Biscuit, the little golden pup in Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Pat Schories’s early reader book, wants all the same things as kids do when he’s getting ready for bed.  He wants a snack, a drink, a kiss, a hug, one more story, the light on … and his young friend patiently provides them all.  By the end of the night, he’s curled up next to her bed and the two are sharing the duvet.

Little kids will identify with Biscuit and will learn that companion animals need lots of love, care, and attention.

Ages 4-6.

why is it that on the average night (and by “night” i specifically mean poppy’s sleeping hours e.g. 10pm-8am) my little biscuit chows through 4 or 5 4oz bottles, waking up every 2 to 3 hours to eat… but then there’s times like right now when i realize she’s been asleep for 8 hours and has only needed 1 bottle in all that time? ONE. as in, i only had to stagger over to the fridge and warm a bottle with my eyes crusted shut ONE time last night, which after over 7 months of never sleeping for more than 4 hours straight basically constitutes a miracle… WHY oh WHY if she can do it now, can’t she make this happen at least a teensy bit more often? what is the secret to further encouraging this good behavior?

i would attribute the incident to poppy’s recent switch from mama’s milk to formula, which i wrote about here. but, you see, i kinda sorta haven’t done a very good job of actually making the switch… so poppy is still currently getting about 75% breast milk. this isn’t because i’m against formula in any way (it was my idea to wean her, after all.) it’s just that since i let myself off the hook as p’s only available food source, things have gotten so much easier – i no longer live by the clock, obsessing over my supply and omg it’s waaaaay better this way. i’ve actually been deliberatly stretching the time between my pumping sessions to 8-9 hours, thinking that it would cause my supply to natually dwindle (i’ve read in dozens of references stating that going longer than 6 hours tells your body to stop making milk) and i’ve cut the time i pump for down significantly. but even so, i’m still producing up to 12 ounces every time i pump, which at 3 times a day equals out to be nearly enough to still breast feed magoo full-time! so for now, i’m letting things continue going the way they are; if my supply holds and i can keep giving biscuit my milk that’s great. but if things finally dry up around her, that’s fine as well. where was i going with this? oh yeah – i don’t think poppy’s magical sleep escapade had anything to do with receiving formula, because she didn’t receive any to speak of yesterday…

so what’s the secret? if it happened once it can happen again, right? i think i provide poppy with a good setup that’s condusive with sound sleeping – i impart the same bedtime routine every night, including a meal of organic oats for her about an hour before she goes down to sleep in the hopes it will stick to her ribs and she’ll snooze for longer. but her sleep habits as a 7 1/2 month old are roughly the same as when she was only 2 months! when she wakes at night, it’s obvious that she’s hungry – in fact i wouldn’t even call it “waking” really, because her eyes don’t actually open. she just grunts and whines and roots – turning her head from side to side until i stick a bottle in her mouth, which she latches onto furiously and drinks in a fashion so ravenous you’d think it had been days since her last meal. when she’s satisfied (which is almost always after 4 ounces, no matter how much i offer) she pushes the bottle away with her hand, eyes still closed, and immediately going back to sawing logs. and while she looks completely adorable while dream-eating at night, this mama is DAMN TIRED of still being up so many times throughout most nights. which is why last night is so confounding to me, and why i want to know how to make it happen again like NOW!

friends, how do your little ones sleep at night? were your kids sttn by 6 months? any comraderie is appreciated here, cause i’m beginning to think there’s a sleep conspiracy going on against me. either that or all the people who have babies that sleep through the night are secretly sneaking burbon into their bottles (KIDDING!)

and now, here are some totally unrelated photos from the other day of poppy being generally adorable:

cheers!

Bemused? For more details on this band click here.

For my first blog entry I thought I should introduce you to something I love, jewelery and cakes which Meow Box bring together perfectly.

Handmade charms and jewelery in the form of cute cakes and treats. The web site also imports certain brands from Japan. The jewellery is brilliant quality and suprisingly light, I own a cupcake necklace which is beautiful if delicate.

MEOW BOX

courtesy of Family Fun.

• 1 3/4 C flour
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ginger
• 5 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 C walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 C light cream
• 1/3 C canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Work in butter with finders and mix until coarse. Add walnuts.
2. Mix together pumpkin, cream, and honey. Add to dry mixture. Mix well and then let stand for 3 minutes.
3. Knead dough. Cut into circles with a cup. Place on cookie sheet.
4. Brush biscuits with cream and sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.

NOTES & SUBSTITUTIONS: I found that I had to add a lot of extra flour in order to work the dough properly. I baked the biscuits for 18 minutes and they turned out great!

At Juvenile Hall in Orange County Scout, Biscuit and Gizmo were released to new homes last Friday, Nov 20th. What a special, awesome program between the county’s Community Resources Department, the Probation Department and Another Chance for Love! Taking on extra duties of training, maintaining and bonding with the three dogs were nine young men (17 and 18 years old) as they learned what having patience is all about! This is a remarkable story. I hope they repeat the opportunity often to the young men there! If you are interested in adopting a dog in the Another Chance for Love program, contact Janette Thomas at acfl09@yahoo.com or 714-505-9235.

The Orange County Register blog by Samantha Gowen is here and her article is here. Another California Youth Authority project in Norwalk is also reported by Bethania Palma Markus. Great work! Kudos to Jeanette Thomas!

Kudos also to Sr Pauline Quinn! She has been involved with Pathways to Hope which also helps to start programs in prisons all over the United States where inmates train dogs to help the disabled. Pathways to Hope also has other programs.

See my other blogspots at http://mygrandmasue.wordpress.com

Don’t you, like me, hate that moment when, in making pancakes or waffles, you mix the melted butter into the other liquid dairy products and the butter immediately seizes up? Yes, the resulting clumpy mess still works in the recipe, but it’s a dismaying sight.

What if I told you I had a recipe that not only makes that clumpy mess a good thing, but also lets you have light, crumbly, yummy biscuits with such little effort that you can add them to any working-day dinner? Or, given what is coming upon us in a matter of days, so that you can instantly have bread for your Thanksgiving table if you were so tied up with turkey wrangling that you didn’t realize until twenty minutes before eating that you forgot the rolls?

I will not say these are the best buttermilk biscuits ever, because that honor so clearly goes to Shirley Corriher’s Touch of Grace Biscuits from Cookwise that we might as well not waste time debating it. If you’ve never tried them, go out right now, do whatever you have to do to find southern self-rising flour, and make these biscuits, because they will blow your mind. (Incidentally, the first time I had them was from Shirley’s very own hand, since we happened upon her giving a cooking demonstration in Reading Terminal Market years ago when the cookbook first came out. You may envy me if you choose. I wouldn’t blame you.)

These are not as good, because they couldn’t possibly be. They do have, however, an amazingly high excellence-to-effort ratio. They come together in minutes, give you crisp edges and fluffy interiors perfect for absorbing extra butter, and you can play around to your heart’s content with adding herbs or grated cheese, or even a little extra sugar and lemon zest for a lightning-quick shortcake base.

The fact that deliberately causing clumping makes you feel like a teeny bit like a mad scientist is nothing to sneeze at either.

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
(Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s Best Drop Biscuits)
Makes 1 dozen

1 cup each unbleached all-purpose and “white” whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup cold buttermilk

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and heat the oven to 475F.

Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl.

Melt the butter and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add in the buttermilk, stirring until the butter seizes into small clumps.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just incorporated. Using an ice cream scoop or a greased 1/4-cup measuring cup, scoop the batter and drop onto the baking sheet, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake 12-14 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on top. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:

The reason that clumpy butter is a good thing is that melting and resolidifying butter into little bits accomplishes the same thing cutting cold butter into flour under the traditional method does: dispersing solid fat throughout the dough creates a fluffy end product. This gets you to the same place with much less work and mess.

ATK says you can use clabbered milk if you don’t have buttermilk on hand. To make it, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup of milk and let it stand until it curdles, around 10 minutes.

If you really are making these for Thanksgiving, I would use 2 cups total of all-purpose flour for a holiday-appropriate, lighter biscuit instead of the half-and-half mix I prefer for a more workaday dinner or post-Thanksgiving I-should-dial-it-back recovery brunch.

It’s not like me at all to get excited over  baking or cooking. I am incredibly fortunate (as are my children) to be married to someone who loves cooking. In fact, truth be told, preparing food is the thing that I least like doing in the world. But this caught my eye and I thought I would put it on the blog!

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the USA. I, for one, am grateful for my inkling of interest in a food recipe. And I’m going to bake them with my young children and take them to my step-daughter’s Thanksgiving – for her adorable children.

Enjoy!!! I know your children will!
(PS. We need a gluten free option here too! Anyone?)

30 cookie recipes all in one

A Month of Cookies

One basic cookies dough makes the building blocks for 30 different kinds of cookies — just in time for the holidays. Grab the kids and get rolling.

by Sandy Gluck / Photo by Getty RF

Inspired to bake? Make cookies for a cause. Visit glad.com/gladtogive to see how some lovin’ from your oven can help out Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.

Basic Cookie Dough
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1-cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.

2. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Tear off 2 sheets of waxed paper, each about 12-inches. Spoon half the dough lengthwise down the center of each sheet of paper forming a strip about 8 inches long.  With your hands, roll each strip into a log about 2 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. Wrap the logs up in the paper.

3. Freeze several hours until firm or freeze up to 3 months

4. To bake: preheat oven to 400. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap frozen dough and with a sharp knife, slice 1/4-inch thick. Bake until golden around the edges, rotating baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back. With a wide, thin metal spatula, remove from baking sheets to wire rack to cool completely.

1. Ginger Cookies: Add 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard powder to flour mixture. Beat 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger in to mixture when adding egg.

2. Peanut Cookies: Grind enough peanuts to make 1/3 cup finely ground. Reduce flour to 1 1/3 cups and stir ground peanuts into remaining flour mixture. Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped peanuts when adding egg.

3. Espresso-Almond Cookies: Add 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder to flour mixture. Reduce sugar to 2/3 cup and add 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar. Add 1/8 teaspoon almond extract when adding vanilla. Fold in 1/3 cup sliced almonds after adding flour.

4. Molasses Cookies: Increase flour to 1 3/4 cups, swap in 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar for 1/4 cup granulated, and add 3 tablespoons molasses when beating butter and sugar.

5. Citrus Cookies: Beat 2 tablespoons grated lemon, lime or a combo into mixture when adding egg.

6. Malted Milk Cookies: Add 2 tablespoons malted milk powder to flour mixture. Add 1/4 cup crushed malted milk balls when adding egg.

7. Cornmeal-Currant Cookies: Replace 1/3 cup of flour with 1/3 cup finely ground cornmeal. Stir 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest and 1/3 cup currants into mixture after adding flour.

8. Red-Hot Cookies: Finely crush 1/3 cup of red-hot candies and fold in when adding flour mixture.

9. Spice Cookies: Add 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon allspice to flour mixture.

10. Peanut Butter Chips: Reduce butter to 6 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Fold in 3 tablespoons peanut butter chips when adding flour mixture.

11. Brown Butter: Melt butter over low heat until lightly browned and fragrant (do this in a pan that isn’t dark so you can see the change in color). Chill butter until firm then proceed with recipe as directed.

12. Toasted Coconut: Toast 1 cup of angel-flake coconut (the sweetened kind you get in the supermarket in bags) until golden brown. Grind a little more than half to get 1/3 cup ground and replace 1/3 cup of the flour with the ground coconut. Fold the remaining coconut in when adding the egg.

13. Chocolate-Chile Cookies: Remove 3 tablespoons of flour and replace with 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Add 3/4 teaspoon ancho or chipotle chile powder, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to flour mixture.

14. Granola Cookies: Coarsely shop 1/2 cup of your favorite granola and stir in when adding flour mixture.

15. Orange-Cranberry: Fold 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest and 1/4 cup finely chopped dried cranberries into dough after adding flour mixture.

16. Black Forest: Beat 2 ounces of melted and cooled semisweet chocolate into dough after adding egg. Fold in ¼ cup finely chopped dried cherries after adding flour mixture.

17. White and Dark Chocolate: Remove 3 tablespoons of flour and replace with 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Reduce granulated sugar to 3/4 cup and add 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar. Fold in 1/3 cup chopped white chocolate after adding flour.

18. Double Chocolate: Remove 3 tablespoons of flour and replace with 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Fold in 1/3-cup mini chocolate chips after folding in flour.

19. Rocky Road: Beat 1/3-cup marshmallow fluff when beating butter and sugar. Increase vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Fold in 3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans after folding in flour.

20. Carrot Cookies: Beat 1/2 cup of finely grated carrot into the mixture when adding egg. Swap in 1/3 cup maple sugar for 1/3 cup of regular sugar.

21. Pine Nut Cookies: Fold 1/4 cup of pine nuts into dough after adding flour mixture. Add 1/8 teaspoon almond extract along with vanilla.

22. Crispy Rice Cookies: Stir 2/3 cup of crisp puffed rice cereal into mixture when beating in flour mixture.

23. Sesame Cookies: Beat 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil and 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds into mixture when adding egg.

24. Apricot-Anise Cookies: Fold in 1 1/2 teaspoons anise seed and 1/4 cup finely chopped dried apricots after adding flour.

25. Cashew Cookies: Reduce butter to 6 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons cashew butter. Add 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg to flour mixture. Fold in 1/3 cup finely chopped salted cashews after adding flour.

26. Sunflower Seed Cookies: Reduce butter to 6 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons sunflower seed butter. Fold 2 tablespoons toasted hulled sunflower seeds and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest to mixture after adding flour mixture.

27. Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Sugar Cookies: Replace 2/3 cup of flour with 2/3-cup whole-wheat pastry flour. Add 1-teaspoon ground cinnamon to flour mixture. Add 2 tablespoons brown sugar to sugar and butter mixture.

28. Toasted Oatmeal Cookies: Toast 1 1/2 cups rolled or quick cooking oats until fragrant and golden brown. Grind 1 cup of the oats and once ground measure and substitute for an equal amount of flour. Reduce sugar to 3/4 cup and add 1/4 cup light brown sugar. Fold remaining 1/2 cup oats into dough after adding flour.

29. Butterscotch Cookies: Reduce sugar to 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar. Fold in 1/2 cup butterscotch morsels after adding flour.

30. Tropical Cookies: Fold 1/3 cup finely chopped dried pineapple, 1/4 cup finely chopped dried banana chips, and 2 teaspoons grated lime zest after adding flour.

Sandy Gluck hosts Martha Stewart Radio’s Everyday Food weekdays at 11 a.m. EST on on Sirius XM.

IF you are curious about how a Mother’s Coach can enhance your life in all areas, please contact Kim Richardson to schedule a free trial session. Visit her websites:  www.themommyblues.com or www.kimarichardson.com or Email:KimARichardson@aol.com t o contact her.

This blog entry  was posted by Kim Richardson, Certified Professional Mother’s Coach and  experienced Clinical Psychologist and Counselor. She offers life coaching to Mothers by telephone and Skype, and training, workshops and seminars to mental health professionals and consultants who wish to add coaching to their professional repertoire.

I made this stew last night and it was comforting and enough to feed an army. Well, a very small army anyway. The biscuit topping was my favorite vegan biscuit so far which is amazing because I had a lot of trouble following the recipe. I think it turned out so tasty because of the nutritional yeast which I couldn’t really taste in the final biscuit but perhaps added some wonderful dimension because they were really flaky and tender. The stew itself was pretty good, a little bland for my taste even though I upped the spices. I want to make it again with roasted poblanos and corn added because I think that would be damn near perfect on a cold winter day.

Speaking of winter, it is upon us here in Texas. My house is so cold all the time now and the beagles are constantly cuddling to get warm.Dinger is still under doctor’s orders to stay in bed and Miss Willow (above) is keeping him company because she loves him like crazy. I can’t wait until everyone is healthy again!

Maria e José. Elaborado em lacre de latas e biscuit. Medida aprox. 4 cm.

Pai natal ou papai noel para todos os gostos. Tbém feito no lacre.

Artesanato no lacre de refrigerante, estes medem 2,5 cm. Podem ser usados como imãs, pregadeiras, etc.

And a large orange drink!

It seemed simple enough. 

I pulled into the drive thru of a local establishment for a breakfast sandwich and a caffeinated beverage this morning.  No big deal, right?

Wrong.

What happened next isn’t necessarily atypical, but it was a glaring example of how customer service is dying.

The woman in the drive thru repeated the beverage portion of my order and then began to do the same with my sandwich.  Then, she abruptly stopped and told me to drive around.

Odd.

I pulled to the window and paid.  I got my order and drove around the building toward the exit.  Some little voice in the back of my head told me to check the order.  I did.

It wasn’t even close.

What I ordered was a bisquit.

What I got was a taquito.  Or more appropriately, a breakfast taco.

How did she get “taquito” from “biscuit?”  I don’t care how bad the language barrier is, that’s not even close.

Which I guess brings me to the crux of my rant.

I’ve worked in a drive thru.  Its a pretty thankless job so I tend to give those folks a break most of the time.  However, this isn’t the first time this same woman has done this to me.  The only difference was that this time I checked the bag before I was too far gone.

The fault lies with the manager.  The audio capacity of the basic drive thru is akin to that of a tin can phone and a piece of string.  The person you put in the hole is at a disadvantage to begin with.  Why would you make it worse by putting someone who doesn’t have a secure grasp of the language in the drive thru.

Of course, the fact that the manager had the same issues, only from a different continent, when I went in to get the problem corrected told me all I needed to know.

Yes, I asked for my order to be fixed and the manager got it wrong too.

It took me three fucking tries to get a “sausage biscuit with cheese.”

Customer service people, you have GOT to do better.  If you don’t understand me, ask me to repeat myself.  I don’t mind.  It’ll be better for both of us.  Trust me.

Don’t make me shout “no huevos cabron” into the tin speaker as my co-workers suggested.  That’s only going to piss me off.

Do your job and I’ll be very pleasant.

Mess up my breakfast order again and I’m gonna go Mike Tyson on someone.  I’ll already be hungry.

Thank you and please come again.

In de eerste maanden van 2010 stort ik mij in het avontuur dat taarten heet. Als in “Hoe tover ik mijn taart om in een cadeautje?” “Hoe maak ik een levensechte wintertaart waar de rillingen van over mijn rug lopen” en “Hij laat ik mijn taart op een echt sprookjesboek met draken en prinsessen lijken?”
Maar het was alweer een tijdje geleden dat ik nog eens een echte taart had klaargemaakt en dus besloten we dat een beetje oefening nooit kwaad kan. Zondagmiddag begonnen we dus vol goede moed aan onze herfsttaart, die ook een beetje dienst deed als bompa’s verjaardagstaart.

Ingrediënten voor de biscuit:

150 gram suiker
5 eieren
1 zakje vanillesuiker
½ theelepel bakpoeder (om de biscuit te doen opkomen.)
150 gram patisseriebloem

Ingrediënten voor de decoratie:

750 gram groen gekleurde rolfondant om de taart te bekleden.
Oranje rolfondant voor de pompoentjes

Mosgroene rolfondant voor de eikels
Bruine rolfondant voor de boomstam
Rode rolfondant voor het lieveheersbeestje en de champignon
oranje, bruine en mosgroene marsepein om blaadjes uit te steken
Uitstekertjes voor de bladeren

Als basis voor de taart gebruikte we deze keer een standaardvanillebiscuit, die we bakte in een vorm van +/- 20 centimeter.
Meng allereerst de eigelen met de vanillesuiker en de gewone suiker. Deze moet je kloppen dat ze licht van kleur worden en in volume 4 maal zijn toegenomen. (Niet panikeren, dit vraagt eventjes tijd. Dit kan perfect in een keukenmachine en is hoogst waarschijnlijk veiliger dan onze mixer. Deze begon namelijk na een tiental minuten kloppen op de hoogste stand te stinken en rook af te geven.)
Wanneer je de eieren met de suiker “ruban” (een mooie professionele term er eventjes tussendoor), kan je beginnen met de eiwitten tot schuim te kloppen. Wanneer de eiwitten mooi in pieken blijven staan, meng je het eiwit met de geklopte eigelen.
Hierna zeef je de bloem boven het mengsel en schep je deze er voorzichtig onder.
Daarna stort je het deeg in je pakvorm en zet je hem in de oven. +/- 30 minuutjes in een heteluchtoven op 180 graden en je krijgt een mooie biscuit. (Test eventjes met een mes of breinaald. Als de naald zonder kleefplekjes uit de taart komt is ze gaar!)

De taart mag nu op een rustig plekje gaan afkoelen. Ondertussen maken wij de vullingen klaar. Ikzelf werk graag met twee verschillende vullingen, maar je kan natuurlijk ook één vulling nemen en daar je taart mee afwerken.

Ik maakte eerst de tobleronemousse omdat deze eventjes in de ijskast moet kunnen opstijven.
Hiervoor klop je de room tot slagroom en smelt je ondertussen de toblerone au bain marie. Laat de gesmolten chocolade even afkoelen alvorens hem bij de opgeklopte room te voegen. (Indien de chocolade te warm is kan de room terug inzakken en veranderen in een zielig plasje melk.) Je kan ondertussen het eiwit al opkloppen met de suiker.

Wanneer de chocolade is afgekoeld schep je hem voorzichtig onder de opgeklopte room en voeg je ook het opgeklopt eiwit toe. Hierna mag de mousse een tweetal uurtjes in de ijskast.

En dan is het tijd voor de chocoladeboterroom. Ik gebruik hiervoor donkere chocolade met een hoog cacao gehalte, maar je kan net zo goed melkchocolade of witte chocolade gebruiken. (Vorig jaar maakte ik dit zelf met overgebleven chocoladeventjes van sinterklaas.)
Warm de room op een klein vuurtje op tot tegen het kookpunt. In een andere kom doe je de chocolade die in kleine stukjes is gehakt. Wanneer de room zachtjes begint te koken giet je deze over de chocolade en laat je deze al roerend smelten. Dit mag nu even opzij om af te koelen.

Ondertussen klop je de boter tot een zachte massa. Wanneer de chocolade genoeg is afgekoeld kan je deze bij de boter voegen en nog eens goed doorkloppen. Ikzelf voeg hier geen suiker meer aan toe, omdat de tobleronemousse al zoet genoeg is. Wanneer je enkel met boterroom gaat werken kan je beter even proeven en zelf beslissen of extra suiker nodig is.

Terwijl de taart stond af te koelen en de mousse opsteef gingen wij aan het knutselen met rolfondant en marsepein. Echtgenoot en ik waren het erover eens dat qua verwerking rolfondant aangenamer werken is, maar de smaak van marsepein is beter. We opteerde er daarom voor om de grotere stukken te maken in rolfondant en de decoratieve blaadjes aan de zijkanten van de taart uit marsepein te maken, een heerlijk compromis.
We rolde ook alvast de groene rolfondant als bekleding voor onze taart uit.

Wanneer de biscuit voldoende is afgekoelde snij je hem in drie stukken. (Ik gebruik hier een handige taartzaag voor, maar het kan ook met een mes.) Hierna draaide we de taart om, zodat de bovenkant nu de onderkant was. (Dit is noodzakelijk om de taart mooi te kunnen bekleden. De oorspronkelijke bovenkant van de taart is een beetje hobbelig en niet zo mooi vlak als de oorspronkelijke onderkant.)
De onderste laag besmeerde we met de tobleronemousse, de bovenste laag met de chocoladebotercreme. Hierna werd de zijkant en de bovenkant van de taart ook ingesmeerd met de chocoladebotercreme. Dit kan je niet doen met de tobleronemousse! Mousse is te vochtig en gaat niet samen met rolfondant. Je hebt dus een laagje botercrème nodig om je taart mooi te kunnen decoreren.

Wanneer je dit allemaal gedaan hebt, kan het leukste werk beginnen.
De taart bekleden en decoreren met je eigen geknutselde zaken.

J’ai testé la recette bio de Clea…

Je recopie la recette ici, mais vous trouverez le détail sur le site de Clea.

Ingrédients

Pour 4 personnes

• 1/2 litre de lait de soja à la vanille
• 3 « Petits beurres »
• 2 c. à soupe de cacao en poudre
• 2 c. à soupe de maïzena

Verser le lait de soja à la vanille dans une casserole. Casser les biscuits en petits morceaux et ajouter dans la casserole. Sur feu doux, faire chauffer le lait en remuant avec une cuillère en bois, jusqu’à ce que les biscuits soient fondus. Ajouter le cacao tout en mélangeant. Dans un petit bol, verser la maïzena. Verser dedans une cuillerée à soupe d’eau et bien mélanger. Ajouter encore une cuillerée d’eau, toujours en mélangeant. On obtient une pâte blanche et liquide. Verser cette pâte dans la casserole de lait, en mélangeant bien. Augmenter le feu sous la casserole, et continuer à mélanger sans s’arrêter. Petit à petit, la crème va épaissir. Lorsqu’elle est bien épaisse, couper le feu. Verser la crème dans 4 petits pots. Laisser refroidir, puis placer au réfrigérateur. Servir bien frais.

Red Lobster Style!

2 cups Bisquick
½ cup cold water
¾ cup sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

¼ cup butter
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. Italian dressing

Preheat oven to 450°F. In a bowl, mix first three ingredients until thoroughly moistened. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet (or in a greased muffin tin). Combine rest of ingredients and brush mixture onto biscuits. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy!
Emma

This video pretty well approximates how I feel right now. Damn you iPhone. I know you’re gold, but do you have to break my heart?

(Also, I fucking love this movie)

I love when I have the right leftovers to make something delicious.

Biscuits + sausage + butter + flour + milk =

Biscuits & Gravy

1 can biscuits (I used Pillsbury flaky layers)
1 in hunk of sausage
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1 cup milk (preferably whole milk)
Salt
Pepper

• Bake biscuits according to directions
• In skillet on medium heat, brown sausage until cooked through
• Set aside, and drain fat
• Melt butter and add flour
• Whisk and continue cooking the roux for about 3 minutes
• Slowly whisk in milk
• Heat until thickened
• Season with salt and pepper
• Add browned sausage
• Spoon gravy over two biscuit halves

Thanksgiving is only two weeks and a day away, and already I’m itching to bake some pecan pie and…stuff (more on that when I post all of my desserts for the day.)

But I’d like to bring your attention to a very special, a very informative book. It’s called Thanksgiving 101, and it’s by Rick Rodgers, the supposed Thanksgiving “expert.” I don’t think that’s far from the truth. His recipes are insightful, are preceded by amusing back stories, and get down deep into why things work and don’t. A whole chapter is dedicated to the turkey, and another to sides, soups and salads, appetizers, desserts, and of course: rolls and biscuits. A Thanksgiving table in America is incomplete without a basket of biscuits fresh outta the Pillsbury can…or in your case, from scratch.  Even if you’re a college student.

His recipe for buttermilk biscuits is simple, fast, and requires mostly cheap ingredients (save for the buttermilk, but  you can make that yourself.)  Here’s the recipe, and buy the book! You’ll be glad you did. 

1.5 c. cake flour (not self-rising)
1.5 c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. cream of tartar
1.5 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
1 c. plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk

Procedure: 

1) Position rack in top 1/3 of oven, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) In large bowl, sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal.  Gradually add the buttermilk a little at a time, until it all comes together but isn’t too wet.  Knead lightly in the bowl to make a soft dough.  Do not overwork the dough.
3) One a lightly floured surface, pat out the dough with floured hands to a 3/4 in. thickness (or lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it out.)  Using a 2.5 -inch round cookie cutter, cut out biscuits and place on ungreased baking sheet.  Gather up the scraps, knead gently to combine.  Pat out again, and repeat process to get a total of 12 biscuits.
4) Bake until biscuits are risen and golden brown, about 15 minutes.  (The biscuits can be baked up to 8 hours ahead, cooled, and stored at room temperate.  To reheat, wrap the biscuits, 6 to a pack, in aluminum foil.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  Serve hot or warm.Here’s how I went about it. I’ll give you some tips along the way…

I didn’t have cake flour, so I used whole grain pastry flour from Whole Foods with great results. The key is to have a flour that has a lower gluten content than regular flour. That way, you’ll get a biscuit that is more tender in the end. Being whole grain helps too – it actually cuts the gluten and lessens the chance of the biscuit being tough.

A mound of complex carbohydrates.

2) When cutting in the butter, it should be cold but not so hard that it’s impossible to work with.  Furthermore, if you don’t have a pastry cutter, just use a fork. It’s essentially the same thing, except a pastry cutter has a handle. I’ve even worked butter into flour using my fingers.  See? Biscuits are possible with even the most basic of tools - the human body.

Currently in the "coarse meal" stage.

3) Be absolutely sure to add the buttermilk a little at a time and to work it in before continuing. The recipe might say a cup and two tablespoons, but it just might not work for you. Only use enough so that the dough can come together in one piece. The same is true for ice water in a pie crust.

Don't have buttermilk? Add a tbsp. of vinegar or lemon juice to every cup of regular milk, and let it stand for a few minutes before using.

4) The recipe could make 12 biscuits, but from what I saw it could make a lot more. Perhaps I spread it too thin, or my cookie cutter was two small, but I definitely cut out at least double that amount. In the end, what size cookie cutter you use doesn’t matter. Just make sure to keep an eye on them, as the biscuits could bake slower or faster than the original recipe states.  Also, a tip from the author: If you want fluffy biscuits, place them on the baking sheet with no spaces in between. If you’re looking for a crisper exterior, space an inch or so apart. I like fluffy.

Ready to be baked.

5) When golden and risen, remove from the oven. I suggest eating almost immediately with plenty of butter and wild huckleberry jam! For Thanksgiving, try whipping some softened butter with maple syrup for a death-worthy maple butter. Buy Thanksgiving 101 at Kollege Kitchen, and you shall be happy, I promise.

The biscuit of wonder beckons you.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Biscuit Making
Biscuit Making

Biscuit Making Game
Biscuit Making Game Description : Press the appropriate numbers to mold the biscuits correctly. When the required biscuit pattern glows, identify the pattern, and press the suitable number. Attain the target at each level to proceed further within the given time duration.
How to Play Biscuit Making Game? 1,2, 3, 4 keys – To interact.
M – To mute the sound.
P – To bring the game to pause.