Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

Hey Readers! How are ya?

Are you holed up in your apartment waiting out Hurricane Irene, like I am? Are you using the hurricane as an excuse to watch old episodes of Mission Impossible, like I am? Are you also using it as an excuse to make Banana Bread Pudding, like I am?

No?

Oh. Why not?

Because you're at the beach today?

WHY?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! GO HOME! ON YOUR WAY, STOP AT THE SUPERMARKET AND WAIT IN LINE FOR AN INSANE AMOUNT OF TIME TO BUY WATER AND SOUP AND TOILET PAPER! WHILE WALKING HOME, CALL YOUR MOTHER TO ASSURE HER YOU ARE OKAY! AND CALL GRANDPA, TOO! WHEN YOU GET HOME, BOARD UP YOUR WINDOWS! FILL YOUR BATHTUB! LOCATE YOUR FLASHLIGHT! BE PREPARED, DEAR READERS!

What's that you say? You're not even on the east coast?

Oh.

Sorry. Please excuse my shouting. I fear that being holed up in my apartment has caused me to eat quite a bit of sugar recently.

The beach huh? That must be nice. I was at the beach once. Only seven days ago, in fact. And I brought these Lemon Cornmeal Cookies.

Reasons these cookies are great for the beach:

1) They're sturdy enough to withstand the schlep to the beach.

2) They do not melt in the sun.

3) The cornmeal gives them a sandy texture, which means you can eat 'em with sandy fingers and never know the difference.

4) They remind me of sand dollars.

5) And the sun.

6) And frisbees.

7) In fact, if you got desperate for beach sports equipment, you could probably use these as frisbees.

8) You could probably also use them to shield your eyes from the sun while you sunbathed. But then a seagull might swoop down to steal a cookie and poke your eyes out in the process...

...which would be worse: being on a beach during a hurricane, or getting your eyes poked out by seagulls?

What's that?

Oh. Yes. You're absolutely right. I should lay off the sugar before I go completely loopy.

Here's the bottom line: Stay safe during this hurricane, and if you're not on the east coast and are enjoying the beach, take these Lemon Cornmeal Cookies. But stay away from seagulls.

Best,
Katie

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
Adapted from Cooking Light, via Me, Myself & Pie
Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment.


2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, and ground ginger in a medium bowl and set aside.


3. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Scrape sides of bowl occasionally. Add egg; beat well. Beat in lemon zest.


4. Add flour mixture in two batches, beating well until incorporated.


5. Use a cookie scoop or teaspoon to scoop 1 1/2 teaspoons of dough. Roll dough between palms to make a ball. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. 


6. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned and almost firm, rotating pans halfway through. Cool cookies on pans for 2 minutes or until firm. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.


Note: I made these once on a very hot day and the cookies spread a lot more, so if it's very hot in your kitchen, you may want to consider chilling the dough first, and in between batches.

Butterscotch Pudding

I'm just gonna say it: I've had a tough week. So tough, in fact, that I've come down with spoon-food syndrome.

Spoon-food syndrome (SFS): The state of only wanting to eat comfort foods consumed with a spoon.

Things such as:

Cereal. Pudding. Soup. More pudding. More cereal. Spaghetti.

Wait. You don't eat spaghetti with a spoon?

Well I do, or at least I did this week. Even when the lady sitting across the lunch table looked at me funny over her super expensive sunglasses and schmancy mineral water. 

I don't care what you think, Manhattan Lady! I need my spoon this week, okay?!

Geez.

Point is, I've gone through a lot of spoons this week. And, up until I made this pudding, all those spoons were shoveling food into my mouth that I hadn't made myself. Because if I'm suffering from SFS, I'm definitely not up for making said SF myself.

But then something happened.

I ran out of spoons.

If I wanted more spoon food, I was going to have to wash the dishes.

I thought it over, and decided that washing the dishes was less overwhelming than switching to forks (the horror!), so I got out the Dawn and a sponge and went to work.

But then something else happened while I stood there scrubbing spoons. I decided that if was going to the trouble to wash all those spoons, I might as well also go to the trouble of making something truly deserving of a shiny spoon. Something better than stale cereal, tomato soup, or takeout pasta.

This butterscotch pudding is what I chose. I don't really know why I chose it, frankly. I don't like butterscotch much, never have. Maybe it was the simplicity that was appealing; I already had the ingredients on hand.

This is the first time I've made pudding from scratch, and honestly, I don't think I'll ever go back to the instant stuff again. If I, impaired by SFS as I was, can handle pudding from scratch, anyone can. I even found the constant whisking to be comforting. I began to see a day when I'd pick up a fork again.

There's something else healing about this recipe: because it makes more pudding than one person can eat - no matter how many spoons she washes - one has to seek out friends to share it with. And friends, dear readers, are the foolproof cure for SFS.

Happy whisking,
-Katie

Butterscotch Pudding

Adapted from David Liebovitz via JoytheBaker
Makes 4-6 servings

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add dark brown sugar and salt, then stir until sugar is well-moistened. Remove from heat.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch with about 1/4 cup of the milk until smooth (there should be no visible pills of cornstarch), then whisk in eggs.

3. Gradually pour heavy cream and remaining milk into the melted brown sugar, whisking constantly, then whisk in the cornstarch mixture as well.

4. Return pan to medium low heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it begins to bubble, reduce heat to a low simmer and continue to cook for one minute, whisking non-stop, until the pudding thickens to the consistency of hot fudge sauce.

5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. If slightly-curdled looking, blend in a food processor or blender (or just whisk the heck out of it).

6. Pour pudding into a bowl or 4-6 serving glasses or custard cups and cover with plastic wrap, directly on top of pudding (unless you like pudding skin, in which case, plastic wrap doesn't need to touch top of pudding). Allow to cool and thicken in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.

Zesty Lemon Ice Cream

It was time, ladies and gentlemen.

Time for some homemade, melt-y, refreshing, creamy goodness.

How had August arrived without Katie and I making ANY ice cream this summer?!

This wrong had to be righted. Pronto. Was there time to venture out of our air-conditioned apartment to the grocery store for ingredients? No sir! Could we afford to wait for a silly custard-based ice cream to cook and chill? Of course not!

David Lebovitz, ice cream extraordinaire, to the rescue! This recipe for zesty lemon ice cream uses ingredients we already had on hand and involves almost no waiting. (I say almost because all ice cream-making requires at least a little bit of waiting. I think it's the universe's way of keeping people like me from becoming ice cream-making maniacs.)

 

Churned from a custard-less base (just cream, no eggs), this treat is light, refreshing, and well, zesty! Just perfect for a lazy summer afternoon pick-me up.

If you prefer your treats more sweet than tart, do like Kate and me and add a bit of hot fudge. Divine.

It's August, ladies and gentlemen. We've made our ice cream, and eaten it, too. All is right in the K&B kitchen.

-Becky

Zesty Lemon Ice Cream
Adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop
Makes approximately 1 quart

2 lemons
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 3-4 lemons)
2 cups half-and-half
Pinch of salt

1. Zest the lemons directly into a food processor or blender. Make sure to zest only the very top (yellow) layer of the skin; the white underlayer is bitter.
2. Add the sugar and blend until the lemon zest is fully incorporated and very fine.
3. Add the lemon juice and blend until the sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Blend in the half-and-half and salt and process until smooth.
5. Chill mixture for one hour, then churn with an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Once churned, place in freezer until frozen (about 2 hours).

M&M Samoa Blondies

Let's go back in time 12 or so years, shall we?

The Time: New Year's Eve, 1999.

The Setting: My family's house, for the annual family-friendly NYE extravaganza.

The Players: Me, Katie, 16 years old; and our good friend Kirsten, 14 years old.

K&K circa 1994, five years before the millenium

The Backstory: Kirsten and I love M&Ms. It's our thing.

The Proposal:

"Hey, Kirst! You know how M&Ms are the official candy of the millenium because of how two Ms equals '2,000' in roman numerals?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what if, to celebrate the new millenium, you and I ate 2,000 M&Ms before morning?!"

(I pause here, readers, to let the magnitude of that proposal sink in. But only for a moment, because I don't remember Kirst hesitating much before she said...)

"Yeah!"

And then I said, "yeah" like she did, but with a question mark after it. Because really, readers, you'd have to be a little crazy to try to eat 2,000 M&Ms and I wasn't sure it was really such a good idea.

But Kirst was as crazy as I was, or at least as crazy about M&Ms as I was, and that, combined with all the caffeine we'd already consumed, was impairing both our judgements.

We furiously gathered all the M&Ms in the house and started counting.

"1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10!" Crunch.

"11 12 13 14 15 16!" Chomp.

Toss, catch, crunch, "17!"

Toss, catch, chomp, "18!"


Pop. "19!"


Pop. "20!"

And it went on like that for a few hours. As other party goers caught on to what we were doing, some cheered us on, and some told us we were downright stupid.

Around 2am, it turned out the latter group was right, and things got a little ugly.  Because dear readers, no matter how much a person loves candy coated chocolate that melts in your mouth and not in your hand, nobody can eat 2,000 M&Ms in one night.

Kirst and I called it quits at 900-something M&Ms between the two of us and rang in the new millenium with upset bellies and really bad sugar headaches.

But even as early as New Year's Day, we knew our crazy plan had been completely worth it, for we had made a commitment to something we loved and for better or for worse, we came out of it better friends and with a fabulous story to tell.

A few weeks ago, Becky and I witnessed Kirsten commit to something she loves even more than M&Ms (at least I'm pretty sure)--her fiance, Zach. 

I considered attempting to eat 2,000 M&Ms again to celebrate K&Z's special day, but thought my inevitable rainbow-colored vomit might distract from the celebration, so Becky and I chose to make these M&M Samoa Blondies instead. They were really easy to throw together, looked festive on a picnic table, and were well received by weary travelers. Kirsten's matron of honor even tells me they made a great breakfast the morning of the wedding :-)

Kirsten and Zach - It's clear you are already the best of friends and have many wonderful stories to tell. When people say you're crazy for committing to something as daunting as loving one person with all your heart for the rest of your lives, may you remember New Year's Eve 1999 and that sometimes, for better or for worse, the craziest and most impossible ideas are the best ones of all.

With Love,
Kate

M&M Samoa Blondies

Adapted from eatatallies.com

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 (12 oz.) bag mini M&Ms (with a few reserved for the top)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil and spray lightly with nonstick spray. 
2. Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it browns and begins to smell nutty (watch it closely so it doesn’t burn). Allow the butter to cool slightly.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the browned butter and sugars.
4. Stir in eggs, vanilla and salt.
5. Add the flour and stir just until combined.
6. Add the coconut and M&Ms and stir to combine.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula or wet fingers. Sprinkle a few additional M&Ms on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let the blondies cool completely before turning them out onto a cutting board and slicing into squares.

Coldbuster Smoothie

Breaking news, bakers of the world! Come and see it for yourself - the world's largest, hottest, oven! What's this amazing new product called, you ask? Why...New York City, of course!

We're ROASTING out here.

Seriously. If we had a car, we'd be baking chocolate chip cookies galore. Alas, no car, no cookies. :-(

We've been trying to beat the heat by drinking our cool in the form of fabulous, freezing smoothies. But the recipe I want to share with you today is actually not inspired by this miraculous-yet-miserable heat wave. It's a celebration.

Meet Christie & Charles. Tomorrow, they'll have been married one month! Happy one-month-iversary!

Kate and I met Christie at school in 6th Grade Choir. Apart, we were three wee, shrimpy little things - one soprano, one second soprano, one alto. But put us together, and bam! - you've got beautiful three part harmony. (Yes, yes. Super cheesy. But Christie wouldn't mind, so I'm not apologizing. :-)

We've been friends ever since, and we've shared a lot in the past 17 years. From matching Halloween costumes (cutest Care Bears ever), to just a little bit of fame (at our school, Show Choir kids were popular), to our deep faith and passion for liturgical dance, you might say we're three cookies cut with the same cookie cutter. Hehe.

Lookin' awesome in our sequin Show Choir vests!

But back to the smoothie. You see, I blame Christie's mom for my addiction to these cool and semi-healthy treats. It was 1996, and Christie, Katie, and I had just finished a "gig" as Dancing Fairy Princesses, and by "gig", I mean we taught a bunch of little kids a dance at a birthday party while wearing fabulous purple lyrical dresses and crowns made out of that star garland stuff. We were totally cool.

Anyways, on the way back to Christie's house, her mom asked if we wanted to stop at Jamba Juice (which had just changed it's name from Juice Club). There are three things I remember about what happened next:

1. Christie's mom insisted I get the Coldbuster smoothie, to combat the sniffles I was apparently suffering from;
2. That smoothie was one of the most wonderful things I had ever tasted; and
3. On the walkway up to the house, the bottom of my cup just FELL OUT.

Kate adds this anecdote to her memory of that day: "Christie's mom made me and Christie split the rest of our smoothies with Becca, since hers was all over the sidewalk. That was totally not fair!"

But they did share their smoothies with me. Because that's what friends are for.

So this homemade Coldbuster is for you Christie, in celebration of our friendship, and in honor of this next exciting chapter in your life with Charles. May your life together be filled with happiness, health, and love! Cheers!

-Becky

Coldbuster Smoothie
Inspired by Jamba Juice
Makes approximately 24 ounces

2 generous scoops peach frozen yogurt or orange sherbet
1 large banana, sliced and frozen
1 cup frozen peaches
4 ice cubes
3/4 to 1 cup orange juice

1. Place all ingredients except orange juice in blender or food processor.
2. Pulse a few times to break up ice cubes and frozen fruit. (Note: You may wish to microwave the frozen peaches for about 15 seconds to thaw them just slightly.)
3. Turn blender on, then pour orange juice through hole in top of blender. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour into a glass, grab a straw, and enjoy!

Butterbeer, Chocolate Wands, and Pumpkin Pasties: Harry Potter treats for a fond farewell

Becky, the Music Man, and I gathered with a friend last night to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 before we see Part 2 this evening. And what would a Harry Potter movie night be without Harry Potter themed snacks?

We made Chocolate Wands, Pumpkin Pasties, and Butterbeer. Of course, none of these things actually appear in Deathly Hallows. If we were truly sticking to the themes of Book 7, we'd be more likely to make edible Horcruxes.  I can see it now - Marvolo Gaunt Donut Rings, Gummi Worm Naginis, Chocolate Lockets, and Helga Hufflepuff-Pastry Cups.

But seriously - who wants to eat a part of Voldemort's soul?  So we'll stick to snacks from the earlier, happier installments, thank you very much!

All three of these recipes are incredibly easy. The only one that actually involves baking is the Pumpkin Pasties, and even those can be ultra-semi-homemade. 

So fear not, young witches, wizards, and Muggles. While we say goodbye to Harry and the gang on the big screen this weekend, we can always return to the kitchen (and the books!) to recreate the magic we have come to love so dearly.

-Katie

Butterbeer

Our version of Butterbeer is a cream soda float with butterscotch flavoring. Since all witches and wizards at our gathering were of age, we used butterscotch schnapps, but you could certainly stir in butterscotch sauce to get the same flavor for the underage wizards.

Per mug:

1 small scoop vanilla ice cream

1 oz butterscotch schnapps, or butterscotch ice cream topping or sauce

cream soda

Chill mugs in freezer. Scoop ice cream into mug. Pour schnapps and a small amount of cream soda into mug and stir to dissolve most of the ice cream and create the signature Butterbeer foam. Add cream soda to fill mug.

Chocolate Wands

1 package pretzel rods

1 cup chocolate chips

sprinkles

Melt chocolate chips in a mug in microwave on high in 30 second intervals. Dip pretzel rods in chocolate, sprinkle with sprinkles. Place wands in cups or mugs to harden.

Pumpkin Pasties

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 15-ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk (1 12-ounce can)
Pam or butter for greasing casserole dish
9-ounce pie crust pastry (enough for two single standard pie crusts) (our favorite recipe here)

Make filling*:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with non-stick spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together. Stir in pumpkin, salt, and spices. Add evaporated milk and mix well.

3. Pour filling into prepared casserole dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Keep oven door closed and reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 45 minutes or until table knife inserted in center of dish comes out clean. Cool filling completely on a wire rack.

Make pasties:

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 

5. Make or purchase pie crust pastry. Roll pastry thin and cut into circles approximately 4 inches in diameter. Put a spoonful of the cool pumpkin mixture towards one side of the center of the circle. Fold crust over filling and firmly crimp edges closed. With a paring knife, cut three small slits in the top for venting. Place on a greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 400 degrees only until crust is a light golden brown, approximately 10 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

*To make this recipe even easier, skip steps 1-3, instead purchasing a pumpkin pie from the grocery store. In step 5, simply scoop out filling from the pie onto the pastry circles.

Al's Dessert Pizza

Hey everyone!

Sorry to not post this past Sunday. You see, we were kinda busy...ON VACATION!!! Between attending weddings, Disneyland, and planning for more weddings, it's been a jam-packed week. More on our adventures in St. Louis and Cali to come soon...

We tasted a treat last night, though, that we couldn't wait to share with you. While enjoying dinner at Tony & Alba's Pizza & Pasta last night, restaurant owner and long time friend Al presented us with his new strawberry banana nutella marshmallow dessert pizza.

Yeah.

Strawberries.
Bananas.
Nutella.
Marshmallows.

On a pizza.

It was glorious.

So head over to Tony & Alba's, or whip up your own version of this incredibly tasty treat. You'll thank me (and Al!)

Happy scarfing!