Cheddar Biscuits

Last week, I started acting classes again. I thought I had hung up my hat on acting, but a former instructor/mentor called me and asked me to join his class.  I nervously accepted and went to my first class last week. I sort of felt like a fish out of water, but I hope that in a few weeks, I am feeling back into the groove.

As my being in class means that Andy has to do everything himself one night a week (daycare pick up, dinner, bedtime routine, etc.), I want to try and make it a little easier on him by having dinner ready. The day before class, I made these cheddar biscuits to go with turkey chili (which I put in the crock pot before I went to work and turned on a very low setting). When the boys came home, Andy didn’t have to think about dinner—it was all ready.

Alex helped form the biscuits.

He was quite pleased with himself. 

These biscuits are super easy (they took me about 10 minutes to get into the oven), and they are delicious (they sort of remind me of the biscuits from Red Lobster). They went fabulously with the turkey chili. 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of baking mix (I used Bisquick)

 3 ounces of Cheddar cheese, shredded

2/3 cup of water

1/2 cup of melted butter

 1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon of onion powder or minced onion

 1/8 teaspoon of dried parsley

Original recipe makes 12 biscuits

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a mixing bowl, combine the baking mix, cheese, water, butter and seasonings. Mix until dough is firm. Using a small scoop, place dough on the prepared pan.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

We had a very low-key New Year’s Eve this year—we went over to a friend’s apartment for dinner. They have a son who is two weeks older than Alex, so we knew he would have a great time! For the dinner party, I brought a salad and dessert.

Let me start out by saying I am not a huge fan of salads (I think I overdid salads in college and I just cannot get excited about them like I used to); I am also not a huge fan of sweet and savory—I do not like pineapple on my pizza, I do not like apples in my sandwiches, I do not like raisins in my salads. So, all signs point that I should really dislike this dish. But, I don’t. I love it.

My mom introduced me to it and I was very hesitant to try it. I definitely took my first bite with a closed mind. However, the flavors prevailed and I was a convert. At the dinner party, I was asked by each couple there for the recipe—it is a crowd pleaser, and, it is easy, which makes this salad even more of a winner!

The dressing 

Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of the completed salad, as I assembled it at my friend’s home. But, I will add one when I make this again, which I most certainly will. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of sesame seeds

2 tablespoons of poppy seeds

 1/2 cup of white sugar

 1/2 cup of olive oil

 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

 1/4 teaspoon of paprika

 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

 1 tablespoon of minced onion

 2 bags of fresh spinach (rinsed and dried)

 2 quarts of strawberries (cleaned, hulled and sliced)

1 onion sautéed

1 cup of chopped pecans

Original recipe serves 8 adults

Directions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
• In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries, sautéed onions and pecans. Pour dressing over salad, and toss 15 minutes prior to serving; keep refrigerated until serving. 

Dusting Off an Old Love

As a child, I entered every art contest imaginable and, when I went to college, I seriously considered majoring in studio art. After my first year of college, however, I set aside my pencils and charcoal and focused on other pursuits.

This past weekend, we went to Vermont and, as the weather was miserable, we spent most of our days indoors. One afternoon, my nephew and sister-in-law were doing arts and crafts; I decided to join them and picked up a pencil to draw a train for him.

The train transported me to a different time—I was in college, sitting in my favorite art studio during the afternoon (when the light was the most beautiful). I had forgotten just how much I loved to draw.

One of the things I love about being surrounded by small children is that they remind you of who you used to be before you became an adult. They allow you to enjoy the simple things that gave you so much joy—whether it be in a cartwheel, eating just the frosting off of a cupcake, rediscovering your, at-one-time, favorite book. This weekend, my nephew reminded me that art used to transport me, and showed me that it still does. 

Don’t Burst our Bubble

My mother-in-law loves taking her grand-kids out in the cold to blow bubbles (she lives in Vermont, so tends to have ample opportunities for this activity). She inspired me to do the same with our recent cold front.

I wanted to find a bubble recipe, however, that created longer lasting bubbles (in my experience, store bought bubbles tend to dissipate after a short flight). I did a quick internet search and found the below recipe.

• 1 cup of very warm water
• 2 tablespoons of light Karo syrup
• 4 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid
• Stir together until everything is dissolved

The bubbles were fantastic! They definitely had a lot of staying power, and Alex had a great time chasing them through the snow.

A note: Do not take multiple runs on a sled before blowing bubbles, as it shook the bottle, creating excess soap suds and making blowing the bubbles rather difficult.

You can see the immense amount of suds in the bottle. 

Finally got one!

In flight over the city. 

He finally caught it by the fence.  

Although it was a bit too warm for the bubbles to freeze, we are armed for the next dip in temperatures!

Hydrangea Cupcakes

Our neighbor owns and runs two early education programs in New York City—as he is from France, they are French immersion classes. The school offers a Mommy & Me class for toddlers and he offered to give Alex a free semester. We attended our first session a few days ago, and wanted to thank him with flowers, with a twist; so I decided to make hydrangea cupcakes. 

I used a basic vanilla batter, but added about one tablespoon of vanilla with two tablespoons of almond extract (the batter smelled delicious!). 

After the cupcakes were baked and cooled, I mixed my colors—I made three types of colors:

• A pale blue (using royal blue, violet and a smidgen of yellow coloring)
• A pale green (using green and yellow coloring)
• White

I lined the pastry bag with the blue frosting and then added the green to the center, topping it off with the white. I made loose star shapes around the perimeter and worked inwards. 

After the cupcakes were frosted, I packaged in a white box, cut out a label and adhered it to the top. I added a Tiffany blue ribbon to the box. 

This was my first time using a pastry bag to make cupcakes. I had a ton of fun, but there are some definite areas of improvement needed.

What can be improved next time:

• I think the colors should be just a touch bolder next time.
• I need to add more confectionery sugar to my frosting, so the stars are a bit more firm. 

This will not be the last time I try to make these! I think with a few improvements, these cupcakes could be spectacular. 

The Perfect Cup of Tea

I started drinking tea regularly when I studied abroad in England, and, even though I have tried to get into coffee as an adult, I just cannot do it. I much prefer the lighter taste of tea, and love sipping a cup (or several) throughout the day.

A few years ago, I discovered Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice tea—it is the perfect cup of tea. When you brew it, the aroma is like fresh baked cinnamon buns, and the taste is absolutely divine. At Alex’s school holiday party, I was talking to his teachers about tea (they are also tea lovers); I mentioned this tea, and not one of them had ever heard of it. As I feel this is a travesty, I have decided to introduce them to my favorite tea. 

Since not everyone loves cinnamon like I do, I decided to give them each two tea bags to sample. I packaged the tea in white, flat glassine bags. For the label, I used my Martha Stewart puncher to cut out a label from Kraft paper. I then wrote the name of the tea in a white pen and added adhesive to the back; I sealed the bags with the label.

Look at all the cinnamon! 

I hope they get as much pleasure out of this tea as I do—it is sometimes the only thing that excites me about to going to work in the morning, knowing that I will have my tea in hand soon. 

Snowflake Sugar Cookies

With the recent snowfall in the city, I decided to make snowflake sugar cookies, which are great with a cup of mocha or hot chocolate after sledding and playing in the snow. 

I used my basic sugar cookie recipe and let the dough refrigerate overnight. 

Of course, Alex wanted to help! He was helping in just his diaper—rebelling after hours in a snowsuit and multiple layers. 

 

In addition to the larger snowflake, I also used a smaller snowflake cookie cutter, as this size is perfect for Alex…and me when I want to have something sweet, but maybe not a whole cookie. 

 

I took my color inspiration from a slipper that Alex got for Christmas from my aunt and cousin—I loved the muted blue of his slipper in combination with the white. I mixed two parts blue royal food coloring with one part violet to obtain the color. 

I packed up the finished product for a few friends. I did, however, make sure to save plenty for us.

For the icing, I used the below recipe—the almond extract adds such a great flavor to the sugar cookie. I also love that the icing dries with a shiny finish and sets nicely, so you can stack the decorated cookies without them sticking to one another.

Ingredients

1 cup of confectioners’ sugar

 2 tablespoons of milk

 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup

 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract

Original recipe makes 1 dozen cookies’ worth

DIRECTIONS

• In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
• Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Winter Wonderland

New York City was blanketed in snow last night, so Alex and I decided to go sledding first thing this morning in Central Park (before it was teeming with others).

The park was magical, and we had it almost to ourselves, which is such a rare treat. Afterwards, we came home for some hot chocolate and brownies—a perfect end to a wintry morning outing.

It was almost impossible to get him to keep his mittens on!

 

For the brownies, I used a box mix and added 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and a bag of peanut butter chips. They are decadent, but delicious.  
Using the box mix, I can get them in the oven in less than 10 minutes, which is ideal for days when I am strapped for time.

You can see the steam coming off the hot chocolate. 

Andy, Alex and I went back to the park this afternoon, right at dusk. The sledding was much better, as the snow had been packed down. We stayed there till the sun had set and the crescent moon was out; we walked home, towing Alex in the snow, and it was just as magical.