My winning 'dish' was some fresh, homemade pesto and Blue Baker bread.
The pesto - made from my basil leaves - owed its success to good cheese. And lots of oil. And lots of garlic, plus pine nuts and basil.
I used a blender because ... because, it's all I have, and now I am asking for a food processor for Christmas.
My losing dish?
Quick apology: I'm sorry, Elizabeth, because I failed to mention this part of the lemon sugar cookie anecdote to you during our Election Night phone conversation, and it taints the memory of the cookie you hold so dear.Whole-wheat lemon sugar cookies.
Blargh.
My cake flour had weevils, and I did not discover them until Tuesday morning at 5:30 a.m, my designated baking time. Obviously, I could not leave the children and run to the store.
I should have had more flour on hand, but since we moved, I haven't replenished the flour stores. (Since the cookie debacle, however, I have.)
So I made do, a neo-pioneer. Or 'made don't', as the case may be.
I followed the recipe (1/3 c. lemon zest, lemon oil, sugar, sugar, sugar), but knew something was up when I pulled them out of the oven.
Later, after they had cooled & my children had woken up, I asked for testers.
Me: "Graham, will you taste one of these cookies for me?"
Graham, after taking a bite: "Do they have nuts in them?"
Me: "No. They are the lemon sugar cookies you love."
Graham, after taking another bite: "They taste like sand."
Since I was going straight from Blinn to kid school pick-up to chess club to election night dinner, I didn't have time to make anything else. I did add some fresh raspberries to the plate, and vowed to never again use wheat flour in cookies.
America, that's a promise I intend to keep, not just for the next four years, but for the rest of my life.
20 comments:
Oh Erin!! I gasped in horror. WHOLE WHEAT COOKIES? For shame. At least you had delicious pesto. Did I ever tell you about the time I accidentally used salted pecans in my choc chip cookies? A friend at work said, 'I know what your secret ingredient is: SALT!' Ugh.
Also ... you don't have to use cake flour for those cookies, all purpose flour will do ... I know you were out of it, too, but just letting you know. Also (also) we made the tortilla soup again this weekend. Delicious!
Weevils in your flour? I invested in some good plastic containers with lock style lids for everything from sugar, flour, oats and such because I use them so INFREQUENTLY I need them to be good. Maybe check craigslist or Goodwill for some to better product your flour from revolting beetle creatures!
Poor Graham having to be the guinea pig -- I guess it's a plus that he actually tried them but it might have hindered his tasting new things trend!
LOL! Enjoyed your post! Nikki made stuffed peppers once and accidentally used wheat instead of rice. (My mom uses brown rice, so they both look similar and we also always had wheat, b/c we had a wheat grinder and that's how mom made flour...) Anyway-it was very very chewy!
Perhaps you might predict my saying this, but I think that the so-called lemon "dessert" is where you went wrong, and not whole wheat flour. I mean, for election night??? Where's the chocolate?
The pesto sounds fabulous. And, Bike League Clubs, whoever you are, I am jealous that you have Erin's tortilla soup recipe and I do not. It might make a lovely addition to my recipe card collection . . .
Becca -- are you a childhood friend of Erin's? I think you are .. I am a college friend of hers ... Elizabeth. I work for the League of American Bicyclists, that is the only reason I have a gmail account, and thus: Bike League Clubs. The funny part is, Erin emailed me her tortilla soup recipe in 2003 --- while she was still pregnant with Annie!! --- and I just got around to making it. Delicious.
Not childhood friend, adulthood friend--we lived in Bryan for five years together. Five too short years. (Though I am pretty sure Erin has another friend Becca who might be from childhood, but I don't really see HER leaving fabulous comments very often . . .)
And of course I have heard many times of Erin's fab friend Elizabeth! Glad to make your e-quaintance.
I am intrigued about the American League of Bicyclists. Though I now live in a small town and walk EVERYwhere (bank, post office, school, library, world's only captive geyser, etc), I haven't been on a bike since I broke my arm in 2005. But I'm working on it . . .
From whom are you asking for a food processor? That Pesto looked good. Let's not give whole wheat flour such a bad name - it's the weevils that are evil...
From whom are you asking a food processor for Christmas? and let's not give whole wheat flour a bad name. It's the weevils that are eevil.
From whom are you asking for a food processor? That Pesto looked good. Let's not give whole wheat flour such a bad name - it's the weevils that are evil...
I agree with Susan three times (about weevils being evil and whole wheat being wholesome).
I think that a dense and wheaty goodness could make any lemony cookie a healthful delight (: They might not raise, they might be chewy and nutty, but HEY the B vitamins!!!!
As for C and the weevil comment. Regardless or Irregardless, whichever it is, whatever it is, whomever it is.......I had plastic containers and the weevils lived on. Hmmmmmmmmmm. This is not good!
Erin, I keep my whole wheat flour in the freezer. Bug free. I keep white flour in a canister on the counter that seals and haven't had a problem but I use the whole wheat less frequently *ahem, that's my confession* I probably should use it more, but rest assured, I will not use it in cookies. :)
I use whole wheat pastry flour for waffles, etc. so I'm not ANTI wheat flour, just skeptical about its use for cookies. No weevil problem here, but I bake A LOT (see growing waistline for more detail ...)
Really, the Obama win was sweet enough -- we didn't need cookies.
Homemade pesto is the best! I learned how to make it when I lived in Texas. Now I am starting to miss that little outdoor produce market by saddlewood apartments. Please remind me of the name. I would buy basil there often. I miss Bryan,Texas
Oh I can relate. We made whole wheat sugar cookies once to raised eyebrows. Here's to culinary experimentation and subsitution.
Ixchelle - that delightful market is the Farm Patch. The owner always gives kids free bananas. It is a fun place, and it's where I bought the yummy cheese. :)
Erin, I have lived in this house for 35 years. I was warned by the original owners about weavil. If I take any flour, sugar, pasta out of containers in the frig my food gets a massive dose of nasty protein.
Luckily, for me, I don't use a lot of those products anymore.
Oh how I miss the farm patch. I remember this nice man always giving my kids free bananas. Your kids are so cute, Erin. I hope we can take our kids back to bt for a visit.
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