the recipe from the side of the Ateco container of Meringue Powder. I like to use a small piping bag, a plastic bag with a small corner snipped off, or often one of those plastic diner-type catsup/mustard dispensers to decorate the cookies. You can pipe accent icing and hold candy decorations on like cement. It also looks great as a bright white accent on brown gingerbread cookies. Again, you could try a thinned out version for flooding techniques, though I never have. If you have extra icing, it keeps well refrigerated and covered with plastic wrap touching the surface, for up to 5 days.
- ¼ cup meringue powder
- ½ cup water
- 4 to 4 ½ cups sifted confectioner's sugar (use the extra half cup if you want a stiffer icing)
In a large bowl, whip together the meringue powder and water until you get soft peaks.
Gently sift in the confectioner's sugar, starting with just four cups. Beat to desired consistency, and sift in extra 1/2 cup of sugar if necessary.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip or a gallon-size plastic baggie with a small bit of one corner snipped off.
Decorate cookies as desired; place decorative sugars or other decors right away wile icing is still wet.
Allow icing to dry, at least 2 hours at room temperature or overnight. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks.
----
Listen while you work!
Merry
Christmas one and all! I'll have a small fare-thee-well tomorrow, but
for now, how about listening to a new Christmas classic by
rock-and-roll royalty, U2.
Here's what's been going on with me:
- 11:53 Today seems like a day that's just plain unwilling to end. Yield, already! #
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Here's what's been going on with me:
- 08:47 It's zen quiet in the office. I'm working on spreadsheets. E-mail in, and I respond. #
- 08:58 Festive winter solstice, Solstice People! #
- 11:05 Just got done fixing an IP phone problem. Optuon 176 on one DHCP server was sending an IP address, while valid- overwhelmed. #
- 16:34 Last minute mead-day. Anyone who wants to come over tonight and enjoy fire and mead, let me know #
- 20:01 Enjoying great mead. #
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For some reason I don't want to work on big projects. I go through this at times. I usually end up knitting dish cloths but this time it's amigurumi that have caught my obsession attention. I was going to make another snowman but instead I decided to make a snail in a pear from a pattern called Little Toys and Their Homes. Niels had asked for it and I started and gave up on a seahorse and robot (the yarn wasn't right in both cases) for him after make a turtle and a seahorse for Stefan. So, here's the snail in his home, the S.S. Leaf (according to Niels).
I've also been thinking a lot about my living room. (I know, exciting!) We had a Hannukah party this weekend and it got me moving to get the living room, dining room and kitchen into much better shape. Big parties will do that. I'm still not entirely satisified with the state of the living room, though. I would like to replace the giant white Ikea monstrosity that surrounds our TV.
