Apples

Growing up in Upstate New York was a treat. I loved the four distinct seasons, which is something I miss very much  living in Israel ( hot pretty much all year round). Each season had its special charm; that something that makes you remember it with a smile. 

Summer was boating time for us and I loved every minute of it.

Winter was snow, snow, snow and with it came skiing on weekends. In those days ( when life was simpler and safer!) my parents used to put us on the bus early Saturday morning for one of the local ski resorts, loaded with our ski equipment and enough money for lunch and a hot chocolate. My brother and I had to be all of maybe 9 or 10 years old.

Spring was , well, springtime.... finally relief from the cold, hard ( but fun) winter .

And then there was fall. I love the autumn with the changing colors of the trees, raking up the falling leaves and that slight chill in the air.

One of my favorite memories is that of going apple-picking; driving out to the countryside to one of the local apple orchards. You paid for what you picked , which wasn't that much for a little kid. The "store" was a roadside stand where they also sold fresh apple cider , pies and other apple products.

With this memory in mind, I decided to choose them as the basis for my "series" photo shoot in the photography course. Here are the results.

apples,

 apples and ......

more apples

apple cider caramels from Smitten Kitchen

crunchy caramel apple pie

Today was the last session of the course and I can say that I enjoyed every minute- even with the frustrating moments I had.

I look forward to continuing to "play" with my camera and improving my skills. I've learned so much yet have so much more to learn. Thanks to Danya and Deanna for the wonderful learning experience, the non-ending support and the chance to get to know such talented and creative women. You're the best!

Food Styling and Photography Course

I am not as consistent with this blog as I would like to be. I'm a professional procrastinator. From time to time I get on a roll and write every few weeks or even once a week, but those instances are few and far between.

One thing that bothers me is the quality of the pictures I take, so I decided to take a photography class. Originally I was looking at general photography classes, but then came across this amazing blog and noticed that the two very talented writers of the blog, Deanna and Danya, were offering a course in food styling and photography. Just what I was looking for!

We are into our  4th session (of 6) now. I have learned so much in such a short time- mainly, how much more I have to learn and practice!  I am amazed at how much time, adjusting and readjusting, it takes to achieve the final shot.

Our first assignment was to copy a photograph of our choice. I knew my first choice would be something from the incredible Tartlette. ( I just ordered her book Plate to Pixel, and am anxiously awaiting its arrival!)

Since cookies are one of the things I make the most, I decided to look for a photo that was do-able for me, both from the standpoint of the cookies themselves and the photo. I wanted to start out with something that ( at least on first glance) seemed like something I could recreate. Below, left, is the photo I chose- the original from Tartlette and on the right, my recreated version. I used a different recipe than the one Tartlette posted and my cookies came out much darker than hers.

my version

Original picture by Tartlette

                                        

 The second assignment was , believe it or not- cookies! This time I decided to try and photograph some of my decorated cookies, since that is something I do a lot of on the blog. It's quite a different type of medium than what the rest of the girls in the course did, but I went with it anyways. Here is the result. The baby cookies are in honor of the birth of my second grandchild- a boy, who joined us this past week. How exciting!

 Our next assignment is to create a photo of something that reminds us of fall- of course having to do with food. I have a few ideas in mind. We'll see the results next week.

Homemade Fig Newtons

fresh figs

dried figs

Fig season is here in Israel and I must say that I had never tasted a  fresh fig until recently. They always looked so unappealing to me and though I'm usually open to tasting anything, these just didn't appeal to me.
How wrong I was!!I finally tasted one about two years ago, straight from the tree where they were being picked from. It was like drowning is a sweet, silky bath of deliciousness! How wonderful a taste- now I can't wait for the season to begin each year. I've always liked dried figs, but I must say, there is absolutely no connection ( in my taste buds opinion) between fresh and dried. I like those and I like those. Two different things!
Fig Newtons are one of those childhood memories that one never loses. The texture, the taste, that little crunch of the fig seeds, all melting in your mouth at once. I've always wanted to try a homemade version and finally got around to it yesterday. YUM!! They turned out amazing! Just the taste I remember( and I haven't had a Fig Newton in.... well lots and lots of years).
I actually took two recipes and adapted them to my own. I also did one other thing that was a major accomplishment for me. My daughter does not eat eggs( as of late) and I decided to make the dough using a substitute for eggs.  To my amazement, the dough was easy to work with, rolled out beautifully and baked up just perfect. Certainly can't tell any difference in taste- a success!

The Original Fig Newton

before baking

before

homemade fig newton

  Homemade Fig Newtons(adapted from various sources)
For the dough:

8 oz.( 280 g.) all purpose flour
4 oz. unsalted butter , room temperature( I used margarine - no dairy!)
1/2 cup sugar
1 oz. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsps. vanilla
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. orange zest
1 oz. orange juice
3 egg yolks( for each egg, combine 1 tbsp. apple vinegar and 1 tbsp. baking soda- mix together and add when you would the eggs- I reduced it to just one actually and it came out fine)

For the filling:
1 cup or so of finely chopped dried figs( they say Black Mission is the best- I bought them at an open market so I really don't know what kind they were but the filling was delicious!)
3 tbsp. unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 tsp. orange zest
1 1/2 oz. honey
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup or more of orange juice, as needed


Filling:
Combine the all the ingredients for the filling in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook on very low heat until soft and jam-like- mine took about 1/2 hour. Set aside.

Dough:
Sift the flour and baking soda together and set aside.

Cream the butter or margarine together with the sugar, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest until creamy. Scrape the bowl with a spatula and continue mixing. Add egg yolks ( or substitute) one at a time and mix until thoroughly combined.

On low speed, add the sifted flour mix all at once and mix just until incorporated then slowly pour in the orange juice. Continue mixing just until it comes together. The dough will be somewhat wet and soft. Transfer the dough to a large sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

 Make the cookies:
Even after chilling, the dough will be softer than usual. Dust your rolling surface and the dough, generously with flour and roll out to a rectangle approx. 12x14 and 1/2 in. thickness. Divide into 4 equal strips. Spread the filling along the center of each strip. Fold the dough over and pinch edges. Place seam side down on parchment lined baking sheets  and slice each log on the diagonal into about 10 cookies.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

These cookies get even better over the next day or two. Store in an air-tight container.

Passion Fruit Sorbet Popsicles

 

It is so hot here, I feel like I just want to sit in a tub of ice water the whole day. The heat is bad enough, but it's the humidity that really kills. Even in the a/c, the thought of baking is not particularly appealing (though I have made a few things -turned the air down so low, it was freezing in here!).

       

Someone gave me a whole bag of passion fruit from their tree and the first thing I thought of was to make something COLD with them. The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz is one of my favorite books and a source of great inspiration. I took his recipe for tropical fruit sorbet as a base and played around with it according to what I had in the house. SO easy, so refreshing and delicious!

 Passion Fruit Sorbet Popsicle (adapted from Tropical Fruit Sorbet- The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz)

2 medium-sized very ripe bananas
1/2 pineapple (1 cup canned)
1/4 cup tangerine or orange juice(I didn't have any so I used the juice from the pineapple)
1/4 cup passion fruit juice or pulp(I used whatever I got out of the fruit i had which came to about 3/4 cup)
1 cup sugar (I used  A LOT less, only 1/4 cup or so)
4 tsp. rum( I've made it with and without- good both ways)
1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice ( used bottle, that's all I had) 

Cut bananas and put in a blender with the rest of the ingredients.  Puree until smooth.
The directions say to chill the mix well and freeze in ice cream maker, but I wanted to make popsicles. I just poured the mix  into cute little disposable espresso cups I found and stuck them in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes, then inserted popsicle sticks and finished the freezing. 
Delicious, cool, refreshing !!
 

Project Sabbatical

sabbatical- noun

: a break or change from a normal routine (as of employment) 

 This is the dictionary definition I found for sabbatical.  Ah, yes.......... change from a normal routine. Let's see, normal routine: up at 6 a.m., shower, get ready for work ( school), drive the 25 minute ride to work(I'm a very good driver but I hate that daily drive to work!), teach until 3 p.m., drive back home (ugh!), start straightening the house, laundry and getting something prepared for dinner, do some school preparation, eat dinner, clean up, maybe take a walk, then plop down on the couch , only to fall asleep before I can make it through one show... to bed and up again for ANOTHER round of the same. OK, I know, that's life. But sometimes it just needs to change and this is my chance. A whole year of NO routine! 

When I typed in the word sabbatical and clicked on images, it was interesting to see the variety of pictures that came up. Here are a few that I thought were appropriate for me.........

among MANY others!

 Back to reality! So, now I am working out my "sabbatical routine". Until the end of this month, I'm  full-time babysitter for my granddaughter. Nursery school on vacation- parents not.
After that, I think I will make a routine of having no routine! One thing I do want to try and accomplish is to go through my vast collection of cookbooks and actually start  trying some of the recipes. So here is the plan:
each week I will choose one cookbook and make at least one- hopefully 3 or 4- recipe from that particular book, photograph it(them) and post about it. ( The best laid plans of mice and men!) We shall see.
This week I am using  local book in Hebrew called "The Healthy Kitchen". I will be making "Quinoa Burgers" for sure, and whatever else I may find that interests me!
Pictures and recipes hopefully to follow!

Oatmeal Cookies

I've had an oatmeal cookies recipe that I've been using for many years. Recently, my daughter made them and said there was a slightly bitter after taste. We went through the recipe together, she showed me all the ingredients she used, but we still couldn't find the source. Maybe the oats themselves were stale although she had just bought them. Who knows how long stuff is on the shelves in grocery stores. In any case, I decided that it was time to find a new recipe for oatmeal cookies. 

After searching the internet and reviewing oodles of recipes I went back to my cookbook shelf and started looking through those. I mean, I could open up my own branch of Barnes & Nobles with all my cookbooks so why not use them?! I find myself looking at recipes online so  often and forget that I have a wealth of recipes just sitting on my kitchen shelf.

One (or two actually) of my favorite books is "Baked , New Frontiers in Baking"  and "Baked Explorations" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. And YEAH!!!!! they're coming out with their third book "Baked Elements" in the fall.... and we all know I'm pre-ordering it. There are certain things I can resist buying but cookbooks  are not among them! Anyways... they have a recipe for Oatmeal Cherry Nut Cookies, so I knew I had to give it a try. I happened to have some freshly bought dried cranberries in the house, so I substituted them for the cherries. I also did not put any nuts in- I love nuts, but we've got some non-likers (is that a word?) and some allergies in the family so this time I left them out. I'm sure they would be delicious with that extra crunch.

As usual, with  all the recipes I've made from their books, the cookies turned out absolutely amazing. They have a bit of a crunch when you first bite into one, then your mouth hits the chewy center. The tang of the dried cranberries adds just the right flavor and keeps you going back to the cookie tin for more. I froze them so they would last more than one afternoon- but that doesn't stop me (or anyone else in the house for that  matter) from eating them straight out of the freezer!

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies ( adapted from Oatmeal Cherry Nut Cookies- "Baked , New Frontiers in Baking"by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

210 grams all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp.cardamon

200 grams unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

50 grams white sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2  3/4 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried cranberries

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon in a bowl and set aside.

2. In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and sugars together until creamy.

3. Add eggs, one at a time until each is incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add vanilla and beat for 5 seconds.

4. Add half of flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add remaining flour mix and beat just until combined. 

5. Fold in cranberries using a spatula.

6. Cover with plastic wrap and  refrigerate at least 6 hours. I left it in overnight and it was fine. Just lets the flavors join together more!

7. Preheat oven to 375 F ( 180C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

I used a small cookie scooper to form rounded  balls of dough and place on  cookie sheet. Using the palm of your hand, lightly press down on each mound- just a touch, don't flatten the cookie- leave it fairly thick.

8. Bake 12-14 minutes just until they start to brown. Remove and cool for 5 minutes then transfer the cookies onto cooling racks to cool completely.

Yummy warm, room temperature or even frozen( but that's my quirk!)

Back Again

 From the wait at the airport.......................

   to the top of the Space Needle in Seattle.........................

to the duck boat ride through the city.........................................

 

 and on to Pike Place Market , where I could spend the whole day and go back endless times......

setting off on an amazing cruise to Alaska and its breathtaking sights....................

 to riding through the Cascade Mountains in Northern Washington................................

 

ah...... so much green, so much water......... such cool weather................ then..........

back to our reality of unrelenting heat and humidity...................

 and of course, family................ that's the most important part..................!

 It was the trip of a lifetime. Back home now..... too hot to bake...... lots of things in mind when turning on the oven doesn't seem so ridiculously ridiculous.

Crazy Delicious Snack Mix

This is so crazy delicious, I decided to call it exactly that- crazy delicious snack mix.

This is my version of a recipe I found by Christina Tosi of the famed Momofuku Milk Bar.  I've never been there, but it's on  my list of places to go in New York. Also can't wait to buy the book!I found it here and knew immediately that I had to try it. I didn't have all the exact ingredients so I played around and this is what I came up with.

Crazy Delicious Snack Mix (adapted from Christina Tosi's snack mix recipe)

2 cups coarsely broken mini pretzels (I had one cup and they were the flat pretzels)

1/4 cup light brown sugar  
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup dry milk powder  ( I used Carnation Malted Milk powder, since that's what I had- adds a great smell and taste!)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12 ounces mini chocolate candy bars, such as Reese's, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces( I used local mini chocolate bars similar to Kit Kats etc. Anything you like would be fine) ( Also used less than 12 ozs. but it's your choice)
I also added the following:
1/2 cup or so of pecans
1/2 cup or so of almonds- unsalted 
a batch of air popped popcorn ( the added butter while it's in the oven is plenty)

Preheat the oven to 275°. In a bowl, combine the pretzels, popped popcorn and nuts with the sugars, milk powder and butter. Spread the mixture on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and bake for about 20 (I gave it an extra 10 ) minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool completely. Transfer to a bowl and mix with the candy. 

Irresistible!!!!

The Beginning of a Journey

I'm not one to make resolutions ( I say that , but I do it all the time) because I NEVER can live up to them. This really isn't a resolution, but rather a pledge to myself. Yesterday was the official end of the school year and the beginning of my long-awaited sabbatical. I've either been going to school or teaching for , well, my entire life I guess. This is the first time I've ever taken a sabbatical and in some ways I'm excited but in other ways, scared. Scared of what? Free time and not knowing what to do with it, not taking full advantage of the time, letting the year go by( and I know it goes by before you can say "sabbatical"!) just thinking about what to do and not doing it! 

So , one of the things I am going to make a concerted effort  to accomplish is writing more on this blog. About my baking, just life in general; anything that comes to mind. But at least once a week. For sure, Hopefully.

Here's a list of some of my hopeful missions, accomplishments or whatever you want to call them, throughout the year-

1. eat  healthy and lose some weight- for good, not just temporarily.

2. exercise at least 3 times a week- doesn't matter if  it's the gym, walking, biking, whatever- just move!

3. bake my way through either one of my many cook/bake books or maybe through the notebook of the many hundreds of collected recipes I've accumulated in the past few years.

4. travel as much as my budget allows ( leaving on Wednesday for a dream cruise to Alaska( yeah!!!!) , so at least that's one thing started!) . List of places to visit is another story entirely.

5. spend as much time with my granddaughter as possible( that shouldn't be too hard since I'm very lucky to have them live close by).

6. learn another language

7. take a few baking courses( dream would be to go to France or Italy to do it, but that is only for lottery winners!)

8. work on my technology skills for teaching in the classroom

9. take piano lesson

10. and I'll finish at 10- just enjoy the year and come back to teaching in August of 2013 with a renewed spirit.

This is actually the first time I've written this all down and it seems overwhelming, but in a way, somewhat comforting. I believe that when there is a goal and a will, there is a way. 

SO..... I'd love it if some, even a few,  people would  accompany me on my year-long journey.

In the meantime, my little Ronny's 2nd birthday is today! Yesterday she had the most adorable birthday party in nursery school. I made the cake and some cookies for the kids' goodie bags.

My Workspace

My clean (for the moment) workspace. It's not usually like this- just finished some cookies and thought it might be a good idea absolutely necessary to clean up the space and wash some tools so I could have something to work with for the the next batch!