Blue Ribbon Snickerdoodles

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap."

-Robert Fulghum

These Snickerdoodles earned me the coveted title "Best Cookie Baker of Thurston County." Here's how it went. 

The night before we decided to go to the fair, at approximately 9 pm, I looked at their website to see what was going on that day. Turns out they were having a different baking contest each day (apart from the entries displayed at the fair.) The day in question was cookies, the day after chocolate cake and so on. The cookie contest stated that the winner will be named "The Best Cookie Baker of Thurston County." It also mentioned that if you bring a plate of cookies to enter you get into the fair for free. I like free stuff, so I went to the kitchen, revved up the oven and got to work.

It was all so last minute, that's why no pictures of cookies, only fair animals. The one picture of cookies (above) I took after the fact with the remaining cookies at home.

What type of cookies should I bake? I thought. I went through a list of possibilities in my head. Chocolate chip? Too boring. Chocolate chocolate chip? Too rich, not everyone likes rich. Lemon? Not everyone likes lemon. And so on.

Snickerdoodles were it. Most people like cinnamon, sugar and butter. Remember when they did the study where they found out that men prefer the scent of cinnamon rolls baking over any other scent? I rest my case.

Not to mention I've heard these cookies described as "crack cookies." Due to their addictive qualities.

What a bunch of lazy pigs

As you already know, I won! First place! I not only got into the fair for free, I won this lovely blue ribbon, a $25.00 dollar gift certificate to a local restaurant and of course the title of The Best Cookie Baker of Thurston County.

This is a recipe I've tweaked over the years to adapt to my taste, and not to mention blue ribbon status. Crisp on the outside and chewy and soft on the inside. I like to use half butter and half butter flavored Crisco because Crisco gives them a more crisp exterior than using all butter. (Butter has 14%-18% water, Crisco is pretty much solid fat) If you prefer, you may substitute more butter for the Crisco but they won't be as crisp.

 

Blue Ribbon Snickerdoodles

this recipe was created by me, Melissa Graham aka The Alchemist

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (1 stick) (113 g.), softened

1/2 cup (113 g.) Butter Flavored Crisco
1 1/2 cups (300 g.) white sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter flavored extract-optional-I have this ingredient in the house so I use it to boost the butter flavor, but if I didn't already have it I don't think I'd buy it just for this. (But I did use it in the winning cookies. FYI.)
3 1/2 cups (525 g.) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon and sugar mixed together for rolling cookies

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, 200 degrees Celsius, or Gas Mark 6.

Cream together the butter and butter flavored Crisco till fluffy. Add the sugar and beat again for about 2 minutes until really light and fluffy. Now add the eggs, vanilla and butter extract (if using) and beat well for about a minute. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber scraper/spatula and then beat again for another minute.

In a separate bowl add the flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Whisk together to blend.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat till all is incorporated.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out dough using a 2 teaspoon size disher. Roll cookies in cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Bake on prepared sheet for about 9 minutes. In my oven after exactly 9 minutes they are perfect. This is 2 teaspoon (or slightly larger) size. Don't over bake! If you eat a hot cookie (I mean who doesn't want to eat a hot cookie?) when it's warm, it might seem doughy or under baked. But if you take that same cookie and put it in the fridge (or wait till it's cooled at room temperature) it will harden a bit and be a delightfully soft cookie. So don't determine the baking time by eating a hot cookie. The cookies should be soft on the inside and crisp on the outside.

After they come out of the oven place the baking sheet on a wire rack for just 2 minutes, then remove cookies from the baking sheet with a spatula to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Fresh Corn and Bean Salad

"Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn."

 ~Garrison Keillor

Happy harvest season! Our corn is ready for picking, and we sure have been enjoying it. Just yesterday with dinner I served my husband an ear of corn I had picked within minutes of cooking. He pronounced it was the best corn he had ever eaten. Juicy and sweet, it is the delicious reward after months of growing.

I have made this salad multiple times this summer. The first time I made it, afterwards I thought, this salad sure makes a lot, I don't know if we'll eat it all (since it's just the two of us.) I was thinking I may have to feed it to the chickens in a few days. Boy was I wrong. The both of us ate it all, in just a few days and enjoyed every bite.

This salad is incredibly fresh tasting and full of veggies. The perfect accompaniment for a burger, or a piece of fish or whatever protein your heart desires. Or heck, just eat it alone. It's full of beans, so it's filling, healthy and vegan too!

The fresh corn flavor is so amazing in this salad. Everyone has their favorite way of cooking corn. Lately mine has been baking it in the oven. The corn flavor stays intact inside their husks and it's super easy (The details are below in the recipe). Thanks Michelle for the tip!

If you don't want to turn on the oven you can always cook it on the stove. In my Dean and Deluca cookbook, they recommend cooking corn in their husks in boiling water. Once the water boils, place unhusked corn in, start timing once it starts boiling again and cook for about 5 minutes. The advantage to cooking corn in the husks is that the silks are easier to remove after cooking. (Wait for it to cool a bit first before removing husks.)

Fresh Corn and Bean Salad

Inspired by this recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 teaspoons ground cumin

4 ears of fresh corn, or about 2 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 -15 1/2-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1- 15 1/2-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 medium-size red, yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup (70 g.) chopped white onion

1/2 cup (35 g.) chopped fresh cilantro

1-2 jalapeño chilies, seeded and chopped -optional, depending on the spice level you desire

Directions

If using fresh corn, bake it (husks intact) in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit, 200 degrees Celsius, or Gas Mark 6, oven for about 45  minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Meanwhile, whisk oil, vinegar, and cumin in large bowl to blend. When corn has cooled, cut it off the ears with a knife and add it along with the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Toss it all to coat and season with salt and pepper.

Let stand before eating if possible. An hour, or a few is good so the flavors can meld. Even overnight makes for a nicely flavored salad.

Serves about 8 as a side dish.

Triple Chocolate Zucchini Bread

"I believe that the energy of humans who touched those beans goes into the beans as well. They become vibrant because of the handling. This vibrancy is something that a machine or harvester doesn't have. From my standpoint ... I believe that if food is grown and prepared with love ... infused with love ... well, it can be the humblest of food, but because it's prepared with love, it's special."

- Valerie Phipps, Pescadero, California

It's been awhile since I've been here. Since July 6th to be exact. I remember it well. I had just found out that my beloved dog, Romeo's kidneys were failing. Just a few days later, on the advice of our vet who informed us that he was suffering, we put him down. It was one of the hardest things I've ever been through. Not the putting him down part, of course I didn't want him to suffer, just the realization that he won't be a part of our lives anymore. He was my first dog. I guess our family had a dog growing up, but Romeo was my dog. That dog went with me everywhere. He made up 1/3 of our family for goodness sake. We never had children, but we had him.

Romeo- In Loving Memory 1998-2011

So I guess I've been in mourning. I didn't intend to stop blogging for this long, or at all, I just felt like I couldn't. I took pictures of food, but I couldn't get myself to download the pictures. Maybe because I'd have to look at the last pictures I took of him. Today is the first time I've downloaded pictures in 2 + months. And there it is. The last photo of that sweet face. It's hard to look at. Loss and grieving is a difficult process and my heart goes out to you if you've gone through it.

My husband built me a windmill for our garden

Life goes on. I have a garden that's full of it, life that is. I grow stuff I like to eat as long as it's easy to grow. Zucchini's might be my favorite, it seems like you turn your back and they've grown the length of a football. Gotta love a plant that makes food for you in such an easy, nonchalant manner, it's like the plant is saying, "Oh this? This is nothing. I've got 10 more where that came from." And it does. Pumpkins are another favorite. Mine are just starting to turn orange.

The door to the garden

Zucchini is so versatile too, and I've been eating my share. One of my favorite breakfasts that I've been eating almost everyday has been a scramble made of diced zucchini, red bell peppers, onions, fresh basil and scrambled eggs. Sometimes I use fresh rosemary instead of fresh basil. It's delicious, I highly recommend it.

Zucchini Terrific! Like Bunnies, Prolific!
-Author Unknown

Zucchini, especially those big ones, are so perfect for breads. This happens to be my favorite zucchini bread of all time, I've been making it for years. Mid way through this post I realized I had blogged about this bread before, back in 2009. Oh well. This is so good, it deserves another go. Since then I've actually improved it, so it's not the same recipe exactly. I developed this bread (actually more of a cake) as a delicious, moist, and decadent vehicle to hold my home grown zucchini. You should trust me on this. I am famous for my fabulous quick breads. It features 3 types of chocolate, hence the name. Unsweetened squares, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. I believe this gives it a multi dimension of rich chocolate flavor.

If you are using a huge, homegrown torpedo sized zucchini, you need to scoop out the big seeds inside.

Using a parchment paper sling allows you to remove the bread from the pan easily. Sometimes chocolate chips fall to the bottom of this bread and stick to the bottom of the pan no matter how well you grease it.  the sling makes lifting the bread from the pan a cinch, and sticking to the bottom a non issue. So you get a perfectly intact loaf every time.

If you have a zucchini hater in your family they won't even know the zucchini is there. You can't see it and you can't taste it. But it does add moisture, fiber and nutrition. Just tell them it's their lucky day and you've made them a rich and decadent chocolate cake.

More incredible quick breads

Melissa's Famous Banana Bread

Rhubarb Nut Bread

Triple Chocolate Zucchini Bread

created by Melissa aka The Alchemist

This recipe makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate (3- one ounce squares)
3 eggs
2 cups (400 g.) white sugar
1 cup (240 ml.) neutral oil (I used grape seed oil, use whatever neutral oil you wish)
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream or yogurt (full fat is best, but use what you wish)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups (380 g.) grated zucchini, lightly packed
2 cups (300 g.) flour
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (163 g.) semi sweet or dark chocolate chips, plus a small handful more for topping (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 180 degrees Celsius, or Gas Mark 4.

Prepare 2 loaf pans. You need to grease the pan and use parchment paper to make a "sling" to lift the loaf out when finished. Grease the parchment too. (Some of the chocolate chips may sink to the bottom, and if they do, it's almost impossible to get the loaf out in perfect shape without the sling, trust me.)

Melt the squares of unsweetened chocolate in a small saucepan on medium high heat, or place in a microwave safe bowl and cook on 50% power for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until melted, set aside.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the oil and the warm melted chocolate and whisk together. Now add the sour cream and whisk. Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla and whisk well, (or if using an electric mixer, use that and beat well.)

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Measure out the one cup of chocolate chips and place in another bowl. Take a few Tablespoons of the flour/cocoa mixture and mix it in the chocolate chips (this prevents them from falling to the bottom of the pan.) Take the bowl off the stand mixer (if using) and mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by hand (not literally with your hand, with a spoon, not a mixer.) Now add the zucchini breaking up any large chunks if there are any, and mix. Once that is all incorporated dump the chocolate chips and the little bit of flour mixture into the bowl. Mix them in till they are incorporated, but only until then (don't over mix.)

Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake for about 50-60 minutes. Half way through cooking time (after 30 minutes of baking), sprinkle the extra handful of chocolate chips (if using) on top of loaves, and rotate the loaves in the oven from front to back. Loaves will be done when they pass a toothpick test.

Cool on wire racks for 30 minutes in pan, then remove sling from pan and let it sit on the parchment paper until cool. Wrap in plastic or place in an airtight container when totally cooled. Loaves will stay fresh for 3-4 days or so. If you want them to last longer, they freeze extraordinarily well. Just double (or triple) (the secret to them staying fresh in the freezer is to be totally air tight.) wrap them in plastic wrap and place in a large Ziploc bag. They will keep in the freezer for 6 months, easy. If wrapped really well, they will keep for a year.

An Update- and for the locals - Paradise Organics!

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken."

 ~James Dent

Wow! Summer is really in full swing around here! A gorgeous 83 degrees is the temperature here and I'm loving it. I've taken some pictures that I thought I'd share. So here's an update in pictures.

 And if you live local to Yelm, Washington I have a great tip for you, which is my favorite place to shop for food, Paradise Organics. They are having a sale this week, so I thought it was a perfect time to mention it. Scroll down for that.

A picture of Mount Rainier I took. It was such a clear and sunny day today so the mountain could be seen well. Sometimes when it's rainy or foggy you can't even see it. So when it's really clear, it's like it pops up out of nowhere.

We've become bird watchers. Meaning we put out bird food and see who comes to dinner. This was a particularly beautiful visitor, I thought.

A blue Jay! I wish it was a better picture, but this was taken through the window screen.

I have lettuce growing in hanging planters. They are looking great I'm happy to report. Lettuce is easy to grow from seeds.

My rose garden in bloom

These are my favorite roses, they are called Blue Girl. They are especially fragrant. I've used them to make rose petal jelly. I plan to make it again this year.

This is one of my new chickens. I had purchased some chicks to add to my flock. They are about 2 months old now. Isn't she cute?

This is one of my chickens catching a break in the shade

I have lots of strawberry plants, and some are just starting to ripen.

 Paradise Organics

First I would like to point out that this is totally from me, absolutely unsolicited. I am not getting paid anything for this whatsoever. I told Bob I would like to write about his place, and he agreed.

Paradise Organics is a farm located in the Bald Hills area of Yelm Washington. Bob, the owner, sells vegetable starts, fresh veggies, and garden soil amendments/fertilizers along with many other items. (Get on his email list and he'll send you a full list of what's available weekly.) Here is his page on Local Harvest.              

They have a huge selection of plant starts

I'm a great shopper. Period. I know where the best place is to shop for almost everything. Of course there are different reasons to shop at different places, convenience, price, excellent product, etc. Paradise Organics has many great reasons to shop there.

1. Quality - Everything is organic and the best quality produce I've ever seen. Since I love food and love to cook, this is the most important for me. Check out the pictures of the butter lettuce below. His produce rocks. In a few weeks he'll have tomatoes. Imagine big bright red homegrown tomatoes that you didn't have to grow yourself! You can't buy those at any grocery store.

2, Customer Service- His plant starts are guaranteed. (ask him for the details.) He also has a no questions asked guarantee policy, meaning let him know if something isn't right and he'll work to make it right.


3. It's local. (I mean if you live near here.) But yeah, if you live a mile away, your lettuce is being grown a mile away. If you buy your lettuce at Safeway, who knows how far away it's being shipped from. Also you're helping the local economy and a small business.

4. Price- The prices here are amazingly low. They are about the same as the prices at Safeway.

5. Freshness- Since everything is grown there, it's super fresh. He picks lettuce and other items just for you in the upper garden. Imagine that!

(I have nothing against Safeway, I shop there myself, it's just where is a better place to buy produce than from the farm it's grown on?)

These are gorgeous starts. They even have a guarantee on them.

The lower garden where there is green houses and the chicken coop. They have ducks and chickens so they sell both species of eggs. The chickens have plenty of roaming space and are totally organic just like everything else here.

Have you ever seen a head of romaine so big and beautiful?

More delicious lettuce

Big tomato starts, some already have tomatoes growing on them, it's not too late to grow some.

Parsley starts here, they sell all kinds of herb starts

This is a head of butter lettuce I purchased there about a month ago. It was so gorgeous I had to take a picture!

Beautiful beets purchased at Paradise

They are having a sale right now, through July 13th, 2011. Below is an example of some of the great deals going on right now.

Vegetable Starts
* Large Tomato, Eggplant and Pepper Plants 6” - $2 ea.
* Large Tomatillo Plants 6” - $2 ea.
* All Herb Starts 4” – $1.50 ea.
* All Pony Pack and 4” Veggie Starts - $1 ea.
* Artichoke Plants 6” - $2 ea.
* Parsley Curled and Italian 6” - $2 ea.


Fresh Vegetables (while supplies last):

 * Zucchini - $1 per pound
* Cucumber - $1 per pound
* Beets - $1 per pound
* Lettuce - $1.50 per head
* Red Cabbage - $1.50 per pound


So if you live in Yelm, Washington or the surrounding area, I highly recommend Paradise Organics. I live a bit of a drive away, but I feel it's worth the extra distance for the high quality products I receive there. Now is a great time to experience them with the sale going on till July 13th.

And if you don't live in this area, go check out Local Harvest. Where you can find a farm near you. Who knows? Maybe you'll find a farm that is equally great!

Paradise Organics


Location
18819 Sorenson Road SE
Yelm, WA 98597


Contact Information

Bob Foster

360.894.1328

paradise@inetsupermall dot com

Farm Stand Schedule

Open 10 AM til 7 PM - 7 days a week (April 15 - Dec 15) Other times by appointment.

Fresh Peach Pie with a Shortbread Crust

"Do not regard the critics as questionable patriots. What were Washington and Jefferson and Adams but profound critics of the colonial status quo"?

 ~ Adlai Stevenson

Happy Fourth Of July!  Here in the U.S. this means fireworks, BBQ's and picnics. A celebration of  Independence. I wish you all a wonderful and enjoyable holiday.

A measuring cup is a good tool for getting the crust into the corners and up the sides of your pie plate.

This time of year reminds me of fresh peach pie. Growing up one of our favorite places to eat out, was a pie shop, such as Polly's or Marie Callenders. I remember always asking the waitress, "are peaches in season"? "Do you have fresh peach pie?" During dinner that piece of pie would be all I could think about. I would always ask for extra whipped cream. They would tell me, "it comes with whipped cream." I would say, "can you just make sure there is a lot of it?" My love of freshly whipped cream started at an early age.

This pie is made only to highlight the fresh peaches. I can't think of anything much more delicious than a fresh, ripe peach in the peak of it's season. The glaze over the peaches exists only to intensify the sweetness of the fresh fruit. The shortbread crust acts as a buttery, sweet delivery device for each bite. And what would peaches be without softly whipped fresh cream?

I use these dried beans over and over again as my pie weights.

This means that fresh, ripe, juicy peaches at the height of the season is the only peaches to use in this recipe. It relies on it in fact, since the really ripe ones have all that juice that is needed in the filling.

Most fresh peach pie recipes out there involve using peach gelatin as a binding device. I don't want something artificially flavored in my pie. Instead, my filling is thickened with cornstarch, with fresh peach juice and crushed peaches used instead of water, as the liquid, to get as much fresh peach flavor as possible.

To peel the peaches submerge them in boiling water for 30-45 seconds then place in a bowl of ice water. The peels will slip off easily.

The filling is a cinch, so I wouldn't hold it against you if you wanted to use a store bought crust, a nilla wafer one would be particularly good, I believe.

 

"Equal rights for all, special privileges for none".

 ~ Thomas Jefferson

Want something else to do with fresh peaches?

My Any Fruit Crisp is easy and delicious!

Fresh Peach Pie
 
FYI- The crust needs to firm up in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight before making the pie.
 
Ingredients for crust
 
1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 g.) butter- softened
1/3 cup (68 g.) sugar
1 egg
1  cup (150 g.) flour
1/4 cup (28 g.) cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
 
Ingredients for pie filling
 
5 cups sliced fresh, very ripe, peeled peaches (about 8 peaches) (I forgot to weight them, sorry)
1/2 cup (100 g.)  sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
 
2 cups, (1 pint) or (500 ml)  heavy whipped cream, whipped-sweetened with 1/4 cup (44 g.) sugar (this will give you enough for topping pie as well as extra for serving.)
 
Directions
 
Start by making the crust.
 
 Blend the butter, sugar and egg using a stand mixer, or an electric mixer until well mixed. Add the flour, cornstarch and salt and mix until it just comes together, don't overmix.
 
Pat into a 9 inch pie plate and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, 200 degrees Celsius, or Gas Mark 6. While oven is preheating, prick the bottom of crust with a fork. Then place either a piece of parchment or a piece heavy duty foil  into the crust, with pie weights or dried beans inside of the foil or parchment.
 
Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil or parchment and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
 
Let the crust cool while you prepare the filling.
 
To make the filling.
 
Take 1 cup of your peaches in a bowl and mash them with a fork to release their juice. In a large pan, add the sugar and cornstarch, and whisk them together. Add the crushed peaches, stir and cook over medium high heat. As it starts to thicken and boil, add about half of your sliced peaches so that the mixture doesn't get too firm. Remove from the heat immediately and add the remaining peaches and lemon juice. Toss together to distribute the glaze to all of the peaches. Pour into your pie shell.
 
Refrigerate the pie till it's chilled. Then garnish the pie with dollops of whipped cream using a pastry bag with a large star tip, such as Wilton's 1M.
 

Serve the pie cold, it is best eaten the same day. Garnish with extra whipped cream.