Polish Butter Cookies

Although, my friend's Polish mother told me she'd never heard of these, I've never doubted their authenticity. I've made these cookies several times in the past years--intrigued by the sieved egg yolks. The original recipe is from Sarah Leah Chase's Cold Weather Cooking.

Polish Butter Cookies
1 cup Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Almond extract
1 Egg yolk, slightly beaten
2 Hard-cooked Egg yolks, cooled and sieved*
2 cups Flour**

1. Beat together softened butter and sugar.
2. Mix together beaten egg yolk and flavorings.
3. Add seived egg yolks.
4. Gradually mix in flour, until forms soft ball.
5. Gather dough into ball, wrap with cling film and refrigerate one hour.
6. Roll dough to thickness. Cut into small shapes 1-1/2 - 2".
7. Bake at for 12 - 15 minutes @350 degrees.

*Press chilled yolks through a fine mesh sieve.
**I used King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour this time, and added a bit of xanthan gum--something I've picked up from the glutenfreegoddess.com


I originally discovered Sarah Leah Chase through her Pedaling Through Provence and Pedaling Through Burgundy books. I envied her adventures and her lifestyle.

This Mary Engelbreit tin is many times the perfect storage container for my homemade cookies. I was fortunate to find it years ago at a bulk foods store in Barrington, IL.

Pearls of Wisdom

Judith Martin, Miss Manners
-source-

DEAR MISS MANNERS: How many strands of pearls is too many? I had always heard that a lady should never wear more than three at one time. Now I see so many starlets and even Michelle Obama wearing five or six or more. It still looks trashy to me. Have times changed?

GENTLE READER: Of course times have changed, but what do pearls care? With their innocent look, they don't have to obey the rules that restrict their flashier peers.

Miss Manners supposes it is technically possible to wear too many pearls. But five, seven or even nine strands (in a choker worn on a very long neck) have never been considered trashy.

Notice that the possibility of four, six or eight strands was not mentioned. That is because pearls do not lead a totally unrestricted existence. As Miss Manners' dear grandmother took care to teach her, "A lady does not wear an even number of strands of pearls."

-source-

Travel

Soon. We'll be visiting the Colorado Fun Kids. Yea! Then not too much later, a trip to Napa. We'll get a chance to experience tiny house living firsthand.

Cooking, and Baking, and Scheming, and Planning...

Because the demands of the holidays are now done, I've a small burst of creative energy. Or, is it that I'm actually procrastinating on doing my chores? Hm-m-m...

Double Devon Creme and homemade Triple Berry Jam.

Cream Scones

joyofbaking.com 

When one is faced with leftover Double Devon Creme, one must bake more scones! These are dried sweet pineapple and toasted pecan. Very, very tasty. A bit more crumbly due to the gluten-free flour, I believe.

While searching my bookmarks for a scone recipe, I came across some Rick Bayless Frontera Grill recipes, and couldn't resist this one for dinner tonight:

Garnished with sour cream, shredded cabbage, and cilantro.
Fold and eat.

Picadillo Tacos

Our favorites. Not gluten-free, however.

And while we're soon going to Colorado, we still have an Interval week to use in early 2015, so we've both spent way too much time reviewing our options. Scheming and planning.

Love These

This kid in a random Internet post looks amazingly like LC!