One such thing? I've started cooking and baking. While I understand that these two skills are the norm for most people living in
I kid, I do. A few months ago I was able to hide behind the excuse that I was "too busy to cook", but I have a lot of time on my hands now and frankly, it was about time that I stopped being lazy and started taking action.
I'm getting there, sloooowly. One of my biggest successes so far happened last Friday. My mother hitched a ride with a family friend and made a last minute trip up to Cambridge to visit me and my brother. As (my) family gatherings are wont to do, it expanded to include my cousin, husband, husband's friend, and husband's friend's girlfriend. I love that I, along with John, have created an atmosphere where folks feel absolutely comfortable popping in for a visit. I don't love that I never seem to have enough food on hand to feed them.
Tea time is a pretty big tradition for my family, and when 4pm rolls around if I don't have tea and a biscuit, there's hell to pay. Tea is never lacking in our household, but I didn't feel like serving my guests store-bought treats from the bodega across the street. For the first time since moving into our house (a year and two months ago), I had flour, butter, sugar, eggs, spices, and baking powder in large enough quantities to attempt to make cookies. WELL, they weren't a disaster. In fact, they were pretty delicious, and all 24 cookies were gone by the end of the night.
Because the cookies were such a success, I'd love to share the recipe with you. It's fast and foolproof, but I was pretty proud :
Brown Sugar Cookies
(You can find the recipe here)
You will need:
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
How to Prepare:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Place the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a separate bowl and mix well. Add to the butter mixture and beat until everything is well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again.
Drop large teaspoonfuls of dough onto an unbuttered cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake until the edges are just brown, 8 to 12 minutes.
Let cookies cool, then serve with some tea or a glass of cold milk. Success!
I hope you enjoy. xxxx
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