12 Days of Cookies - Day 2

I had my first Pilates class last night. My privates sessions don't start until next week so my instructor suggested I take a mat class in the meantime. Luckily, the classes aren't that popular at the gym (which is surprising to me), so it was just three of us in the class which allowed for a lot of personal attention to technique. Thankfully my co-worker, Ithaca Chick, agreed to go with me, which always makes it more fun. The mat classes are definitely different from the one-on-one sessions where you get to use all the fancy machines, but I still liked it a lot.

I like the attention to detail and the general principles of using the correct (although tiny and hard to find) muscles in your body. It makes much more sense to me than just a general gym workout where you might fall prone to using only your major muscles. Especially someone like me who isn't a gym-nut and doesn't subscribe to workout magazines and would almost certainly not have the knowledge to do a fully correct workout. Also, I had no back pain last night after my workout because my muscles were still tight from the class and therefore tight enough to be keeping my spine in the proper place. Hooray for immediate gratification!

And since I'm working my stomach muscles, that earns me the right to eat Christmas cookies, right? Here is Day 2 - a cookie I'm sure B would love since they're crunchy and spicy.

Moravian Spice Cookie Wafers

This cookie comes to us from North Carolina by way of Central Europe; it's a classic, peppery spice cookie brought to the U.S. by Moravians in the 1700s. The key to this cookie is rolling it super-thin to get that characteristic snap; it's a lot easier to roll it that thin between waxed paper. If you don't have the patience, go thicker, for chewy gingerbread-style cookies. Either way, these cookies would be fantastic on your holiday table.

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 large egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper and mustard together in a medium bowl.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until just combined and lightly fluffy. Beat in the molasses and egg yolk. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix together on low speed until dough is just combined and still crumbly, about 3 minutes. Give dough a few turns with a spatula to bring together.
Lay out wax paper on a clean work surface and put about 1/3 of the batter on top. Lightly press down and top with another sheet of wax paper. Using your hands or a rolling pin, gently pat into a rectangle. Roll out with a rolling pin until dough is as thin as possible without breaking, no thicker than 1/16 inch thick. This is the key to these cookies: they really can't be too thin. Gently peel back the layer of waxed paper and then replace it loosely.
Transfer rolled batter to a flat baking sheet and freeze until firm and can easily be peeled away from the waxed paper, about 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Cut dough using a small (2- to 3-inch) fluted round cookie cutter and return to the freezer for 15 minutes to set. Transfer frozen cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until crisp and lightly, evenly colored (but not brown), about 10 minutes.
Busy baker's tips: Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days. The dough can be frozen, between sheets of waxed paper and well-wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 weeks. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month.
Cook's note: Don't be intimidated by how many cookies this recipe makes. This dough freezes well, and you can roll out far in advance -- so when you need cookies, you can cut and bake as needed, which is a great holiday time saver.

12 Days of Cookies

Today is the first day of Food Network's 12 Days of Cookies! I get them emailed to me everyday so I thought I would pass them along. I know that most people who read this are bakers, so I'm sure it will be of use during the always-busy holiday season. Let me know if you have any raves!

Florentines

These Tuscan cookies are a Christmas classic. They're nutty, lacy and crisp, as well as deceptively simple to make. Drizzling them with chocolate turns them into the perfect holiday indulgence.

• 1 3/4 cups sliced, blanched almonds (about 5 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping, optional:

2 to 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty. Stir together the nuts, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.

Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine. Set aside until cool enough to handle, 30 minutes.

Scoop rounded teaspoons (for 3-inch cookies) or rounded tablespoons (for 6-inch cookies) of batter and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread.

Bake 1 pan at a time, until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color throughout, rotating pans halfway through baking time, about 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve.

Optional chocolate topping:
Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very low simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, about 1 to 2 minutes more.)

For sandwiches: Drop about 1/2 teaspoon chocolate onto on the flat side of half of the cookies and press together with remaining halves. Return to rack and let chocolate set.

For chocolate decor: Drizzle melted chocolate over Florentines as desired. Set aside at room temperature until chocolate is set.

Busy baker's tips: Store baked cookies carefully, separated by parchment or waxed paper, in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Florentines are best stored separated from moist cookies and cakes.

Crock Pot Success!

Woo Hooo!! We had crock pot success tonight and now I suddenly feel like this is just the best invention ever! What a brilliant, brilliant idea! I mixed everything last night, put the whole crock pot insert in the refrigerator, and then set it up this morning. When we came home, not only was there a great dinner, but there weren't the usual heaps of pots and pans from an elaborate dinner, just 2 plates and some silverware to throw in the dishwasher. Here's the recipe...

Pork Chops & Mushrooms:

• 2 boneless pork chops
• 1 medium onion sliced or diced
• 3 oz sliced mushrooms (I used baby portabellas)
• 1/2 envelope dry onion mix
• 1/3 C water
• 1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup

Mix everything together, cover, cook on low for 6 hours.

Dinner & Dessert

As you can see, there is a reason I call her Dino Girl! Tuesday is Dino Girl's 25th birthday and to celebrate she made herself an unbelievable pink and purple stegosaurus cake. Is this ridiculous or what?!?! When it comes to dinosaurs, her dedication is endless. Look at the detail on the back plates!

As for my own culinary prowess, tomorrow is Take 2 for the new crock pot. The chicken curry recipe was fairly good, but the chicken was dry. So now it's pork chops with mushrooms. I'll let you know how it goes. And in the mean time, if you have any crock pot recipes, pass them my way.

Mmmmmm....

I am SO happy we registered for a waffle maker!!! And I'm equally happy that B's grandma and grandpa gave us the waffle maker as an engagement present. I've been waiting for a Sunday where we could bust out the Bisquick and make some sugary breakfast goodness and today was the day. Yummy waffles topped with heated strawberries and homemade whipped cream with cinnamon and nutmeg. It was fancy restaurant good! What a great way to start the day.

Other than that it's been a relaxing and productive weekend. The Christmas decorations are up and the house is clean if you don't count the bedrooms. And why count the bedrooms since no one ever sees them? Hope you have a good week and a relaxing Monday.

Holiday Weekend

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! We had a short but nice trip to Albany to see B's family. Unfortunately he had to work today, so we left last night. And although it's too bad we didn't get to stay longer, we had such a relaxing few hours just sitting by the fire after we got home. There's just something so lovely and comforting about sitting on your own couch, with a fire in the fireplace, surrounded by no one but each other and the two little fur babies. I felt extremely thankful.

During our brief stay, we not only ate lots of very yummy food, but all the gals went dress shopping. I bought "the dress," and my mom was all set to try on some mother-of-the-bride dresses and then bought the very first one! She looked great and felt great, so why wait? It's even - gasp! - black. Apparently MOBs don't often wear black, but most of the wedding is a little non-traditional, so why not. The lady said it's actually becoming quite trendy for the moms to be in black. "As long as you're not Italian, it'll be fine," the dress lady said. "Uh... both sides are Italian. Why does that matter??" So she went on to explain that sometimes the traditional Italian grandmas don't like the moms to wear black, but both of our grandmas are pretty hip, so we'll risk it.

I also got to work on wedding stuff with my super talented future sister-in-law. Save the Date cards, Out of Town bag labels, wine labels, etc. Here's a sneak peek at the Save the Dates she designed - we test printed one this morning to make sure they would work in the printer.

And I'll leave you with a shot of Miles, who was doing a wonderful job watching the printer to make sure everything turned out OK.

Crock Pots, Clementines, & Rain Boots (AKA: Winter is here)

Yes, just in time for the holidays it seems as though winter has really arrived. Not arrived in a pretty, everything-is-frozen, trees-covered-in-white kind of way. More of a everything-is-cold-and-muddy-and-gross kind of way. B has already started the massive complaints and tantrums that come with winter. Poor thing, he just hates it, he hates every little thing about it. I told him to join a bowling league since it's indoors and he loves to bowl. We'll see if he actually does it.

So... the crock pot. Last Christmas we celebrated out west and my mom was smart enough to know that we couldn't haul a crock pot back across the country, so she gave us a gift certificate. (I would like to mention that my darling little brother wasn't quite as forward-thinking and got us a lovely rice cooker that we had to bring on the plane with us. It was both annoying and hysterical!) Anyway, life got in the way and we just now redeemed our gift certificate and are the proud owners of a slow cooker. It seems to me that it's more of a wintertime thing, so it's good timing. As I write this, the little crock pot is at home cooking away at our Chicken Curry recipe. I have to tell you though, it's very nerve wracking for someone as fire-conscious as me to leave something hot on all day long while at work. I don't even leave the dryer on while away or asleep thanks to vivid memories of my aunt's dryer fire.

Now for clementines. How wonderful and healthy and great are clementines?!!? I just burst with happiness on Sunday when I saw them in the produce section. So small and easy to peel, they're just the perfect food. And you have to remember that I spent my formative years down in citrus country in Florida, so I just love it!

What do I not love? Attempting to walk to your car every morning in pointy heels when you have a "driveway" composed of wet, gushy mud. Thus began the "rain boot hissy fit." As you (probably) know, I'm not prone to hissy fits, but sometimes you just have to draw the line. "This is riDICulous!! Who lives like this!?!!? Who lives in the snow country and does not own either rain or snow boots!??! I'm done! Done with this crap! As soon as I get to work I'm sending you the link to these cute rain boots my co-worker just bought!!! They're $44.95 and now they're on my Christmas list! Ridiculous!!" Ah, winter.

So whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving in rain boots, snow boots, or shorts, I hope you all have a lovely holiday with your friends and family. I know we will :)

Gettin' Things Done!

I'm having another productive weekend when it comes to the holidays and the wedding. I finished buying and wrapping what was left of the holiday shopping yesterday, so now I'm about 80% done. Not to mention that my presents look so cute! Dollar store wrapping paper and dollar store gift tags - can't beat it! The Dollar Tree is my best friend - all other dollar stores make me feel like I need a shower, but not our Dollar Tree, I love it!

Anyway. B is still working every Saturday, so after errands and working were over we had an amazing dinner at the same place we held our engagement party. Wow... heavenly. B had a tuna steak and I had ricotta gnocchi with a truffle sauce. It's such a great place - a mile from our house, quiet, modern, all organic, and unlike anything you would ever make at home.

So today we're back on wedding plans. I updated the look of our wedding website, picked out a cake design, and started researching online florists since sweet Ouiser has agreed to help me save money by acting as my florist. AND (this is huge!), I reviewed our budget yesterday and we're actually completely on track!! Really! I've done such a great job of finding A-list designs for B-list prices. As I've mentioned before, it's one of the great things about being one of the last to get married, you know exactly what to spend your money on and where you don't need to. Let's hope I can keep it up. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Good Deals!

I have Christmas and birthday shopping on the brain lately, so I thought I'd pass along some of my shopping finds to you. I'm proud to tell you that not only is almost all of my Christmas and December birthday shopping done, almost everything is wrapped!! With ribbon! I have to brag because it's just about the only part of life where I'm ahead of the game, so it feels like a huge victory.

Do you have hardwood floors, dust, and a love of slippers? Well these little babies just might be the perfect give for you! Check out the Slipper Genie at a fun shopping website called Delight.com

Or how about a full set of Oneida flatware for only $9?!! Or maybe a 10-piece set of KitchenAid pots and pans (normally $300) for only $90, including shipping?! Those little gems come from a new website I just learned about called dealnews.com. If you visit, be sure to scroll past all the electronics listed at the top to get to the home goods.

I didn't actually buy anyone's birthday or Christmas presents at these websites because I just learned about them, but I thought you all would want to know! Happy weekend!

Private Pilates

As part of my ongoing work to get my back in order and get me out of pain, my PT prescribed me to go to a private pilates session this week. The pilates instructor I went to was also a PT, so I felt completely confident in the session. And all I can say is... Wow! Wow! Real pilates is nothing like the DVDs that they sell, which I actually own! Nothing.

I immediately trusted my instructor because she was in a conversation with another instructor talking about how she's going to get a boob job once she's done having babies. Why does that make me trust her? Well, there are SO many militant liberals in the town we live in that it was wonderfully refreshing to meet someone who is totally dedicated to the health of her body... but also a normal woman like the rest of us who wants to change things about herself.

Anyway. We spent a full half hour on a completely in depth postural analysis - feet, knees, rib cage, pelvis, shoulders, neck, head, spine, etc. She looks at every part from every angle. It feels a little jarring at first because you're hearing all the things that are wrong with you - your feet pronate in (roll inwards), your knees do something I can't recall, your pelvis tips forward to arch your lower back (typical gymnast pose), your head juts forward and to the left, your left shoulder is overdeveloped, etc.

But it's good to know how in depth the process is and how dedicated they are to making your health improve. Normally we would have spent the next half hour on basic pilates muscle identifications and exercises, but because I'm in physical therapy she went through my 6 nightly exercises and taught me how I should really be doing them. Again... WOW. Basically, the way I was doing them would build me muscle, but not the right kind of muscle so there were a lot of small but radical adjustments.

The basic theory behind pilates, if you don't know, is to build up the stabilizer muscles deep within your body. The smaller muscles that surround your spine, pelvis, etc. The "power muscles" that we typically build by going to the gym or doing a regular ab workout, don't provide stability and strength where I need it most, which is my inner spine. (Interesting anecdote: she said that the "six pack" muscles that we all crave, while beautiful, are the least effective of the stomach muscles and only serve to help you bend forward)

But back to the tiny muscles - you should try to find those!! She told me I had excellent body awareness, meaning that I'm talented at locating muscles and making them do what I'm supposed to, and yet it still seemed nearly impossible! How about this - while laying on your back, try to find the "saran wrap" muscle that wraps around your body. Do this by pretending to bring your two hip bones toward each other, but don't move your spine, tense your butt etc. It was actually kind of funny because I just got to the point where I would think in my mind about moving my hip bones together and then she would say "yes! that's it!". Huh??

I feel like my nightly exercises are going to take about twice as long now because they're so detailed and so specific, but it's great to know that I'm doing them properly. From here I have 5 more private sessions with the pilates instructor. It's pricey, but at this point I'm completely dedicated to doing what I need to do to get better. And not just getting to the point of feeling less pain, but truly and deeply better. After I'm done with my private sessions she's pretty sure that I'll be able to take group classes, which are obviously much more affordable. I'll let you know how it goes!

Engagement Photos!

All photos copyright of Mary Corcoran Photography

All photos copyright of Mary Corcoran Photography

All photos copyright of Mary Corcoran Photography

All photos copyright of Mary Corcoran Photography

Here they are! B and I have been waiting impatiently for our engagement photo proofs and they came today!! Yeah!! Now we have to pick which ones we like to have made up. Of course, there are more than 4, so if you want to see the whole batch, send me an email and I'll give you the link. They'll be up for 2 weeks.

Home mysteries

Pretty quiet Saturday here in the Finger Lakes. B had to work most of the day, which is unfortunate, but they have a huge deadline coming up, so it's necessary. I started to clean out my closet of all those old clothes and shoes that I never wear. I made a Salvation Army pile that will definitely go, and a "I probably won't need it, but if I get rid of everything I don't wear I'll have nothing left, so I'll keep this for now and reassess in a few months" pile. Since my drawers and closet aren't organized, I don't really use them which severely increases the amount of clothes clutter in our bedrooms.

I say bedrooms because B and I have our actual bedroom that has the closets, dressers, bed, pictures of us on the wall, etc. and then we have the room we actually sleep in - the guest bedroom. I can't even remember when we started doing that, but it was a while ago. The guest bedroom is always cleaner as we keep the clothes clutter to the regular bedroom, and it's in the back of the house, so it feels a little more secluded from the road. Funny habit I guess, but it works just fine for us!

It's absolutely unbelievable to me how quickly we can accumulate items we don't use. I am not a pack rat at all - except when it comes to random craft supplies - and yet I feel like every time I weed through paper, books, or clothes, I have no problem finding piles of things I can get rid of. Oh to have a house filled only with what you need and love and nothing else. I wonder if that's attainable? My guess is that it's at least more attainable than where we're at now.

Tomorrow is Wedding Day. We have some catch up to do and tomorrow is the day. Unfortunately, B's Saturday work schedule prohibits me from having a computer for an entire day each weekend, which really cramps wedding planning. Additionally, my boss reminded me on Friday that our big trustee meeting is only a month before the wedding, so it'll take some careful planning to navigate those two realities. Hope you have a great weekend!

She Won!

Just wanted to give a hearty congratulations to dear friend and bridesmaid Z who WON her election to the Rochester school board on Tuesday!!! She and her husband have had THE most exhausting year I have ever heard of. Every single moment after work and on their weekends was spent walking door to door and campaigning. When we went to NYC last month she was already on her very last thread of energy, so I can't even imagine how she's feeling now. If you know her and want to send a little email congrats, let me know and I'll pass along her address. Congrats Z!

Life Goes On

As much as I would like the world to stop and do nothing but fly to Arizona to meet and kiss sweet Liliana, Feather Nester's new baby, life does go on... I'm afraid to say that winter has begun to set in here in central New York. There are still some beautiful orange leaves on the trees, but flurries are expected later today and I've been forced to bring out my big winter coat. I also went shopping for winter boots yesterday, albeit unsuccessfully. I figured that after living in the north country all my life, I really owe myself a pair of winter boots. I'm picky though, so it may take a little while.

I've also been a terrible interim Director this week and have left everyday at 5pm (gasp!!). As much as I want our little museum to do better financially, my life just falls apart when I work so much. Not to mention that we have the wonderful luxury of having two cars this week since we have my mom's car while she's in AZ. It's truly wonderful. B is getting more done at work since he doesn't have to depend on me and others for rides home, and I'm finally getting a few errands done. If we're lucky, people may actually get Christmas presents now!

As for the ongoing saga of the my back injury and recovery, I'm sorry to tell you that I've had a week of setbacks. Not for any particular reason, I've just had a lot more pain this past week than I've had in quite a while. And I'm sure this is normal for such a long recovery, it's just so disheartening to have been doing so well and making such great strides, only to start feeling daily pain all over again. I have PT today though, so I'll see what my therapist says.

Perfect Little Angel

Feather Nester's perfect, sweet little baby Liliana is here!! I told her I wouldn't post any pictures until she got a chance to, but now that she has, I'm cleared. These are secret cell phone shots that Mama Scarlet Lily got yesterday. All went well and from what I hear, the entire Feather Nester family plus Mama Scarlet Lily are trying to get as much sleep as they can by taking shifts.


Auntie M from Vermont and I decided last night on the phone that we were barely used to the idea of the pregnancy, so the idea of a baby and motherhood is just way too big to take in right now. Auntie M and Feather Nester are my only friends from long ago, so it just makes it that much more intense to watch one of them enter into motherhood. When my mom called me at 2am from the delivery room to tell me she had arrived, all she could mumble through the tears was "All I can think of is watching you two walk home from junior high together! I can't believe this is happening!" I'm hoping to be able to meet and snuggle sweet Liliana sometime over the next few months. Until then, lots of pictures and gurgles over the phone will have to suffice. Much love to the whole Feather Nester family!!

IT'S TIME!!!

She Did It!!!!
11:19pm
19 inches / 8 lbs.

She has black hair, chubby cheeks, and has the same birthday as Feather Nester's mom! I got to hear her chatting and crying over the phone tonight. Hopefully they'll post pictures soon!!

Congrats S Family!!

************************

7:45 Update - Last I heard from Mama, everything is moving forward faster now! Should be a few more hours.

************************

5pm Update - Not too much progress yet, everyone is pretty bored and pretty tired. They started some Pitocin an hour ago and are going to see if that helps push things along. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat through the cell phone!!

*************************
I received at call at 5:33am this morning - Feather Nester is in labor!!!!!! Believe it or not, I was laying in bed thinking "I wonder if they'll call me in the middle of the night or if they'll wait until the next day..." And then the phone rang!

For those of you who don't know, it's been quite a lot of daily and hourly updates trying to figure out when/if my mom should fly down to Arizona for the birth. But Mama Scarlet Lily has incredible mental powers (seriously) and has been having long, cross-country talks with tiny baby, telling her that she had to stay right where she is until the evening of Nov. 2nd when she was set to fly down. Well... it worked.

She worked all night, drove from the hospital straight to the airport, flew to AZ, got three hours sleep and then got woken up! Delivering babies on two different coasts in the span of 24 hours - impressive! So I tried to sleep, but a seriously restless cat (once he decides you should be up, there's not much you can do to dissuade him) and thoughts of labor are keeping me awake. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything!!

Friday in Cubicle World

It's Friday... aaaaannnndddd I've hit my limit. I had a remarkably productive week and my work day started at 7:45am, so I'm pretty much done... emotionally... with my work week. While rifling through my bag I ran across my camera (!) so I decided to take a picture of my Office memo board that my co-worker got me for my birthday. Enjoy. And remember... "The eyes are the groin of the head."