This DOES Compute!

After removing the train table from the basement and into the garage, we tackled the next project on our list.  We had talked about it for a while, but since we were on a roll moving stuff, we figured we'd go ahead and get it done.

A few days after the guys had come to visit and move the train table, they were back for another afternoon of guy time together.  I walked into the room and casually asked them if they'd like to do another project for me.  I asked with a smile.  And they agreed, without even knowing what I was about to ask them.

Yep--it was more moving of heavy items.  Except this involved electronics, as in--the family computer.  The very old family computer.

First, they removed all the books from the adjoining bookcase.  Then, under Danny's direction, the got the computer equipment and all the other stuff in the desk taken down.  It really was a mess!

Doesn't life seem like this photo below?  I know sometimes mine seems like a tangled mess.  But the Lord is ever faithful, and when I leave it in His hands, He guides me every step of the way.

I think this was the point my regular lens quit working again, so this is the best shot I could get.  Well, Danny thought he was in the way, so hid himself from the camera.

Here's a better shot of the corner where the computer desk would eventually stay.

Danny spent a lot of time getting the comptuer up and running, while I got the books back into the bookshelf, and the stuff back onto the shelves of the desk.

There's still mess on the floor in the above image.  But not in real life!  Everything has been picked up and put in its place, and the front living room is now a spacious study.  The family room, where the computer desk used to be, is now a spacious room, with the seating arranged to facilitate conversation and family time.  I really like the set-up, and I'll take pictures of that room soon.


Back to life,
Christine

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Choo Choo and Out It Goes!

A few years ago, I cleaned out and organized a large chunk of our basement.  Part of that project included dealing with the train table.  We decided to tip it on its side so we could maneuver around our space.  This is where the train table ended up:

The rest of the area in the above image got cleared out, and we had a clean space once again for our "bomb shelter."  We placed buckets of grains--rice, beans, wheat--behind the massive table, along the wall.  However, it was difficult to maneuver behind that table to get to the buckets to get the food items we needed.  We left it that way for many months, until...

Jacob was home from college on his spring break, and Fernando determined that it was indeed time to move the train table out of the basement and into the garage, so that it would be accessible to be further removed.  Y'know, as in--gotten rid of.

We asked buddies of Jacob to come by, we'd feed them pizza, and they could spend about 20 minutes helping get the massive piece up from the basement.  They agreed.  (They'll do most anything for food.)

Because it was built in the basement, the table was tricky to get up the stairs and down the hallway.  But our guys are pretty innovative, and they figured it out without nicking a single wall.

Um, yeah, that's Thomas tromping through the March snow.  Goofy.

Picture of the cleaned-out "bomb shelter" to come soon.  :)


Back to life,
Christine

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Scotch Shortbread Cookies

Two days of cookies!  Yay!!

Yesterday's post featured Frosted sugar cookies.  Today we have Scotch shortbread cookies.  While sugar cookies will hit your sweet spot, these shortbread cookies are deliciously light and simple.  These two cookies complement each other well.

Scotch shortbread cookies surround pink frosted sugar cookies.

A plate of Scotch shortbread.

You may notice that my Scotch shortbread cookies show flecks of brown in them.  That's because I used a combination of Golden White Flour, with the bran and germ included, plus a little of my home-ground soft wheat flour.  Since my grinder doesn't grind as finely, you'll see the flecks of wheat in the cookies.

Recipe credit:  My friend Linda gave me this recipe.  Here she is at a Christmas tea, holding her favorite tea mug.

On to the recipe.  It's really easy.  Three ingredients.  Can you handle that?  I also double the below recipe, because you can never have enough cookies on hand and because they freeze so well.


Linda's Scotch Shortbread Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour (I use Golden White, which includes the bran and germ)

Cream butter and sugar.  Stir in flour.

Here's the only "tricky" part.  The recipe instructs you to chill several hours--it'll be hard as a rock, though.  Chill an hour, two at the most.  Or, chill until whenever, then pull it out of the fridge and let it sit for an hour or two, or until you can roll it out.

Roll the dough 1/4" to 1/2" thick on a floured surface.  I floured very lightly, and it was just fine.  Cut cookies out with a 1 3/4" cutter.  I used a 1 1/2" heart-shaped cutter, which worked great.  I think smaller cutters are better than the really big ones for this recipe.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.  They don't really brown, unless you've severely overbaked them, so keep an eye on them.  They should look set.  I never know myself when to pull them out of the oven, but I haven't ever ruined them, so bake according to your oven's tendencies (I tend to have to bake slightly longer).

Cool slightly; remove from pan.  Makes about 42 cookies.

Yeah, you know I took pictures.  (I love picture books!)

I mixed the dough--a double batch, of course--in my Bosch Universal Mixer.  Awesome machine.

I put the dough in a 4-cup glass measuring bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and chilled it.

Stacked by Danny (notice the perfect pattern) in a freezer container.

Not too sweet, but sweetly simple.

Back to life,
Christine

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Frosted Sugar Cookies

We all need a little dessert every now and then.  If you're looking for sweet, this recipe fits the bill.   I made these for a bridal shower, along with Scotch shortbread cookies, and interspersed the two among my pretty white china plates.  They were beautiful.

Frosted sugar cookies (in pink), surrounded by Scotch shortbread cookies.

I took home empty plates.

Credit:  I found the original recipe here on High Heels & Grills.  I think she got the original elsewhere, too (she's got the link in her blog post), so you know these cookies are good.

Also, if you click on over to the other recipe, you'll see pictures of beautiful square cookies.  I wanted to try making little hearts with my Pampered Chef heart cutout (about 1.5" in diameter), so mine look different.  Squares are a lot easier; trust me on this.


Frosted Sugar Cookies

Cookies

2 1/2 cups pastry flour (I use the really good stuff with the bran/wheat intact; substitute all-purpose)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (I use Rumford aluminum-free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup cane juice crystals (or sugar)
1 egg (I use pasture-raised fresh)
1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  (The longer you beat it, the fluffier your cookies will be.)  Add egg and combine well.  Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until completely blended.  Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Gently press the batter into the greased baking dish and spread out with hands.  If things get sticky, butter or oil your hands.  Place dish in oven and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until edges become lightly golden.  Set aside to cool completely.  Completely.  I mean it.

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup half-n-half
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
several drops of food coloring, if desired

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and half-n-half until light and fluffy.  Stir in vanilla and salt; combine well.  Add food coloring until desired color is achieved.  Frost your cooled cookie in an even layer; cut into squares and serve.

That's the recipe in words; here it is in yummy pictures:

The dough is really soft!

Gently press into the baking dish (I used a 13x9 Pampered Chef stoneware)

Aaand, since I doubled the recipe, I also used a glassware dish.  :)

Golden on the edges.

Let it cool completely--or your frosting will melt and you'll have a mess.

I tinted my frosting pink for the bridal shower--a red, white, and pink affair.

Spread the frosting evenly on the sheet cookie.

Cut your cookies into squares and lift out with a spatula.  I used a little heart cookie cutter.

Once I was able to lift the sheet cookie out of the pan, I worked on a cutting board.

There were a lot of frosted pieces left when I used a cookie cutter.  But I have guys at home who helped me out and ate all the pieces.  Thanks, guys!  (Of course I ate some, too--I had to test them, y'know.)

The finished cookies.  Don't use a cookie cutter unless you have a lot of time to kill.  Trust me.

Remember, they're not cooling on that rack above!  They're already cooled.  Completely.  No, I didn't mess up that step; I just want to make sure you don't either.

Frosted sugar cookies and Scotch shortbread cookies, ready for a bridal shower.

Back to life,
Christine

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Hummus Spiced Up

As I sit here huddled in my blankets typing this post, I'm thinking of heat.  A bit of global warming would be really nice right about now.  Heat of any kind sounds good to me--and that's why I'm posting this recipe.

Credit--I found the original recipe on All Recipes.  My friend directed me to it, but warned me that the chef who created the recipe probably wrote down the ingredient amounts she thought she used.  I took the original and experimented.  You know me by now--everything was written down, then changed if I added more, or erased if it didn't work.  The "new and improved" recipe is here now, to warm you up on the inside, even if it's still snowing in March, like it is here.

Dry beans--Please use them!  They're so much more economical than canned, and so much healthier for you!  Yes, you have to plan!  Yes, I'm using exclamation points!  :)

Jalapeño Hummus

This makes a large batch (about four cups), so if there are just a few of you, you'll want to halve everything.

2 cups dry garbanzo beans, prepared (keep the liquid!!)
1/3 cup canned jalapeño peppers (I use my home-canned ones, with the liquid)
4 tablespoons tahini
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice (I try to use fresh)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt to taste (for this big batch, I use about one teaspoon)

Prepare the garbanzo beans:  Sort, measure into a pot (3-quart pot works nicely for this amount), and cover with water.  Let soak overnight or several hours (dry beans need to be soaked!).  After soaking, drain, re-cover with fresh water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 2-3 hours or until soft.  Drain most of the liquid off, reserving it (you'll need it!).  Now on to the recipe.

You may use a blender--put all the ingredients in it.  Or you may use a stick blender--plop the blender into a bowl with all the ingredients in it.  (A full-size blender will produce a creamier consistency.)  I use a stick blender because it's faster and there's less to clean up.

Blend everything up.  Use the reserved liquid, adding it bit by bit as you blend, to achieve the consistency you desire.  That's the whole recipe--how hard is that??

Of course you'll want to taste test the yumminess.  Add more jalapeños if it's not spicy enough, or more garlic if you love that.  Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, spread on crackers, eat by the spoonful.  Oh, and lick the bowl when you're done.  Yum.

Jalapeño hummus with tortilla chips.  Spicy yum!

Back to life,
Christine

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Sweet Potato Muffins

I never thought to put the words potato and muffins together.  But some brilliant cook did.  And I have her to thank for it.

I'd really like to give credit where credit is due, but I can't remember where I got this recipe!  I searched online a few different places, to no avail.  I cut the recipe out of a magazine; the backside of the recipe has a story about Groundhog Day, but I couldn't find a catalog or date reference. 

If you've browsed my blog's recipes, you'll know that I do things from scratch as much as possible.  Well, the same goes for this particular recipe.  Please don't tell me if you're using canned sweet potatoes.  I don't think I could handle it.  ;)

I baked my sweet potatoes--I actually used organic garnet yams--in a covered stoneware dish in my oven for a little over an hour at 350 degrees.  Once they were soft, I let them cool, scooped out the pulp, mashed it with a pastry blender (easier to clean than a potato masher), and measured out the amount I needed for the recipe.  I used 5 small-ish yams and had a little bit left over--good enough to eat straight.  (Someone please tell me the difference between sweet potatoes and yams...)

I've made modifications for our own family's tastes and diet, and the recipe I'm sharing with you today has those modifications included.

Also, the original recipe's yield was 20-22 muffins, a rather strange amount.  I simply doubled the recipe and made larger muffins, so my yield is three dozen.  It worked out well, since I have two Pampered Chef nonstick muffin pans, plus one Pampered Chef stoneware muffin pan.  You could always bake two dozen muffins, and put the remaining batter in a bread loaf pan (or a mini loaf pan!).  Or, just bake the muffins in batches.

The batter, topped with cinnamon sugar.

I'm sure these freeze well, but that's something I'll have to try in the future.   You see, I made three dozen of these delicious muffins, one of which we ate for Saturday brunch.  The other two dozen I brought to church for our weekly potluck meal.  My men--especially my husband--argued that I should just bring hotdogs to church and leave the muffins for them.  I was tempted.

Sweet Potato Muffins

two sticks butter, softened
2 1/2 cups cane juice crystals (or sugar; you can also probably get away with using just 2 cups)
4 eggs (I use farm fresh from pasture-raised hens)
2 1/2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (or yams)
1/2 to 2/3 cup milk (I used homemade kefir and measured somewhere in-between)

Dry Ingredients (mix these up in a bowl, which I did the night before)
3 1/2 cups freshly milled soft wheat flour (use less if you're using white or store-bought)
4 teaspoons baking powder (I use Rumford aluminum-free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon (I use spices from Penzeys)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I grate mine from whole nutmeg; use a lot less if you do this!)

Options (I didn't use these)
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  (If you use dark muffin tins, lower the temperature to 350 degrees.  So says Pampered Chef.)  Cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the cane juice crystals, beating on medium speed.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in the sweet potatoes and milk (I just kept using my electric mixer).  Add in the dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened.  If you're using the raisins and pecans, fold them in now.  The pecans would be a nice touch on top of the muffins, if that floats your boat.  :)

Spoon the batter into greased muffin pans (I use coconut oil; you can also use muffin papers), filling about 2/3 full.  Sprinkle the tops with sugar and cinnamon.  (I mix two cups of cane juice crystals with two tablespoons of cinnamon and store it in a jar.)  The recipe says to sprinkle liberally.  I ditto that.

Bake for 18-25 minutes.  It's always best to use the shorter time, then add time as needed.  For my muffins, I baked for 18 minutes, then added a total of about six more minutes.  I had my oven at 350 degrees, too, so make sure you check your muffins!  Test for doneness with a cake tester or toothpick; it should come out clean.

Warm from the oven, with butter.  Fork needed.

Back to life,
Christine

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News Flash -- News News News!!

I hope the post title got your attention.  :)

This blog is not new.  Same old address.  I've got lots of food pictures, so there will be something new here:  lots of recipes!!!!

What's new, you ask?  My business website.  It's short and simple.  Like me.

christine anne photography 

My business name didn't change.  Just the web address:  www.ceeanne.com.  See?  Short and sweet.  Click on over there to browse some sweet and fun images.

Oh, and click over to my photography blog, too:  CeeAnne Blog.  I shortened that address, as well.  You may need to update your blog feeder, reader, or whatever, since the address changed.

The new web address:  http://ceeanne.blogspot.com.

Here's a peek at what I'll be posting over there soon.  Enjoy!

Back to life,
Christine

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