Welcome!

To those of you stopping in by way of the Wall Street Journal, welcome! Mondays with Maida, which Lee Gomes referenced in his column today, is a project I finished last November. Here are links to the full archive for the project, the cookie panel's top ten, and nutrition data for the recipes. You can always find these links in my sidebar as well. I can't recommend the book highly enough - Maida is great and her recipes are delicious. The book I used (which I refer to as the "old book") is out of print, but still available through Jessica's Biscuit. Nearly all the recipes from the book were also reprinted in a later compilation (the "new book") which is still in print and available at Amazon. I'm partial to the old book for sentimental reasons and because of the charming drawings by Maida's daughter.

To my old friends... I was mentioned in the Wall Street Journal!! I still think there was some mistake :) The other bloggers mentioned in the article are tackling some truly challenging cookbooks including The French Laundry Cookbook and the Gourmet Cookbook. A weekly batch of cookies seems quite modest in comparison!

Happy Birthday Catelynn!

Catelynn turns one in a few days so family and friends gathered this past Saturday to celebrate. Catelynn was in good spirits all day and was happily passed from mom to gram to auntie to friend needing a "baby fix"...



I volunteered to make cake and cupcakes for the party. The theme was turtles and I got my inspiration from the invitation which had a cute stylized turtle on it. I decided to use marzipan this time (the gum paste I used for the decorations on Cassidy's first birthday cupcakes was tasteless - bleh!). I used chocolate jimmies for the eyes and little white non-pareils to decorate the shells.




David and Stephanie had beautiful springy shades of green and pink for the plates, cups and flatware which coordinated perfectly with the gorgeous tulips brought by Bob and Chuck. Even the green in my little turtles fit in nicely with the display!




Happy first birthday my dear little Catelynn!!!

No excuse...

So I tell you I'm going to post twice a week and then I disappear... completely... for a month. Sorry. I have no excuse - just an unexplainable reluctance to sit down and write lately.

So no more promises. Please keep me in your reader and I'll be here when I'm here. Though I'm having trouble getting the words down, you and this blog are often in my thoughts. I've toyed with the thought of quitting the blog altogether, but there's really no need to be that rash - Blogger is cheap. Even though the writing is harder than usual right now, I still enjoy being part of all this and there are still times when I have something I can't wait to share through my blog.

So what about State by State? I've obviously been having trouble getting going with it, but it is still a project that interests me very much. I'm not going to set a schedule - we'll just see what happens. There's still more to come on Maryland, but eventually (I hope) I'll get to the next state. We'll see :) In the meantime, I have a birthday party to tell you about...

State by State - Maryland: Smith Island Cake

I'm afraid you might begin to think I should have called this series State by State Sweets, but let me regale you with one more sweetie from Maryland - the Smith Island Cake. On Smith Island, these cakes are simply called layer cakes. They can come in just about any flavor, but they're stacked 8, 10, or even 12 layers high - perfect for those who want a little cake with their frosting ;)

Since I have no photo, before we go any further, you must click on over here to get a sense of the proportions. While you're there, take a look at that frosting recipe - doesn't that add up to four pounds of frosting?? Actually, other photos of Smith Island cakes I've seen look more like the tortes they're sometimes compared to, with relatively thin layers of frosting between the cake layers.

Tom Horton's, An Island Out of Time, describes life on the island and introduces the reader to some of its inhabitants, including Mary Ada Marshall. With Smith Island Cake currently in the running for Maryland's state dessert, Mary Ada and her 8-layer cake traveled to Baltimore for a spot on yesterday's morning news. I was thrilled to find this video of the segment - Mary Ada is charming. When asked how long it takes to make one she says, "Some women it might take an hour. I can make one in about 25 minutes." She's not exaggerating either - Tom Horton says he timed her and she could bake and ice an 8-layer cake, wash the pans and put them away in 20 minutes. I wish!

No word yet as to whether the legislature will bestow the title of State Dessert on the Smith Island Cake, but I promise I'll keep you posted!

State by State - Maryland: Berger Cookies

A Berger cookie begs the question, is there such a thing as too much chocolate icing? When my mail-ordered boxes arrived several months back, I wasn't so sure the answer wasn't yes. The dark chocolate icing certainly was enticing, but the size of the cookie was intimidating. Despite my initial skepticism, I had no trouble eating every last crumb of my Berger cookie and my officemates quickly polished off two boxes of them. Too much icing? Phhhhffft!

I barely remember the cookie itself, which is overshadowed in every respect by a generous half-inch of that dark fudgy icing, but it was a firm, cakey cookie. It much resembles the familiar black and white cookie from New York, but it has lots of black and no white.

I had not heard of them until I started hunting around for a cookie that hailed from Maryland, but they apparently have legions of fans. They have been made in Baltimore since the 1800's and according to DeBaufre Bakeries, which makes them today, the recipe is little changed from the original.



My attempts to find a recipe for the cookies were less than successful. I found a recipe for Suzanne Laubheimer's Version of the Famous Berger Cookie (scroll down - it's the second recipe), but the icing clearly wasn't right (just melted chocolate chips) and I was suspicious that the cookie wasn't close either when I read the instructions to shape the dough into one-inch balls and flatten with a glass. I decided to use a black and white cookie recipe for the cookie and the fudge icing recipe from a half moon cookie recipe. I ended up with a cookie in the spirit of a Berger cookie (lots of icing, though I didn't have the guts to pile it on to the degree you find on a Berger cookie), but just not the same. If I try this again I would use a cocoa-based fudge icing for a darker flavor and color.

Next time - A state dessert for Maryland?

State by State - Maryland

Well, I promised I'd be back in February to begin State by State... and I've only got a few more minutes to make good on my promise! We'll see how things evolve, but right now I'd say my plan is not to try to be comprehensive, but for each state to talk about a few food-related topics that catch my fancy for one reason or another. As I ease back into this blogging business, I'll probably be keeping the posts rather short... but I plan to post a couple times a week.

I'll be focusing on Maryland during the month of March. I've lived here since 1964, but I feel that I hardly know the state. When you think of Maryland, what comes to mind? I expect it is probably something to do with the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland's vast coastline (over 7000 miles - can it really be?). I've only visited Maryland's eastern shore once and my only memories of it are sailing on a friend-of-a-friend's rickety trimaran, and stopping at a McDonald's that was across the street from a Perdue plant (feathers EVERYwhere). So this area that is so quintessentially Maryland is almost completely foreign to me. I hope to remedy that someday.

Oh my gosh... three minutes until March... must post!

Anyway, for this evening I'll leave you with this - a story I heard on the news the other day. It pleases me no end to hear about something like this happening where I live... Maryland :)

Next time - Baltimore's famous cookies

Out damn spot...

As you can see, my blog has a new look - no more spots. I have been wanting to update my template for a very long time and finally took the plunge. At the moment what I have is a bare bones template, but I'm planning to maybe add some color and certainly to do something about the header. At the moment, I'm just happy to finally have full use of labels!

If something looks funny or doesn't seem to be working right - please let me know. So far the switch has been relatively painless, which leaves me thinking that disaster will strike soon.

update: question - do you all see the little tools link below each page element in the sidebar? I thought they would go away when I signed out from Blogger, but they didn't.

101 Things in 1001 Days

This idea has been around for a while, but when I saw another mention of it on the Pink of Perfection along with the thought that we should put some fun into our resolutions, I was sold. I've got a good start on a list, but I'm not quite up to 101 things. I hope this isn't too much information, but my list is mostly about making and cooking, so it seems appropriate to put it here. Most importantly, posting it will (I think) help make it so - if I just made a list and didn't tell anyone about it, I could just as easily throw away the list and not tell anyone.

So here it is so far. With my cooking "things", I want to push myself to try techniques or foods I've been avoiding (though I haven't worked up the courage to put mushrooms on the list). With books I hope to make a dent in the unread piles in my house and similarly with sewing and knitting, I'd like to make some headway in the stash I've accumulated over the years and finish projects started long ago. That fuzzy beige sweater you see listed below? I started it 28 years ago - yikes! I'm not fooling myself that every single thing is really going to happen, but if even half of it does I'll be thrilled! I have 23 more "things" to add to the list - any suggestions?

1. Try tempering chocolate
2. Try canning dried beans (I’m getting a pressure canner)
3. Start building a pantry for the winter by canning some summer produce
4. Cook with artichokes
5. Cook with avocados
6. Cook with tempeh
7. Cook with seitan
8. Make puff pastry from scratch
9. Find a tofu recipe I really like
10. Weave napkins for myself
11. Weave a simple blanket with doubleweave
12. Weave a project using 8/2 cotton from stash
13. Weave another project using 8/2 cotton from stash (I have LOTS of 8/2 cotton)
14. Weave and sew a project using 20/2 cotton from stash
15. Try rep weave (sampling)
16. Try summer and winter (sampling)
17. Weave a gift for someone
18. Get up to speed with Fiberworks PCW (which I’ve had for years now) and design/document all of the projects above with it
19. Read Breathless in Bombay (and review for LibraryThing)
20. Read Sitting Practice (and review for LibraryThing)
21. Read Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
22. Read The Omnivore’s Dilemma
23. Read The Amateur Marriage
24. Read Iris Origo: Marchesa of Val d’Orcia
25. Read Happiness Sold Separately
26. Read The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse
27. Read The Blind Assassin
28. Read The Known World
29. Read The Poisonwood Bible
30. Read The God of Small Things
31. Read Drowning Ruth
32. Read The Pilot's Wife
33. Read Back When We Were Grownups
34. Read Animal Vegetable Miracle - finished 1/30/2008
35. Finish Catelynn’s stocking - finished 1/18/2008
36. Finish fuzzy beige sweater
37. Make another felted critter (maybe an original design this time?)
38. Make Sock Monkey hat for Cassidy
39. Make Flower Power hat for Catelynn
40. Knit socks for myself
41. Make a sweater using yarn from stash
42. Make a felted purse or tote
43. Make Christmas stockings for Waldo and Kitty (no angora Santa beards though!!)
44. Knit at least one item to donate to charity from my stash
45. Make a sock monkey for Catelynn
46. Make a Cathy original - now that I’ve made a Christina original :)
47. Try creating a pants pattern from my favorite (and best-fitting) pants
48. Sew some more with Christina
49. Sew a garment with fabric from my stash
50. Sew a little gifty thing with fabric from my stash
51. Make a miniature teddy bear
52. Switch to new Blogger template - done 1/22/2008
53. Customize template with my own header, etc. - done 2/3/2008
54. Launch State by State (will check off once Maryland is done)
55. Post belated review of The Breakaway Cook
56. Post belated review of Educating Peter
57. Post belated review of Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
58. Post about three “last chance cookbooks”
59. Purchase floor lamp for study
60. Clean and organize the basement
61. Get dryer vented to outside
62. Paint inside
63. Finish bedroom curtains
64. Window treatment for study
65. Clean up and plant herb garden
66. Make a list and get that nice handyman to come back
67. Set up TreasuryDirect account - done 1/6/2008
68. Switch payroll purchase of savings bonds to TD account - done 1/21/2008
69. Convert paper savings bonds to TD account
70. Form 2803 (too boring to explain)
71. Wisdom teeth on left side extracted in 2008
72. Start exercising again (twice a week for at least 8 weeks in a row)
73. Get my yarn stash inventoried on Ravelry
74. Get my hooks and needles inventoried on Ravelry
75. Reduce my average water consumption in 2008 by 5 gallons per day
76. Reduce my average electricity consumption in 2008 by 2 KWH per day
77. Switch all regular-sized incandescent light bulbs (except for my reading light) over to compact fluorescent bulbs - finished 2/4/2008
78. Try needle tatting (thank you Santos!)
79. Get my genealogy stuff organized
80. Take and post to flickr 10 photos I’m proud of
81. 101 things for the next 1001 days (which will start 9/29/2010)

Crochet: Betcha don't have potholders like these!

OK, just one more potholder post - I promise! After finishing with yesterday's post I remembered some potholders my mom had. Then it occurred to me I probably had them somewhere. I dug around in all the likely places (NOT the kitchen) and found them! My mom had pinned a note to them indicating that they had been made by her Great Aunt Emma and given to my mom at her bridal shower. I wish I could say more so you'd have to scroll down to see the photo... because they really should be revealed with a big TA-DA...



Yup - they're his and hers and they've got openings at the top and legholes just like the garments they're modeled after. They're a little two-dimensional, but that's sort of a requirement for potholders. I don't think these potholders have ever done duty in the kitchen, though with those handy loops perhaps I should hang them on the fridge just as a conversation starter!

Crochet: Old Fashioned Potholders

If you're looking for a last-minute homemade holiday gift for someone who likes to cook, how about some potholders? I grew up with potholders like this - they'd been crocheted for years by various women in my mother's family. I think some of the potholders we used (and possibly some of the ones I still use) may have even been made by my great-grandmother. The older potholders are typically yellow and white or red and white, but once my sister and I started making them we naturally gravitated to all kinds of colors and even those garish variegated threads.

I made the pair above for Bob two Christmases ago and they pretty much follow the pattern of their predecessors - a dark center with a good-sized white middle enclosed by a dark border. I was running out of blue so I introduced a third color in the one on the right, but that's probably as heretical as using variegated thread :) The older ones in my possession have the remnants of little picots at each corner of the border, but I never figured out how to do those and frankly was never inclined - it's a potholder after all!

I think I learned to crochet by making these potholders. It was either my mother or Auntie Bee that showed me how, though it's not a pattern that's written down (until now) or memorized. I don't know about the earlier potholder-makers in my family, but I can't make one without having a completed one to look at. I've never felt that I made the middles quite right, since I always end up with a little larger (often lopsided) hole in the middle, but I think these instructions will set you in the right direction and then you can refine them to your liking. Switch colors as you like - it's your potholder!

I'll apologize in advance about this pattern - I'm not well acquainted with crochet patterns, so this may not be very clear. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions!

The potholder is made of two identical pieces (though the color patterns need not be the same) that are joined by one more round that is worked through both pieces. I use a size 7 steel crochet hook with regular (size 10) cotton crochet thread.

Chain 7 (or less - I was just thinking that maybe there's a sneaky way to do this on just a loop of thread so you could pull it tight and close up that little hole in the middle) and join to form a loop.

I usually join each round by pulling a loop through and then chaining two.

Round 1 - work 10 single crochet (sc) in the loop and join.

Round 2 - work 2 double crochet (dc) in each sc (20 dc total) and join.

Round 3 - work 2 dc in each dc (actually it's really in the spaces between the dc) (40 dc total) and join.

Round 4 - in this round you establish the "corners" of the potholder where all the remaining increases will occur. Work 4 dc in the space between the first two pairs of dc and then 2 dc in each of the next 3 spaces. Repeat this four more times and join.

Rounds 5 - 11 (you can do more or less depending on the size potholder you want) - continue in the same way as round 4, always working 4 dc at each corner and 2 dc in the spaces.

** Update 8/16/08 - I just made a couple potholders by following the pattern as I wrote it here and realized that 11 rounds is a little small. I'd recommend 12 to 13 rounds for each piece and then join with another round as described below. **

When done, join, cut the thread and pull it through. Weave cut thread ends into the wrong side of the potholder to secure them and hide them. Work the other piece of the potholder in the same way, but don't cut the thread.

To join the two pieces, put the wrong sides together and work one more round in the established pattern. For this round you'll need to work through both sides, being careful that they are lined up correctly. When done, join, pull the thread through and weave in the end.

I think these potholders improve with age - they tend to tighten up and flatten out. They're not as big or thick as some potholders, but I think they're just right!

A few years ago I was browsing in a little antique shop in Greenwich Village and found some very similar potholders for just $2.00 each! Of course I bought all three. The increases are done differently and they have six sides rather than five. I haven't attempted to figure out the pattern yet, but hope to someday. I'll close with pictures of them (they're light green and white) and of some of my older potholders (the rust and white one is one I made a few years back, but the others are much older). If I'd planned better, I would have washed them before taking the picture - sorry!

Finally...What's Next

I'm so sorry... I fully intended to write about my plans for after Mondays with Maida two weeks ago. But between Thanksgiving and being rather lazy, it just didn't happen. Part of the problem may be that I'm not feeling quite ready to get started on it, so let's consider this just a little sneak peek to tide you over until the "official" announcement - OK?

I've been thinking for several months that I'd like to examine American regional cuisine by looking at one state at a time and trying to figure out what foods are typical of each state. I started looking around some on-line and reading a little and quickly came to the conclusion that in order to get a grasp on the nature of a particular state's cuisine, I would also have to learn something of its agriculture and history. Throw in there an interest in food festivals, state fairs, and a wish to include food blogs, and you might begin to see my problem... maybe scope creep?

I obviously still need to sort out some details, but here's the general plan... I will focus on one state per month starting first with the states where I have lived and then moving on to those I have visited and finally on to those that are completely new to me. I'm calling the project "State by State" (and if you're familiar with Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, you'll know why). I plan to end each month with a post that is sort of a reference for the state, including a directory of food blogs based in that particular state, books I used, etc.

I'm going to start in February with Maryland. After that will come Massachusetts, North Carolina, Vermont, and New York. After that? We'll see :)

Between now and then I'm going to enjoy the Christmas season and I'm planning to take Zarah up on her invitation to "join the madness" as she calls it. I won't be posting daily as she is, but I would like to do a few seasonal posts. Then in January I hope to finally do a little redecorating around here: switch to a new Blogger template so I can take full advantage of tags, etc., and get a new look.

So that's what's coming - guess I'd better get busy :)

45 Pounds of butter later...

Honestly, I was afraid it was going to be more than that, but even at 45 pounds, that's 180 sticks of butter - more than one stick per recipe! Here's a few more numbers to marvel at:

• 210 eggs
• 256 cups of flour (and that doesn't even include whole wheat, etc.)
• 178 cups of sugar (including granulated, brown and powdered sugar)
• over 24 pounds of nuts
• almost a pint of vanilla extract
• over a cup each of baking powder and baking soda
• almost a cup of cinnamon

There were five of you who took a stab at guessing the totals for butter, eggs, flour and sugar. The way I calculated a score for each contender was to divide the difference between the guess and the actual number by the actual number and then sum those results for each of the four guesses. The lowest score wins. Here are the results:

Lisa guessed 37 lbs of butter, 150 eggs, 250 cups of flour, and 150 cups of sugar, giving her the best score of 0.644

Nupur guessed 35 lbs of butter, 150 eggs, 200 cups of flour, and 250 cups of sugar, giving her a score of 1.131

Claire guessed 75 lbs of butter, 200 eggs, 300 cups of flour, and 250 cups of sugar, giving her a score of 1.291

Mari guessed 20 lbs of butter, 130 eggs, 130 cups of flour, and 70 cups of sugar (what an optimist!), giving her a score of 2.035

Elijah guessed 50 lbs of butter, 120 eggs, 500 cups of flour, and 400 cups of sugar, giving him a score of 2.740

So Lisa wins it! Congratulations! Nupur and Clare are the runners up. Clare is the only one of the three that wanted a copy of the book, so she wins the copy of Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies. Since Lisa is had the best score, she can choose which of the other two prizes (the small appetizer tray or the pewter pushpins) she'd like and then the other prize goes to Nupur. Thanks to all the guessers! Winners - send me an email with your address and I'll send your prize on it's way!

Top Cookie

Nine of my personal top ten from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies

Oh what a struggle! Limiting the list to ten was actually the easy part, ranking them was near impossible. I have a feeling if I did this again in a day or so, the order would be very different. The nine runners-up are pictured above and listed below. Top Cookie (which after all the angst was the one thing I was sure about) is pictured below. If there's one thing I've learned after making and serving all these cookies, it's that everyone has a different idea about what makes a good cookie. I doubt anyone else would choose the same cookies I did for their own personal top ten, but I'm certain any cookie lover will find at least one to love on this list...


10. Austrian Walnut Crescents

9. Plain Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

8. Tijuana Fiesta Cookies

7. Chocolate Mint Sticks

6. Hamantaschen

5. Pumpkin Rocks

4. Viennese Chocolate Walnut Bars

3. Texas Cowboy Bars

2. Cobblestones


and drumroll please! Top Cookie is...........


1. Big Newtons!!!!!!!



By the way, I just discovered that Jessica's Biscuit redesigned their site and all the links in my past Mondays with Maida posts to the "old book" are now obsolete. They still carry the book though, and I've put the updated link at the top of this post. For under $13, it's a steal - I think I can say that with authority :)

Don't forget to post your guesses in the comments by Thursday night - see here and here for more details.

Finally, huge thanks to the members of the cookie panel past and present. They did what I couldn't - rate the cookies - and in the process made it fun for everyone. So, thank you Phil, Suzanne, Denny, Laura, Terri, Drucie and Herman - I honestly couldn't have done it without you!! (And don't forget about their Top Ten list, which is quite different from mine.)

My Favorite "Et Cetera" Cookies

Love it when I miraculously capture a curly wisp of steam. Love these tea bags from Bob and Chuck too. The Almond Tartlets weren't bad either, but didn't quite make it to my list of favorites.

This is a chapter of cookies that didn't fit into any of the previous chapters, so it's sort of hard to characterize them as a group. There were several tartlets, several baked as loaves and then sliced, and a smattering of others. Many were beautiful to look at, but few achieved cookie greatness - or have I become jaded and hard-to-please when it comes to cookies? Others have suggested to me (and I think it is true) that the order that the cookies were presented to the cookie panel probably had some bearing on their scores. I'm sure the same is true for me - the first chapter was approached with great enthusiasm, this last with a sense of obligation.

This chapter was heavy on the almonds and I feel to a certain extent that the almonds let me down more than the recipes. In almost every case I'd be inclined to toast the almonds if I were to try the recipe again. This chapter also had some of the most challenging recipes - the tartlets aren't difficult, but they do take time - lots of it. And there must be a trick to those macaroons that has escaped me.

But in spite of my waning interest and technical difficulties, there were still a handful of recipes that I would make again in a heartbeat. So without further ado, here are my favorites...



These moist and chewy, sweet and spicy Connecticut Date Slices are the pinnacle of cookie comfort!



This is one of those cookies that gave me some difficulty, but in spite of my troubles these Fudge Délices truly were delights!



On the other hand, making these Black-and-White Rusks really was fun and the resulting orange and chocolate cookies? Heaven! In fact, they narrowly lost out to the next cookie as my very favorite...



Hard on the teeth and not much to look at, but these simple Hazelnut Rusks let all those fragrant hazelnuts shine through. Eat them plain if you dare, or dunk them in your hot beverage of choice - either way, I think you'll love them as much as I did.

Almost done! All that's left is to name my own personal top ten from the book and reveal the winners of my little guessing game. There's still time to post your guesses about the total pounds of butter, number of eggs, cups of flour and cups of sugar (all kinds) required to make each recipe in the book once. I have one copy of the old book and a couple of other small prizes (a small maple appetizer tray from J.K. Adams in Vermont and a set of pewter pushpins with a culinary theme) to award to the closest guessers. All answers must be posted in the comments by midnight EST Thursday, November 15th.

If you just stumbled here from Google or elsewhere, we're talking about Maida Heatter 's wonderful book of cookies called Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies. The book is out of print but still available as a remainder, used, or in your library. All but one of the recipes were also reprinted in the newer Maida Heatter's Cookies which also includes cookie recipes from a couple of her other books. Read about my little project here and start here if you're interested in exploring my earlier posts.

Mondays with Maida - Cheese Pennies

Page 269 in the old book / page 287 in the new book

This is it - the VERY LAST ONE!! But before the celebrating begins, I've got some business to attend to - these Cheese Pennies. I've seen recipes like this before and honestly wasn't all that excited about this one before I made it, but I wound up being nearly as enthusiastic as the cookie panel. First I like the size - despite the name, these are a generous 2+ inches across; second- the dough is easy to mix, shape and slice; and finally they taste great.

I used 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne (actually, red chilli powder from the Indian grocery which I think is the same) and to my taste you would want no less. They had a warmth and spicy bite to them, but not so much to make you run for a glass of water. With 8 ounces of cheese and 4 ounces of butter, these are very rich crackers. The hot pepper heightens the cheese flavor and cuts through that richness - sort of like very nippy Cheez-it crackers.

I think the instructions given for toasting sesame seeds are fairly standard, but I found the time and or the temperature were way too much. When you start smelling them you should watch them carefully. Instead of the recommended 15 or 20 minutes (at 350 F), I'd start checking after 6 or 7 minutes.

The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for several days, which makes this a great do-ahead recipe for a dinner or party. Slicing them is a breeze - the dough holds together really well and there is nothing in the dough (like nuts or seeds) to catch on the knife. Maida says not to put the dough in the freezer, but I think that is just because you don't want to slice it frozen. I'm guessing you could freeze it and then let it thaw in the refrigerator for a day or two if you wanted to mix the dough more than a few days ahead.

I thought for sure Denny would cut me a break and not dock points for no chocolate in a cheese cracker, but nooo... Here's the panel ...

Suzanne: "First of all I love anything with sesames and I also love cheese. So I was in seventh heaven with the crackers. Cathy used a sharp cheddar cheese with quite a zing to it. I needed a drink of water to cut the sharpness of the cheddar. I’d like to thank Cathy for making me famous by asking me to be a participant in her blog. I’m sure my prophetic words will go down in cookie history. Each week, the whole office lived in anticipation wondering what delicious cookie Cathy would bring in to entice our palettes. In sincerity, it has been a pleasure knowing Cathy and being part of the blog. I’ll be reading your blog from California. Rating - 5.0"

Denny: "The taste really surprised me because I didn't know what they were. These were excellent - light and tasty. 4.0 which is the highest you can get with the -1 no chocolate penalty. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Spicy and cheesy with a nutty crunchy sesame topping. Very yum! Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "These would make a delicious appetizer. Cheesy, spicy and not too filling. I would love to eat them with a glass of red wine! The sesame seeds on top add a nice texture. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.6

And that is all she wrote! But it's not quite all I wrote... tomorrow I'll share my favorites from the chapter and then Wednesday I'll compile my own top 10 list from the book.

OK, Here comes the celebration part... just for fun, I'll tally up how much butter, nuts, flour, sugar, etc. I used during the course of this project. Anyone want to hazard a guess? Leave a comment with your best guesses to the answers to these questions: 1) How many pounds of butter? 2) How many eggs? 3) How many cups of flour? 4) How many cups of sugar (all kinds totaled together)? Also let me know if you have a copy of the book or not (or if you'd like one for someone else). I have one copy of the old book (a brand new copy) to give away and two other little prizes for the closest answers. You must post your answers by midnight EST this Thursday (11/15). I'll post the totals for these and a few more ingredients on Friday and announce the winners.

What's next? I'll tell you all about that next week!

Nutrition Facts

update: regarding my little celebratory guessing game - a question about what would be included in the totals was raised... the ingredients for each and every recipe in the book will be counted once. No matter if I've made the recipe one time or ten times. The other clarification I'll add is that I'm going to add egg yolks and egg whites together (10 yolks + 10 whites = 10 eggs) when coming up with a total for eggs, but if I have 10 extra egg whites, they'll count as 10 eggs.

Mondays with Maida - Marshmallows

Page 267 in the old book / page 293 in the new book

No more cookies, but Maida ends the book with a couple of lagniappes. First up - marshmallows. If you've never made marshmallows before, it's worth doing at least once. It's really not difficult, and the end result is very satisfying. Maida points out that few people know what marshmallows are made of, and my experience was similar. In fact, one person seemed to think I had made my marshmallows from... marshmallows!

Marshmallows are made from gelatin and a sugar syrup (actually a combination of sugar and corn syrup). The hot sugar syrup is beaten into the gelatin, forming a dense foam that sets as it cools. Maida's recipe uses only vanilla as the flavoring, but Jocelyn over at Brownie Points gives a recipe for strawberry marshmallows along with lots of flavor variations. When you figure in coatings, etc., the possibilities are truly limitless.

I have it on good authority that Maida Heatter's mixer of choice is an old Sunbeam, so I was a little concerned that the 15 minutes beating time would be too much with a Kitchenaid. I decided to use the paddle rather than the whip (the last time I made marshmallows the recipe called for a whip attachment and had a beating time of 5 to 7 minutes). Beware - there'll be hot syrup flying around at first, so I wouldn't crank it all the way up right away. I started at 6 and moved up to 8, then briefly to 10, but decided to keep it at 8. I didn't think about using the pouring shield until afterwards, but if you have one use it. I beat the mixture about 13 minutes and then started worrying about the mixer overheating and decided that was enough. In fact, it was probably too long - I had trouble spreading the mixture in the pan. Rather than using aluminum foil and shortening, I lined the pan with parchment and oiled the parchment lightly.

Here's the panel ...

Suzanne: "Yum! These were delicious. I could definitely have a few of these. The marshmallows had just the right amount of sweetness. I’d love them in hot chocolate or roasting them over a fire. Rating - 5.0"

Denny: "I'm not a marshmallow person, except for s'mores, but these were very good. 3.0 with -1 penalty. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Yummy and gooey... like a spoonful of fluff dipped in powder sugar. Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "These are much better than the store-bought-in-a-bag type marshmallow. The difference is they aren't as airy and they're softer. Absolutely delicious! Can't wait to try them on hot chocolate tonight. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.4

Next week - Cheese Pennies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Palm Island Brandy Snaps

Page 264 in the old book / recipe is not in the new book

There are still a couple more recipes in the book, but this is the last cookie! At first I was feeling a little let down with this recipe, but the next day my impression changed somewhat. These cookies are not satisfying in the way a crunchy/chewy cookie with raisins or chocolate chips would be, but they do have a pleasing, fragile texture and lots of flavor.

These are actually drop cookies that spread out to an ultra-thin layer. After cooling for a bit, they are rolled around the handle of a wooden spoon to form tubes. I didn't try Maida's serving suggestion - rolling them around something wider like cannoli tubes and filling them with whipped cream - but they could easily be turned into a very elegant dessert. I think the whipped cream would be a really nice contrast to the strong molasses and ginger flavor of the cookies. Maida explains that the recipe is an old one from England and that the filled tubes would be served with satin ribbons tied around them(!)

Maida also goes on that they are "fun to make". Welllllll.... if your idea of fun is handling molten sugar with your bare hands, then yes, these are most definitely fun! They may not make the cut as "fun", but they are easy, though I did end up with some sore fingers. They are also time-consuming, since you bake just five cookies at a time.

What surprised me was that despite the difficulties of handling something so hot, the hot cookies were relatively sturdy, so rolling them wasn't the problem I envisioned. When properly cooled, they resemble (hot) fruit leather, so there is little risk of them tearing. The trick is giving them just enough time to cool. With my first batch I waited the prescribed one and a half to two minutes, but found the cookie was impossible to pick up. I assumed they were undercooked and put them back in the oven. Later, though, I realized that the problem was that they need more cooling (rather than cooking) time. I found the 8 minutes for baking was perfect, but that 2 minutes cooling wasn't enough - 3 minutes worked well for me. I suppose the cooling time may vary depending on how much heat your cookie sheets retain, so try them at 2 minutes, but then wait another minute if you can't easily lift the edge of the cookie with a knife or thin spatula. If the edges of the cookie become brittle before you've rolled them, you've cooled them a little too long.

Here's the panel (don't worry, the panel WILL be back for the last two recipes despite what appear to be parting comments from Suzanne and Denny)...

Suzanne: "I was really looking forward to the last cookie being extra special. Unfortunately, I don’t care for anything with ginger in it. The cookie was very attractive, tubular in shape and shiny. I took two bites of the cookie but wasn’t able to finish it since it has such a strong ginger taste. I know Cathy put a lot of time and effort into making the cookie and felt bad that my last comment couldn’t be favorable. I do think it’s fitting that the end of the book falls during the same week that I am retiring. Otherwise, I would need to come back weekly from California to taste the cookies and write my comments. This has been great fun, Cathy and I will keep reading your blog in my retirement. Rating - 1.0"

Denny: "Very good. Light and fancy with an almost chocolate flavor. Great "show" cookies. Since they taste almost chocolate, I only gave them a minus .5, so my rating in 4.5. A great ending to a long arduous journey. Yuk Yuk. Thanks very much. Rating - 4.5"

Laura: "These are yummy! They are light and crunchy and candy-like. They almost melt in your mouth. The flavors remind me of the Christmas holidays. Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "These are delicious and I didn't detect the taste of brandy. These are more like crystallized ginger snaps. The crunchiness and texture are great and the flavor has a bit of molasses. I really liked that these were rolled and thought they would be delicious with ice cream - any flavor. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.5

Next week - Marshmallows

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Black-and-White Rusks

Page 262 in the old book / page 279 in the new book

These two biscotti-like cookies - last week's Hazelnut Rusks and this week's Black-and-White Rusks - have left me wishing there were more like them in the book. I've had little prior experience with this type of cookie, but have especially enjoyed these two. Fortunately, there's a whole chapter of biscotti to be explored in Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies!

These lovely two-toned cookies have two flavors as well. The outer layer has grated orange zest in it and the middle has some melted chocolate added to it. Forming the roll isn't difficult and the dough is generally easy to handle, though I did find the chocolate dough became somewhat brittle with time. This is another cookie for you former Play-Doh lovers :-) Both the middle and outer layers are rolled on a board into long ropes. The outer layer is flattened and then pulled up around the middle chocolate rope. The long oval shape of the individual slices is achieved by cutting on a very sharp angle after baking.



These cookies are a little easier on the teeth than last week's, thanks to half a cup of oil in the recipe, but they are still quite crunchy. The combination of chocolate and orange is wonderful and their looks and durability would make them ideal for holiday gift giving and even mailing.

Here's the panel (don't listen to Denny)...

Suzanne: "Delicious! I love everything about this cookie. I love the smell of the orange and the crunchiness of the cookie. The cookie was so attractive with its thin, angular shape and chocolate in the center. I’m sure I will be eating more then one of these cookies. Rating - 5.0"

Denny: "OK, but not much flavor. Maybe they should be thrice-baked with a real good cookie on top and another on the bottom. Even with the chocolate I could only give them a 2.0. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "Zesty orange flavor with a hint of chocolate. Yum! A little more crunchy than I usually like, but it works for this cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "These are very much like biscotti and very tasty with the touch of chocolate in the middle. These are quite crunchy but would be perfect with tea or coffee. The slight orange taste adds a nice touch of flavor! Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next week - Palm Island Brandy Snaps

Nutrition Facts

Blog Action Day 2007

Today is Blog Action Day - a day for bloggers to help get people thinking and talking about the environment. These days the environment is on everyone's mind as things like global warming become reality and not just a future worry. If you're not already convinced that you personally need to take steps to try to minimize your impact on the environment, I will leave the convincing to other, more eloquent writers (thousands of which you should be hearing from today). But if you like me have come to the realization that you must make an effort, however small, to minimize your impact on the environment, then let me toss out a few ideas. The basic goal is to use less. Most of these aren't terribly original, but it's a start...

You've heard it before - eat local. Eating local reduces the resources required to transport your food. My produce purchases got a little more local this year... I used to make regular trips to the farmers market at Dupont Circle which took me about an hour each way by car and subway. I expect I'll still make occasional visits, but I've now started frequenting a nearby (3 miles from my house) farmers market and have signed up with one of the three farmers there for her CSA next year. I obviously do much better with this in the growing season than in the winter, but I'm trying at least to be conscious of where my food originates and choosing the closer location when possible. I weigh in other factors, including cost and whether or not it's organic, so I don't always go with the most local product, but at least it now figures into my purchasing decisions (which was not the case a year ago).

Use a pressure cooker. Fond as I've become of Indian cooking, I guess it was inevitable that I would purchase a pressure cooker. The vegetarian cuisines of India make good use of beans and lentils in whole and split form (dal) and a pressure cooker makes preparing them so much easier. So what's the benefit for the environment? Pressure cooking reduces the cooking time (and therefore the energy required) by half to two thirds. I think many people my age regard pressure cookers with a little trepidation - my mother used hers (a gift from my dad) once or twice to make my dad happy, but feared it for its reputation of being prone to violent explosions of hot liquid. You can put those fears aside if you buy a modern pressure cooker - there are so many safety devices incorporated into the design these days that you'd have to work pretty hard to get the thing to explode.

Don't pay for water in your food. No, I'm not talking about bottled water (but if you're buying bottled water, you really should reconsider), I'm talking about water in processed products. I remember talking with Nupur about coconut milk - she was using some in that marvelous pasta dish she'd whipped up and I brought up the subject of "lite" coconut milk. She dismissed the product saying that it was just watered down coconut milk and she wasn't going to pay for water. The more I think about that statement, the more I see the wisdom in it. When there's water added to a product in manufacturing, you end up paying to transport that water and maybe even for extra packaging to contain the water. For example, If you eat lots of beans, you can save a small fortune cooking dried beans (with your new pressure cooker! ) rather than buying canned beans. By purchasing a pound of dried beans you're purchasing a product that weighs (and costs) less than one can of beans and getting something that provides over three times the quantity of cooked beans.

Don't pay for water in your cleaning products. Go with powdered or concentrated products when possible to reduce packaging and transportation costs. For reasons completely unrelated to environmental concerns (I thought I was having trouble with the liquid one, but it turned out to be something I was doing wrong), I recently started using powdered dishwasher detergent. It works just as well, costs less and weighs less - win-win! I haven't reverted back to powdered laundry detergent yet since I still have a little stockpile of liquid detergent to work through, but I'm not sure if the benefits there would be the same. I'll have to compare weight and recommended amount to use per load to figure out if would be worthwhile to switch. For years I've been using a floor cleaner (Sh-Clean) and general household cleaner (called Red Juice - it's similar to Product 409) put out by the Clean Team. I'm not a very good customer though - I'm still working through my original purchase! Red Juice is concentrated 10 to 1 and Sh-Clean is concentrated 20 to 1, so each makes many bottles of product once diluted.

Limit use of disposable products. You don't know how automatic it had become for me to stick leftovers into a sandwich bag or package my lunch (on those rare occasions that I packed one) using umpty-ump little bags. Now I try very hard not to use them at all. For lunch I use plastic containers (glass with a plastic snap-on lid if it will be reheated in the microwave), at home I use plastic or glass storage containers or bowls with plates set on top. In addition to purchased containers, I've accumulated quite a collection of yogurt containers (another great idea from Nupur - they're the perfect size for storing dals and beans) and glass jars (nice for spices and spice mixes). I also try to limit my use of paper towels - I use cloth rags and sponges for cleaning. I stick a half-size towel in packed lunches as a napkin and still use paper towels for food-related things (like putting into a container with leafy vegetables and herbs to absorb excess moisture). I haven't started using cloth napkins... but I'm thinking about it! I recently realized that one of my most wasteful purchases (in so many ways) - was my near daily trip to Starbucks for lunch. The sandwich or salad comes packed in a plastic container, then there's the big paper cup, napkins, etc. I've started bringing my lunch to work at least twice a week, but was stumped on what to do about the coffee cup problem because I'm just not ready to give up my daily cuppa! I mentioned this to Bob and he said "don't they sell commuter cups?" Of course - brilliant! (Why didn't I think of that?)

Use reusable shopping bags. I'm good about this at the grocery store and farmers market, but need to think about this for other shopping trips as well. I also keep a few clean (reused) plastic bags in each shopping bag for holding small or wet produce items.

Take short showers. I got this idea from Kelli. It's perfect for me in so many ways - I was queen of the 20-minute shower. I'd stay in until the hot water ran out or I was late for work - whichever came first! Kelly suggested using a timer and aiming for a 5-minute shower. I think I've only finished in under five once, but six minutes is definitely doable! I still have an occasional set-back here and it's going to be even harder when cold weather arrives, but even if I only do it every other time, it's a huge water and energy savings.

Cut back on book purchases. Books are my most frequent impulse purchase. I really don't buy much in the way of clothing or household items, but books? Amazon is way too convenient. I've been doing some research on-line for my post-Mondays with Maida project and have found Google Books to be an invaluable tool. If you get lucky, all or part of the book you're interested in will be available on-line as a preview. If not, there are links to Amazon and other booksellers, but first try searching for it in your library. Click the link the says Find this book in a library, provide your zip-code, and you'll get a list of links to nearby libraries with the book thanks to Worldcat. I've yet to make use of my library's inter-library loan, but very often the book I want is available right in my local library. If it's not, then I check to see if a used copy of the book is available through Amazon. You can get some amazing deals buying used books, though you're always going to pay at least $3.99 for shipping and handling. When choosing which copy of the book to buy, consider the location of the dealer in addition to quality and price. Shortening the distance the book has to travel is good for the environment, yes, but it also will get the book to you more quickly :) One other interesting option for books is BookMooch - a book-swapping site. This may not be the most desirable option for the environment, but if you choose not to participate in swaps outside your country and reuse mailing materials, maybe it's not so bad!

Grow my own. Aside from my blueberry bush, my garden has lain fallow for a couple of years now. One of my goals for next year is to revive my herb garden. It's not really feasible for me to grow anything else, since our community is overrun with deer, but herbs (and, oddly, blueberries) are apparently not to their liking. Herbs are perfect for home gardening in so many ways. Unusual varieties are easily grown from seed; being conveniently located just outside allows you to pick as little or as much as you need; and they are mostly happy without much watering.

Reduce food waste. I struggle with this one and though I have it as a goal for next year, I worry that having the CSA may actually aggravate the problem. I think the answer will involve making better use of my freezer, sharing food more often, and cooking more creatively.

Compost. I once had a compost pile and another goal for next year is to resuscitate the compost pile. I'm not cooking meat at home any more, so nearly all my food scraps should be compostable.

Well enough about me - what are your ideas? I'm very interested in any other suggestions you may have. Feel free to mention them in comments below or if the spirit moves you, write your own Blog Action Day post - there's still time!

Mondays with Maida - Hazelnut Rusks

Page 260 in the old book / page 277 in the new book

I guess Maida's cookie book was written before biscotti were all the rage. Maida describes this recipe as an old German recipe and there's nary a mention of those other twice-baked cookies we've come to know and love as biscotti. To head off any complaints that the cookies were too hard or lawsuits related to chipped teeth, I warned everyone that they were indeed like biscotti and advised they might want to dunk the cookies in their favorite hot beverage to soften them up. Some dunked, others braved dental disaster and ate them dry, but everyone (including me) enjoyed these tasty cookies.

I had toasted the nuts very lightly beforehand because I was worried that they were bland. I had purchased them blanched rather then attempting to remove the skins myself (a task that I find particularly onerous). I'm not sure what process is used commercially to remove hazelnut skins, but my guess is that it is not toasting followed by rubbing the nuts in a dishtowel - the nuts I'd purchased appeared to have been mechanically abraded and sure didn't taste toasted. Anyway, five minutes in the oven perked them right up and perfumed my kitchen as well. Is there any nut with a more heavenly scent than the hazelnut?

The cookies were very easy to make. The one step I worried about just a little was neatly slicing the baked cookie strips. I remember the first time I ever made biscotti I had a terrible time cutting through the nuts. That was thankfully not the case this time around, thanks to my bread-knife. The only trouble I did have was getting those half-inch slices to stand upright for the second baking - they were acting more like dominoes then cookies!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The Hazelnut Rusks were delicious. They reminded me of the mandel bread cookies that my aunt used to make. They were definitely hard and yes, I did need to dunk them to soften them up, but the dunking was part of the fun. This was a great morning breakfast cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Excellent. Just a tad too crunchy. I considered suspending my No Chocolate penalty because they were so good, but I've got to be consistent. I'd give them a 4.0 with the -1 no chocolate penalty. I could even taste the hazelnuts. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Very tasty, once dunked! (Without dunking, they are indeed very hard.) Rating - 3.5"

Terri: "These are definitely like biscotti and were delicious dipped in my coffee! Since they're twice baked, they're crunchier than usual, but very tasty. The hazelnuts are delicious. Very good, but maybe not for anyone worried about losing fillings or chipping a tooth! Only kidding - they're not that hard! Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.8

Next week - Black-and-White Rusks

Nutrition Facts