Pepparkakors

    Woody's T'ai Chi Sifu has certainly gifted us with something special by sharing this lovely and unique recipe, along with the idea of spicing it up to the sublime!

 

   Initially, I wasn't too impressed when I read the baking of the week, but was simply glad it was not a lengthy operation as I went about the business of caring for a sick kitten and putting him in the hospital under observation for fevers both before and after neutering, about which I won't belabor further here.
You all have been so wonderful and generous with your prayers for Star💫, and we thank you!
 

These small Swedish ginger cookies are an elegant gingersnap, and next time I make them I will definitely pair them with goat cheese, and fig jam, as one of us sugggested. Mmmm. For now, however, I have packaged up all but a dozen to take to Star's Feline Vet tomorrow. The only thing time-consuming about them is not to forget they are in the freezer, and if I am smart I will always have some in the freezer since it takes half hour to make them from freezer position. I know that because I baked them this evening, and ruined my dinner by eating first dough, and then baked cookies. 

                                   simple mis en place   (note the Lars Swedish Pearl Sugar for tops of cookies)

Add the spices -- ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, white pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne, together

Molasses mixing into the dry ingredients - I used Brer Rabbit Mild

Now this is where the tasting gets seriously yummy

Since I planned to make the cookies while Star was gone in the hospital, I decided to use the plastic piping and headed for Home Depot. There I met a gentleman who, somewhat mystified, agreed to cut four 3-inch lengths of the PVC. I explained my task of baking the cookies along with twenty other people at the same time all over the world, and that intrigued him, and when I shared the story of our dilemma of Star's illness and that his Feline Vet was trying to figure out what is wrong in the hospital and that these cookies were for that doctor, he really became very pleased to enjoy helping.

    Here are the little pipes. Tamping the three-inch plastic-wrapped sausage into the piping takes a minute, but turns out well. As you can see they are closely wrapped with plastic.

This is a frozen cookie roll just out of its tube.

I didn't find them that easy to cut. I used the Prince serrated 14", and then a bench scraper. There has got to be a better tool for next time. Patricia will have something on her Gear page.

I took pictures of Mr. Lopez, and also larger  pictures of the Swedish sugar that you see in mis en place. I posted it a few days ago somewhere, but all of you got it I think and found your own. Even the Belgian kind.

Tonight I took a picture of the cookies already sprinkled with their sugar, but can't locate that so will add later if it turns up, and the top pic shows how they looked.  90 % to Dr. Norsworthy. Ten percent for the girls at work without whom I couldn't survive!

Thanks for all of your immense patience with this disorganized post and your support of Star. Love you all!!!!!

Luscious Apple Pie

Everyone admired this pie, even if we weren't all allowed to eat it -Star does look disappointed that it is not kitty food and good for him as well as for us ~~~ 

It is so much fun to be able to set up all Rose's batteries de cuisine because they have given me the confidence to make a pie crust! I was always so overwhelmed by this that I just wouldn't do it. Now I had very little problem at all. Actually, I had no problem at all.

Of course, I am still using the food processor technique - but I am actually doing it and loving it -  ;  )

I found it interesting that of all the wonderful, unique apples Rose listed, I was only able to find a couple in season.

Therefore, I just used Golden Delicious and Granny Smith. The red Braeburn you see in the picture wasn't on the list so we ate it. The pie was more than marvelous. Because of the tartness of the Granny Smith I added the extra 1/4 cup of sugar and was glad that I did. I found the cider on ice in the market. It was fresh-pressed, unpasteurized, so it fit the need perfectly.

For a long time on Patricia's site I have been eyeing a small gadget for peeling apples. It is from Amazon and I have been meaning to purchase it forever. Now I couldn't get it in time, but I will do it this night. I don't want to peel any more apples. And I do want to make this pie over and over again!

                                   MmmmMmmmmGood!