Fall Leaf Cookies - Falling Behind ....

I Really do LOVE fall.... I could not resist making some cookies. It has been a while.

Choot 'em BILL!!

In Northwestern Ontario, people always try to pass the time away... waiting and hoping for the fall; impatiently hoping to 'choot something! It never ceases to amaze me how this town lights up around this time of year. Children, parent, and families all move from their small town rural homes, and push into the bush to find something to 'choot.

This week, I finally got a chance to make a cake for a hunter! Bill turned 40 this week! His family often encourage him with the wondrous red-necked words "'choot 'em!" Sadly, we have no gaters here up north, but the magic of "Swamp People" has certainly not missed it's mark on our population, so we turn to the deer to live out our dreams! BECAUSE THEY ARE DELICIOUS!!!


Here is Bill:

And here is his reason to want to 'choot anything:

HEY, LOOK OVER THERE!! THE BIG 4-0 IS HIDING BEHIND THOSE BUSHES!!!

But seriously, this cake is a simple homage to aging hunters everywhere..... and while I forgot to paint the sugarpaste Bill's neck red (forgot, but wanted to), this cake represents the best of my hunting knowledge.... I had to Google Deer (I usually only eat them, not 'choot 'em), and My gun looks like a rocket launcher.

So next time you come down to Northern Ontario, look out for the bearded man with the rocket launcher, 'chooting deer in an attempt to dodge fate. Don't worry, around here, you're never too old to own a gun hunt!

CASIO Calculator, because my Husband says it is the best

My husband, the science teacher, is always telling his students that the only way to go in the Calculator department is with a Casio. I don't know why, but he espouses the virtues of the mighty Casio.
So, on a boring day, when him and his students were killing time, he showed them my blog. They browsed through the cakes, cookies and desserts here. I mostly use this blog as a reason to bake... somewhere to show my desserts so I remember them.
Funny how things go when I get a letter from the students, written formally in pink ink, asking for a cake in the shape of a Casio Calculator. How could I resist?
So, I decided, WHY NOT?! I don't usually do requests from students, only their parents, but these kids are good, and with my husband's blessings, I began to make them a delicious treat.

The cake itself is Chocolate Fudge with Mocha Buttercream, covered in Chocolate MMF and accented with a gumpaste Mr. Spooner (AKA Hubbie). 

I had to look at Hubbie's calculator to get the writing just right, and hand painted each of the symbols on with wondrous Americolor gels (mixed with white to help them show up). 

It was good fore planning on my part that I was able to do the cake. I knew I would not have a lot of time tonight to do it, so I did most of the work last night. Good thing too, my back went out. I am happy to report that I am feeling better after some rest, but I was worried this cake would not get its finishing accents. Luckily, they were small, and easy to do.

Now, I am looking forward to a simple and easy weekend with no obligations and a really good book!
Hope you all have a great Weekend!
 

Something Evil this way Comes!

ATTENTION~~

Because of the influx of emails asking me which recipe I used to make these cookies, I am posting a like to my sugar Cookie Recipe HERE!

Okay, back to the post:


5 MORE DAYS!

Tomorrow for school, I get my first crack at dress-up; the kindergarten kids who only come on Tuesdays and Thursdays are having their party. I guess I need to get a makeup-check before the big day!
The ghoulies are already stealing my cookies. No, that is not my hand all yuckie with dirt.

Actually, those digits belong to the time-honored traditional Halloween baking known as:

Witchy fingers!

I've always loved the way these simple cookies make Halloween tables look. Honestly, all lined up, or piled into a jar, they look absolutely creepy! That is why I was so excited to make them!

They are the simplest cookie too. Simply roll out some sugar-cookie dough into a thin line (and hes, mine are a little thick, make your cookies thin because they spread), apply an almond shard, score the knuckles, then bake as directed.

I like to brush mine with a little cocoa-powder after baking (with a paint brush) to make the hands look dirty and contrast-like.

Honestly, this is a no-fail treat (unless there are allergies involved). I've got a super awesome treat lined up for Halloween, and it's time to start the pre-baking. It will be awesome. I can't wait!
See you all in a few days!

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

A lot of people have asked 'how did I do this.' The directions are true, and should be right, but if you have certain problems, look below. I will try to add answers as they are asked.

My cookies are flatter than yours: My answer to you is to be cautious of your butter to flour ratio. Oftentimes, doughs react differently at different humidities or temperatures. If you find your dough spreads a little too much, try adding a little flour to the mix before you put in the next batch. I always do a 'test batch' when baking cookies, so I know how they are going to spread.

How thin and long should I roll the dough: As for the thinness of the dough.. I rolled the dough to 3/4 of the width my own fingers, about a bit longer than a real finger. The cookies should spread but stay plump. The bottoms WILL be flat, but the edges are rounded.

Would cinnamon look good in the knuckles?: I would assume Cinnamon work, but a word of caution: Cinnamon is dry! It would be far easier to add more cinnamon to the cookie dough itself before baking than to brush enough cinnamon to make the shaded look. I would still recommend sticking to cocoa, but add more cinnamon in the dough. :)

I used Store-bought dough, and it didn't work. HELP!: I say add more flour. The dough is made to spread and thin... As attested by another baker, it works:
Michelle Junker adds: I used store bought cookie dough today, knowing I had to add flour, I ended up adding 3/4-1 C. of flour and they turned out perfect. Made them extra thin and then made boney knuckles. I also used whole almonds that I cut in half. Very happy with the results! Thanks!

I hope this helps.

Spooky Webs and Brains

Hurray! No more sickness!

It's almost Halloween time, and the thing I find the most scary is not the ghosts and goblins, but rather .... well, let me tell you a little story:

You are sitting at table time, or in a circle, talking to a child in your class about something or another. They are nodding, smiling, or sharing their ideas. You feel great because being a teacher is the most rewarding thing in the world. Then... IT HAPPENS! The child gets this face, all peppery, turns to you, and you think they may ask something important... but no.

THEY SNEEZE ON YOU, right in the face!

You cringe in fear! You think to your self NO, NOT THIS, ANYTHING BUT THIS! You wonder when you can get to the bathroom to wash your face and hands, but you realize it has gotten on your shirt as well, and you cannot simply leave the classroom, so you go to the sanitizing station, but that is not enough. You know in your heart of hearts, you are going to get sick too!

Well, that's how it happened anyway. One week of sickness, and I feel great... lets' see if they do it again!

But, on to cookies!

It has been a while since I've made any great fall cookies. I've not done many themed, that's for sure. So when I decided to make some Gothic looking cookies, I was very excited (not to mention the fact that there have been no sweets in my house in a week!) I decided to make some gorgeous Gothic Cookies:

(Can you spot the smudge on my camera lens?)
How could I resist not putting a spider on them. It is almost Halloween anyway?
Black and Red remind me of blood. Orange is too pumpkin, so when I was thinking of my cookies, I was thinking, dark and spooky night! The contrast of a blood red moon against the shadows.
How can you tell I'm an English major?

But, I am also part zombie. I had to do something else, so I decided to do Brains as well!

I actually wrote Brains because I was afraid no one would know what they were. It was a second guess, but I think they look rather sweet! This year, I can't be my usual Zombie self, so I get to play with a new costume... any guesses? I'll save that until Halloween! I'd love to know what you all plan on being!

This time of year certainly is awesome. There is so much beauty, so much clean, fresh air. I love that I can open my windows and let the cool breeze in! Not only that, but it is the haunting season! OH! WHAT FUN!

This year, our school is throwing a primary party, and the kids are going to do centers in costumes: I get to do the Drama/Singing center! YAY! I love seeing all the kids in their gear! I am super excited. Only 8 more days!

HAPPY HAUNTINGS!

Feta-Squash Ravioli Tutorial(Recipe)

Have you ever wanted to make your own Pasta? It's not hard, but it does take some work. The reward is something tailored to your taste, and something without preservatives! In my books, that's worth it!

This week, because of all my squash/pumpkin cook-downs, I decided that I should make some delicious Squash Ravioli!

Start with your pasta. I mix 3 eggs, 3 tbsp water (maybe more), 3 tbsp oil, and 3 cups of flour. I make a well in the center of the flour, lightly beat eggs in a separate bowl with the oil and water, and slowely whisk the eggs to the outside of the well. In my pasta, I also like to add some flavor. Should you choose, you could add some great spices (Sage, Rosemary, and Garlic are my pasta triad). Once the mix is balled, work it together so there is no lumps/flour pieces. Let rest 1 hour in a plastic sandwich bag.

While that is resting, mix your filling. Since we are making the Squash Ravioli, that's the recipe I'll give:

Squash Ravioli filling:
1 c of squash puree
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp brown sugar
1 pinch salt
1/4 c feta, crumbled.

Mix contents together, set aside and wait for the pasta.


Now, take half of the ball, and roll it out either with your pasta maker, or if you are Hobo like me, grab your rolling pin and start sweating it out! Roll it flat, about 1/2 an inch thick.



Keep your pasta from drying out. Make sure to grease up your hands, and keep it moist so it does not get all icky. Mine above is starting to dry.

Now, using a small crimped circle/square cookie cutter, cut out circles for the ravioli. Place on a baking sheet. Spray them with Pam.

Once that is done, take a little water, and dab around the sides of the ravioli circles. Now you need your filling. Spoon 1/2 a tsp into the center of the circle...

Using a fork, press down around the pre-wetted edges of the ravioli to secure them down. Spray again with Pam and place on a cookie sheet. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic-wrap until you have them all completed.

BOIL SOME WATER... this part is hard!
Dump your ravioli into the water and stir to prevent sticking. After about 6-8 minutes, remove pasta from the water, place into sauce.

Beautiful! This is the inside of the ravioli! (Below)

This is a slightly sweetened supper dish. It makes about 24 ravioli, so you may want to double it for a family. It is also simple enough to get the kids involved! They can cut the pasta or even help roll it (thought it must be extreme rolled!). Nothing like a special home-cooked meal.

Other fillings I enjoy:

Rosted-Red-Pepper, feta and spinache puree

Ground-Turkey/ricotta

Ricotta/Spinach/Feta

Now, again, I just feel like sharing the beauty of NWO, because honestly, it is like someone just took their paint bucket and dumped their warm colours all over the ground! IT'S STUNNING!

Notre tour en Canot

Les arbres qui sont très jolie!

Et, sur l'eau, nous (moi et mon mari) avons vu ces arbre près du garer; c'était un très belle jour pour être sur le lac!

Now, to bake cookies!

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes and a Surprise!

Are we sensing a theme? Another pumpkin post. I have quite a few in store. This one in particular has me all tingly. It has been a year in the making, and comes with some special extras after the show.

The Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes that I made last year have been one of my most popular posts to date (second to my first Tangled Cake). The recipe is flawless... so good are the cupcakes, so moist that I always get requests for these from friends! Plus, they look so cute! I realize that they are easy to make too, but I decided to put up a detailed tutorial to show just how easy they are.

You will need the Pumpkin Pie Cupcake recipe as well as the Creme Cheese Frosting (or any basic icing recipe that you choose). You just dye the icing into three different colors, a small bit of white for the 'whipped cream, one a VERY pale orange (or yellow) and one a darker shade of orange.

There are two ways to make them. This is the simpler of the two:

Start by spreading the dark orange icing across the cooled cupcakes. I use a butter knife.. nothing special there (o__-);



After that, grab a piping bag or even just a zip-lock bag with a small hole in it. I use a Wilton piping tip 7 for this (which you can get at Walmart) and fill the bag with the lighter yellow/orange frosting. I pipe a bunch of dots around the outside of the cupcake to cover any area uncovered by the orange frosting.


Like So!

Now to make it look like a pie: It's simple; you can either do a small rounded dot of 'whipped cream' (also of frosting, this time white), or you cause the Wilton #8 star tip which gives nice edges, like the top of whipped cream can. Pipe that with a swirl....

and Voilà!

Now, option two is a lattice-work pie top. For this, you will need a good tip for the cross-lattice work. I use a Wilton tip #46 (I use a lot of Wilton tips, even though I actually don't really like Wilton products). This tip has a flat side and a ridged side that makes a nice pattern across the tops of the cupcakes:

(See the detail in the lines?)

Normally on pies it's layered, but for this, I keep it simple and simply make lines across the cupcake, then cross over them. It's not a perfect system, but it is much simpler than fussing on 'correctness'.

Do the borders the same as above, and give this cuppie a dollop of the white 'whipped cream" and you have it!

I had some extra batter, and being rather unprepared, I actually ran out of cuppie wrappers. So, below is a giant 'pie' cuppie I used a 4-inch cake pan to make. I thought that was a smart idea. A Pumpkin Pie Cupcake/Cake for two!

Now, for the BONUS MATERIAL!

I thought it would be a good idea to show you what has inspired me to bake so much pumpkin stuff. I love photography, but living in a small apartment with horrid light makes it difficult to get nice shots of things, especially since I bake mostly at night. I thought I would show off some of my home town, Fort Frances, the way I see it. I went on a little photographing excursion this week. I hope you see how beautiful the region of North Western Ontario is. Most people are afraid of the cold, and generalize it. It is such a beautiful area to live. Very peaceful!

This is what I captured:

These pumpkins are from our local Farmer's market, grown out of EMO. The kind lady at the stand let me photograph hers, since the ones I bought from her last week were processed before I snapped some photos!

Below the ride I take To and From work, as well as some beautiful shots of items of interest:

ITCHY WORM!
That's what we used to call them as kids.

Now, I'm not big on photography, but the area was so beautiful, my friend asked to take a couple of shots of me. So, me posing on one of the trees (by the stop sign) Note the sexy pink socks that so do not match my outfit. I love wearing knee-high socks, the more colourful, the better!!



Thank you so much everyone for following and reading. I get such pleasure in taking photos and baking. It makes it so rewarding to see that people actually care about my rants and ideas. It's a wonderful feeling to see new followers and try some of your recipes and ideas.

Next up, a supper dish!
Until then!