My Winter Top Ten

Top ten ways I know it is the Dead of Winter in Western New York!

1. I have set up the card table with a puzzle.
2. Starlings are coming down my chimney and ending up in the basement flying frantically around trying to get out.
3. I am drinking even more coffee than usual.
4. I may or may not have more than 1 pajama day a week.
5. Hot soup is on the menu on most days.
6. Baking to warm up the house is a real thing.
7. I feel sorry for my dogs because they have to go outside to go to the bathroom.
8. The county highway plows deliberately pack a mound of ice and snow at the end of my driveway.
9. How did I ever live without heated seats in my car?!!
10. I have a comforter and two blankets on my bed and have the fan on!

Such is the life here by Lake Erie, in the  snow belt, by Chautauqua Ridge!

I taught computers for 17 years. I love technology which includes my Google Home,  tablet, smart phone and laptop. However, I have resisted a couple of things that I have now decided to commit to. The first one is the calendar on my smart phone. Holding a hard copy in my hand and entering my appointments was such a secure feeling! I kept one on my phone too but just couldn’t let my appointment book go! Now, I have finally done it! I am free!

Do you want to know what made me give up the hard copy and go with the calendar on my phone only? I have hurt my shoulder in some way and I wanted to cut the weight down of my purse. Anyone who knows me, knows that I carry everything I think I might need if I should go on “Let’s Make A Deal” in my purse. The calendar was one item I let go.

The second technological thing that I have been resisting is getting rid of, as many as possible, the paper copies of recipes that I have saved over the years. I have been heading toward keeping all of my recipes on boards in Pinterest for quite some time. Every time I would find a recipe in a magazine or someone would tell me about one, I would check to see if it was on Pinterest and save it to the appropriate board. So, that meant I wasn’t adding to the stock of paper recipes I had filed but I still had two vintage, metal, picnic, baskets full of recipes.

For the past 3 or 4 weeks I have been slowly going through a folder at a time and finding the recipes on Pinterest. Once found I throw my paper copy in the recycle bin. It is amazing that even vintage recipes like the feather nutmeg cake and the tomato soup cake can be found online! I am about to finish the first vintage picnic basket of recipes today. This basket included cakes, casseroles, breakfast, bread, appetizers, cookies, candy, and miscellaneous desserts. (The first part of the alphabet!) It hasn’t seemed like work either. I just do a few when I pass by my computer and have the time. One thing I discovered was that I saved the same recipe multiple times! I guess when I like something, I really like it!

Tips

There are secrets to making a really good cookie! Some of them include:

Don’t overload your oven. If you try to cram too many cookie sheets in there you aren’t getting the air circulation you need to properly bake your cookies.

Always use parchment paper. A roll might seem expensive but you can buy 10 sheets in a package at Dollar Tree and that’s a deal! As I mentioned in a previous post, sheets of parchment paper lay on a cookie sheet better than a sheet you rip off a roll.

The first time you try a recipe, set your oven timer for 5 minutes earlier than the time the recipe gives. Each oven is a little different. After you check them you can always let them bake longer but you can’t undo it if they burn! (If the baking time is different from the recipe states, remember to mark it on the recipe for the next time.)

Never put cookie dough on a hot/warm cookie sheet. For a cookie baking marathon you need one cookie sheet baking, one cooling off and one ready to go in the oven.

Preheat your oven! I used to never do this but I have learned that your baked goods come out so much better when you do pre-heat.

If you are rolling out dough for cutouts or some other cookie, roll the dough out between sheets of waxed paper, This is to prevent sticking and the need for flouring your counter or board. Getting too much flour into the dough changes the texture of the cookie. They can become dry and crumbly with the addition of just a little extra flour.

Recipe

Orange Cream Cheese Bread

1/4 c. orange juice

1. Combine cream cheese and shortening, creaming well.

2. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.

3. Add eggs, beating well after each addition.

4. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition.

5. Stir in walnuts and orange peel.

6. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 3 inch loaf pans.

7. Bake at 375 degrees F for 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

8. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then sprinkle orange juice over loaves. Remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes: Following my own advice, I set my oven timer for 50 minutes instead of the 55 recommended in the recipe. It was still a tad too done on the bottom of the loaves for my liking. I made note to set the timer for 45 minutes the next time I bake the bread. The bread is moist and really soft. It has a nice orange flavor. Also, instead of sprinkling orange juice on top of the loaves I think I will make a glaze with orange juice and powdered sugar next time. Although just the orange juice on top was okay, I think that a glaze would just make the bread much better.