Amy Ruth

  Did the holidays send you whirling  in a blur of red and green mixed with a little bright white light?   My older brother and I  played with little brightly painted wooden tops when we were kids.    He carefully wrapped a string around in just the perfect way so that when the top was whirled to the ground it spun around and around, hence the blur.   [SinglePic not found]

This holiday season was a baking marathon and the finish line was Christmas Day.   “Friends”  asked me to bake  for their holiday events, as well as an impromptu lunch at my table for my neighbor “girls.”   Just a little extra excitement!    How about your world?    EEeeek!  There is a certain amount of fun living on the edge of a challenge, and the bonus is in the  accomplishment.    I’ve loved reading other blogs and still enjoy the view through the looking glass of their writing.    Observations made of other blogs tell me that like everything else in life, most of what you get out of the experience is directly linked to the time and effort put forth.  Is that really true?  Of course it is.  Even in baking, each project/recipe builds on another, teaching us fun new shortcuts and better techniques.  The experience of a new recipe and the sharing of information learned  or the time put into the effort makes a difference in the outcome.  I love that we get to experience Dorie’s wealth of information as well as the wisdom of those who have been down a few of these roads as well.  Isn’t that so neat?  [SinglePic not found]

This recipe selection chosen by Anne of Anne Strawberry is from Dorie Greenspan’s, Baking From My Home to Yours, is very similar to a Cheesecake I have  made numerous times over the years.  By the way, thank you for being such a sweet one and choosing this dessert.  Who doesn’t love cheesecake?  Once you make one or two and realize how simple and impressive they are, you will want to add them to your repertoire.  There were just a few differences in recipes, one being salt, more sugar, no flour,  fewer eggs and a little more cream/sour cream.  Because this felt pretty familiar I just couldn’t resist the urge to vary the flavoring a bit.  Most of the time when I bake a cheesecake it goes out to someone else and I miss the fun.  This time I got to try the crust made with gingersnaps.  Usually I don’t bring the crumb crust up the sides of the pan but this time I thought I would give it a whirl.  No real objection, I just happen to think a flat thin layer is a cleaner looking slice.  It was simple to press it into place with the back of a rubber spatula.  Then I flattened the bottom with the back of a measuring cup.  I like using citrus zest for flavoring and Dorie taught us to rub the zest in the granulated sugar to release the essence of the zest, which I did before adding to the beaten cream cheese.  It was a lovely aroma.  I had larger limes, which was my citrus of choice, so I added the juice of only one lime which measured out to 1/3 cup.  My usual recipe uses 1 cup of heavy cream, however I used 1 cup of sour cream and 1/3 cup of heavy cream.  So this cheesecake has a nice hefty sweet tang that marries nicely with the lime.   The rest of the project mixed together beautifully.  I gently brought up the sides of 2 sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil, always leaving space between the sides of the pan and the foil.  If crimped  tightly to the sides of the pan it can break the foil open for seepage.  That’s disappointing.  I baked according to Dorie’s instruction, 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, and it all went well.  I used my favorite model of Kaiser’s 9 inch springform pan and there was enough batter remaining for a small ramekin.  From there into the refrigerator it went for the night.  A common practice for all cheesecakes.  A nice feature for a do ahead dessert.   [SinglePic not found]

Many cheesecake successes to us all.  Its a great dessert, with a little creativity and fun can be as simple or layered with favorite  flavors and textures as you can dream up.  Thank you Dorie for the inclusion  in Baking From My Home to Yours and  Anne of Anne Strawberry  for choosing this lovely dessert.  If you click on her link she has a recipe of her version of the cheesecake on her blog.  Take a look and see the magic she has created.  Its Fun![SinglePic not found]

Just a little note I learned from another baker:  after you remove the ring/sides, if you use a pan without the little lip you can slide an offset spatula between the pan and the cake, carefully sliding around as you rotate the pan in a circle.  Once the cake is released from the pan’s bottom, you can slide the cake “carefully” onto your serving piece.

[SinglePic not found]The holiday panic has caught on at my house.  How about you?  When extended shopping hours, extended baking hours, extended everything hours are part of the season, what better way to soothe the frenzy than sipping your favorite hot beverage and nibbling on Dorie’s Buttery Jam Cookies.  They do spark the memories of eating hot biscuts (from scratch, of course) at my grandmother’s house with butter and honey.  Early on Sunday mornings before church, we always had a hot breakfast with eggs, biscuts and bacon.  A variety of home made jams and preserves were also on the table, made with love from a dear great aunt and uncle.  All of these childhood pictures are the reason why I would find these to be a very comforting little cookie.  The kind of cookie you would share … while visiting with a friend or neighbor .  Coffee and Buttery Jam Cookies.[SinglePic not found]

I followed the recipe as written, using one of my favorite flavors, Apricot Jam.   As I looked down in the mixing bowl I realized  this little cookie really is a friend to savory biscuts as well.  I had a wave of “been there done that,”  maybe with cheese and herbs or cayenne pepper.  I don’t know if anyone else had that feeling or not.  Deja Vu [SinglePic not found]

This cookie was chosen by Heather from Randomosity and the Girl.  Thanks so much Heather.  A nice comforting cookie for your cookie jar.  If you would like to visit Heather for the recipe just click on the link or head down to your local bookstore for Baking from My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.   

Thank you for visiting and if you have left me comments in the past, I sincerely appreciate the time and effort you gave.  Wishing you a very Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday Season with your family.   

Thanks also to my third child and my youngest son who is my photographer and my web guru.  He and I are enjoying the development and the fun together.  He just had a birthday and turned 15.  Poor guy, now that he is the only kiddo at home, he’s stuck with me and all the attention he missed the last 15 years.  he he

The first Anniversary of the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group is rolling around quickly. According to TWD lore, this baking group was formed in January of this year, 2008.  So you see, next month it will be 12 months, 52 weeks of posting, multiplied by the now 373 bakers.  Thats a lot of cookies.  Each week, a member selects a recipe from Dorie Greenspan book, Baking from My Home to Yours.  Members bake during the week and post on Tuesday.  [SinglePic not found]

This weeks recipe chosen by Ulrike of Kuchenlatein,  is a simple delicious sugar cookie that Dorie says is a composite of her grandmother’s and her husband’s grandmother’s recipe.  Her grandmother baked each week.   Those sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar were meant for Dorie and her brother.  Those sprinkled with poppy seeds were meant for her parents.  I would guess some pretty sweet memories.  

The AmyRuth version is Dorie’s recipe with a little Playing Around,  according to Dorie.  I added cardamom to the dry ingredients and the zest of one lemon rubbed into the sugar.  I have a favorite sugar cookie recipe both for the cutters and the soft and chewy variety, so it was a lot of fun playing around.   Just prior to slicing I rolled the roll of sugar dough in raw sugar.  Chilling the roll of cookie dough in the freezer over night made it really easy to successfully slice a neat little round disc.  Generally when chilling is suggested, I almost always opt for the freezer.[SinglePic not found]

The lemon and cardamom certainly are a nice variation on a comfortable and expected flavor.  I have learned to have an affection for the warmth and the vanilla of sugar cookies.  However, sometimes I just like to try new things.  How will you know unless you try?  Right?  I liked them especially with tea or coffee.  They are just so complimentary.

If you would like the recipe just click here and visit Ulrike’s blog where the recipe will be posted or run down to your local bookstore for Baking from My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.

[SinglePic not found]Do they make lowfat almonds?  I don’t think so.  Since joining in on all the fun each week with Tuesdays With Dorie baking group, I have noticed of late, my resolve to abstain from sugary, home-made sweetness is wearing very thin.  Doesn’t help that the joyous holiday season has arrived.  Prior to the frigid temperatures I told myself I could run it off on the trail.  Now that we are enjoying 30 ish degree temperatures, necessity will force me to the treadmill.  Thankful I can stand on my own two feet, don’t get me wrong.  Outdoors is just Funner!  I wonder how much weight collectively our whole group has added to our collective size.  he he.  Like Scarlett… I will worry about that tomorrow.

How clever of Noskos of Living the Life for choosing a perfect holiday cookie.  Thank you for thoughtfully selecting a holiday cookie and helping us all make good use of our ingredients and time.  Please  share the love and visit other Tuesdays With Dorie bakers.  Feel free to let them know how much you enjoy their passion for baking and letting the blog world see a little bit of their lives, not to mention Linzer Sables.

The Linzer Sables are comprised, in my case, of ground almonds along with AP flour, sugar, butter, eggs and some holiday spices.  I decided to double the recipe and found they came together quickly and easily.  Thanks to my sweet husband who gave me new kitchen toys (BIG) last Christmas.  My almonds zzzzzz around in the food processor in a flash, and I had ample space to add the rest of the dry ingredients (remember double recipe) to the bowl with the almonds  for mixing.  Really so fun!  Finished up with the mixer and rolled, cut, and baked.  See….[SinglePic not found]

Happy Holidays everyone.  Remember to share the love this holiday season.  You will make a difference in someone else’s life  :-), plus its fun to see them smile with their eyes.

Earlier in the Thanksgiving week I made 4 recipes of Dorie’s Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough – the double crust recipe. The yield was 8 pie crusts for the Thanksgiving holiday. I chilled them overnight, rolled them out the next day and placed them in the freezer. Normally I use Martha Stewart’s Pate Brisee, and have successfully produced many delicious pie crusts in my food processor. This was the first time to use Dorie’s variation. I have a new food processor with a larger bowl and a more powerful zzzzzz so I was a little cautious with the first batch. Trying to avoid over processing, I probably under processed and had a somewhat crumbly outcome. Those crusts were a little more, shall we say “rustic?” Can you say “learning curve?” The remaining crusts were easy to handle and they all tasted absolutely delicious. I really think I will happily use Dorie’s recipe for future pie baking. It is Most Delicious!! “Did you hear that Dorie?”

In my holiday routine I usually bake according to the crowd. Pecan, Pumpkin and Lemon Chess Pies are among the selections. This year I baked lots of extra pies “for friends” and family. I chose to make the pecan and lemon chess along with the Thanksgiving Twofer Pie. Sorry pumpkin, maybe next time. I really enjoyed the Twofer Pie. Funny thing, my daughter wanted to know where was the pumpkin pie, “Its my favorite, Mom.” Smiling Mom said “I’m sorry sweetums,” Ooops. Guess, I’ll have to make up for that one. Its nice to be loved.  If you don’t have Dorie’s book, Baking from My Home to Yours,  let me explain a little bit about this wonderful pie.  It reminds me of the layering effect of a pecan pie.  You know when you slice it and you can see the top being the pecan yum and the bottom being the sweetness.  There is a resemblance with the difference being a layer of chewy  pecan yum and pumpkin on the bottom.  Its  a delicious pairing.  I liked it a lot.[SinglePic not found]

  Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday with their families both near and far, with safetravel as well. Thank you Dorie for the fun holiday pie concoction. A good marriage of traditional American favorites. It was delicious! You can add Dorie Greenspans Baking from My Home to Yours to your holiday wish list or just click on the title and click away for your online order. Vibi from La Casserolee Carree chose this timely selection for the holiday week of Tuesdays with Dorie baking group. If you would like the recipe, her site is in French, however, in the upper right corner you can choose the proper translation and there you will be able to read the recipe for your own baking pleasure.