TWD: Volcano Cookies

These cookies remind me of macaroons, the coconut kind, where you mix together egg whites, sugar, and coconut, then bake. This is the nut version.


Today was my quilt group meeting. It was also our holiday salad potluck and cookie exchange, so what better time and place to make and bring cookies. I knew I would get honest feedback from my friends.


First thing this morning I toasted the nuts that my dear daughter had so kindly chopped up last night while I was at work.


Then I mixed all the ingredients together and baked the cookies.

Next my daughter and I tasted them. The verdict was mixed. I thought they were ok, but needed some extra flavor boost. After much stalling, my daughter just said they weren't her favorite.



Really, though, I had no choice but to bring them to my meeting since I had no more time to bake and no other cookies hidden away.


The quilt ladies said they like them just fine, and most of the cookies disappeared. While they are a great way to use extra egg whites and are easy to prepare, I'm not sure I'll make them again because of the mixed reactions.

It's always good to try something new, however, so if you want to try the recipe, head over to Macduff of The Lonely Sidecar.

My friends brought some killer cookies, today, too. There were some no-bake peanut butter-chocolate bars (broken oven), some brown sugar bars that were fabulous, some shortbread/nut bars, and some itty bitty key lime cookies straight from Florida, to mention a few. It was definitely a fun and delicious meeting.

TWD: volcano cookies soon

Just took the cookies out of the oven but I have to run so my post with photos will be coming later.

I must say, though, that my cookies don't look like anyone else's.

Verdict is still out.

Daring Cooks: Salmon en Croute

The 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Simone of Junglefrog Cooking. Simone chose Salmon en Croute (or alternative recipes for Beef Wellington or Vegetable en Croute) from Good Food Online.

The latest challenge from the Daring Cooks called for ingredients that I typically have on hand. I try to keep salmon fillets in the freezer for quick meals. I prefer wild-caught salmon because of the food safety issues regarding farmed salmon. I know there are reputable farming operations, but because this information doesn't usually appear on the labels, I'll stick with the wild ones.


For the crust, I prepared a basic savory pastry, upon which I laid the salmon with seasoning.



Over the top I spread the spinach-arugula cream cheese mixture.


After encasing the salmon with the second piece of pastry, I used my little fishy cutter to decorate the top, giving a hint as to the contents.


The end-result was a tasty salmon mini-pie. Next time I make it, though, I will add some lemon juice. The overall flavor needed just that splash of acidity to make it really stand out.


This is a pretty straight-forward preparation, and a lovely way to fancy up a piece of salmon.


For the recipe, go to Simone's blog, and do check out the other Daring Cooks to see the other salmon and beef wellington versions.

Healthy Breads: Holiday Challah

Our second bonus recipe for the HBin5 baking group is a Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest. Photos do not do this bread justice -- it is lovely in appearance and tastes delicious.


Because my braid was on the long side, I decided to form it into a wreath. It just seemed appropriate for the holiday season.



Just before putting it into the oven, I brushed it with an egg wash and then sprinkled the top with an orange zest-sugar mixture. For both the topping and the bread, I zested one of my blood oranges and used my fingers to rub the zest and sugar together. There was a great orange aroma in the kitchen afterwards, and I even have a bit of topping leftover for the future second loaf.


Fresh from the oven.


The topping was orangey and crunchy and yummy.



The crumb was nice, too. I'm not sure how much this bread was supposed to rise, but the insides look good to me.


For the recipe, head over to Michelle's blog. If you have the new HBin5 book, find the recipe for Whole Grain Challah and customize it with dried cranberries and orange zest for a great holiday treat.

BB: Croissant Bread Pudding

The first Barefoot Blogger recipe for the month of December was a super-delicious, easy-to-make bread pudding.

Made with croissants, eggs, half & half, and dried fruit, this treat was chosen by Peggy from Pantry Revisited.


Due to the richness of the ingredients and the fact that there are only two of us (both croissant lovers), I chose to make only one third of the recipe. Good thing, too, since 2 of the 4 croissants disappeared soon after arriving home.


In lieu of raisins, I decided to use dried sour cherries. They add a nice tartness that balances the richness and sweetness of the bread pudding part.


Because it requires a fair amount of time to bake, I made the pudding for last night's dessert. It turned out that I was the only one home for dessert, so with great restraint, I only ate half.


Tonight, I can truthfully report that this bread pudding is every bit as delicious cold and straight from the refrigerator as it was at room temperature the night before.

I suspect it might even be gone before morning's light.

This recipe is definitely worth the time to make. Stop by the other Barefoot Bloggers to see if they agree.

TWD: Lime Sablés

First, a warning. These are dangerous cookies. Delicious, but dangerous, and not from a calorie point-of-view either.

These cookies can draw blood, as evidenced by the fact that one of the sparkling sugar bits sliced open the tip of my tongue last night.

Bad cookie.


Danger aside, these cookies can be made in a variety of flavors and are easy to make and bake at a moment's notice. I chose lime because it's a favorite flavor and I had fresh limes from my tree. The spice variety was tempting as well, so that will be next on the list.



If you want to give these French shortbread cookies a try, go to Barbara's blog, where you will find the recipe along with some great cookie-making tips. If you want ideas for flavor variations, check out the other bakers on the TWD blog.

TWD: Pears and Alligators

See Isabelle.



See Isabelle get her teeth cleaned.



And you thought quilt meetings were only about quilting!! Silly!


Today was my day to host our semi-monthly small group quilt meeting. Lucky friends! They got to have Rosy Poached Pear and Pistachio Tart for dessert.




My only frustration came when I was disemboweling the poached pears. I used Red Anjou pears and they sure had a tough center to remove. It took 2 knives and a sharp-fanged strawberry scooper thingie to render them edible. Not to mention all the poaching liquid splattered everywhere.


I used a local wine for the poaching liquid, a 2005 Syrah from Cantara Cellars.



The pistachio-sour cream filling was delicious. There was a little left over along with a few pear slices. That will make a nice treat.

The finished tart was gorgeous.



This week's recipe was chosen by Lauren of I’ll Eat You. It required more steps than the usual recipe, but luckily, some components can be made ahead of time with a last minute assembly. All ladies agreed that the tart was delicious and the sauce added a nice flavor.

Stop by the other TWD blogs to see more tarts.


Isabelle's teeth are now nice and white.