Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Here's to new adventures in 2016!  Thank you all for sticking with me and reading my blog. #pinkchampagnecake #newyear #happynewyear

The ten year quilt

Here is the quilt that I have jokingly referred to as my 10 year quilt. I started this quilt while pregnant with my first child. I worked on it until I could no longer hold a needle or see the chart properly because I was so swollen all over my body my joints could barely bend and my eyesight failed me. Later, after that first baby was born I would occasionally pick up the quilt to work on and even less occasionally after a second baby was born. I worked on this quilt off and on through the past ten years.  On cold and rainy days, on many a road trip up and down the East coast, on days when I had one or two sick children on the couch and on so many days in between this quilt was on my lap and in my hands.  Little by little this quilt came together.  I worked on small sections at a time, because that was all I could afford it.  Amazingly, after all of that, it came together like it was all of a sudden and it was done.  I can't help but feel a bit of sadness to see it all finished.

Here is the quilt with the baby that was in my belly when I started.  She just turned ten this June ;)

Oven Roasted Tofu

Oven Roasted Tofu

This recipe is a non-recipe of sorts. My friend Lea ("Hi!") has asked me to share some vegetarian meals that we eat. This recipe is at the heart of many of those dishes. I make oven roasted tofu about once a week. It's a total no-brainier and I am lucky if any is leftover for lunch the next day.  You need to start with a package of firm or extra firm tofu. You'll find it in the refrigerated case of the produce sections

Open the package, drain the water and place it on a couple of paper towels.

 Wrap it in the paper towel and gently press. Let the tofu drain for 15-30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the tofu into 1" x 2" pieces.  You can make the pieces larger or smaller, but the bake time will very a bit.  I usually get 20-24 pieces out of a one pound block.

Place the tofu on a greased baking sheet.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Alternatively, you can season the tofu with a flavor blend.  I use a taco spice blend if I'm using the tofu for Mexican or Tex-Mex type meals.

Roast the tofu about 20 minutes (depending on the size of pieces).  Check it halfway and give the tofu a toss so that it doesn't get too crispy on one side.  

The tofu can be used with so many dishes.  In tacos and burritos, in salads, and a favorite way here is in all types of "bowls".  Taco or burrito bowls, stir fry bowls, rice bowls, noodle bowls.you get the idea?  Hope you try the recipe and enjoy!

Passover Menu 5775

I finally typed up the menu.   I'm posting this now before the craziness of actually cooking and baking has started.  I'm sure there is something I forget.  Blogger is giving me issues tonight and not letting me add pictures as I want to, so I'm giving up for now.  I know there aren't a ton of links to recipes, but I think most are pretty simple and straightforward.  If you are curious about anything on our menu, please let me know.  Happy Pesach!

Seder 1 Friday Night	Seder 2 Saturday Night
Haroset 2 ways	Haroset 2 ways
Hard- boiled egg/salt water	Hard- boiled egg/salt water
Gefilte fish/ Baby Moses Salad	Gefilte fish/ Baby Moses Salad
Mock Chopped Liver	Mock Chopped Liver
Matzo Ball Soup	Matzo Ball Soup
Cranberry Compote	Cranberry Compote
Veggie Kugel Cups	Veggie Kugel Cups
Potato Souffle with Carmelized Onions	Potato Souffle with Carmelized Onions
Spinach with Raisins	Asparagus
Aunt Babe's Brisket	Roasted Chicken
Brownies	Baked Chocolate Mousse Cups
Meringues	Meringues
Chocolate Chip Bars	Rainbow Cookies?
Coconut Macaroons	Coconut Macaroons

Saturday	B	Mandelbrot, Strawberry Jam, Eggs
	L	Farfel and Cheese, Fruit
	D	Seder
Sunday	B	Matzo Brei, Honey, Fruit
	L	Matzo Ball Soup, Veggies
	D	Leftovers, Salad
Monday	B	Eggs, Fruit, Yogurt/ Smoothies, Matzo, Mandelbrot
	L	Matzo Sandwiches, Fruit, Chips
	D	Matzo Pizza, Salad
Tuesday	B	Geshmirta Matzo, Fruit
	L	Matzo Pizza, Veggies
	D	Apricot Chicken, Carrot Souffle Kugel
Wednesday	B	Eggs, Fruit, Matzo Bagels, Lox
	L	Matzo Sandwiches, Fruit, Chips
	D	Meatloaf or Brisket, Potato Kugel, Veggies
Thursday	B	Matzo Bagels, Lox, Fruit, Yogurt, Strawberry Jam
	L	Soup, leftover veggies
	D	Matzo Pizza
Friday	B	Matzo, Mandelbrot, Fruit, Eggs
	L	Matzo Pizza
	D	Soup, Brisket or Meatloaf, Potato Kugel, Veggies
Saturday	B	Matzo Brei, Honey, Fruit
	L	Leftovers

Baby Moses Salad
The kids make this every year

Other Recipes to make to round out meals: Cheesecake, Crustless Quiche, Hungarian Potato Kugel

Cake Mix Hamentaschen for 5775

Cake Mix Hamentaschen

Every year at Purim it seems that I find myself with an abundance of boxed cake mix in my pantry.  I'm not entirely sure how they all sneak into there, but it seems like a good a time as any to use them up.  Several years ago I found a recipe from Mommzy for hamentaschen using cake mix and I've been trying variations on the that recipe since then.  This year was definitely no different.  A couple of years ago I posted about the cake mix confetti version.  I made that again this year, but changed the recipe a bit.  I added a bit of oil to the dough and it seemed to make it much more pliable and less dried out.  I also decided to try the same marshmallow filling, but add it before baking rather than after.  I'm so glad I did.  The dough is much easier to work with this way and the marshmallow filling is super good when it bakes into the center.  I hope you try it for yourself!

Here is the recipe again with the changes.

Cake Mix Confetti Hamantaschen

1 box cake mix (I used yellow)

2 Tbs. sprinkles (jimmies)

1 cup flour

2 Eggs

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 Tbs. Water

Marshmallow filling

Mix all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until a ball forms.  Roll out dough on a floured surface to approximately 1/8th inch.  Cut the dough into 3" circles with a cookie cutter or a glass.  Add a teaspoon of marshmallow filling to the center and pinch closed into triangle shapes.  Bake at 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  Remove cookies to cool on rack.

Marshmallow filling

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup marshmallow fluff (about half of a 7 oz. container)

Add the shortening, 3/4 cup of sugar, and marshmallow fluff to the bowl of a mixer.  Mix ingredients together on a medium speed until a thick, spreading consistency is reached.

  

South African Crunchies - GS World Thinking Day

This year our troop chose the country of South Africa to participate in Girl Scout World Thinking Day.  As part of our WTD presentation, we thought we would like to offer a little treat to our "visiting" troops.  Crunchies are popular cookie (or biscuit) in South Africa and are reminiscent of a chunchy-style granola bar.  There are several recipes out there on the web.  I based our recipe mostly on this recipe from "Lick Your Own Bowl".  I adapted the recipe a bit for American ingredients and added a chocolate drizzle on top for an extra finish.  Truthfully, they are excellent plain and actually my daughter prefers them that way!

South African Crunchies

1½ sticks butter
2 Tablespoons golden syrup, or cane syrup*
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
2 cups whole rolled oats
1 cup coconut

1 Tablespoon grated orange zest (from one orange)

1-2 oz. chocolate melting wafers, optional

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Prepare a 9 x 13” pan by greasing lightly and lining the pan with parchment paper. Measure the dry ingredients (oats, flour, coconut, zest, and salt) into a large mixing bowl. 

 In a saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar and syrup on a medium-high heat, stirring to combine. When the mixture reaches a low boil, turn off the heat. Carefully add the baking soda and stir gently. The mixture will bubble up a bit, so be careful. Add the hot butter/sugar mix into the dry ingredients and stir to combine until evenly coated. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. 

 Place another piece of parchment or waxed paper on top and smooth and press the mixture into the pan.

 Remove extra paper and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. After removing from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan and cutting in to squares. 

Crunchies

Optional – after cutting into squares, melt chocolate in a microwave safe dish. Drizzle melted chocolate over crunchies using the tines of a fork. Allow chocolate to set before serving. (Makes about 4 dozen)

* may substitute dark corn syrup if you can't find the cane syrup.

Crunchies with chocolate drizzle

Pom Pom Pens

So I saw these really cute Pom Pom Pens on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago and thought "How cute?".  That sentence alone should have been my first clue that this was going to end up being a much bigger project than I anticipated.  I thought I could buy some nice valentines-themed fabric and just make a couple dozen for teacher gifts.  Not a problem.  As I'm scrolling down the tutorial given by SewSara, my 9yo daughter is peering over my shoulder and says "Ooh, cute!"  Second clue.  So somehow a couple dozen becomes 5 1/2 dozen to make enough for the teachers and my daughter's classes.  Yes.  And actually, I'm still working on the last few before Friday, but wanted to share them now.  I found this really sweet valentine printable from Positively Splendid to add to the pens as a gift.  And yes, I do think they are pretty cute although I probably wouldn't suggest making more than a couple of dozen at a time  :)

Teacher Gifts

V-day Exchange

Soccer Ball Cookies

Soccer Ball Sugar Cookies

I made these cookies for LD's last game of the season.  His teammates loved them and I thought I'd share the technique since I've used it several times now. Scroll down to the bottom for more examples.

The sugar cookie dough is a wonderful find from Sugarlicious.  The dough is firm and more like a shortbread dough.  It will hold up nicely to cutting shapes and even putting in on a cookie stick if you roll the dough a bit thicker.  Usually I bake them slightly less than what is called for in the recipe, but that could just be my oven.  Make sure you check on the cookies for doneness ( a bit of golden brown on the edge is usually a good indicator). 

You will also need a small batch of royal icing.  I make my royal icing with meringue powder just because it's super easy and safe to eat raw.  

Royal Icing (for icing cookies)

2 Tbs. Meringue powder

3 c. powdered sugar

¼ c. cold water

food coloring paste

Beat meringue powder, powdered sugar and water at high speed in a heavy-duty stand mixer with a whisk attachment until glossy, stiff peaks form. Tint with food coloring paste to desired color, and beat until well blended. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with small round tip (#4) and store with a damp paper towel placed on bottom of a tall drinking glass.

Last, but not least, I make the fondant topper.  I use my Marshmallow fondant.  You can check out the recipe I use here.  

For this cookie, I used a 3.5 inch round cutter for the cookie and the fondant circle of white.   I left most of the fondant white, but dyed a small amount black.  I like to use Americolor Super Black.  It is always good to try to make the fondant a few days ahead, but especially if you are using very dark of deep colors.  The color will deepen if you let it rest for a day so you won't need to add as much color.   I cut out pentagon shapes in the black fondant.   You may need just the tiniest dab of water on the fondant to attach the black pieces.  Try not to use too much or the colors will run and the marshmallow fondant will get too mushy!  
So I basically tried to follow this image (kinda-sorta).

I used the quilting fondant tool to make the stitching marks on the ball and went over the marks with a bit of food color marking pen.  Once the soccer ball design is made in the fondant circle, I attach the whole thing with the royal icing acting as glue.  Allow them to sit out while the royal icing dries.

The first few cookies, trying to get the lines right.

Wrapped and ready to go!

Butterfly Sugar Cookies, using just royal icing and sanding sugar.

For Girl Scout Bridging ceremony.  Green and Brown fondant for the vest sleeves and rainbow Airhead Xtreme candy for the stripe.

Here's a Football Jersey version of the cookie

Handprint Quilt

I finally finished the second handprint quilt!  It only took five years and a new sewing machine. And yes, this is the second one. If you remember back in 2010 (ha!), I made this quilt for Miss D's Early Childhood class. I traced and appliquéd each child's handprint and then helped each one embroider their name on the block. I pieced and quilted the blocks together and then put the quilt up for an art auction to raise funds for the school. Miss D loved the quilt and begged us to bid on it. Well, we did but the bidding got too deep for our pockets :). I promised her that I would make another quilt with our family members. As typically happens here, I quickly tried to get going on the next quilt gathering handprints, signatures, adding appliqué and embroidery to each block. I ran into a snag, actually several, when my 40 year old sewing machine up and quit on me. And so the project sat, in a box, for over a year while I figured out what to do. I ended up with a beautiful new machine for my birthday and started working on the quilt again. Unfortunately at this point I had lost that initial drive and energy to finish it and again it sat waiting to be finished. Well fast forward a few years and I found a new quilt project that has inspired me. The only problem was this unfinished quilt waiting in a box. So I promised myself that I needed to finish this quilt first. And despite the fact that my perfectionism has kept me stuck for all these years I decided that a finished quilt is far better than a perfect quilt!  So here you go.  Although far from perfect, it is a finished quilt that my family can enjoy- finally!

Working on the quilt - the dog approves!