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Archive for February, 2008

One of my favorite recent books is “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” made into a movie in 2002. I just love reading it – it’s the kind of book where I started slowing down toward the end, because I didn’t want it to be over.

I just came across this Web site with reading groups, recipes from the book, and a lot more: Rebecca Wells | Ya-Ya.com

I wanted to make a note of the Recipes page, so here it is.

This is my entry in the Photo Friday challenge for this week: Infinity. This photo was taken from the top of Maeve’s Tomb in County Sligo, Ireland when Dan and I visited there in 2003. It was a breezy day and a stray hair blew across the lens just as I was taking the photo, so that’s what that is, not some kind of weird colorless rainbow

And those little black specks in the field are cows. Ireland is filled with cows and sheep. Pork is eaten everywhere, but I never saw pigs out and about, just cows and sheep.

I don’t generally bake much, but this food blogging event caught my attention kochtopf is having a one-off event: Make a heart-shaped something for your valentine. So I decided to make sugar cookies. I thought it would be cute to add some red food coloring, to make them pink – that worked out great. The recipe that came with the heart-shaped cookie cutters I bought called for vanilla or lemon extract; I decided to go with raspberry extract, to go with the pink color of the cookies.

Here’s the recipe, with my adjustments:

Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp. whipping cream
1 tsp. raspberry extract
5 drops red food coloring
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. light corn syrup
2-3 tbsp. milk
heart-shaped candies for decorating

Preheat oven to 375*F. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg. Blend in cream, extract and food coloring. Combine dry ingredients, and add until well blended. Shape into a flattened ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour. Roll out onto lightly floured board until approx. 1/4″ thick. Cut into heart shapes with cookie cutter. Place on parchment covered baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Cool.

Stir together confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup and milk until smooth. Dip half of a cookie into icing, then set on waxed paper and sprinkle with heart-shaped candies. Let dry about 1/2 hour. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.

And the round-up is here: Heart-Shaped Goodies Round-up