Home Alone

What do I do when I'm home alone and the Hubby is hunting?

Cook healthy dinner....

Online Christmas shop....

And bake myself cookies.  Naturally.

I had some extra dough leftover from my reunion cookie trial run, so after eating lots of veggies for dinner, I decided I'd ruin my diet and whip up some impromptu creations.  They were very yummy.  I made little sugar cookie braids and a couple of jam thumbprint cookies.  De-lish.

In other news, I signed up today to participate in a nationwide Cookie Swap going on at the beginning of December.  Basically I will be sending cookies to 3 other food-baking bloggers, and will receive cookies from 3 others.  It's a very cool way to get new ideas, appreciate other people's blogging efforts, and of course its a great excuse to bake. 

I'll definitely be sharing what I come up with!  along with what I receive from other bakers!  I can't wait!

Have a great weekend!

Sneak peak at a new project

Just a quick update today to give you all a heads up on my next for-hire cookie project!  I've been asked to make some Concord Carlisle High School cookies for my 10 year reunion party the weekend after thanksgiving.  Have I really been out of High School for 10 years?  Well Sh%@.

Last night I did a mini-trial run of 6 cookies so I could show my clients/former classmates what I was thinking.  The finished products will likely have more variety and be a little more finished looking, but it was a fun baking project so I thought I'd share :)

And when I was done experimenting I slathered extra frosting on a few of the cookies and gobbled them up.  Good stuff.

Stay tuned for that large project post and probably a few more in between.  I'm pretty sure I just volunteered to host thanksgiving at my house, so baking will abound!  I guess I have to roast a turkey too huh.... hmmmm

Pumpkin Gingerbread!

Happy November Blog friends!  Even though it has been kind of beautiful here in (sunny?) Massachusetts for the last week, I can't help but bake yummy fall-winter stuff now that it's November.  This week I whipped up a Pumpkin Gingerbread, which was actually pretty tasty, and didn't last very long in our house. (About 2 days actually, and we didn't share).

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened (half melted actually)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/2 can of pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

As per the usual process, mix together your wet ingredients first, until they are nice and smoothly blended.  Then add in your spices, baking powder, salt, and finally the flour, a little bit at a time.

Next up, pour your batter into a greased bread pan.  I actually opted for a different approach, and lined the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, while greasing the sides.  The bread slid right out after baking.  Super easy. I heart parchment paper.

Top it off with a little brown sugar if you are so inclined.  I always am.

Bake at 350 for about an hour....

Yum!  Eat it for breakfast, eat it for dessert, but believe me....you will eat it!

Coming up: a few sample cookies for some upcoming hired cookie-projects.  Sure it's mostly (erm...totally) my friends hiring me....but I'm still pretty pumped about it.

Happy baking!