This recipe is from a Junior League of Austin cookbook that I borrowed from my mom’s house. Thanks, mom : )
These cookies are called English Toffee Cookies in the cookbook, but I took the liberty of changing their name to be more descriptive. They are a little like toffee with their salty sweetness, but not sticky or chewy like toffee. These cookies are crispy and light. They are sweet, but not too sweet. The cinnamon is wonderful. I think a little nutmeg would be nice as well. They are quite tasty on top of vanilla or coffee ice cream, next to a cup of coffee or tea, or all alone.
So very easy. Mix up the dough, roll it out in one big slab on a cookie sheet (use parchment or a silpat to avoid sticking) brush with egg white, sprinkle with pecans, bake, cut and enjoy!
Crispy Cinnamon Pecan Cookies
Courtesy of The Collection from the Junior League of Austin
Ingredients
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup ground pecans
Directions
Cream shortening and sugar.
Add beaten egg yolk and vanilla.
Sift dry ingredients together and blend into creamed mixture.
Roll dough out onto a cookie sheet to 1/4 to 1/8 inch thickness.
Coat with egg white then sprinkle with pecans.
Bake at 300°F for 25-30 minutes.
Let cool, then cut into squares or break into pieces.
These chalkboard place mats seem wonderful, versatile and oh so much fun. At an adult dinner party they could be used as place cards, and kids can use them to doodle during dinner. What am I saying? Adults can use these to doodle during dinner. And then after dinner you can use them to play Pictionary!
I can think of some creative people in my life (and you know who you are) who could really do great things with these. My creativity would get me about as far as using more than one color to write someone’s name. $33 for a set of 4 here. I think these would make a fun hostess gift.
I do wonder how they stand up to actually being used as place mats. Can they stand up to drips of grease? Condensation? Tomato sauce? The sticky fingers of little children? Even if they did only make their way through a few parties I think they would be a fun enough addition to be worth it.
My plan for dinner was a ginger sesame marinated pork tenderloin, basmati rice and steamed broccoli. Isn’t that awfully easy…and awfully boring? I found this recipe for roasted broccoli and snap peas made extra delicious with a light sauce of sesame oil, orange zest, cilantro, honey, fresh ginger, garlic and sambal oelek. So glad I took the extra time to make this side dish.
Living where we do there are limitations on the ingredients I can get my hands on. I couldn’t find bird chiles, so I didn’t use them and as a result this wasn’t too spicy even with the sambal oelek. If you really have a problem with spice, then you can leave that out as well. I also didn’t use the miso, mostly because I was too lazy to look for it! Since it’s just Ben and I eating dinner, I also like to make just enough for the two of us unless it’s something I know is wonderful left over. So I changed parts of this recipe to better suit our lifestyle. Here is the link to the original recipe.
There is something so very special about roasted veggies, and this recipe is no exception. This is a perfect side for an Asian flavored meal. Enjoy!
Spicy Asian Roasted Broccoli & Snap Peas
Adapted from finecooking.com
Ingredients
2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
8 ounces snap peas (1 bag)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F
Combine broccoli and snap peas in a 9×13 glass dish and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil over vegetables, toss together to coat and sprinkle with salt.
Roast for 20 minutes, checking and stirring about half way through. Vegetable are done when slightly browned.
While vegetable are cooking whisk the rest of the ingredients together.
When vegetables are done pour sauce over and toss to coat.
Like most things I have posted about I do not need one of these drink dispensers from Crate and Barrel. I just kinda want one.
We would need to have quite a few outdoor parties this summer in order for one of these to be necessary. I like the idea of a dispenser with a faucet instead of a pitcher and I like that you can see the contents. Even plain ice water with slices of lemon, lime and orange would be beautiful in this. Margaritas or sangria would be more fun.
This was first mother’s day breakfast. Ben’s parents were here for Carson’s baby dedication, which was really special. Kate showed me this recipe, and we decided to make it. It was a good decision.
I’ve made another overnight French toast before, and it was much sweeter than this one, but not in a bad way…just different. They’re different enough that I can’t choose which one I liked better. The lemon adds a nice tartness to the slight sweetness of this one that doesn’t require any syrup, so the berries are a perfect accompaniment. The other French toast is one that welcomes a generous pour of syrup and a side of crisp bacon. Don’t ask me why sugar goes best with more sugar. It just does. Both are tasty and can be prepped the night before and baked in the morning. I love that.
The recipe called for brioche, but my rather poor choice of buying groceries at Wal Mart meant that we had to use a loaf of French bread. It is French toast though, and we found it to be a great bread to use in this recipe. The brioche would probably have yielded a denser and more rich breakfast.
We served the French toast with fresh blueberries and raspberries. The original recipe (found here) from the kitchn has a lovely sounding mixture for the berries of dry cava wine and mint, but we played it simple. We also decided not to dust the French toast with powdered sugar because of the sweet lemon glaze. It was plenty sweet for me, but serve some on the side if you have a sweet tooth. Enjoy!
One 16 to 20-ounce loaf of French bread (brioche or challah)
3 large eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 cups 2% milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 lemons, juiced
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Directions
If planning to bake immediately, preheat the oven to 425éF. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
Slice the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice in half. Arrange half of the bread in overlapping layers in the baking dish.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until well mixed, then whisk in the brown sugar. Whisk in the milk, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg. Pour half of the custard over the bread. Layer the rest of the bread on top, and pour the rest of the custard over to coat. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
When ready to bake, take the casserole out of the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before baking. Heat the oven to 425°F. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes, or until slightly golden on top, and puffy.
Whisk the lemon juice with the confectioners’ sugar and drizzle the glaze over the hot casserole.
Let the casserole cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve in large slices, with fresh berries on the side.
If you bake at all, then you can bake this bread. Not only is it incredibly easy, but the ingredient list makes me oh so very happy. I almost always have every single item in my kitchen. Glorious! The only thing that I didn’t have was buttermilk and we all know how easy it is to make your own buttermilk, don’t we? If not, see this blog. I do love Smitten Kitchen. Her blog makes me hungry.
Back to the cinnamon bread.
I made this for a neighbor who I made some cinnamon Amish friendship bread for a while back. He kept asking me to make more of it, but I’d let my starter die and couldn’t do it. I found this to be a great substitute and I can make it without having to keep feeding the friendship starter and making more loaves than I could ever hope to eat.
The recipe is from allrecipes.com, here is the link to the original recipe. I changed the method for mixing the batter together to something I was more comfortable with. I doubt it makes much of a difference, if any. For the topping I used 2 tablespoons of melted butter and about 3 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar I already had mixed up. Maybe this mixture swirled on top of the batter made it rise up all weird in the center but not on the edges? I don’t know. It isn’t pretty, but it is good. Enjoy.
Cinnamon Bread
Courtesy of allrecipes.com
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and sugar one 9×5 inch loaf pan.
Beat the oil and sugar, then add in eggs and vanilla.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and salt then mix into wet ingredients, followed by the buttermilk. Beat 3 minutes. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Smooth top.
Combine 3 tablespoons white sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and butter. Drizzle topping over smoothed batter. Using knife, cut in a light swirling motion to give a marbled effect.
Bake for about 50 minutes. Test with toothpick. When inserted it should come out clean. Remove bread from pan to rack to cool.
If you know me, then I know what you’re thinking. “An apron? Doesn’t she have enough aprons? I’ve seen them hanging in her kitchen. She doesn’t need another one.” Yes. I have too many aprons.
I just really love this one. I love all of the aprons from Anthropologie, but this one looks like a sweet little dress complete with sweet little ruffles. And it’s called tea and crumpets. Adorable. This one comes in yellow and blue. Check out all their aprons here.
