Category: The Kitchen

New Discovery…New Favorite!

Autumn Flavor!

Have you seen this cookie flying around the internet lately?  I did, and I had to try it…especially since my Dustin loves all things Apple!  Well, when I bit into one of the cookies, warm out of the oven, I thought, “This is quite possibly the best cookie I have ever tasted” –And I am a gooey, chocolatey, caramel, peanut buttery kind of gal!  But the apple cider flavor in the cookie itself is so vibrant and delicious, not to mention the warm caramel center –heavenly!

Please do make these…unless you are related to me and live in Indiana, because I plan on bringing some with me when I come to see YOU all (Indiana family) next week.  They are a bit of work, and somewhat time consuming, but worth every penny.  My suggestion is to make a big batch and maybe freeze some to pull out later.  That way your time and work is more worthwhile.  And hurry…it just wouldn’t be the same to serve Apple Cider cookies at Christmas time, or Easter!  They are certainly a Fall Favorite!

Oh, and don’t over bake them.  After cooling, mine ended up harder and crunchy.  I think the caramel –being a sugar –heats to a high temperature, and perhaps it cooks the cookie from the inside too.  Never fear, though –if yours cool to a crunchy version, and you prefer the soft, stick it in the microwave for 8-10 seconds for “fresh from the oven” taste!  They’re so much better that way!  Enjoy!

Oh, How I Love Thee…

…Pumpkin Spice Latte!  Every year about this time, I fall in love again with Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  And the funny thing is, that as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I lose interest altogether!  Then I jump full force into a sea of Peppermint Mochas…and just relish the taste until about Christmas.  After that, I still like the Peppermint Mochas, but not so exclusively.

Well, the problem with Pumpkin Spice Lattes is that they are difficult to immitate.  I mean for Peppermint, you can just use peppermint oil, or dissolved candies.  For caramel, you can dissolve caramel.  But how do you attain the flavor of Pumpkin Spice without using pureed Pumpkin and lots of Spice?  Then this can make quite a gritty drink if not done properly.  Of course, the easiest way would be to use some of that fancy syrup Starbucks uses, but who knows where to buy it? and how much would it cost?  And we all know, if we invested in that, we would probably have to buy it in bulk.  Then by the end of the season, we would have used an eighth of the bottle, and by next year it would be lost or no good at all!

Well, I found a pretty good recipe for a Pumpkin Spice Latte.  It is not perfect, and the drink is thick and full of spice and puree, but it is enjoyable too.  In fact I loved mine until about the last fifteen percent.  Then you get all the pureed pumpkin and spice that has settled to the bottom, and it gets a strange texture and bitter taste real quick!  So do you know what I did?  I covered and refrigerated that last little bit, and the next morning, I added more milk coffee, and sugar, and had another Pumpkin Spice latte!  Not so bad!  So go ahead and try it if you’re brave, but beware of the last few gulps…I wouldn’t try to drink it!  (You could even try adding half the spice the recipe calls for to avoid a bitter end of the cup.)

Here’s the link.  You’ll be taken to another website where you’ll see the recipe when you scroll down.

Happy Fall!

Our Day Off

Well, right now in our lives, we are privileged to have every Monday off together.  It probably will not always work out that way, but for now we enjoy it!  Today we slept in a little; Dustin got up first, had his devos, then went out to mow the lawn.  Eventually I woke up (the baby was very sleepy today!!!), and read my Bible, then went out for a walk.  Finally we left the house, and headed to York.  Most Mondays we go to York and eat at Chipotle (we’ve become quite the supporters of this restaurant!).  Some Mondays we go to  Shrewsbury and eat at Chick-Fil-A –perhaps our second favorite fast food restaurant!  A couple of weeks ago we tried Arby’s, and liked it, so we went back there today.  Then we shopped around at a few stores for some odd things.  Dustin was really spoiling me today…guess it pays to be pregnant!  Then we headed home.

Then I started working in the kitchen.  I cooked up the veggies we had and was able to make two salsas –green and red (WONDERFUL DAY!), and while I was working on the salsa, Dustin started making a New York style Cheesecake!  It is cooking now, and I have ingredients to make a cherry topping to eat with it.  I remember my Mom telling me once, “Andrea, do everything together,”(meaning Dustin and I) and I have to say it was really fun to work together on our kitchen creations today!  Little things like this can make such memorable days!

Hmmmm...a whole quart of each, red and green salsas; now I'm a rich girl!

 

New York cheesecake in the oven!