A Chow Life | Foodie recipes and stories from a Seattle kitchen

Archive for the ‘cookies’ Category

Stir Crazy in Snow | Malt Ball Cookies

Do you have some guilty pleasures? I will assume you do. I will also assume that along with reality t.v. shows, Colin Firth movie marathons, and trashy magazines, there might be a few guilty pleasures associated with food. Or, quite possibly, more than a few? A lot?

I knew it.

I wonder, however, if you actually experience guilt when you eat any of the things that typically fall into this category or engage in any of the aforementioned activities? I might guess you do not. Wouldn’t it be more correct to call these embarrassing pleasures? I think it’s more accurate. I don’t feel a lot of guilt when I buy a package of bright pink peeps and a stack of fashion magazines. I might be feel a little embarrassed. My cheeks might grow hot too. Shame pleasures? That sounds a little raunchy, I suppose. Either way, I think you know what I mean.

I’ve had some time to ponder these things. I was stuck inside my home for days and days. The snow that I discussed with great fondness in my last post disappeared briefly only to return with a vengeance. For nearly a day, it was gorgeous and lovely. The world was blissfully…

Read more »

Happy Holidays!

We did not have any expectations for Maeve’s first visit with the man in red. He was a nice man and he didn’t smell like beef and cheese as expected. Nonetheless, Maeve’s emotional state went quickly from bewilderment to terror. Poor thing. I have to admit, however, I adore this picture. She is a sweetheart through and through.

I am going to sign off here for a few days. When I return, you will be winding back into life after much holiday cheer. You will have full bellies and good spirits. And, Maeve, my little red fox, will be a toddler.

Here are just a few quick links. Happy Holidays!

Have you made this gingerbread yet? It’s not too late.

A bread to fill your house with the scent of cinnamon will thrill your loved ones.

An easy last minute cookie.

Also easy. Apple cake.

Chocolate truffles!

A little story about a Christmas elf to get you in the mood or, really, to make you laugh.

Some more fun santa photos here.

Read more »

Honey Wheat Cookies | Bridging the Gap

Sometimes, I fear I see the world as a series of bakeries. Butter and sugar, my constant companions, I can find you anywhere. Maybe it’s a bad thing and maybe it’s not. I can’t be certain, but I know it’s a whole lot better to see the world in this manner than something more bleak or less edible.

Mind you, not every bakery is a good one. I’ve been to my fair share of bakeries where the croissants are soggy and the banana bread is either dry or too greasy.  Let’s not forget the bakery cases full of gnats or those so packed with a million different kinds of similarly sallow bun shaped objects that it’s abundantly obvious not one single thing will be tasty. Or, have you encountered the places full of “fresh baked” goods where every item is wrapped in saran wrap as if it has been lounging about the case for eons? That might be the worst.

However, for every bad experience, there is a revelatory one. There are the small town bakeries with amazing coffee and tea cookies. There are the bakeries in the middle of nowhere where the sticky buns are dripping with local honey. Those are…

Read more »

Homemade Baklava | Ballet be Damned

I wish I could tell you I was a ballerina or, at least, I wish I could tell you I used to be a ballerina. However, I cannot lie to all of you. I was born with neither grace nor the self-restraint to live for an extended period of time on nothing but birdseed and feathers. Despite many years of ballet lessons, I remain the same lumbering girl I always was.

It’s too bad, really. I actually dreamed of being a ballerina. That dream, however, along with the one about playing the harmonica, went up in smoke.  There are a whole host of reasons for my failure at dancing. First, I have a remarkably poor sense of balance. I can barely keep upright on the soccer field. It’s ridiculous. Second, I’m actually quite reserved. Even as a child, my cheeks nearly caught fire as I flitted about the classroom in tights and a tutu.  I did this for 5 years, if you can imagine. But nothing changed. Not a thing.

 

Part of me remains convinced, despite the above evidence to the contrary, I could have been successful were it not for my mother.

Yes.

My mother.

 

Isn’t it always this way? We blame our mothers…

Read more »

Related Posts with Thumbnails