cheese straws, more plank than straw

i have not been to inspired to bake these days and i don't really know why. i do know that i have been thinking about cheese straws though. you know, those buttery, cheesy little crackers squeezed through your mama's cookie press and baked lightly till crispy. they are pretty common here in the southern u.s. and i just love'em. cheese straws make a great nibble paired with some salty green olives or homemade bread and butter pickles. although i didn't really need an excuse to make a batch, i thought they would be tasty with the big ole pot of bean and bacon soup i am making for supper. now, i need to clarify that my cheese straws are more like cheese planks. i did proudly use my mother's 1960's cookie press, but fitted it with the bar disk rather than the star, which would have given you more of a rope that you would need to cut into sections(straws). actually, any disk would work. next time, how about some cheese spritzes!

this recipe for cheese straws is crazy easy and can be made entirely in the food processor.

cheese straws

preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

1 8oz block sharp cheddar cheese(i use extra sharp)
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 stick of butter, softened(butter, not margarine)
one pinch of cayenne pepper or to your liking(i go easy on the cayenne for the kiddos)
.5 tsp salt

that's it. now, in your processor or by hand, grate the cheese. remove the shredder blade and replace with the steel knife blade. i just dump my grated cheese into another bowl, switch blades and right back in. add the butter, pulse a few times to get it going and then add the rest. you might need to pulse, take off the lid and push things around a bit, but it will magically become a dough ball. now fill your cookie press and start squeezing or twisting, in my case, onto parchment lined cookie sheets. i use silpats. bake about 11-12 minutes. when you smell them, they are generally done. cool and enjoy.


the bean and bacon soup came from here. this is one of my absolute favorite blogs. i did switch up the recipe a bit, instead of an onion, i used a shallot. i used two cans of navy and one can great northern beans. i opted for one large clove garlic instead of four average size. oh, also it was not quite thick enough for me, so i added a little cornstarch slurry. overall, this is a dynamite recipe. thanks pam!

pumpkinville

caroline hits the hay.... the hayride that is....

it was a beautiful day, so we threw the youngin's in the car and headed to pumpkinville in toano, va. it was fun, for them. personally, it was nothing special. oh well....





travis was more interested in the pumpkin bean bag toss....


it's the great pumpkin charlie brown!


ripe for the pickin'....


i found one, i found one!

an orange beauty....

hannah's chicken tortilla soup and ina's corn muffins

so i tried two new things yesterday and both turned out to be very good things.

first, i had seen ina garten aka the barefoot contessa make the best looking corn muffins while tuned into the network, so naturally i had to have them. i wanted to pair the muffins up with something different, that's when i saw this. yeehaw, that looks mighty tasty, not to mention mighty easy. hannah, over at honey and jam makes the most delicious recipes, visits fun places and documents all with the most amazing photos and she is only nineteen folks! i mean, hey, i am forty three and still can't do any of those things near as well as hannah. maybe, when i grown up. please take a moment and peruse her site. it is fantastic.

both the soup and corn muffins were a big hit with the hubby. the kids, not so much, but they are weird anyway. the soup was perfectly spicy even though i opted out of the jalapeno. i cheated and used a rotisserie chicken which worked perfectly. i also used a quality sharp white cheddar rather than the monterey jack cheese. oh, and the lime, don't forget the lime, squeeze a wedge over your bowl. it just gives it that something extra special "kick". yummy! i will make this again and again.

now, the corn muffins, oh my, they were delightful, delicious, delovely. this is an excellent recipe and one for your cookbook. i halved the recipe and got six texas sized muffins. they baked up beautifully and are a moist, cakey, buttery, desserty corn muffin. both recipes are simply great. i hope you give them a whirl. enjoy.

scalloped potatoes and ham

a real quick post to share with you one of my personal favorites for cold weather, scalloped potatoes and ham. i love this stuff! it is not for the faint of heart when it comes to calories, but oh my is it worth the splurge. i am sure you can lighten the load some, i try to and i will share those secrets. oh, i generally serve a big green salad to cancel out those fat grams. well, mostly to make me feel better about eating all those fat grams and to pretend i am eating healthy. enjoy.

scalloped potatoes and ham-your can find the recipe here.

my changes-i use fat free half and half, 2% milk and also, 2% cheddar that i sprinkle on top after it comes out of the oven. just put your lid back on and the heat will melt it beautifully. also, i don't do cayenne, because, well, i don't do cayenne.

easy cherry turnovers

this was breakfast this morning and they were delicious. i had seen a post somewhere on the net about making these simple, yet luscious little gems. i just know i had to give them a whirl and besides it doesn't get much easier than this to make your family fresh pastries.

i choose cherry, but just imagine the possibilities. it using canned pie filling, but i am sure any fresh fruit compote with be divine. i have got in my mind peach or sweet potato for the next go around. holy moly. enjoy.

easy cherry turnovers

preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit and prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat

here we go, you need one box of puff pastry and a can of your favorite fruit pie filling. one box will make eight turnovers, i only made four this morning, so i have another sheet to change up the fruit filling. thaw at room temp per instructions. once thawed, roll with your rolling pin to make a nice smooth rectangle. now cut into four smaller rectangles, i use my pizza cutter for this part. pop the top of your pie filling and place a good spoonful on one corner of each of the puff pastry squares. you are going to fold to make a triangle. you follow, right? also, it's okay if a little of the fruit squirts out, i just shove it back in the best i can and then crimp the sides with a fork to seal. you can pull and stretch the pastry as necessary to make sure it seals. you won't hurt it.

okay, now take one egg white and separate. mix a little water into the white to make an egg wash. you can use the whole egg, but i like just the white.( i nuke the yolk for about 20 seconds and give to the dog as a treat) now, brush this all over the top and sides of your turnovers. pop into your preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until nice and brown.

meanwhile, whip up a glaze for your pastries. mix about .5 cup powdered sugar with a drop of good vanilla and a tbsp or so of water. stir until mixed. you might need to adjust your water and sugar to get the consistency you want. i brush my glaze on with a pastry brush, so it is pretty thin. if you prefer to drizzle, make it thicker. let your turnovers cool slightly, brush on your glaze while they are still warm. cool, long enough for the glaze to set. enjoy.

fresh, warmed by the morning sun....yummy with hot coffee or tea....

soft and spicy molasses cookies

october is here, bring on the cool weather. i love october and not just because it is my birthday month, but because to me it signals that fall has truly arrived. my kiddos requested their favorite cookie, next to a snickerdoodle, these soft and spicy molasses cookies. i think these are awesome too, but strictly a fall cookie. it is just something about the flavors that seem so appropriate. i got the recipe a gazillion years ago from a co-worker and fell in love. they are so moist and chewy, full of cloves, cinnamon and ginger. i was thinking next time i might add some chopped candied ginger. oooh, how lovely, but i am not sure my kids would go for it. this recipe makes a ton of cookies, plenty to eat and plenty to share. enjoy.

beth's soft and spicy molasses cookies


preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

in a large bowl, cream 1 stick of softened butter and a .5 cup of vegetable shortening. add to that mixture 1.5 cups of sugar and beat till light and fluffy. to the butter mixture add .5 cup molasses and two eggs beat until smooth, turn off mixer.

now, in another bowl sift together your dry ingredients- four cups flour, .5 tsp of salt, 2.25 tsp baking soda, 2.25 tsp ground ginger, 1.5 tsp cinnamon and 1.5 tsp clove. okay, with mixer back on, gradually pour your dry ingredients into your creamed mixture until dough is blended and smooth. the dough will be sticky, so pop it into your fridge for about an hour to make it easier to handle.

in a bowl place about .5 cup more of sugar. you are going to use this for rolling your dough balls. pinch off a piece of cookie dough and roll into about an inch sized ball, roll in sugar and place on your cookie sheets lined with a silpat or parchment about two inches apart. bake for about 13 minutes. do not over bake. allow to cool a few minutes and inhale.

p.s.- these cookies do not spread a lot, so bigger the ball you roll the thicker the cookie. you will have to adjust the baking time.

a morning stroll in yorktown

it is such a pretty day today that Travis and myself took a little stroll to the yorktown village, about three miles from the house. we first visited the yorktown victory center enjoying the gallery, recreated colonial farm and encampment. the chickens were my favorite. i want a chicken. it was also fun listening to the reenactors talk about everything from field surgery, drying tobacco, firearms to chickens. i want one. i want this one.







then it was down to the beach for a quick play on the sand and a snack.





washington and de grasse debating about where to eat lunch.

please sir, may i have more?

it was a good morning, a peaceful morning. i want a chicken.