Day 31, 69 to go: Blue Roses Nightshirt

Adorable and not Barbie-proportioned!

These arrived in the mail today—presents from my friend Cathy.  Aren’t they adorable?  The dressform part is about 3 ½ inches high. Cathy said she saw them and thought of me! I WILL find ways to display them all year around.  They are just too fabulous.

I kind of want one for myself.

Today, I made buttonholes again.  I made this nightshirt at least a year ago, but meant to make it about 3 years ago.  I made one just like it for my friend Laura’s baby shower.  I thought with the buttons down the front, it would make life easier for the new mommy.  Our friend Jacqui mentioned that  she loved it and I decided to make another for her.   So here it is 3 or 4 years later.  Jacqui has 2 kids and probably no intention of any more, but I finally have buttonholes in this thing.  So I just have to sew on the buttons and this will finally be on its way.  

The fabric hanging behind the nightshirt is a little preview, by the way.  I plan to recover my couch with it.  I am still trying to decide whether to use it vertically or horizontally.  And I am still ambivalent about whether to reupholster or to make a slipcover.  Tune in again in January when I start on that project. 

Maybe tomorrow will finally be the cookie-thon.  I was just jonesing to make buttonholes today.  I guess this is what happens after getting past the phobia.  I have moved on to philia. 

I also need to make a recon into Center City to check out this year’s Christmas Village and this charming Victorian candy shoppe.   And laundry.  There’s always laundry, isn’t there?

Day 30, 70 to go: Pochette dough

Cursed?

It’s a good thing I am not Sicilian, or I would just stop now.  I went to get the flour I needed for the Pochette dough but encountered an odyssey that led me to wonder if it was meant to be.  First, regular flour was nowhere to be found.  Eventually I discovered the last 3 bags and snagged one.  When I got to the checkout, I discovered the bag had a slit in it.  The girl at Trader Joe’s was very accommodating (of course) and had them bring a bag that wasn’t broken to replace it.  When I went out to the parking lot to arrange my stuff in my wheeled bag, of its own accord, the flour jumped out of the cart and landed on the ground.  Nothing else jumped.  Just the flour.  Luckily, the bag did not break—it only popped open when it hit the ground.  I managed to get my wheely bag packed and was ready to go on my way when I realized… the flour was still sitting on the park bench where I had put it when it fell. 

I thought long and hard about whether I even wanted that frakking bag by that point.  Not being Sicilian, I did not attribute any evil curses to the inanimate object and just stuck it in the bag and brought it home.

Flour doesn't stand a chance against butter & cream cheese.

Once home, I mercilessly put 4 cups of that ornery flour into the double batch of Pochette dough as I planned to yesterday.  Doesn’t this look yummy?  Butter, cream cheese, a vanilla bean and flour.   Soon, it will be stuffed with Nutella, baked and maybe even make it out of my house in a cookie care package.   

I still want to make more gingerbread dough –the classic molasses kind—and then I will start cutting out all these cookies.  There are cranberry/white chocolate drop cookies in my future as well.  And at least two kinds of springerle—bunny and spinster. (You’ll see)   Too bad my pizzelle iron took a dive off the top of the fridge some time ago.  Those were always fun to mess around with.  (Heaven forbid I make the standard anise ones.)

So that’s the update for today.  More cookie dough made.  Cookies to come.

Nutella Pochettes
Description:
This is an adaptation of a recipe from The Food Network by Melissa d'Arabian. I think it would be an impressive addition to the Western PA Cookie Table. It's also a nice substitute for traditional rugelach.
Ingredients:

1 c (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 vanilla bean (optional)
2 c flour
1/4 c plus 2 T Nutella
Water, as needed
Confectioner's sugar, as needed (1/4 cup?)

Directions:

 
1.   With a mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until light and creamy.
2.   Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the mixture and incorporate evenly.
            (You can toss the bean into a sealed container of sugar to make "vanilla sugar" which  is yummy in tea)
3.   Add the flour slowly until nearly incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
4.   Use your hands to gently mix the last of the flour into the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5.   Preheat oven to 375
6.   On a lightly floured surface, use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough about 1/8 inch thick.
7.   Use a 3 inch fluted circle cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can.
8.   Smush the scraps together and reroll to cut out more circles.
9.   Place a small dollop of Nutella in the center of each circle. (Maybe half a tsp at most)
10.   Dip your finger in water and run it around the edge of half the circle.
11. Fold the dough in half over the nutella and press edges together to seal.
12.   Transfer to a cookie sheet. (I recommend 2 sheets on top of each other or an AirBake pan)  
13.   Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
14. Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes and then lightly dust with confectioner's sugar.
  (I am thinking I may mix cocoa and confectioner's sugar for the dust. I might even chop some toasted hazelnuts and toss them in with the Nutella)
16.   Store in airtight container.
Number Of Servings: 32 Pochettes
Preparation Time:About 2 hours including the 30 minute rest in the fridge

Day 29, 71 to go: Light Gingerbread dough.

Yummy Nutella filling...

I had a plan this morning.  I was going to make a double batch of dough for Nutella Pochettes and stick it in the fridge overnight so I could make them in the morning.  Sadly, I didn’t have quite enough flour on hand, so those will have to wait.  I was being so good at getting the cream cheese and butter to room temp.  Oh well.

In case you are unfamiliar with the Nutella Pochette, here is a picture.  A former co-worker came across this recipe last year and thought I would like it.  She was so right.  For those of you who are rugelach lovers, I recommend this variation.  Like rugelach, the dough is made with flour, butter and cream cheese.  Only instead of preserves, nuts, raisins, poppy seeds or other traditional fillings, these are stuffed with Nutella.  Sigh. 

Of course, since they are filled with Nutella, I can’t make just one batch.  I need to make at least a double batch.  And even then, the chances they will make it out of my house to someone else are kind of low…

Light gingerbread bunnies--honey bunnies?

Without enough flour for that double batch, I made a batch of light gingerbread dough which I will cut out tomorrow (after I go out and get more flour, right?)  This is a recipe I came across the year before last.  Instead of molasses as a sweetener in them, this recipe calls for honey.  I really like them.  They have that same intoxicating mix of spices—ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice that go into regular gingerbread.  But with honey rather than molasses, they have an entirely different flavor profile.  I love the way my house smells when I bake gingerbread. 

So, tomorrow, there should be some cookies to show for the dough I am making… I guess this week will involve a lot of cookie baking… and gnome making… How can it be less than 2 weeks until Xmas already? 

Golden Gingerbread Cookies
(by Jennifer Lindner McGlinn from her cookbook, Gingerbread)

Description: This was in my Gingerbread cookbook. They are such a nice take on regular gingerbread because they use honey instead of molasses.   They have a more gentle spice and are excellent cut-out cookies.   This makes a fairly small batch.

Ingredients:

2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 c (1 stick) butter at room temp
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c packed light brown sugar
1/4 c honey
1 large egg

Royal icing or sugar sprinkles
Directions:

1. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and spices.  
2. Beat butter on medium hgh until smooth.
3. Add the sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy.
4. Spray 1/4 c measure with Pam and then measure honey into it and add to sugars and butter. (The Pam lets the honey slip into the batter instead of sticking to the measuring cup)
5. Beat until smooth.
6. Drop in egg and mix until incorporated, scraping sides as needed.
7. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture just until dough comes together.
8. The dough will be very soft.
9. Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, press into a disk and wrap tightly.
10. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
11. Position rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking liners.
12. Roll the dough onto well-floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick and cut out with cookie cutters.
13. Arrange on cookie sheet (If you are decorating with sugar, this is the time to sprinkle it on)  
14. Bake for 8-10 minutes until they are barely golden brown.
15. Cool on pan for a minute or two and transfer to airtight container placing wax paper between layers.
16. Cool completely and decorate with royal icing if desired.

Number Of Servings:20 4" cookies
Preparation Time:Several hours including 2 hours in fridge

Day 28, 72 to go: Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was put under a spell for much of the day by 2 cats who pinned me to the bed and forced me into a dreamscape I could barely escape. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Early this year, there was a pay-it-forward chain on Facebook that challenged people to make something for the first 5 people who signed up.  I have not forgotten.  I did have to look it up again to see who was on the list.  Some of those people will be getting a box of cookies.  The pumpkin chips are disappearing.  I need to make lots more cookies, or there won’t be any to mail out. 

File Photo

So today, I fell back on the oldie-but-goodie, chocolate chips.  I have been baking them for so long and so often, that I don’t need to get out a recipe.  I have it memorized and ritualized so that I only dirty one ¼ cup measure, a bowl and a wooden spoon to make the dough.  I also drop them by teaspoons, so a pair of spoons gets dirty too.  But those are easily cleaned by licking them, right? 

One key to success is to use Airbake ™ pans.  They prevent the bottoms from burning while the top is setting.  I like these cookies gooey and the chocolate melty.  I have found that putting them in an airtight tin to cool, (rather than on a rack) allows them to stay moist and the chocolate doesn’t seem to quite return to its original hardness.  (I also learned early on that you have to layer the cookies with wax paper when you put them in the tin, or you end up with a delicious, but ginormous clump of cookie-ishness. )

My youngest sister (Borg #8 0f 8) likes to bake things in an extremely uniform fashion and drops her cookie dough onto the sheet using a little ice cream scoop.  Her cookies are works of art.  Mine are much more free form.  As beautiful as her cookies are, she doesn’t bake often because perfection can be time consuming.  I, on the other hand, am free to just fling dough around and can make a batch from start to finish in an hour flat with almost nothing to clean up.   Of course if people are around when I am baking them, it doesn’t even take that long since they tend to eat about half of the dough before I can put it in the oven.

Of the things I know how to do, the one I have the most confidence in is my ability to make kick-ass chocolate chip cookies.  I know there are people who are  better at everything else I am good at.  Except the chocolate chips.  I have yet to discover any better than mine.  Just sayin’.  

Life-changing Chocolate Chip Cookies

Description:
In blind taste tests, these have been chosen over Mrs. Fields... They are soft, gooey, chocolatey and pretty much the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had if I do say so myself.

Ingredients:

1 stick margarine
1 stick butter
2 eggs
2 Tbl real vanilla extract, no imitation or you'll be sorry...
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 1/4 c flour
1 12 oz bag semi sweet chocolate morsels

(No skimping. They have to be real chocolate.)

Hint: to limit dishes to clean, measure all dry ingredients with the 1/4 cup dry measuring cup.
Airbake insulated pans or doubled sheet pans are essential to keep these gooey.

Directions:

1. In large microwaveable bowl, melt butter and margarine for about 2 minutes on high.
2. Preheat oven to 375 with racks in the middle of the oven
3. Remove butter from microwave and stir until melted smoothly.
4. Add salt, baking soda and vanilla extract.
5. Stir in sugar with wooden spoon.
6. Mix in brown sugar.
7. Add eggs and mix until smooth.
8. Add flour 3/4 cup at a time and stir until all flour is incorporated.
9. Pour in chocolate chips and mix in.   (Try to leave more chips in the batter than you sneak out.)
10. Drop by generous teaspoonfuls onto airbake pans or doubled cookie sheets. The airbake pans are great for preventing burned cookie bottoms.
11. Bake for approximately 6 minutes.   Check for doneness.   When done, the edges will be barely golden brown and the tops will be set--no longer mushy batter, but not golden.
12. Remove from pan with thin flat metal spatula and place into a waxed paper or parchment-lined airtight container adding sheets of parchment between layers. Put lid over the top gently to allow some steam to escape.
13. Put the next batch into the oven and re-set the timer.
14. When all cookies are in airtight container, seal tightly.
15. You should have a warm container at this point.
16. Something about barely baking the cookies to just done and then keeping them in the airtight container seems to retain the soft gooeyness of both the cookies and the chocolate.

Enjoy!

Number Of Servings:1, if you're greedy... Makes about 4-5 dozen cookies if you don't eat all the batter first!

Preparation Time:I can do it in an hour flat!

Day 27, 73 to go: Buttonholes and the other red nightgown

They're cuter in pairs.

I am such a big baby.  I had such a mental block about the buttonhole technique on this sewing machine.  I finished the second red nightgown.  There was nothing left to do but finally bite the bullet and figure out buttonholes.  There has always been some sort of attachment with every other machine I have made buttonholes on, so I was feeling like I was driving with no hands to do these. 

I sat down with the directions, practiced a few, made a good collection of mistakes (which is what practice is for) and eventually started to feel like I got the hang of it.  So here are the two nearly finished gowns (I just have to hand-sew the buttons on.)

And then back to the gnomes. 

Supervising avec middle name.

Today’s supervision (such as it was) was provided by Fergus Cassidy.  My friend Karen taught me long ago that all pets need middle names.  At the time, hers all shared the middle name “Marie,” regardless of gender or species.  (“Roger Marie, sit!”)  Felicity’s middle name is Jane.  If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend giving your pets middle names too.  You’ll see.  They come in handy.

Day 26, 74 to go: Rock ‘n’ Roll pj bottoms and Cookies

Remember the nightgowns for Raggedies  that I made a week or so ago? I had them laying out to remind me to finish them with snaps in the back.  I woke up this morning to see Fergus napping on them.  Even when I moved them somewhere else,  I came into the room to discover him posed on them again.  I am not sure what that is about, but if he keeps it up, I am making him a nightgown to wear.  And I will do it.  Ask my sister (Borg #4 of 8) who came home the night before her wedding to find her cat dressed in a wedding gown--with veil. (Tabby was a very patient and tolerant cat)

Hello Cleveland?

These are the last of the niece/nephew pj bottoms.  This niece plays guitar and I think it’s important to encourage girls to play rock ‘n’ roll.  I know whenever I set foot in Sam Ash or any other guitar shop, I am overwhelmed by the number of men there.  Hopefully that will be different for her when she is older.  I guess she, at least, has Taylor Swift as a role model for guitar-playing girls.

  

A serving of vegetables and grain, right?

I also finally got to make cookies!!!! These are pumpkin chocolate chip.   Between the oatmeal and the pumpkin in them, I think I can claim they are nutritious, right?  Vegetable AND roughage?  So what if they are full of butter, sugar and chocolate too?

Tomorrow, I have no choice but to finish the last nightgown and then bravely face the buttonhole challenge.  I need to make 6 for these nightgowns and probably another half dozen on the nightshirt that has been waiting a year.  I will master buttonholes tomorrow. It’s ridiculous that I have this mental block about buttonholes.  I have made them on all sorts of different sewing machines over the years.

And then I can make more cookies. 

Day 25, 75 to go: more jammies

Wear em "up camp" maybe?

I got two more pairs of jammie bottoms done today! Woot! Woot!  This just leaves one more pair of bottoms and the last red nightgown to finish and ship out.  Then I am free to bake.  Cookies.  Polymer clay.  Cookies…

These pjs are for my oldest nephew, who is old enough to drive and sadly, also old enough to hunt.  He’ll say he doesn’t wear jammies to sleep in.  So don’t sleep in them.  But when your sisters are home from college and you guys are hanging around the house, these are perfect for lounging, right? 

For Mini-Me, the musician.

This pair is for my Mini-Me, who has perfect pitch. (Unlike me.)  The Fates have been kind of rough on my sister, her mother (Borg #2 of 8). Her oldest is just like her and the second one is an awful lot like me.  So she gets to relive our dynamic in her kids.  They are great girls—and there is a third one as well whom I also adore.  Beautiful blonde blue-eyed girls.  So anyhow, Mini-Me plays trumpet in marching band and flute in concert band.  Did I mention she has perfect pitch? (I am in awe)  It is fascinating to watch her.  I can see how I was like her at her age.  Of course she is her own person—just like I was/am.  

Today is Day 25.  I am a quarter of the way through my planned 100 days.  I still feel all kinds of creative energy around planning projects and designing things.  I still love the sound of the scissor against the table top as I cut out the fabric.  (It reminds me of sitting under the table with my dollies listening to Grandma cutting out dresses for us.)  I love the scent of the steamy linen water as I press the fabric.  I love the way it feels and handles, the colors and textures.  Sewing hits on all of my senses except taste.  (I guess that’s where the cookie baking comes in.)

Now, how to make a career out of this.  With Oprah off the air and Martha Stewart in syndication on some obscure cable network, it seems to me there is a gaping hole just begging for me to fill it.  Right?