Sweetness and Light

Teatime with Squirrel Nutkin and A Pinecone Treat!

What does Squirrel Nutkin and Pinecone Treats have to do with Teatime & Shakespeare?  Well nothing really, but as our day unfolded we migrated to our teatime routine and after reading the ever-delightful Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter, we dove in to creating these yummy little treats courtesy of none other than Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight!  We had returned earlier from a quick trip to the market and picked up Apple Cider and opted for that nice and toasty rather than tea today.  While we created our Pinecones (see recipe below) we listened to Jim Weiss's retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, it's hysterical and captivated us ALL! 

Pinecone Treats (not for the squirrels, ;)

Pretzel Sticks (we used 4 inch twisted pretzels)

Crunchy (or creamy) Peanut Butter (preferably organic)

Sliced Almonds

Spread each pretzel stick with the peanut (or any nut) butter and then either roll in the sliced almonds or place them up and down the stick to make a "pinecone"

Eat and Enjoy!!  Yummy!

Happy Fall and thanks for visiting today, May God Bless you in your day!

Outrageous Brownies, Really!

Well, here are the aforementioned incredibly Outrageous Brownies, really!  I know you all have your favorite brownie recipes with the frosting, or confectioners sugar artfully dusted atop, however, with no offense to any bakers reading, these are the ultimate, hands down.   I actually didn't really care too much for brownies before I tried these because they were either too dry, or too sweet (believe it or not) or just kind of boring, but leave it to Ina Garten (once again) and she has mastered the art of fine brownie making, and thankfully, I think I have replicated it.  (And, no, I am not receiving any kick-backs from The Barefoot Contessa, darn it all anyway!)  Enjoy, they really are Outrageous! 

Outrageous Brownies

Makes 20 large  brownies.

• 1 pound unsalted butter
• 1 pound plus 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (go for the Tollhouse)
• 6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• 6 extra large eggs
• 3 T. instant coffee granules (optional, I've never added)
• 2 T. pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups chopped walnuts (if you're not allergic, they really make a difference in flavor)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 12x18x1-inch baking sheet (this is crucial, don't skip this step!) emphasis mine.  Melt together the butter (yes, the whole pound), 1 pound of the chocolate chips and the unsweetend chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water.  Allow to cool slightly.  In a large bowl, stir, do not beat, the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar.  Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture (slowly, always whisking) and allow to cool to room temperature. 

In a medium bowl, sift together the 1 cup of flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add to the cooled chocolate mixture.  Toss the chopped walnuts and remaining 12 oz. chocolate chips with the 1/4 cup flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. (Don't skip this either or they will sink to the bottom of your pan).  Pour into the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough.  Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Do not overbake!  Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 large squares.  (You can always cut the large squares into four small ones as I usually do for my kiddos as these are very rich, great with a dollop of vanilla ice cream!)  Have fun with them!

*Fun Calendar Note:  For Valentine's Day, use a heart shaped cutter and save the leftovers for sprinkling on ice cream. 

"Tis merry, merry in the spring, and merry in the summer time, And merry when the great winds sing through autumn's woodlands brown~~And in the winter, wild and cold, "tis merry, merry too."  ~William Howitt

Dinner Tonight!

"To invite a person into your house is to take charge of his happiness for as long as he is under your roof."  ~A. Brillat-Savarin

Sometimes taking charge of ones happiness is through their tummy!  This is one of our favorites and it's down-home good comfort food.  Great for hungry skiers coming home from a day on the slopes!  Taken from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook, this recipe serves 8 large portions.

Chicken Stew With Biscuits

3 whole (6 split) chicken breast, bone in, skin on, 3T. olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked through.  Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin.  Cut the chicken into large dice.  You will have 4-6 cups of cubed chicken.

For the Sauce:

• 5 cups chicken stock
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 12 T. unsalted butter (11/2 cubes)
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 3/4 cup all-purpose four
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
• 1-10 oz. bag frozen peas (2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen whole small onions (optional)
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

For The Biscuits:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
• 3/4 cup half-n-half
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 egg mixed with 1 T. water for egg wash, or use melted butter to brush top of biscuits before baking

While chicken is baking, prepare sauce.  In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock.  In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent.  Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.  Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce.  Simmer over low heat for 1 minute more, stirring, until thick.  Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the heavy cream.  Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and parsley.  Mix well.  Place the stew in a 10x13x2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish.  Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the biscuits.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.  Add the half-n-half and combine on low speed.  Mix in the parsley.

Put the dough on a floured board and roll out to about 3/8-inch thick and cut out twelve biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter.

Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling.  Brush them with the egg wash or melted butter (my preference) and return the dish to the oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.

I hope you might try this one sometime, it will definately warm you from the inside and make you smile!

"The wind was blowing, but not too hard, and everyone was so happy and gay for it was only twenty degrees below zero and the sun shone."  ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Winter Pleasures

One of our favorite winter pleasures is having hot chocolate.  It seems our Tea Time transposes during the winter into Hot Cocoa Time.  In Elizabeth Foss's Real Learning, she describes how she likes to use her weekly afternoon tea time for liturgical discussions and immersing her children in their Catholic faith in a casual and comforting way.  We have enlisted this wonderful tradition into our weekly school life routine and it has been such a blessing.  Now that we have continual snow on the ground, the kids really enjoy having cocoa rather than tea on most occasions. So, what could be more wonderful and comforting after a day of snow play or skiing than a big mug of hot chocolate and quietly talking about our faith.  I love the description in The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg,

     "The train was filled with other children, all in their pajamas and nightgowns.  We sang Christmas carols and ate candies with nougat centers as white as snow.  We drank hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars..."

So for us every week we make ours extra special.  This is the recipe I like best:

• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups half-n-half
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 ounces bittersweet milk chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon decaf instant coffee (optional for mummy)
• Homemade Marshmallows (recipe following)

Heat the milk and half-n-half in a large saucepan over medium heat to just below the simmering point.  Remove the pan from heat and add both chocolates.  When the chocolates are melted, stir in the sugar, vanilla, and coffee powder.  Reheat gently.

These marshmallows are hands down the best I've ever had, you won't want to go back to store bought.  *Note: Plan to make them the day before you want to serve them.

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup. 

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar dissolves.  Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin.  Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes.  Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

With a sieve, generously dust an 8 x 12-inch nonmetal baking dish with the confectioner's sugar.  Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, smooth the top and dust with more confectioner's sugar.  Allow to stand uncovered overnight until it dries out.

Turn the marshmallows onto a board and cut them into squares.  Dust them with more confectioner's sugar.  Enjoy!  Both recipes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style .

I hope you are able to try this at least once, savor it and enjoy some quiet chocolaty time with your children!  Good Tidings!

Heavenly Scones

Grammy's Old Fashioned Scones

2 cups flour

1 T. of baking powder

2 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

6 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup of buttermilk

melted butter and cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (optional, of course)

Mix together all the dry ingredients.  Then cut in the butter until coarse.  Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk.  Stir until the dough clings together and is a bit sticky.  Pour dough onto a floured surface and gently flatten into a circle that's 1-1 1/2 inches thick and between 6-8 inches across.  Cut dough into 8 triangles (We use a floured pizza cutter or a long knife).  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 425-400 degrees (depending on how hot your oven cooks) for 12-20 minutes or until golden.  Do not overbake as they will be dry!  Serve with whatever suits your fancy.  Enjoy!!