What is better for a bake sale then Oreo cookies? Oreo cookies made from scratch!.
So when my sister called and asked me to make something for my nephews bake sale to raise money for his basketball team, I couldn’t say no. (or I didn’t want to say no cause any good excuse to bake right!) Plus I had just found this awesome recipe on one of my favorite blogs, my name is yeh, for home made Oreos that I have been super excited to try, so it kind of worked out. But before I committed to the Oreo, I wanted to just double check with my nephew and see what he might want me to make because it was his bake sale.
This is the conversation we had. And yes, it was through text.
Me- “Hey bud, what do you want me to make for your bake sale? Cupcakes, cookies, donuts, or brownies”
Jack- ” Yea!”
Me- “Yea what?”
Jack- “Make that.”
Me- “Make what?….Hello!! What do you want me to make? Should I make Oreos?”
Jack- I WANT OREOS!”
Ok.. So it took a little while, but we got there. And after the the basketball game and the super successful bake sale..
ME-“Did you see the Oreos?”
Jack- “What do you mean?”
Me- “The Oreos I made for the bake sale…the ones you wanted me to make”
Jack- “There was a bake sale? I want Oreos”
Yup, that’s the attention span of my 13 year old nephew. Little shit head. But for real, I had so much fun making these cookies and I am definitely going to be making them again. Plus they were a super hit at the sale.
I am the best aunt! (and sister!)
Cookie Time! Whats going on here is brown sugar and butter have be beaten together until nice and fluffy Then a good big splash of vanilla and another 2 big splashes of coffee are added to that.(I sacrificed my last few sips of my coffee for these cookies) The dry stuff, flour, salt and cocoa powder, are whisked together, waiting to be added to the wet. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet and mix. I ended up just using my hand and kind of squish mixing everything together until in tuned into a nice lovely uniformed dough. Form the dough into 2 balls and give each a few kneads to get any air bubbles out. Place dough back into bowl and stick in the fridge to sit for 10-15 minutes( it makes the dough a little easier to work with)
Once the dough has had a little time to rest and cool, remove from fridge, one ball at a time. Place on a lightly cocoa or powdered sugar dusted surface and roll out the dough. Grab any size circle (or other shape) cookie cutter and get to shaping the cookies. Notice the tin can in the bowl? I could’t find my biscuit cutters anywhere but the can was the perfect size, and it worked really well. Keep a little bowl of either powered sugar of cocoa to dip the cutter in in between making the cookies. It really helps the dough from sticking and breaking.
When you have cut out your cookies, use a spatial and place them on a baking sheet. You can try to transfer with you hands, but you end up messing up the shape and most of them will break anyway.
Stick the cookies in the oven for about 15 minutes a batch and continute to roll and cut out the cookies until you have no dough left.
While the cookies are getting their cool on, make the cream filling. All you need is a stick of butter, about 4 cups of powdered sugar, some vanilla and a few splashes of heavy cream. Beat that all up until nice and creamy thick and spoon it into a pastry bag (I used a big old ziplock bag) to be piped on the cookies. Filling the cookies is for sure the best part. Separate the cookies into pairs and pipe a big blob of filling onto one of the two cookies. Take the names cookie and place on top, giving it a little smooth to the disperse the cream. Keep doing that until the cookies are all filled.
Stacks of cookies… Sold to the highest bidder! I was told that they sold out within the first half hour at $1.50 a pop….Should have charged $5…. for a good cause right?
And yes, even though he was being a space head and didn’t even care that I just made him like 50 bucks for his team, I still saved the kid one.He just had to give me either a hug or 5 bucks for it.
I got a hug. (I really wanted the 5 dollars)
-C
From Scratch Oreo Cookies
Adapted by Molly Yeh from My Name is Yeh!
The cookie (makes about 18 3 inch Oreos)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup or 2 sticks soften butter (use earth balance for vegan)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
The filling
1 stick soft butter (us earth balance for vegan)
2 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream (use a nut or soy milk for vegan)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cookies- In a large bowl cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and coffee and mix together. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder. Add dry to wet and mix together unit a uniform dough forms. Dump out onto a lightly cocoa or powdered sugared surface and knead dough a few times. Split ball into two balls, place in bowl, and stick in the fridge for 15 or so minutes.
Preheat oven t0 325 degrees
When dough is chilled, remove one ball at a time, and roll dough out on a cocoa or powdered sugar dusted counter until its about 1/4 inch thick. With a round (any shape would work) cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can. In between sits, dip cutter in a sugar and cocoa to keep the cookie from sticking. Transfer cut out cookies onto a baking sheet with a spatula. Take scraps, roll into a ball, and roll out again. Keep doing that until you can’t cut out any more. (You can either bake a weird shape cookie or just eat the dough)
Bake cookies for about 15 minutes or until the cookie has risen a bit and the tops have lost their glossiness and look cooked. Remove from oven and let cookies dry on a wire rack.
Make the filling
Filling- Beat together butter, sugar, vanilla, and cream until completely mixed and is at your optimal consistency. Add a drizzle more cream if you want to thin out or add more sugar for a thicker cream.
Stick the filling into a piping bag or ziplock bag an snip the end. With cookies in pairs, pipe a big dollop of filling onto one of the two cookies. Place the naked cookie onto the filled cookie and give a smooth to distribute the filling.
lick your fingers and eat a cookie.
If selling at a bake sale, charge $3 a cookie…. If it’s for a good cause.
Whenever my little sister comes over for dinner, I always end up making lentils in some form or another because she, like me, is awesome and loves a good lentil. It makes me so happy that she has such great taste in food and wants to eat what I make. It’s validation from a teenage girl which is the best kind of validation.
So last night when she came over after school for dinner and trash talk (she likes to verbally abuse Nick) we decided to make both of our favorites … Lentils AND sweet potatoes. How can you go wrong with that combo? Well I am telling you that you can’t. The rich creamy soft and slightly sweet sweet potato mixed up with the hearty, earthy, oh so fantastically tasty lentil. Add in a bit of kale and cheese if you wish and serve with salsa and guac… Whoa, it’s the best!!!
Such a great evening, I get to the cooking, the sister gets to the verbal abuse and the mister, begin the champ that he is, takes it and dishes it right back.
I am the greatest(coolest) sister.
Baked sweet potatoes, cooked lentils, chopped up kale and monetary jack cheese (Cheese is optional.. and make it vegan cheese if you want) And you don’t need then, but salsa and guacamole are the best toppings.. So you have them.
Cut the cooked potato in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh out into a bowl. With a fork, smooth the potato , sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix in lentils and kale.
Stuff the mixture back into the skins of the potato.
And add some cheese (The mister and the sister wanted lots of cheese, no cheese for me) and stick the potatoes into the oven and let bake for another 5 or so minutes or until the cheese is all melty or the top is nice and crispy.
Remove and plate… Serve with salsa and guacamole and maybe some corn chips.
I am the greatest sister
-C
Makes 2 serving
1 Large Sweet Potato
1 cup Prepared Lentils
1 cup Chopped Kale
1/2 cup Grated Monetary Jack Cheese (Vegan style or not)
Salsa (optional)
Guacamole(optional)
Place potato in oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until soft a baked throughout.
While potato is baking, prepare lentils. 2 cups water to 1 cup lentils. Add water and lentil to pot, bring to a boil, add a sprinkle of salt, and reduce to simmer until lentils are tender.
When potato is cooked, remove potato and let cool for a few minutes. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the flesh out of the skins and place into a big bowl. WIth a fork, mash the potato a bit Add in the lentils and the kale, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Stuff the mixture back into the skins of the potatoes and top with cheese. (if using ) Place potatoes back into oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melty and bubbly or the top of the potato is a bit crispy. Remove from oven and serve on a plate with salsa and guacamole.
This has been the week of broken things. My immersion blender broke. 2 of the 4 new bowls I bought were smashed. The hand mixer broke while I was making frosting (F**CK). The steam mop is finally completely broken and the mister smashed the screen on his phone. All in a weeks time. Oh, and not broken, but the front end of my car got stuck in a muddy sink hole. It took five badass farmers to help me push it out. It was crazy, but thankfully the car and I survived. But’s it cool. I can replace all that crap and my arms are getting a great workout now that I have to hand mix everything and hand wassh the floor on my hands and knees. ( I do it like a beast!) Because what I really am having a hard time with is that it is nearly April and still have most of my winter clothes out. I just want to but the boots away and get my chaco sandals out. It’s getting a bit ridiculous if you ask me.
Things I tell myself to keep from losing my shit
20 degrees.. That’t tropical compared to the -30 we were having
I will be bitching about how hot it is in just a few short months so try to enjoy the cold now.
Hopefully most of the mosquito population all dies this winter and only enough survive to be eaten by things that eat them
Because it still so cold, its ok to spend an entire day at home in my pjs baking cookies and bread and binge watching Kimmy Schmidt.
See.. there is a bright side.
Here is some cool internet stuff form the week
-Love this house and will some someday have plants in every nook and crank of my home. PEEK INSIDE WORLD’S END FARM + SAIPUA PLANT SALE
-I am ready to move into a tree, if only for a little while. This one would work for me
-I looked before I read. and didn’t realize what I was seeing. Behold! The Cosmos Created From The Contents Of A Kitchen
-The Most Effective Alarm Clock Ever Brews Your Morning Joe If only it came in jumbo size.
-I love/ hate this story. I get so excited for the produce that is marked down because its not perfect. If people realize how silly it is to look for “perfection in food” then I won’t get awesome stuff for cheap. Think Nobody Wants To Buy Ugly Fruits And Veggies? Think Again
And here are a few life pictures
WHAT WHAT!!! The first sign of green that I have seen in the neighborhood.
This little came over and hung out with me. I gave him a muffin and a bowl of “Carrot Chips” (really thinly sliced carrots) He at a few bites of the muffin but ate all the carrots and wanted more…… I love him!
Oh the old man trash dog. His butt hair is finally starting to grow back after he chewed himself a big hot spot. I love this pattern for a driveway.
March 29, 2011. Yeah sure we were in California, but still, we were camping outside.
COME ON SPRING!!!!And who doesn’t love a pineapple, or 4?
Have a fantastic Day!
We are looking at a high in the 30’s here in VT.. WA HOO!
I don’t know if I have bitched enough about it, but I only have one window in my living space. And as much as I love love love our little tiny loft, I am a person who needs the sun. So when I am home I spend a lot of time siting in front of the window. Over the past few weeks I have been doing a lot of watercolor painting in front of that window and somehow between drawings of carrots and vintage fans, I ended up making these marbled window stained glass hoops. And I am glade I did because these little watercolor gems really do make a big impact on my one source of sunlight. Even when the day is kind of gray and gloomy, having these in the window make the light seem brighter and happy.
We can all use a bright happy window.
So this project is really easy and fast. I recommend that if you are going to go to the trouble (it’s really no trouble) of making one, you might as well make 2 or 5. I actually made a bunch (think Mothers day or Easter presents) and ended up only keeping a s couple. I am going to have to make a few more soon.
You will need-
Watercolors
water
paintbrush
Sketch paper*
A pan or tray with a bit of water
Embroidery Circles * (As many as you want to make)
*Notes
-I tried to use a few different types of paper and found that the sketch works the best. Watercolor paper was a bit to thick and printer paper just kept ripping.
-You can buy embroidery circles at any craft store and they usually have a good variety of sizes. Use the sizes that you like.
Take a piece(s) of paper a little bit bigger then the hoop you are working with and stick it into a pan or tray of water. Let it sit there for a few minutes until the paper is completely soaked.Take the wet paper and, oh so gently, crumple into a ball. This part can be a little tricky. You want to make as many creases as possible without ripping that paper. (I ripped a few pieces) I found that if I folded that paper a few time, then crumpled that it was less likely to rip.
Uncrumple the paper and lay it gently onto the inner part of the hoop. Now the fun part. Go to town with the watercolors. I used 2 colors per piece, but you could do 1 or 3, or more. When applying the color, use big gentle strokes and let the colors kind of meld together. Watch as all the crumple veins soak up the paint. Try using different dilutions of color. I applied some color on thinly and some on the thicker side. But really, you can’t go wrong, just keep applying paint until you are happy. I stopped a few times and held it up to the window just to see what it looked like. When it looked good, I was done.
When you are happy with the colors, let the paper dry for a while on the hoop until it is not longer super wet. I would say about an hour or so, but if you stick it near the heater, it might dry faster. (Just don’t stick it in the oven while you are making bread like I did with one.. It just ended up setting on fire. Oops)
Once its pretty much dry, take the outer ring of the hoop and gently place around the inner hoop and tighten. Being super careful, trim the extra paper from the back of the hoop.
Place your pieces in a window and watch them glow. Yow now have a happy window.
Last night I had my sister and her kiddos come over for dinner. Nothing fancy, nothing to complicated, just something fast and something that I knew the littles would eat. Spaghetti and meatballs, except replace meatballs were bean balls So they came, we played, did a little drawing and had a bit of first grad gossip. Then came dinner time when I was told by one little that she was not going to eat.. She had pasta for lunch. Well I made her sit anyway and she mainly just ate carrots (I was ok with that) Then the other little was all into his pasta and bean balls, 1 down, 3 more to go, when the mister let slip that the meatballs were not really meat. He ate around the remaining balls, said he didn’t want them anymore. And my sister, well she doesn’t eat anything that is not pizza.
Good thing a neighbor stopped by while we were eating. He had a few of the balls and told me that they were amazing. I needed someone to tell me that.
So yeah, the littles were not overly enthused with the ball, but the Mister the Neighbor, and I thought that they were awesome and delicious. Maybe next time I will make sure that pasta was not lunch and tell Nick to keep his mouth shut and stop talking about balls at the dinner table.
I feel like I don’t need to tell you how to boil pasta or heat up the sauce, so I left that portion of the recipe out. I have faith that you are capable in doing that part without my instruction.
The bean ball stuff. Chickpeas (soaked and cooked or canned), sweet potato, carrot, onion, and some chick pea flour. Dried garlic, basil and oregano. Salt and pepper and a little bit of olive oil. Small chop all the veggies and toss them and the dry spices into a skillet with a drizzle or two of olive oil. Stick on medium heat and add about 1/4 cup of water to pan. Top with slid and let veggies cook down until soft and fragrant.
Add the cooked veggies to a food processor or blender with the rinsed and drained chickpeas. The mixture gets pulsed until combined, keeping a little bit of chunkiness. Now go warhead and taste the mixture. Add another pinch or two of salt , pepper or any of the spices that you think it need. Dump the mixture into a bowl and mix in the chickpea flour than stink the mixture into the fridge for a least a 1/2 hour. Cooling to off is really important to forming the balls. If you don’t, it’s much harder to keep mixture from falling apart and sticking to your hands.
After the mixture has had time to cool and set, start rolling the mixture into balls roughly the size of ping pong balls. In a shallow bowl, add a few tablespoons of the chickpea flour with a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Take each ball and roll in flour and place each ball on a well oiled baking sheet. When the balls are all rolled, stick into the oven and bake away for about 30-40 minutes, flipping balls after about 20. After you flip the balls, get the pasta ready so its finished about the same time the balls are done.You pasta and sauce is cooked and the balls are all crispy and oh so nice.
Serve balls over pasta with sauce and eat with a fork.
Your day is now complete.. balls and all.
Happy Weekend!
-C
makes about 20 balls
4 Cups (or 2 cans) Cooked, Rinsed and Drained ChickPeas
1 Small Sweet Potato
1 Small Onion
1 Carrot
1/4 Cup Chickpea Flour plus extra to roll balls in
1 Heaping Teaspoon Basil
1 Heaping Teaspoon Oregano
1 Heaping Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Olive or Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper
Your choice of Spaghetti (Use Vegan and or Gluten Free if needed) Prepared as package recommends
Marinara or Pasta Sauce of your choice
Preheat Oven to 425 degrees
Small dice the carrot, onion and sweet potato and toss into a skillet on medium high heat with a splash of oil. Add in the dry spices and add in about a quarter cup of water. stir and cover the skillet with a lid and let the veggies cook down until the water has evaporated and the veggies are tender.
Add rinsed and drained chickpeas to a food processor with the cooked veggie mixture. Pulse together until the mixture is combined and slightly smooth, but still with a little bit of texture left.Place bean mixture in a bowl and mix in the 1/4 cup of chickpea flour. and stick in the fridge for a least a 1/2 hour to cool. (Mixture can be made a day ahead if you want)
Once the mixture has time to cool and set up , remove from fridge and with a light head, roll mixture into ping-pong sized balls. In a separate shallow dish add a bit of chickpea flour with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roll each ball in the flour mixture and place balls on a well oiled baking sheet. Once balls ae made, stick into the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes, flipping after about 20 minutes. The balls are done when the outsides are once and golden brown and crispy. After about 30 minutes, get to cooking your pasta and mariana sauce.
Once the pasta and sauce is done, plate it and toss on some of those awesome bean balls!
Bean balls also make fantastic bean ball sandwiches or bean balls on a toothpick.
I love mustard, and when I say love, I mean LOVE. I eat it on anything and everything. And not just small quaintites, I buy jumbo sized containers of the stuff because I go through it so fast. Over the past few years I even started taking down others with my mustard eating obsession. Sisters, brothers, even some of the littles are now mustard eating feens. One of my little nieces is now just as bad as me. I don’t think I have seen her eat a single meal without a side of mustard. Her favorite snack, clementines and mustard, although sometimes she skips the clementines and just goes in with her fingers. Oh so good. I think that child could possible be mine. And yes, it’s mostly the yellow grocery store variety of mustard being consumed, but yellow mustard is just the tip of the ice berg. There is a whole world of flavors, textures and colors when it comes to the humble mustard seed. Whole grain mustard, to me, is one of the best and easiest to adapt to any persons specific taste. You can make it plan or add in just about any spice, vinegar, even a little sweetness that you might like. One of my favorite variations of this mustard is to skip the vinegar and use picked jalapeño juice. Aah, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
So if you are anything of a mustard connoisseur, you really must, at least once, make your own batch.(It’s so easy!) And you will love it and share it with all your friends and they will think you are a bad ass for making your own mustard and your life will just be so great. All because you are now a mustard maker. Yes.
Yellow mustard seeds, brown mustard seeds, apple cider vinegar and salt. The most basic ingredients.
Note- If you want, add in a pinch of any spice that you want.. Chili flakes, granulated garlic, turmeric…. And you can use the vinegar of your choice. I like apple cider because its mellow with a slight sweetness but white or sherry or any vinegar would be great. Even left over picked juice is fantastic too.
In a large jar, combine the mustard seed , twice as much vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cover and let sit for on the counter overnight until the seeds have soften and look almost like caviar.
Now blend those seeds. You might want to add another splash or two of vinegar to help blend and to thin out a bit. Chose how creamy or seeded you like you mustard. I like to make it creamy but seedy so I blend it half way to creamy.
Taste and add another pinch of salt if its needed and……..
You have got mustard! Make sure you have a good snack ready to eat with it.. My go to is carrots. I could eat this all day long.
Enjoy and have a great Tuesday full of mustard and stuff!
-C
1/4 Cup Brown Mustard Seeds
1/4 Cup Brown Mustard Seeds
1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Salt
Optional..A pinch of Garlic Graduals, Red Pepper Flakes, Curry Powder (Anything you want)
Combine all ingredients into a large jar that has at least a few extras inches for the seed to expand. Leave on counter for 8-12 hours.
Once seeds are nice and soft and have expanded, either eat as is (Mustard seed caviar) or blend the seeds to desired consistency (I like it half smooth, half seedy) Add a pinch more or salt and another splash or two of vinegar to help blend.
And the best part, it’s as easy as eating way to many slices of pie! Roasted beets, rutabaga and sweet potato. A little salt…A food processor…no joke, so easy and it tastes so freaking good. A real show stopper. Everyone will whip out their phones to snap a pic.
Let me break this down for you. Rutabaga. Sweet Potato. Beet. That’s what I was working with. I chose these roots for color as well as for taste. Separately the flavors are amazing. Together they are out of this world. If you wanted you could omit any of these and sub in, lets say, pureed cauliflower, or maybe parsnips. I would stay away from potato, it’s a little to starchy, but maybe acorn or butternut squash. Oh man, now I want to make celeriac, carrot and acorn squash marble. Pureed vegetables are trouble for me. I can’t stop eating when they are around. I know, but don’t judge, instead lets prepare.
Peel the rutabaga..To be honest, I don’t peel, but this one that I got at the grocery store had a layer of wax on it…so yeah, I decided to peel that. You can also peel the beet if you want, but again, I don’t do that.
I diced up the baga and the beet, and tossed into separate pans to roast. I gave each pan a tiny splash of oil and a sprinkle of salt. The sweet potato, well that just got tossed into the oven as it was. I wouldn’t mix the beet with the rutabaga, the juice will turn it pink. Here the thing, If you want to boil or steam you veggies, go right ahead. I roast because I like the roasted flavor and its easier for me to throw things into the oven on a cast iron pan then to boil onto of my tiny stove. Bonus, I don’t wash my cast iron so less dishes! Just make sure with any method, your vegetables are cooked throughout and that they are tasty.
So you got a pile of roasted rutabaga, a pile of roasted beets and a baked sweet potato.
Remove the flesh from the skin of the sweet potato.. then eat it. Ok you don’t have to eat it but it is SOOOOOOO good. At least try it.I used my handy emulsion blender to puree everything but a food mill or a food processor is equally as good. Puree each root separately . Start with the rutabaga. Go to the sweet potato, then end with the beet. That way you don’t have to clean in between purees. Add little amounts of water when pureeing if it needs a little help to loosen up. Blend until smooth.
Three beautiful purees. My sister and I stood in the kitchen prior to preparing the plate and stuck our fingers in the puree. That right, and we licked then and went back in for seconds. In my family, as long as there is not disease being transmitted, a little bit of shared germs is ok. So now that you have tasted and tried not to eat to much of the purees, let’s get crazy….I just took a spoon and threw piles in that bowl. I could have done more of a checkerboard pattern to make it a more uniform marble, but I just went for it. Do it any way you want. Don’t be afraid, you can’t screw this up!I took a fork and kind of rain it throw the top to start the effect. I then took a cake knife and just leaved it out. That’s what I did and then I was done. After all the oohing and aching, I stuck the dish into the oven for another 10 minutes just to keep hot, but you can serve this at room temp as well. Now tell me that isn’t a thing of beauty. I fell in love. I want to puree and marble everything. This could be my thing.Empty bowl…Ok, I’ll admit I ate half of it..I couldn’t help it. Next time I will have to make a bigger batch.
P.S. You could totally make this dish today and serve it tomorrow. Just plastic wrap the top and refrigerate. When your getting ready for you meal, stick in oven for 20 minutes or until it’s the temperature you want it.
Happy Thanksgiving and Yeah!
Marbled Roots
Choose at least two, preferable three contrasting root vegetables. I;ll give you the version in the pictures.
1 large beet
1 medium rutabaga
1 large sweet potato
olive oil
salt
Preheat oven to 425
Dice rutabaga and beet. Toss with splash of oil and sprinkle of salt. Place on spereate baking sheets and move to oven. Place whole sweet potato in oven Cook until veggies are fork tender, usually about 40 minutes.
Remove veggies and place into separate containers and puree each veggie, starting with the lightest colored one. Add small amounts of water to help loosen if needed.
In a shallow casserole dish or pie plate, pile small amount of puree in dish, alternating the colors. With a knife, swirl the veggies around…Dont go to crazy or it will end up blended. You could stop here, I know, it looks amazing, but I finish it all off by taking a cake knife and smooth out the top.
Pop the roots back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes just to completely warm and meld the flavors together.
How cool are you now? People will be talking about you marbled roots for weeks.. maybe even until next thanksgiving.
Is it really for real April? Where has all the time gone and where the hell is the warm weather? It’s not funny anymore. I am officially OVER winter! Ok, so now that I got that off my chest…..
Last night the misters Dad came over for a long awaited dinner accompanied by talk of life goals and what her referred to as “narratives” or the story of our lives. Some deep shit to be talking about at dinner, especially with zero alcohol to be had.
Me, being so super awesome, was all up in taking charge in making the food. Except that last night I didn’t have a bunch of time and honestly, much energy to be doing anything. And sure, I could have just made a pot of spaghetti, but that just felt like cheeping out. So Polenta it was. And because I just made a hug pot of navy bean, those were going into the polenta too.
Beany polenta baked in the oven with a tomato sauce cooked on the stove. About 5 minutes of hands on time and an hour to cook it all. It’s the perfect meal to make when you have guests coming over. Fast prep, into the oven and on the stove, and then you have an hour to clean and make yourself presentable. See, I am a thinker. (I ended up skipping the making myself presentable part… I stayed in my gym clothes.. no need to impress family right?) Then after about and hour you end up with a hearty healthy pretty meal, all from scratch, that seems like you spent the afternoon cooking. When in fact you spent the past hour vacuuming and watching Gilmore Girls.
The Stuff. Cornmeal, water, navy beans and parmesan for the polenta. Crushed tomatoes, garlic, dried basil, onion, carrot, zucchini, and summer squash for the sauce. Salt, pepper, and olive oil all around.
Cornmeal and water go into a cast iron skillet (or any oven safe dish) with a pinch of salt and pepper. Give it a little mix and stick it into the oven at 400 degrees .
Once the polenta is in the oven, make the sauce. Chop up all the veggies and stick into a dutch oven or sauce pot with a pinch of salt, the basil and a good drizzle of olive oil. Stick on medium heat and let veggies cook down a bit. When the veggies are tender, add in minced garlic, crushed tomatoes and another drizzle or oil. Turn burner to lowest setting and simmer (giving it a stir every now and then) for about 45 minutes or until the polenta is done. After about 30 minutes when the water had pretty much all cooked down, take the polenta out of the oven and stir in the beans, the parmesan, a tablespoon or two of olive oil and salt and pepper. Smooth top out and sprinkle with more pepper, parmesan and drizzle with a bit more oil. Stick back into oven for another 1/2 or until polenta has formed a crust and no longer giggles when you wiggle the pan.
Pull polntna from the oven and let sit for at least 1o minutes.
Two big spoons and a pile of plates. Have the people serve themselves!
Have a Happy Day!
-C
Baked Navy Bean Polenta with Chunky Tomato Sauce
Serves 4 hungry people
For the Polenta
1 1/2 Cups Course Ground Corn Meal
4 Cups Water
3 Cups Prepared Navy Beans (Or just use to cans)
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese or Vegan Parmesan (Optional)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
For the Sauce
One 28oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 large Carrot
1 Small Onion
4 (or more ) Cloves Garlic
1 teaspoon Dried Basil
1 Small Zucchini
1 Small Summer Squash
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 400
In a large skillet, mix together the cornmeal and the water and add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Place into oven for about 30 minutes or until the polenta starts to congeal at the edge of the skillet nd most of the waster has cooked down.
Remove skillet from oven and with a whisk or wooden spoon, mix in the beans, the parmesan (if using) and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Smooth out mixture, sprinkle with salt, pepper, parmesan and drizzle with olive oil. Stick back into oven for another 30 minutes or so. Polenta is done when it no longer wiggles when you giggle the skillet.
For the sauce
Small dice the carrot and the onion and stick into a medium dutch oven oor sauce pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Place on medium heat and cook until the veggies are tender. Add in tomato, minced up garlic and basil. stir and let simmer on stove top for about 45 minutes. When you place the polenta back into the oven for the second bake, dice up zucchini and squash and add to sauce. Stir and keep on simmer until ready to serve.
Once the polenta has completely cooked, remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes…10 is better to solidify.
Spoon big piles of polenta on a plate or in a bowl, top with a big heap of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with a little more parm and maybe another dash of pepper .
Is it just me or can you also stuff an entire pound of fresh spring greens into your mouth by the fist full and be nothing but happy about it?
Spring greens are on point right now. So tender and sweet and just, agh, I just love greens. I picked up our last winter farm share a few days ago (3 weeks til summer share begins.. will I survive?) and I got a huge bag of baby kale which made me really freaking happy because I love me some kale but baby kale, I loooooovee it. Yay for me!
Then we have rhubarb. I get so excited every year when my patch starts to peek out from under all the rotten leave. The stalks I used for the salad were the first ones that I harvested from my patch! So I know that some people might think ruhabrb in any other form other then in a pie seems strange, but stop, don%u2019t think that. Rhubarb is everything. You can use it and love it in all sorts of ways, sweet and savory, and in all sorts of things, like this salad.
Fresh greens tossed with tart and gingery warm rhubarb and onions, topped with a creamy almond dressing. There is not much more you can ask for in a spring time salad. Sure, I guess you can ask for a fork, but really, I ate more of it with my fingers because well, that%u2019s just how I roll.
Now to the rhubarb and kale salad.
The stuff. Fresh rhubarb, baby kale, half an onion, a chunk of fresh ginger, a couple cloves garlic, almond butter, some roasted almonds, soy, vinegar, water, oil, and black pepper.
Start by mincing garlic and ginger and choping onion up into smallish pieces.
Add the stuff to a hot skillet with a little oil. Once it starts to sizzle, add in a couple splashes of water and let cook until soft.
While that%u2019s cooking make the almond dressing. Mix the almond butter, soy, vinegar, and a little warm water together until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more soy or vinegar if you feel it necessary. More water too if it%u2019s too thick.
Grab rhubarb ad cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
Toss it into skillet with the other stuff. Add in another splash or so of water and keep on cooking.
Once rhubarb starts to soften, turn the heat off of the skillet. Grab kale and toss it around in the skillet to mix around with the good stuff.
Immediately dump it all into a big bowl and top with almond dressing. Toss it around to evenly coat. Oh and throw in some chopped almonds. And black pepper. Add lots (as much as you like) of black pepper.
Now it%u2019s fork(or fingers) to bowl to face.
What a salad. What. A Salad.
Get at it!
-C
makes an entree salad for one or a side salad for a few
2-3 stalks fresh rhubarb (about 2 cups chopped)
3 large handfuls (about 6 oz) baby kale (you can really use any greens)
1/2 a yellow or sweet onion
1tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
black pepper
2 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons warm water
smal handful of chopped toasted almonds
Start by mincing the ginger and garlic and chop onion into small pieces. Place it all into a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and place on medium heat. Once it starts to sizzle, add in a tablespoon or so of water to help soften and cook. Should take about 5 minutes.
In the meantime make the almond dressing. Mix almond butter, soy, vinegar, and a tablespoon of warm water together in a small bowl until completely incorporated. Taste. Add a little more soy if not salty enough, a splash more vinegar if not acidic enough, or bit more water if to thick.
Now chop up rhubarb into about 1/2 inch pieces and toss into skillet along with the other stuff. Cook for a few more minutes until the rhubarb becomes slightly soft. If the plan seems to get dry, add in another few splashed of water. Once rhubarb starts to get tender, take skillet off heat. Add in the baby kale and toss around then immediately transfer to a big bowl or plate. Drizzle almond dressing all over, toss, then top with chopped toasted almonds and lots of black pepper.
Eat.
I found another bag of frozen rhubarb in the chest freezer which is never a bad thing, but my rhubarb patch outside is growing strong and I will have all the fresh rhubarb I could possible eat within the next few weeks. So found rhubarb just means I need to eat it right fast before the fresh stuff comes in. (I haven%u2019t had a problem with that. it%u2019s almost gone already). Plus the other day while I was digging up and transplanting raspberry bushes to the back yard, my neighbor came over and gave me a gallon of frozen raspberries, harvested from said bushes that I was currently planting in my yard. Score for me! Free bushes and berries%u2026I have such nice neighbors.
So the logical thing to do with my new found and giving bounty was of course to hurry up and bake something. Cobbler. Why cobbler? Well, why not? I figured the mr would really like it and eat it and I also didn%u2019t want to make anything to fussy because I was just to dang busy spending all of my extra time outside doing outside things. And cobbler, it%u2019s not fussy because it is basically biscuits and jam baked up all together. Not a lot to think about and comes out looking all homey and sweet and smelling all nice and cozy. Doesn%u2019t that sound nice? And not a pain in the ass?
And best part. A made cobbler works as dessert or breakfasts or just a snack. Just asked the mr. He ate it for all the reasons. With a dollop of yogurt or cream of course because he is fancy like that.
And yeah the fruit I used was frozen, but fresh works just the same here too.
Now, lets get to that cobbler.
The stuff. Raspberries (frozen), rhubarb (frozen), sugar, flour, salt, baking power, cinnamon ,almond milk, apple cider vinegar, cornstarch, and oil.
Raspberries, rhubarb, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch. Its all there in the bowl. Just needs to be mixed. So mix it.
Dump fruit mixture into well greased 8 inch pan and pop it into a hot oven to get a head start on baking.
While the fruits in the oven, make the biscuit dough. Mix the dry together then mix in the wet until just incorporated and a sticky dough forms.
Pulled from the oven, the fruit is starting to cook down and whoa, it just smells so good!
Drop on the biscuits dough on top of the fruit (careful of the hot pan). Evenly if possible, but don%u2019t work to hard to make it look perfect. Imperfection makes it look perfect, you know?
Once biscuits are on, lightly brush the tops with a little milk and sprinkle with more sugar then pop it back into the oven for another 25-30 minutes or until the biscuits are baked.
Pulled from the oven with a bubbly filling and a golden brown biscuity top. Things are looking good here.
And now it%u2019s time.
Dig on in my friend. Sever with something creamy like whipped coconut cream or some type of yogurt or ice cream situation of your choice. And again, this can be your breakfast.
Happy spring people!
-C
make a a 8 inch round which serves 5-6
For the Filling
2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups rhubarb chopped into 1/2 inch to inch long pieces (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
3/4 -1 cup sugar (lesser amount if you like a little more tartness. I used lesser amount)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the dough
1 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons neutral flavored oil
1/2 cup plant based milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl mix together the rhubarb and raspberries with the corn starch, sugar, and cinnamon. Grease a 8 inch round pan the is at least 2 inches deep (can use a slightly large pan or a square) and dump in fruit mixture. Place into oven to bake for about 15 minutes or the fruit starts to break down.
While fruit is baking, mix up biscuit dough. Flour, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and baking powder go in a large bowl and mixed until combined. Add in the oil, the milk, and the vinegar. Mix until just incorporated and a dough has formed.
Remove the fruit cooking from the oven. Turn heat up to 375.
Carefully drop spoonfuls of biscuit batter on top of fruit. Brush the top of the biscuits with a little milk and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Place the pan back into the oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until the biscuits are all nice and golden brown on top.
Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm with a scoop or dollop of soothing creamy (coconut cream, yogurt, ice cream%u2026..whatever floats your boat.)
Left overs can be stored in pan, just cover it with something and place in fridge. Can be eaten cold to or reheated in microwave or oven.
I am sadly at my last few bags of frozen garden foods from last season. As of now I have a bag of tomatoes, a couple bags of shredded zucchini, and a bag of rhubarb. Well, had a bag of rhubarb. I think I have eaten almost all of it already. My rhubarb patch better get up and producing stalks soon. And as for the rest of the veggies that I will require. Guess I am going to be surviving mostly on roots from farm share (we are getting a lot more greens though!!!!) and probably doing a bit more grocery shopping then I care too. A few more months. I can do it.
Anyway, enough about my freezer and lack of fresh produce problems.
Here in Vermont maple season is well on it%u2019s way making it a perfect time for anything maple. And rhubarb. Yeah I am using my frozen rhubarb from last year, but any time now (after the snow melts) there will be plenty of stalks for the taking. There will be so much maple and so much fresh rhubarb which are the perfect taste combination. Exciting times! And when added to oatmeal, things just get more gooder. (I know gooder is not a word but I think it should be) Oatmeal, especially baked, is the stuff where all gooder things start.
Have you had baked oatmeal yet? It truly is fantastic. Not at all gummy and gloopy like stove topped cooked oatmeal (but I like it like that too). It still has a good bite to it while still being soft and creamy and boy oh boy is it just the bees knees. With the addition of some crunchy almond friends, well even better. Trust me. If you are a oatmeal eater, you must try it baked. Best part is that it can be eaten as breakfast but also I have been serving it to the mr for dessert with a healthy drizzle of more maple. It%u2019s that good friends. From breakfast to dessert. Everyone is happy.
To the baked oatmeal.
The stuff. Old fashion oats, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, rhubarb (fresh or frozen), REAL maple syrup, some plant milk, a few flax eggs, a bit of tahini, and some almonds.
To start. Oats, cinnamon. salt, baking powder and almonds get a quick toss together in a big bowl.
If you rhubarb is not already chopped up into inch long pieces, do that. I already did before freezing it so yea me. Once its chopped, layer almost all of it (reserve a few small needful to toss on top) into a lightly greased 9×9 inch baking dish then cover evenly with the oat mixture.
In now empty bowl mix together the milk, the flax eggs, the tahini, and the maple until evenly incorporated.
Pour the wet mixture all over the oats and let it absorb.
Once the liquid is all absorbed , top with any left over almonds and the left over rhubarb. For good looks.
Pop into a hot oven to bake.
Golden brown with crispy edges. Rhubarb and maple baked oatmeal for all your maple, oaty and rhubarbie needs.
Fresh from the oven scooped warm into bowls. Top with extra maple if thats what you should want do.
Enjoy and happy maple season!
-C
Make a 9×9 pan of oatmeal
2 1/2 cups old fashion oats (make sure gluten free if need be)
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb chopped into inch long pieces
1 1/2 cup plant milk (water works but it won%u2019t be as creamy)
1/2 cup chopped almonds (optional)
Preheat oven to 375
Lightly grease a 9×9 inch baking pan (I used metal because it makes for crisper edges but glass works too) and dump 2 cups of the rhubarb in and evenly distribute on the bottom. In a large bowl mis the oats, the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Mix in chopped nuts if you are using. Evenly cover rhubarb with oat mixture. In now empty bowl mix together the milk, flax eggs, maple syrup, and tahini until evenly incorporated. Pour mixture over oats. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until the oats have abosbed all the liquid. Toss the rest of the diced rhubarb and a few more chop nuts to the top and pop into the oven to bake.
Bake for 30-40 minutes (shorter time for a wetter oatmeal, longer for a denser crispier oatmeal)
Once baked to your likeness, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes just so it is not super hot. Scoop into bowls and serve warm with extra maple and milk or whatever you might want to serve with it.
Left overs last great in fridge for 3-4 days or individual portions can be frozen for a month or two. Just pop into microwave for a couple minutes to warm up.
The day started off with rhubarb soup and ended in cinnamon walnut rhubarb bread. The bread was a star,%u00a0the soup, not so much, which sucked because I was so excited and so sure it was going be fantastic. Tomatoes, rhubarb, and fresh ginger.%u00a0Doesn’t that sound good? I still have hopes for the combination, but the batch I made was way way to acidic and thick and spicy because I added so much fresh ginger to it that it made the mr’s eye water and my nose run a little. So yeah, the soup needed work, but I was not going to end my day of rhubarb cooking with a fail. Also I felt like I owed it to the mr to make him something that he found edible. He really did not like the soup.
I knew the mr wanted (or at least he hinted at) pie but I had no time for pie. I already spent the morning making not so good soup and I had shit I needed to do. Pie would just take a little to long.%u00a0Quick bread was more in my time frame. A few minutes to chop and mix,%u00a0toss it into the oven for a while. and done.%u00a0%u00a0I had time to cleaned up, run to the post office and bank (I should probably tell you not to leave your oven on when you are not in the house, but I do, but only for short periods of time. And don’t tell the mr. He will kill me) and come back to the house not on fire and fresh cinnamon walnut rhubarb bread. I felt redemption,%u00a0even this it was not pie. The mr didn’t complain, not one bit.%u00a0
And by the way, the soup made it’s way into a different batch of soup that had other stuff in it and it WAS fantastic.%u00a0
The stuff. Rhubarb and walnuts and a bowl with flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Also have coconut oil, brown sugar, soy milk, and a little dish or more brown sugar, cinnamon, and coconut oil for the topping.%u00a0
Chop rhubarb and walnuts into small pieces, not tiny pieces, but not big ones either.%u00a0
Mix the brown sugar and coconut oil into dry mixture, then add in the milk and vinegar and mix until just incorporated (don’t over mix).
Don’t forget to mix in the rhubarb and walnut pieces.%u00a0
Pour batter into a greased pan and then its %u00a0time for the cinnamon sugar topping. (cinnamon+sugar+coconut oil=rainbows?)
Cinnamon sugar topping %u00a0gets crumbled on and I found a few stray walnuts so I tossed those on top too. %u00a0
Now it’s time for the oven.
Look at that, fresh from the oven. So handsome.%u00a0%u00a0Pop it out of the tin and get it onto a wire rack to cool.%u00a0
And when it’s cooled a little and you are ready to take a seat, you slice and eat.
-C
makes one loaf
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cups brown sugar%u00a0
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup soy or another plant milk
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 stalks rhubarb (2 cups chopped)
1/2 cup walnuts
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 hefty tablespoon cinnamon%u00a0
Preheat oven to 350
Chop rhubarb into small 1/2 inch pieces. If your walnuts are whole, chop those up into small pieces as well.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix together then add in the brown sugar and %u00a0the melted coconut oil and mix. Then add in the say milk %u00a0and apple cider vinegar and mix until all is incorporated. %u00a0Stir in the chopped rhubarbd and walnuts.
Pour batter into a well greases bread pan. For the cinnamon topping, just add the cinnamon and brown sugar to the melted coconut oil and mix. %u00a0Crumble the mixture on top of the bread. if you have a few more walnuts, you can toss those on top too.%u00a0Pop bread into preheated oven.
Bake for 60 -70 minutes %u00a0or until a tester stuck into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack. When ready, cut and eat.
Bread lasts 3 day in airtight container on counter, a few days longer in the fridge. %u00a0Freezes well.%u00a0
The rhubarb is ready and I am ready. There will be rhubarb in everything for weeks. But what to start with? I was debating if I should go classic and make a pie, or maybe savory and make a rhubarb tomato soup (going to make that soup later), or maybe just a big batch of jam to stick on and in everything.. Then I remembered %u00a0that I had a cookie dream last fall, a dream that I had made almond rhubarb cookie. (that is the extent of my dream memory) %u00a0And who am I to ignore a cookie dream? So I starting off rhubarb season with cookies.%u00a0
These cookies are all sorts of good. They have oats, almonds, flax, and a vegetable (because we all know that rhubarb is technically a veggies right?) so right there is a good enough excuse to make them. And to eat whenever, including breakfast, because remember, all the good stuff. But don’t let that good stuff fool you. These cookies are just as good, if not better then any other cookie. Soft and chewy. So nutty, sweet but not too, and rhubarb all tart and fantastic cutting in to say hey hey hey. These are springtime, any time, cookie time cookies. Dream cookies that are now reality cookies.
Let the rhubarb begin!
The stuff. Almonds, oats and rhubarb. Brown sugar, vegan butter, a flax egg, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla and salt.
First we need to turn the oats into flour so blend them in a food processor until that happens%u00a0
Next up are the almonds. These you want to pulse for about 2-3 minutes they become %u00a0more of an almond meal the flour. Don’t over blend or else you might end up with almond butter.%u00a0
Next up. Sugar, vegan butter, cinnamon, vanilla, ans flax egg all go into a big bowl.
Mix well until all combined and incorporated.%u00a0
Now add in the oat flour, almond meal, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
Stir it up and there you go.. but the rhubarb!
Remove the leave from rhubarb if you haven’t already.%u00a0They will kill you!(or make you violently ill).%u00a0Chop the rhubarb stalks into small pieces that are roughly the same size as chocolate chip. Some chunks can be a little bit bigger, but you don’t want the piece too big or else you will end up with soggy cookies.
Rhubarb goes into cookie batter Mix it all in.%u00a0
Scoop out dough onto baking sheet and give them all a good pat to flatten them down a good bit. Place them into the oven for %u00a017-22 minutes to bake. until nice deep golden brown.
Golden brown and baked all nice. Look at those rhubarb chunks.%u00a0So pretty.
Cookies out on a wire rack to cool and firm up a bit.
So now you eat yourself a cookie. Or two.
-C
makes 18-22 cookies depending on size
1 1/2 cups raw almonds
1 1/2 cups old fashion oats (gluten free if needed)
1/3 cup vegan butter room temperature
1 flax or chia egg (1 tablespoon ground seed and 3 tablespoon water)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2-3 stalks rhubarb (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
Preheat oven to 350
Add oats to a food processor and blend until the oats turn into flour, which will take about 2 minutes. Dump the now flour into a bowl. Add almonds to the food processor and pulse for 2-3 minutes until the almonds turn into fine meal. Dump into the bowl with oats.
In a large bowl mix together the vegan butter, brown sugar, flax egg, and vanilla until fully incorporated. Add in the oat and almond flours, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda and mix until la dough forms.%u00a0
Grab rhubarb and chop into little pieces that are roughly the size of a chocolate chip. Measure out 1 1/2 cups and dump into batter. Mix until incorporated.%u00a0
Scoop out cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet and flatten each cookie to aboutt 1/2 inch thick. Place into %u00a0preheated oven. and bake for 17-22 minutes (rotate after 12)%u00a0%u00a0or until a nice golden brown on top and bottom. (Depending on your baking sheet and stove, it could take a few minutes longer, just keep your eyes on the cookies!)%u00a0%u00a0Once bakes, place on a wire rack to cool.%u00a0These cookies are very fragile until they cool off so be careful handling them.%u00a0
Let cool and eat. And yes, these are 100% exceptable to eat as a breakfast cookie.%u00a0
Left over cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room tempature for 2-3 day, longer in the fridge, and can be frozen .
And eat yourself a cookie. Or two.
Cookie anecdote. %u00a0I placed a cookie sheet full of cookies back into a cold oven to store while I was cleaning up the kitchen. And left them there and kind of forgot about they, And then I cranked the oven on to make dinner and a few minutes later smelled something burning. OH fuck… the cookies! I pulled them out just in time to see that I had completely burnt the bottoms. SO PISSED ( I might have raged cried a little). But you know what I did? I cut all the bunt bottoms off and placed the crumbles up un-burnt bits onto a bowl. The mr came home and ate the bowl of crumble and was happy as a clam. And lucky had left out half of the cookies l on the counter so not all were lost. But lessons learned. Cookies crumbles are just as good as whole cookies and always check the oven before turning it on. There might be cookies in there!!!%u00a0
What a week, what a week. I have barely had time to think, let alone cook food.%u00a0
I had the rhubarb that was in need of cooking, the corn is all over the place all super fresh, and I had me a few minutes in between running around to make some food.
%u00a0I made this (what I now realize is succotash, which is such a fantastic word for food) a few weeks back, fell in love with it so I wanted to make it again. I also wanted to see if the mr would like it this time (he didn’t so much the last time) Says he is not a corn fan. But I don’t know, I still think he loves corn and just wants to be a pain in my ass and tell me he doesn’t. I figured that this time I made it, he would finally declare his love of corn, I mean, there is butt load of rhubarb in it too. And big creamy lima beans and nice sweet onion, and tomatoes. Yes it has a lot of corn, but it has so much more.
Well, he didn’t declare his love of corn.%u00a0 He did have a big scoop on his dinner plate, ate a bite or two then, picked out all the lima beans and chunks of rhubarb then told me that corn love wasn’t going to happen. He also aid that I should stop messing with the rhubarb and just make another pie.
What a butt face.
Whatever, more for me! And if you are awesome and you like sweet corn, tart rhubarb (corn and rhubarb together is the best) ,and are in need of a great summer side for any and all of your summertime food time needs, this is a winner.%u00a0 Super fast and easy to make, eaten warm or cold, and keeps well. It screams BBQ time. (Or 10 o’clock at night, standing in front of the fridge, eaten with a big spoon) It’s good whenever.
The stuff. Rhubarb, fresh corn, and some cooked lima beans. Also need a tomato, a sweet onion, red wine vinegar, salt ans pepper, a little olive oil and water (not pictured) and a few sprigs of fresh parsley.
The onion and rhubarb gets chopped up and tossed into a big skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil and a few splashes of water and place on the stove to cook a bit.
Corn needs to come off the cob. Do it the way you like, but I find holding corn vertical in a big bowl and cutting it down works best.
Slightly soft rhubarb and onions, ready for the other stuff.
Dump the corn, the tomato (chop it up first) the lima beans(drained) and a few splashes of vinegar into the skillet. Stir it all up and keep on heat for a few more minutes until the corn is just barely cooked and all the flavors have had a few minutes to meld.
Toss in some fresh chopped up parsley and season with salt and pepper…..
Into a pretty bowl for eating now or eating later.
This big ass bowl is all for me!!!!
Have the greatest weekend!
-C
2 ears of corn
4 fat stalks rhubarb (mine where about 10 inches long)
2 cups cooked lima beans
1/2 a sweet onion
1 tomato
fresh parsley
salt and pepper
few tablespoons red wine vinegar
olive oil
a few splashes of water
Chop the onion into small pieces then chop the rhubarb into smallish chunks. Toss the rhubarb and onion into a skillet with just a tiny bit of olive oil and a few splashes water. Place on the stove on medium heat and cook until the onion and rhubarb are slightly tender, but not to soft.%u00a0 If you need to, add a bit more water to the skillet to keep the stuff from browning or burning.
While the rhubarb is cooking, remove the corn from the cob and chop up the tomato into small chunks.%u00a0 Toss the corn, the tomato, the lima beans (drained) into the skillet with the rhubarb and onion. Pour in about 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Mix and cook for another few minutes just until the corn get slightly cooked and all the flavors have had a few minutes to meld.
Remove from heat and dump into a bowl. Chop up a handful of fresh parsley and sprinkle all over
Serve right away warm or stick in the fridge and serve cold later.
My rhubarb patch has turned into a rhubarb jungle and I couldn’t be happier. At the beginning of the spring I moved like 10 of the plants to the new patch location and was wondering if I would even get a small crop this year. Guess my soil is premo cause those plants be ginormous.
And now I am harvesting the stalks from that jungle and I have rhubarb coming out of my ears. (I will be eating rhubarb all summer long) It’s not really a problem per say, but there is so much, so it’s time to get a little crafty with the tangy sour veggie stalk.(rhubarb sword fight anyone?)%u00a0 One of the first things I made with some of it was a salad that consisted of roasted and slightly charred zucchini, onions, corn and rhubarb. I made it for the mr thinking that he was going to love it because he loves rhubarb so much. Well he didn’t love it because of all the corn. (Such a weird egg that boy) But me,I loved it, like ate it all and then some. Corn and rhubarb are such a good combination and if the mr wasn’t being such a weirdo, he should have liked that salad too. But it gave me the inspiration for the cake . A cornbread cake ( he loves cornbread) sweetened just the right amount with maple. Not exactly a rhubarb corn salad, but you get the idea. And this cake is totally multi purpose. Made as dessert and would go extremely well with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream but would work equally as well served with a bowl of baked beans. I mean, can cake for dinner get any better?
The stuff. A bowl with cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, along with a little salt. Also need some maple syrup, soy milk, earth balance and apple cider vinegar.And of course we have a few rhubarb stocks,
Start with melting the earth balance and maple syrup together on the stove and letting it thicken up a bit. While it’s thickening, think about the shape of you skillet and haw you want to layer you rhubarb, like the design of it.
Then when the maple is thickened and you know how you want to layer it, chop up your rhubarb and start placing in into the bottom of the skillet. Any way you do it, just make sure that the bottom is pretty much covered in rhubarb and that its only on stalk deep.
Now for the batter. Easy easy. Just whisk together the dry and combine all of the wet into a bowl.
Wet and dried mixed together.
Pour the batter gently onto the rhubarb and smooth the batter out.
And into the oven it goes.
Pulled from the oven when the cornbread is golden brown and a tester stuck into it comes out clean. Let it cool just as it is for about 10 minutes… (give the maple time to cool and set up so it doesn’t just get sucked into the cake) then flip in. I flipped mine onto a piece of parchment and a cutting board . You could try to go directly onto a cake stand or plate, but It might get a little messy. I like to play it safe when flipping things and just use a big cutting board. Now get ready to cross your fingers…..
Ta da!. Ain’t it a beaut? And don’t worry if a little piece or two get stuck in the pan. Either scrape it out and place it back on the cake or consider it a little snack.
There you have it. A cake good to go for all your meal eating needs.
Go rhubarb GO!
-C
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup melted earth balance + 2 tablespoons
1/3 cup maple syrup + 2-3 tablespoons
1 1/2 cups soy milk (or any plant based milk)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2-3 stalks rhubarb (enough to cover bottom of skillet)
Note. I baked this in a 10 inch cast iron skillet. If you don’t have one, a 9 inch circle or square pan will do the trick, you are just going to have to simmer the maple in a pot ans pour in into the pan you are using…and maker sure to grease it!
Preheat oven to 350.
Place the 2 tablespoons of earth balance and the 1/3 cup of maple into a 10 inch skillet and place on medium heat. Stir around until earth balance is melted and the maple starts to thicken. Remove from heat. Now grab rhubarb cut into pieces and layer it any way you see fit, making sure to cover the bottom of the skillet but not layering it in to thick.
In a large bowl mix together the flour corn meal, salt, baking soda and powder. Then In a separate bowl, mix together the apple cider vinegar, soy, melted and cooled earth balance and the remaining maple. Pour wet into dry ans mix until even;y incorporated.
Pour batter gently on top of rhubarb, leveling out if need be, then slide it on into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a tester stuck into the middle come out clean.
Remove cake ans let cool for for about 10 minutes. This is really important,because flipping to soon and all the rhubarb maple will just absorb and soggy up the cake and if you wait to long, all that goodness willl harden up and get stuck. SO 10 minutes.
Now when your ready yo flip, think about size. I used a big cutting board that , but a plate would work to, just make sure it;s slightly bigger then the skillet. Then just do it flip and lift the skillet away. Any pieces that might have gotten stuck can be scraped off and placed back where they belong.
Now your cake is ready and waiting for you to eat. Sweet enough for dessert, not to sweet that you couldn’t serve it with dinner. Multi purpose cake.. the best kind!
I found another bag of frozen rhubarb in the chest freezer which is never a bad thing, but my rhubarb patch outside is growing strong and I will have all the fresh rhubarb I could possible eat within the next few weeks. So found rhubarb just means I need to eat it right fast before the fresh stuff comes in. (I haven%u2019t had a problem with that. it%u2019s almost gone already). Plus the other day while I was digging up and transplanting raspberry bushes to the back yard, my neighbor came over and gave me a gallon of frozen raspberries, harvested from said bushes that I was currently planting in my yard. Score for me! Free bushes and berries%u2026I have such nice neighbors.
So the logical thing to do with my new found and giving bounty was of course to hurry up and bake something. Cobbler. Why cobbler? Well, why not? I figured the mr would really like it and eat it and I also didn%u2019t want to make anything to fussy because I was just to dang busy spending all of my extra time outside doing outside things. And cobbler, it%u2019s not fussy because it is basically biscuits and jam baked up all together. Not a lot to think about and comes out looking all homey and sweet and smelling all nice and cozy. Doesn%u2019t that sound nice? And not a pain in the ass?
And best part. A made cobbler works as dessert or breakfasts or just a snack. Just asked the mr. He ate it for all the reasons. With a dollop of yogurt or cream of course because he is fancy like that.
And yeah the fruit I used was frozen, but fresh works just the same here too.
Now, lets get to that cobbler.
The stuff. Raspberries (frozen), rhubarb (frozen), sugar, flour, salt, baking power, cinnamon ,almond milk, apple cider vinegar, cornstarch, and oil.
Raspberries, rhubarb, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch. Its all there in the bowl. Just needs to be mixed. So mix it.
Dump fruit mixture into well greased 8 inch pan and pop it into a hot oven to get a head start on baking.
While the fruits in the oven, make the biscuit dough. Mix the dry together then mix in the wet until just incorporated and a sticky dough forms.
Pulled from the oven, the fruit is starting to cook down and whoa, it just smells so good!
Drop on the biscuits dough on top of the fruit (careful of the hot pan). Evenly if possible, but don%u2019t work to hard to make it look perfect. Imperfection makes it look perfect, you know?
Once biscuits are on, lightly brush the tops with a little milk and sprinkle with more sugar then pop it back into the oven for another 25-30 minutes or until the biscuits are baked.
Pulled from the oven with a bubbly filling and a golden brown biscuity top. Things are looking good here.
And now it%u2019s time.
Dig on in my friend. Sever with something creamy like whipped coconut cream or some type of yogurt or ice cream situation of your choice. And again, this can be your breakfast.
Happy spring people!
-C
make a a 8 inch round which serves 5-6
For the Filling
2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups rhubarb chopped into 1/2 inch to inch long pieces (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
3/4 -1 cup sugar (lesser amount if you like a little more tartness. I used lesser amount)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the dough
1 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons neutral flavored oil
1/2 cup plant based milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl mix together the rhubarb and raspberries with the corn starch, sugar, and cinnamon. Grease a 8 inch round pan the is at least 2 inches deep (can use a slightly large pan or a square) and dump in fruit mixture. Place into oven to bake for about 15 minutes or the fruit starts to break down.
While fruit is baking, mix up biscuit dough. Flour, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and baking powder go in a large bowl and mixed until combined. Add in the oil, the milk, and the vinegar. Mix until just incorporated and a dough has formed.
Remove the fruit cooking from the oven. Turn heat up to 375.
Carefully drop spoonfuls of biscuit batter on top of fruit. Brush the top of the biscuits with a little milk and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Place the pan back into the oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until the biscuits are all nice and golden brown on top.
Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm with a scoop or dollop of soothing creamy (coconut cream, yogurt, ice cream%u2026..whatever floats your boat.)
Left overs can be stored in pan, just cover it with something and place in fridge. Can be eaten cold to or reheated in microwave or oven.
This has been the week of broken things. My immersion blender broke. 2 of the 4 new bowls I bought were smashed. The hand mixer broke while I was making frosting (F**CK). The steam mop is finally completely broken and the mister smashed the screen on his phone. All in a weeks time. Oh, and not broken, but the front end of my car got stuck in a muddy sink hole. It took five badass farmers to help me push it out. It was crazy, but thankfully the car and I survived. But’s it cool. I can replace all that crap and my arms are getting a great workout now that I have to hand mix everything and hand wassh the floor on my hands and knees. ( I do it like a beast!) Because what I really am having a hard time with is that it is nearly April and still have most of my winter clothes out. I just want to but the boots away and get my chaco sandals out. It’s getting a bit ridiculous if you ask me.
WHAT WHAT!!! The first sign of green that I have seen in the neighborhood. 
This little came over and hung out with me. I gave him a muffin and a bowl of “Carrot Chips” (really thinly sliced carrots) He at a few bites of the muffin but ate all the carrots and wanted more…… I love him!
Oh the old man trash dog. His butt hair is finally starting to grow back after he chewed himself a big hot spot. 
I love this pattern for a driveway. 
March 29, 2011. Yeah sure we were in California, but still, we were camping outside.
And who doesn’t love a pineapple, or 4? 
I don’t know if I have bitched enough about it, but I only have one window in my living space. And as much as I love love love our little tiny loft, I am a person who needs the sun. So when I am home I spend a lot of time siting in front of the window. Over the past few weeks I have been doing a lot of watercolor painting in front of that window and somehow between drawings of carrots and vintage fans, I ended up making these marbled window stained glass hoops. And I am glade I did because these little watercolor gems really do make a big impact on my one source of sunlight. Even when the day is kind of gray and gloomy, having these in the window make the light seem brighter and happy. 
So this project is really easy and fast. I recommend that if you are going to go to the trouble (it’s really no trouble) of making one, you might as well make 2 or 5. I actually made a bunch (think Mothers day or Easter presents) and ended up only keeping a s couple. I am going to have to make a few more soon.
Take a piece(s) of paper a little bit bigger then the hoop you are working with and stick it into a pan or tray of water. Let it sit there for a few minutes until the paper is completely soaked.
Take the wet paper and, oh so gently, crumple into a ball. This part can be a little tricky. You want to make as many creases as possible without ripping that paper. (I ripped a few pieces) I found that if I folded that paper a few time, then crumpled that it was less likely to rip.
Uncrumple the paper and lay it gently onto the inner part of the hoop. Now the fun part. Go to town with the watercolors. I used 2 colors per piece, but you could do 1 or 3, or more. When applying the color, use big gentle strokes and let the colors kind of meld together. Watch as all the crumple veins soak up the paint. Try using different dilutions of color. I applied some color on thinly and some on the thicker side. But really, you can’t go wrong, just keep applying paint until you are happy. I stopped a few times and held it up to the window just to see what it looked like. When it looked good, I was done.
When you are happy with the colors, let the paper dry for a while on the hoop until it is not longer super wet. I would say about an hour or so, but if you stick it near the heater, it might dry faster. (Just don’t stick it in the oven while you are making bread like I did with one.. It just ended up setting on fire. Oops)
Last night I had my sister and her kiddos come over for dinner. Nothing fancy, nothing to complicated, just something fast and something that I knew the littles would eat. Spaghetti and meatballs, except replace meatballs were bean balls So they came, we played, did a little drawing and had a bit of first grad gossip. Then came dinner time when I was told by one little that she was not going to eat.. She had pasta for lunch. Well I made her sit anyway and she mainly just ate carrots (I was ok with that) Then the other little was all into his pasta and bean balls, 1 down, 3 more to go, when the mister let slip that the meatballs were not really meat. He ate around the remaining balls, said he didn’t want them anymore. And my sister, well she doesn’t eat anything that is not pizza.
I feel like I don’t need to tell you how to boil pasta or heat up the sauce, so I left that portion of the recipe out. I have faith that you are capable in doing that part without my instruction.
Small chop all the veggies and toss them and the dry spices into a skillet with a drizzle or two of olive oil. Stick on medium heat and add about 1/4 cup of water to pan. Top with slid and let veggies cook down until soft and fragrant.
Add the cooked veggies to a food processor or blender with the rinsed and drained chickpeas. 
The mixture gets pulsed until combined, keeping a little bit of chunkiness. Now go warhead and taste the mixture. Add another pinch or two of salt , pepper or any of the spices that you think it need. Dump the mixture into a bowl and mix in the chickpea flour than stink the mixture into the fridge for a least a 1/2 hour. Cooling to off is really important to forming the balls. If you don’t, it’s much harder to keep mixture from falling apart and sticking to your hands.
After the mixture has had time to cool and set, start rolling the mixture into balls roughly the size of ping pong balls. In a shallow bowl, add a few tablespoons of the chickpea flour with a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Take each ball and roll in flour and place each ball on a well oiled baking sheet. When the balls are all rolled, stick into the oven and bake away for about 30-40 minutes, flipping balls after about 20. After you flip the balls, get the pasta ready so its finished about the same time the balls are done.
You pasta and sauce is cooked and the balls are all crispy and oh so nice.
I love mustard, and when I say love, I mean LOVE. I eat it on anything and everything. And not just small quaintites, I buy jumbo sized containers of the stuff because I go through it so fast. Over the past few years I even started taking down others with my mustard eating obsession. Sisters, brothers, even some of the littles are now mustard eating feens. One of my little nieces is now just as bad as me. I don’t think I have seen her eat a single meal without a side of mustard. Her favorite snack, clementines and mustard, although sometimes she skips the clementines and just goes in with her fingers. Oh so good. I think that child could possible be mine. And yes, it’s mostly the yellow grocery store variety of mustard being consumed, but yellow mustard is just the tip of the ice berg. There is a whole world of flavors, textures and colors when it comes to the humble mustard seed. Whole grain mustard, to me, is one of the best and easiest to adapt to any persons specific taste. You can make it plan or add in just about any spice, vinegar, even a little sweetness that you might like. One of my favorite variations of this mustard is to skip the vinegar and use picked jalapeño juice. Aah, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Yellow mustard seeds, brown mustard seeds, apple cider vinegar and salt. The most basic ingredients.
In a large jar, combine the mustard seed , twice as much vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cover and let sit for on the counter overnight until the seeds have soften and look almost like caviar. 
Now blend those seeds. You might want to add another splash or two of vinegar to help blend and to thin out a bit. Chose how creamy or seeded you like you mustard. I like to make it creamy but seedy so I blend it half way to creamy.
You have got mustard! Make sure you have a good snack ready to eat with it.. My go to is carrots. I could eat this all day long. 
Miraculous.
Rutabaga. Sweet Potato. Beet. That’s what I was working with. I chose these roots for color as well as for taste. Separately the flavors are amazing. Together they are out of this world. If you wanted you could omit any of these and sub in, lets say, pureed cauliflower, or maybe parsnips. I would stay away from potato, it’s a little to starchy, but maybe acorn or butternut squash. Oh man, now I want to make celeriac, carrot and acorn squash marble. Pureed vegetables are trouble for me. I can’t stop eating when they are around. I know, but don’t judge, instead lets prepare.
So you got a pile of roasted rutabaga, a pile of roasted beets and a baked sweet potato.
I used my handy emulsion blender to puree everything but a food mill or a food processor is equally as good. Puree each root separately . Start with the rutabaga. Go to the sweet potato, then end with the beet. That way you don’t have to clean in between purees. Add little amounts of water when pureeing if it needs a little help to loosen up. Blend until smooth.
I just took a spoon and threw piles in that bowl. I could have done more of a checkerboard pattern to make it a more uniform marble, but I just went for it. Do it any way you want. Don’t be afraid, you can’t screw this up!
I took a fork and kind of rain it throw the top to start the effect. I then took a cake knife and just leaved it out. That’s what I did and then I was done. After all the oohing and aching, I stuck the dish into the oven for another 10 minutes just to keep hot, but you can serve this at room temp as well.
Now tell me that isn’t a thing of beauty. I fell in love. I want to puree and marble everything. This could be my thing.
Empty bowl…Ok, I’ll admit I ate half of it..I couldn’t help it. Next time I will have to make a bigger batch.
Is it really for real April? Where has all the time gone and where the hell is the warm weather? It’s not funny anymore. I am officially OVER winter! Ok, so now that I got that off my chest…..
The Stuff. Cornmeal, water, navy beans and parmesan for the polenta. Crushed tomatoes, garlic, dried basil, onion, carrot, zucchini, and summer squash for the sauce. Salt, pepper, and olive oil all around.
Cornmeal and water go into a cast iron skillet (or any oven safe dish) with a pinch of salt and pepper. Give it a little mix and stick it into the oven at 400 degrees .
Once the polenta is in the oven, make the sauce. Chop up all the veggies and stick into a dutch oven or sauce pot with a pinch of salt, the basil and a good drizzle of olive oil. Stick on medium heat and let veggies cook down a bit. When the veggies are tender, add in minced garlic, crushed tomatoes and another drizzle or oil. Turn burner to lowest setting and simmer (giving it a stir every now and then) for about 45 minutes or until the polenta is done. 
After about 30 minutes when the water had pretty much all cooked down, take the polenta out of the oven and stir in the beans, the parmesan, a tablespoon or two of olive oil and salt and pepper. Smooth top out and sprinkle with more pepper, parmesan and drizzle with a bit more oil. Stick back into oven for another 1/2 or until polenta has formed a crust and no longer giggles when you wiggle the pan.
Pull polntna from the oven and let sit for at least 1o minutes. 
From Scratch Oreo Cookies Yea! — The Lovely Crazy
August 22, 2020 by maximios • Blog
So when my sister called and asked me to make something for my nephews bake sale to raise money for his basketball team, I couldn’t say no. (or I didn’t want to say no cause any good excuse to bake right!) Plus I had just found this awesome recipe on one of my favorite blogs, my name is yeh, for home made Oreos that I have been super excited to try, so it kind of worked out. But before I committed to the Oreo, I wanted to just double check with my nephew and see what he might want me to make because it was his bake sale.
This is the conversation we had. And yes, it was through text.
Me- “Hey bud, what do you want me to make for your bake sale? Cupcakes, cookies, donuts, or brownies”
Jack- ” Yea!”
Me- “Yea what?”
Jack- “Make that.”
Me- “Make what?….Hello!! What do you want me to make? Should I make Oreos?”
Jack- I WANT OREOS!”
Ok.. So it took a little while, but we got there. And after the the basketball game and the super successful bake sale..
ME-“Did you see the Oreos?”
Jack- “What do you mean?”
Me- “The Oreos I made for the bake sale…the ones you wanted me to make”
Jack- “There was a bake sale? I want Oreos”
Yup, that’s the attention span of my 13 year old nephew. Little shit head. But for real, I had so much fun making these cookies and I am definitely going to be making them again. Plus they were a super hit at the sale.
I am the best aunt! (and sister!)
When you have cut out your cookies, use a spatial and place them on a baking sheet. You can try to transfer with you hands, but you end up messing up the shape and most of them will break anyway.
Stick the cookies in the oven for about 15 minutes a batch and continute to roll and cut out the cookies until you have no dough left.
Stacks of cookies… Sold to the highest bidder! I was told that they sold out within the first half hour at $1.50 a pop….Should have charged $5…. for a good cause right?
And yes, even though he was being a space head and didn’t even care that I just made him like 50 bucks for his team, I still saved the kid one.He just had to give me either a hug or 5 bucks for it.
I got a hug. (I really wanted the 5 dollars)
-C
From Scratch Oreo Cookies
Adapted by Molly Yeh from My Name is Yeh!
The cookie (makes about 18 3 inch Oreos)
The filling
Cookies- In a large bowl cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and coffee and mix together. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder. Add dry to wet and mix together unit a uniform dough forms. Dump out onto a lightly cocoa or powdered sugared surface and knead dough a few times. Split ball into two balls, place in bowl, and stick in the fridge for 15 or so minutes.
Preheat oven t0 325 degrees
When dough is chilled, remove one ball at a time, and roll dough out on a cocoa or powdered sugar dusted counter until its about 1/4 inch thick. With a round (any shape would work) cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can. In between sits, dip cutter in a sugar and cocoa to keep the cookie from sticking. Transfer cut out cookies onto a baking sheet with a spatula. Take scraps, roll into a ball, and roll out again. Keep doing that until you can’t cut out any more. (You can either bake a weird shape cookie or just eat the dough)
Bake cookies for about 15 minutes or until the cookie has risen a bit and the tops have lost their glossiness and look cooked. Remove from oven and let cookies dry on a wire rack.
Make the filling
Filling- Beat together butter, sugar, vanilla, and cream until completely mixed and is at your optimal consistency. Add a drizzle more cream if you want to thin out or add more sugar for a thicker cream.
Stick the filling into a piping bag or ziplock bag an snip the end. With cookies in pairs, pipe a big dollop of filling onto one of the two cookies. Place the naked cookie onto the filled cookie and give a smooth to distribute the filling.
lick your fingers and eat a cookie.
If selling at a bake sale, charge $3 a cookie…. If it’s for a good cause.