TWD/BCM: Jam-filled Sandwich Cookies

Poor Dorie.

She's never gone on an Oreo binge.

Or she would know what a sandwich cookie is.

These aren't even close.

I would like to suggest another name.

Knocked-Me-Right-Off-My-Diet Cookies.

Or maybe Tomorrow-Is-Another-Day Cookies.

Or Some-Things-Are-Worth-It Cookies.

Or Life-Is-Short(bread) Cookies.

Are you following me here? For over 2 weeks, I've been so very good. Haven't had sugar, flour, dairy, coffee, or alcohol! Seriously. I surprised myself.  Kept saying "it's only 28 days". Why, oh why, did these cookies have to come along on Day 17?

No 2" cookie cutter, so I used a little heart-shaped one.
Only jam in the house was fig jam I made a couple of
weeks ago. Good choice. 

Even as I made the dough, and rolled it out, and cut the cookies, and added the jam, and topped with more cookies, and pressed the edges together, and sprinkled with sugar, and rotated them as they baked - yes, even as I watched my own hands doing these things, I told myself knew that I would not be eating one. And then they came out of the oven. Of course I had to break one open and see the filling.  (Note to self: next time, more jam!)

Then something happened, some kind of out-of-body experience, and before I knew it, the cookie disappeared. Into my body. With all those cucumbers and celery sticks and nitrite-free turkey bacon strips and spinach. That was several cookies ago. I don't even feel guilty. Well, maybe a little. And sorry for the last, lost, 17 days. Let's just say I'll be making these again.

Most of them were heart-shaped

but I broke out my Georgia cookie cutter before it was all over.
The figs were from Georgia, so it seemed right.

The other Tuesdays With Dorie bakers are here. They all loved the cookies too.

Last but not least, here's a shoe:

TWD/BCM: Strawberry Shortcakes, Franco-American Style

Hi there!

I'm back.

Actually, I've been here all along.

Baking, taking photos, tasting, enjoying, reading your posts.

But too lazy to blog about it.

I would say "too busy" but that's not entirely accurate.

And I feel guilty enough without adding a lie, LOL!

After missing a few posts, I couldn't decide:

Go back and write each one very very late?

Or lump them all together?

And then there was another one.

And another.

And another.

Did I mention that decision-making isn't my best quality?

Well, let's forget the others for now and talk about the Strawberry Shortcakes.

First let me say that I LOVE Baking Chez Moi! Seriously, every recipe has been surprisingly easy and tasty. Except for one - I'm looking at you, tapioca. Not a quitter. Still working on that one. But I digress. Dorie's stories (did that just rhyme?) and hints for changing up the recipes make it a fantastic book. And this is from someone who never really loved cookbooks. Did I just say that out loud to a bunch of bakers? Sorry. I beg your forgiveness. 

The Strawberry Shortcake recipe drew me in right from the start. I already had all the ingredients. Hello? That's the mark of a great recipe! Doesn't hurt that organic strawberries were on sale this week. And the kids were home for Father's Day. Everybody liked this. What more can I say? 

Chance to pull out some of my
mechanical drawing tools.
The circle template still has tape pads
on the back from the *olden* days
when we physically drew with ink.

Piping is fun. Even from a baggie.
One day I'll remember to buy a 1/2" tip.
And an offset spatula.

This is our Lady.
That's her name. Really.
She didn't care about the
"lady"finger batter but
she loves strawberries.

Here's a little quilt I did of her last year.
It's called "Lady in Blue".

You can find the other Tuesdays With Dorie participants who made Strawberry Shortcake, Franco-American Style here. 

Much time has passed and there have been many many shoes in the road. This one may not be the most exciting or beautiful, but it's the one I saw today.

TWD/BCM: Brown Butter and Vanilla Bean Weekend Cake

Hard to find something the patient can eat on chemo day.

But this did the trick.

"It's pound cake," he said.

Well yes.

Dorie explains that they call it a weekend cake in France, because it's something you can take on a picnic or nibble on all weekend. I doubt if this one will make it to the weekend at the rate we're consuming it. 

This nice little cake is enhanced with the flavors of:

- browned butter (WHY haven't I ever browned butter before?)

- lots of vanilla (my bean was more crisp than sticky, so I used extract)

 - and rum ("spiced rum" because it's what we had)

YUM! 

And it was easy. Oh how I love that the recipes in Baking Chez Moi are easy! Thank you Dorie. 

The other Tuesdays With Dorie bakers are here. 

And for your entertainment, a shoe. This picture was taken in the side mirror of my car. C'mon, you know that's a skill!

TWD/BCM: Granola Energy Bars

For once, I didn't follow the recipe the first time.

I could have.

Had the right ingredients.

But a chocolate and peanut craving won out.

These bars can be made with any combination of oats, nuts, and dried fruit. I believe there is very little you could do wrong. 

 Here's the secret ingredient.

Thank you, Dorie, for expanding my world. It took two trips around a very large grocery store to find the brown rice syrup. Wouldn't have had the heart to go back and search the second time if I hadn't been waiting for a prescription to be filled. I hope Kroger appreciates its pharmacists as much as I do. 

Got distracted and also picked up some nice cheese while I was over on that side of the store. Heard a little story on NPR this week about a time when a woman first discovered that "some people spend money on really good cheese". That phrase stuck with me and for once I couldn't resist inspecting all the interesting selections at the cheese counter. Three tiny pieces for about $20. Looking forward to savoring them. 

Back to the granola bars. Oh so easy. I may never buy commercial granola bars again. Can't wait to try a variety of different ingredients. I can report that peanuts, raisins, coconut, and dark chocolate make a dynamite combination. The chocolate melted and made the whole thing reminiscent of no-bake oatmeal cookies. But somehow they seem healthier. I'm trying not to think of the carb count. At least this is real food. I know what's in it. My goal for the year is to stop eating food-like products. I don't eat that much junk to begin with, but after consuming "prepared" and "fast" food for a few days on the road, it's obvious how different my body feels. 

The other Tuesdays With Dorie bakers are here. Let's see what kind of granola bars they all made. 

Just for fun, here's an interesting story I found while looking for the NPR story mentioned above (which I did not find). I LOVE Norwegian brown cheese. Sliced extremely thin and piled on top of crispbread. With an apple. Makes an amazing snack. Sometimes you can find it at the regular grocery store. I'ts always available at the farmer's market. Treat yourself. Trust me.

And now a shoe. I was actually in a funeral procession when I first saw this one. Couldn't exactly pull over and take a picture. But after the cemetery and a dinner with long-lost cousins, the shoe was still there waiting. Life is short. Eat well. That's my unsolicited advice for today.

TWD/BWJ: Inside-Out Upside-Down Tirami Su

This is going to be quick.

I'm definitely beginning to appreciate phyllo.

So easy. So good.

Someone remind me about this recipe in July!

Perfect for a hot summer day in Atlanta.

Unfortunately this is the coldest day of the year.

Oh well.

Off-schedule never hurt anybody.

Three components to this little delicacy:

The Sabayon: aka "luscious cream filling"

The Granita: aka "frozen sweetened coffee"

The Phyllo "pillows": half a sheet baked in a little pan,
buttered and sprinkled with ginger sugar

Put them all together and you have something a little light, a little crunchy, a little like tiramisu.
As I said, perfect for a summer day!

The other Tuesdays With Dorie bakers can be found here. 

And now a summer shoe, so I'll remember it when the time comes: