frozen yogurt

Yes, I know the counter needs wiping but this frozen yogurt disappears so fast that I am lucky to get a picture!  

We recently found the frozen yogurt shop Pinkberries but they are a distance a way and I just do not like always have to go out for frozen anything.  I especially seem to like frozen desserts best when it is also freezing outside.  I really do not want leave the house then but I want that yogurt.  

I did some research and the the best frozen yogurt recipe seems to come from David Lebovitz.  I read his ice cream cookbook when it first came out and it was inspiring.  It inspired me to try different combinations and to make ice cream without an ice cream freezer.  Supposedly, the frozen yogurt recipe was better then Pinkberries.   I would say I have to agree.

The recipe is easy.  Find the best greek style yogurt you can buy or make.  I am actually using a goat milk yogurt as our base.  For every cup of yogurt, add a 1/4 cup of sweetner.  Freeze.  I have used brown sugar and maple syrup so far.  

I still use the spoon and bowl in the freezer to make the frozen yogurt.We get so impatient because we taste every time we stir, that so far we have gotten to a very thick pudding but not a soft serve texture.  Frozen yogurt will harden in the freezer if left so pull it out if you wish it to soften.  The other option is to use an ice cream maker but then I would have to buy a new noisy contraption.  

It is really this easy.  So far I have not been tempted to try flavors but when I do, I will write them down!

roasted rabbit

We used to eat a lot of chicken.  I always found roasting a chicken was easy, especially when I had days full of cookie baking.  It is always hard to figure out what to make for dinner when I am baking the Christmas cookies.  I have been reading a cookbook by David Tanis that said you could use rabbit in any chicken recipe.  So I decided to do a roast rabbit with baked sweet potatoes.  Easy. No stress if everything turned out like advertised.

David Tanis was right.  Roasted rabbit was as easy as roast chicken.  I want to try it again with forty cloves of garlic.  It is a french recipe that is very good.

I did not get any pictures of the rabbit when it was done.  Part of that was tired.  Part of that was how fast it disappeared. 

Here are the bones.  The carcass became soup just like a chicken carcass.  So good.

roasted rabbit

1 rabbit, skinned, cleaned out and washed.

a couple teaspoons of salt

a couple teaspoons of pepper

a teaspoon or so of sage

a teaspoon or so of thyme

bacon grease if you have it or a couple tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Heat the bacon grease (or bacon) or the olive oil in an oven proof pan.  Add the rabbit.  Sprinkle about half the spices and salt on that side.  Let brown for a few minutes.  Turn the rabbit over and sprinkle with the remaining spices.  Let brown for a few minutes.

Bake for 55 minutes.  

Small sweet potatoes  bake in this time or small potatoes.  Add a salad.  All done!

chocolate gingerbread cookies

This is my last new cookie recipe this year.  I have been looking for a good gingerbread cookie recipe.  My molasses crinckles are a go to but there are times that I want ginger snaps or gingerbread.  Ginger snaps are not so hard, the Joy of Cooking has a good one.  Gingerbread is almost always disappointing.  I do not know what is my mind but someday I will find it.

This is another Martha Stewart recipe that I looked at and then ranted in my head about.  I do believe that I want their square footage of counter space somehow wedged into my kitchen.  It is the only way that you would be able to make these recipes as written.  I am lucky to have four square feet clear to work with.  I am not even talking about the equipment or the tools they use.  Cool ideas if you have a kitchen with all the gadgets.  I decided a long time ago the gadgets were not worth the space!  Okay.  Rant over.

The original cookies were painted in white chocolate and rolled out.  They were supposed to remind you of twigs.  We really do not like white chocolate that well around here so I rolled them in powdered sugar and kept them in flatish balls.  They remind me of mushroom caps.  Just me. 

Currently, this is my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe.  I know it is not the last one.  I may try it without the cocoa.  I took the flavors in the given recipe and used my sable recipe as the base.  Baking time was interesting to figure out but they did turn out well.

chocolate gingerbread cookies

Inspired by Martha Stewart

1 cup of the best butter you can find

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup molasses

2 egg yolks

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon salt

powdered sugar for dredging

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cover baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.

Cream butter and sugar together.  Mix in eggs and molasses.  Mix in flour, cocoa, spices, and salt.

Roll a teaspoon of dough  and dredge in powdered sugar.  Place on the baking sheet.  Flatten with the bottom of a glass.

Bake for 12 minutes.  You want done but tender.

Another need for tea.  I could get into the need for tea!

cinnamon cookies

I am finished with my cookie baking for Christmas.  Most of the boxes are done but there is one that will probably not go out until Thursday.  Or maybe it will.  It will all depend on when I receive socks.  I tried two new cookie recipes this year.  Both from Martha Stewart's Living.  By the end of trying both of them, I was wondering if these people ever bake in a small home kitchen.  Or a two year old helper.  I decided to try them to send out because of the amount of flour that are in both.

I changed the both recipes by the time I was done with them.  My Beloved rolled his eyes and said he was surprised.  I went for the flavors instead of the complications.  I would even change this one further and base the cookie dough on more of a classic sable.  But it is good.  Especially if you like cinnamon and a hint of cocoa.  I took all my rejects to work.  It took me a bit to figure out baking times.  I brought home an empty dish.  That should say something!

cinnamon cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Livings Cinnamon Log Slices

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs and 1 large egg white

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups flour

3 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cover baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.

Cream butter with 1 cup sugar and brown sugar.  Mix in the eggs and vanilla.  Mix in the flour, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

Mix 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cocoa, and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl.

Make small balls of the cookie dough.  Dredge in the cocoa cinnamon mixture.  Put on the baking sheet.  Flatten with the bottom of a glass.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Very nice with a cup of tea.  Or popping in your mouth as you head down the elevator.  I saw this one today.

beans and sweet potatoes

We eat a lot of beans around here, especially on salad.  With the weather we live, we can eat salad most of the year and it is fine.  But there are times when salad just does not put enough warm in your belly.  Like there are times where soup is a must.  Or a thick risotto or stew.  This is one of the weeks.  

Tara over at Tea and Cookies posted about putting beans on baked sweet potatoes.  It was one of the hit you upside of the head moments, why have I not thought of this.  I put sweet potato and pumpkin in beans all the time, so why not on top?  Once we got the cooking of the beans done right, this was a snap.  She suggested to use plain beans.  I used spice beans.  And a different cheese.  And I did not have all the greens she did so I left those off.  I would have liked to have had a creamy dressing because of how spicy the beans were but I did not.

I guess what I am trying to say here is started with the basics here:  a baked sweet potato and beans.  Then use your imagination.

beans and sweet potatoes

Note:  Inspired by Tara's post at Tea and Cookies

1 baked sweet potato per person

1 cup beans per person.  I used spicy lady beans but you can use plain beans or something less spicy

a sprinkle of cheese: I used cheddar and Small Mister helped with the grating so there was more then I would have originally used.  Pretty decadent.  Feta, goat, queso fresco would all be good.  Probably so many others

salsa, use your discretion for how much or if you want any

a creamy dressing:  caesar, ranch, blue cheese, honey mustard.  We did not use any this time but I thought it would be good.

greens:  kale, cilantro, green onion, or anything else you may wish

Make sure the sweet potato is baked through and hot.  Split in half.  Cover with beans, salsa, cheese, and any greens you wish.  Sprinkle with cheese.  

Eat, enjoy, and warm your belly.  My Beloved said it made his belly warm and helped him feel sleepy.