No, the shock on Lou’s face isn’t from learning about the imminent wedding. It’s from a different discovery, made possible with Goatgirl’s tutelage and Morgan the goat’s patience. If you squeeze it, milk will come.

Last fall my girls milked Morgan. Winter and spring, Goatgirl and Goatboy cared for her and all her friends. This summer we ate their cheese spread on crackers and topped with blueberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers. So simple. So good.

So, thanks Goatgirl and Goatboy. You are real-life superheroes to us. Now, about those capes…

Goat Cheese and Crackers with Blueberries, Tomatoes, and Cucumbers

This really isn’t much of a recipe, now is it? Still, it’s a fun appetizer or light lunch, but don’t make it too far in advance as the chevre will soften the crackers.

* goat cheese
* lemon zest or juice
* crackers
* toppings: blueberries, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers
* kosher salt

Soften goat cheese and mix in lemon to taste. Spread on crackers and add toppings. Sprinkle salt over tomatoes and cucumbers. Eat and repeat as needed.

Or so I thought. My 4 year old had spied sugar cookies decorated like sunflowers. Just like the ones in our garden. She asked if we could buy some. She even included the magic word. On her own – without my prompting.

My response? I said no. No to the polite angel smiling up at me. No to the colorful cookies staring at me. No, because storytime was about to begin, and the puppets wait for no one. As a way to soften the “no”, I explained that while we wouldn’t buy any, we would make some for our Fun Friday baking project.

And so 48 hours later we did, and what a Fun Friday it was! We mixed, chilled, rolled, rechilled, cut out, and baked cookies all morning long. After letting them cool during lunch, the real fun began – the decorating!

While I’m not usually a big fan of rolled out cookies, I must admit these actually taste as good as they look. The inclusion of cream cheese in the dough and glaze gives the cookies some much needed “oomph!” to accompany the “awes” inspired by my preschooler’s “painting” and sprinkling skills. Look out Monet – there’s a new sunflower artist in town!

So, when she asked for one for dessert on Friday night, I said – wait for it – yes! Turns out that she liked them all the more after waiting and then making them herself. This all goes to show that sometimes when you say “please” you don’t get what you ask for. Sometimes you get something even better.

Sunflower Cookies (Glazed Butter Cookies)

adapted from The New Best Recipe by Cook’s Illustrated

makes about 38 2-inch cookies

Cookie Dough

* 2½ cups (12½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
* ¾ cup (5½ ounces) superfine sugar*
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 16 tablespoons (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into sixteen pieces, slightly softened
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature

Glaze and Decorations

* 1 tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature
* 3 tablespoons milk, divided
* 1½ cups (6 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
* pinch of salt
* yellow and red food coloring
* 2 ounces milk chocolate or chocolate chips
* 1 cup chocolate chips
* coarse sugar, such as turbindao or sugar in the raw

*Since I was too lazy to go to the store for superfine sugar, I processed an equal amount of granulated sugar in the food processor for 30 seconds. Worked just fine.

For Cookies:

Mix: Using a stand mixer on low speed, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter 1 piece at a time; continue to mix until mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet. Add vanilla and cream cheese and continue to mix on low until dough just begins to form large clumps.

Chill: Knead dough by hand in bowl for 2-3 turns to form large cohesive mass. Divide dough in half, flatten into disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until they begin to firm up, 20-30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 weeks; defrost in refrigerator before using.)

Roll and Rechill: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place one dough disk onto large piece of parchment paper. Roll out to even thickness, about 1/8-¼ inch thick. Place rolled dough (still on parchment) onto baking sheet and chill until firm, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat with second disk.

Cut Out: Working with first portion of rolled dough, cut out sunflowers using cookie cutter and place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheet. If needed, return to refrigerator to chill dough again or briefly pop into freezer.

Bake: Bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Repeat with second portion of rolled dough. (Dough scraps can be patted together, chilled, and re-rolled once.) Cool cookies on wire rack to room temperature.

For Decorating:

Whisk cream cheese and 2 tablespoons milk until it’s lump free. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar and salt until smooth, adding remaining milk as needed until glaze is thin enough to spread easily. Add several drops of yellow food coloring and one drop of red until desired color is achieved (remember it will dry lighter).

Place plain cookies on rack set into sheet pan so that excess glaze, sugar, and chocolate from decorating will fall between wires onto sheet pan below. Using small silicone basting brush, “paint” sunflower petals with glaze. Immediately sprinkle with coarse sugar.

While glaze is drying, melt milk chocolate. Spoon dollop of chocolate into center of sunflower and spread with back of spoon to fill in center circle. Add chocolate chips to represent sunflower seeds. Let dry and then enjoy!

Variations:

* Add lemon or orange zest to the dough.
* Add or substitute almond extract.

Easy. Peasy. Lemon. Squeezy.

Even if you’re a 4 year old.

Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet

adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2001

Bon Appetit calls this a sorbet, but technically, it’s a sherbet. Why? Well, sorbets, unlike sherbets, aren’t made with milk, buttermilk, or cream. In addition to the name change, I’ve reduced the the sugar (to make it extra tangy), rubbed the zest into the sugar (to infuse the sugar and keep the zest from clumping around the paddle while churning), and added a pinch of salt (to brighten the flavor).

makes about 1½ quarts

* 2 tablespoons lemon zest
* 1½ cups (10½ ounces) sugar
* ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 or 4 lemons)
* 4 cups whole-fat buttermilk
* pinch of coarse salt

Rub lemon zest into sugar with fingertips.
Add lemon juice and mix well.
Add buttermilk and stir until sugar dissolves.
Chill until cold, at least 4 hours.
Churn in your ice cream maker.
Serve plain or with berries or ginger cookies.

Variation
Use other citrus fruits such as limes or oranges.

I’ve captured it precisely as she wrote it…

“Caw, Caw, Caw,” the crow flew up into a pine tree up high.  Oh, how those three girls loved nature.  But best of all they loved birds.  But maybe they didn’t like it when the birds ate their blueberries.  That was just kind of upseting.  The oldest sister, Aspen loved how beautiful and shiny the wings were.  Oakley, who was the middle sister, loved how swift they were in flight.  Lindy, who was the youngest sister, loved how beautiful the birds eggs were, for example the light turquiose blue of the robins egg.  One day, the 3 girls heard a female and male cardinal chirping a song.  Then the three sisters knew what they had to do.  They had to keep birds in their hearts forever.  Keep nature exist in the world.  The cardinals had sent a message to keep them them birds and whole safe.

Keep the Birds!

the end

He was so pretty.  He was very valiant.  He had very bright black and orange hairs.  He had a very loud roar.  And that was who he was.  The Orange Tiger.  They called him magnificent.  Awesome.  Their leader.  Spectacular.  Their war hero.  At least against elephants.  But maybe not against giraffes.  The animals just loved him.  Adored him.  In fact, they loved him so much they called him their king and that was just that.  That was the way that the Orange Tiger was made.  It was just how he was.

the end

This is a story that Oakley wrote in her notebook.  For no apparent reason.  I love it.

The book of the moment is a classic… Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.  We’re certainly enjoying it.  It led to this moment at the dinner table tonight.

Tim: Meg found her father last night.
Jenn: Really.  How’d she do that?
Tim: Well, she went with Calvin and Charles Wallace.
Jenn: That name always reminds me of the guy on Lost.  What was his last name? 
Tim: Argh.  I can’t remember.  I’ve already let that show slip out of mind.

Note: Our children really don’t watch TV, and certainly haven’t watched Lost.  Well, unless you count Oakley sneaking out of her room at some point, but she doesn’t even feature in this conversation.

Another Note: Over the past week, during which I was on vacation, I’m pretty sure that Lindy said, “Daddy!?” 4032 times.  This is not an exaggeration.

Lindy: Daddy!?
Tim: I really just can’t remember.  What was his name!?
Lindy: Daddy!?  Daddy! 
Jenn: Yes, Lindy.
Lindy: Was it Dwayne?!
Tim: No, Lindy, it wasn’t “Dwayne”.

Final Note: Widmore.  It was Widmore.









Enjoy.

Freedom Bread for the 4th of July!

Freedom Bread (White Loaves with Dried Cranberries and Blueberries)

makes 2 loaves

adapted from White Loaves recipe by Craig Kominiak in Baking With Julia

• 2½ cups warm water (105-115°F)
• 1 tablespoon (about 1½ packages) active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 cups (30 ounces) bread flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (5¼ ounces) dried cranberries
• 1 cup (6¼ ounces) dried blueberries

Mixing and Kneading

Pour ½ cup of the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle in the yeast and sugar, and whisk to blend. Allow the mixture to rest until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 cups water and about 3 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Using the dough hook, start mixing on low so that the flour doesn’t fly all over the counter and then add the remaining 3 cups flour. Increase the mixer speed to medium (#4 on a Kitchen Aid) and beat to bring the dough together, stopping to scrape down the bowl and hook as needed. Add a bit more flour or water, a tablespoon at a time, as needed. Add the salt and continue to knead at medium speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. When the dough is thoroughly mixed, add the butter, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until incorporated. Don’t despair if your beautiful dough comes apart with the addition of butter — beating will bring it back together. On the lowest speed, mix in the dried cranberries and dried blueberries. I often find this easier to do by hand. The berries may keep popping out but just be patient and keep kneading. Resting the dough for a few minutes and then resuming kneading may also help to incorporate all the berries.

First Rise

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Place it in a large buttered or oiled bowl. Turn the dough around to cover its entire surface with butter or oil, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature until it doubles in bulk, about 1 hour to 1¼ hours.

Shaping the Dough

Butter two 8½ by 4½ inch loaf pans and set them aside.

Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half (each half will weigh about 2 pounds) and work with one piece at a time. Using the palms of your hands, pat the dough into a rectangle with a width equal to the pan length. Starting at the top, fold the dough about two thirds of the way down the rectangle and seal it with your fingers. Then fold it down again, so that the top edge meets the bottom edge. Tightly seal the seam by pinching it. Turn the roll so that the seam is in the center of the roll, facing up, and turn the ends of the roll in just enough so that it fits in your loaf pan. Pinch the seams to seal, turn the loaf over so that the seams are on the bottom, and plump the loaf with your palms to get an even shape. Place the loaf into the pan, seam side down, and repeat with the other piece of dough.

Second Rise

Cover the loaves with oiled plastic wrap, and allow them to rise at room temperature until they double in size again, growing over the tops of the pans, about 1½ to 2 hours.

While the loaves rise, center a rack in the oven and preheat the over to 375°F.

Baking the Bread

When the loaves are fully risen over the tops of the pans, bake them for 35-45 minutes, or until they are honey-brown and an instant-read thermometer plunged into the bottom center of the bread measures 200°F. Immediately remove the loaves from their pans and cool them on racks.

A “pee-mergency”!

And, if you go in the bathroom American and you come out American, what are you while you are in there?

You’re a pee-ing! (European)

Hahaha. Good ol’ potty humor. It never gets old, does it? Or then again, does it? Maybe, just maybe, these jokes are only funny coming from the mouths of my 4, 7, and 9 year old kids. Ok, let’s be honest – and my 35 year old kid, er, I mean husband, as well. (This is why when people ask me, “Don’t you want to ‘try’ for a boy?” I can honestly answer, “No way – I already have one!”)

Ok, back to pee. Or better yet, the pea. I’m not kidding when I say that in early June our home seemed to be in a “state of pea-mergency” as we tried to harvest all the garden peas before the heat got too much for them (and us). We quickly learned that pea stands for pick every afternoon to keep the plants producing.

So, for a far too brief season (a mere 3 weeks!), we kept picking, the peas kept coming, and we kept eating, especially this dish of crispy gnocchi with fresh peas and bacon. Here gnocchi (or gnudi as they’re also called) are made with ricotta rather than the traditional potatoes. Rather than the usual boiling, they’re sauteed in brown butter until golden, brown, and delicious, and then tossed with a pea and bacon sauce. Kinda makes all the picking and shelling worthwhile – and then some.

You may find yourself in a “pea-mergency” when you use all your fresh peas and want, no, need to make this again. I think this will work with frozen ones but what’s the fun in that? No picking, no shelling. Ah, yes, the fun is the eating. And eating this doesn’t get old.

Crispy Gnocchi with Fresh Peas and Bacon

adapted from Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen by Michael Symon

Ricotta Gnocchi or Gnudi

• ¾ cup (3.5 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• grated zest of 1 lemon (save lemon to juice for sauce below)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta*, drained overnight
• 1 large egg

*Symon prefers sheep’s milk ricotta (more body and tang) but since I couldn’t find it around here, I used his suggestion to mix fresh goat chese into cow’s milk ricotta to give it more depth. I put it in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and let it sit overnight in the chill chest.

Fresh Pea and Bacon Sauce

The original recipe calls for mushrooms rather than bacon, and it’s good like that as well. To make this vegetarian, simply substitute morels or shiitakes for the pork. Saute them until soft (about 2 minutes) in 4 tablespoons of butter when you begin the sauce. Or live on the wild side and use both mushrooms and bacon! Just don’t forget the peas. I upped the pea quantity significantly because I like them and had fresh ones to use up. You can also substitute orange for the lemon in the both gnocchi and sauce.

• ¼ pound bacon or pancetta, diced (1 cup)
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cups shelled fresh peas (frozen works in a pinch)
• 12 fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (left whole)
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• 2 tablespoons water

For the gnocchi dough, combine the flour, parmesan, lemon zest, and salt in a bowl. Add the ricotta and egg. Mix well with a wooden spoon or your fingers until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overwork the dough or it’ll end up tough. Tough gnocchi = yucky!

Scrape the dough onto a well-floured work surface and pat into a rough square. Cut the dough into thirds using a bench scraper or knife. Gently roll each piece into a foot-long rope, about an inch in diameter, flouring as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the surface. Place the dough ropes onto a lightly floured plate or rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, for 5 minutes and up to 2 hours.

After the dough has rested, return the ropes to a floured surface. Cut each rope into ½-inch pieces with a bench scraper or knife and set aside while you start the sauce.

For the sauce, cook the bacon bacon in a large saute pan over medium-low heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes. (Pour off some of the fat if your pork is especially greasy. You’ll want about 2 tablespoons of fat.) Add the shallot and garlic, sweat for 1 minute, and then add the lemon juice.

Increase the heat to medium, add the peas, and saute just until the peas brighten in color. Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the parsley and 2 tablespoons butter. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary, though you shouldn’t need much, if any, because the bacon adds a natural saltiness to the sauce. Turn off the heat and set aside while you saute the gnocchi.

To finish the gnocchi, heat 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a saute pan large enough to accomodate all of the gnocchi without crowding. When the butter becomes brown and fragrant, add the gnocchi to the pan and cook, turning as necessary, until they’re browned and crisp on all sides, 5 or 6 minutes.

Pour in the pea and bacon sauce, turning to coat. Add the remaining tablespoon butter, the parmesan, and the 2 tablespoons of water while turning the gnocchi. Allow the sauce ingredients to emulsify and form a silken coating, 1 to 2 minutes. The sauce should cling to the gnocchi. Spoon the gnocchi and sauce into shallow bowls and serve immediately. Feel free to lick the pan and serving spoon. We did.

• 6 nights to be with her mom as she fought off cancer
• 2 nights to give birth to Oakley
• 2 nights to give birth to Lindy

Seriously, Jenn is hardcore. (Mind you, I don’t believe go away from your kids for a night is a failing on the part of a mother or a father… I’ve been away for the last 8 nights, and I’m sitting in an airport now, but it does show a certain level of commitment on Jenn’s part.)

Finally, though, circumstances presented themselves in such a way that Jenn chose to join me for a long weekend in New York City! How cool is that? So, I thought I’d share with you, our loyal readers, some of my favorite memories from the trip…

As you might expect, a fair portion of our trip was driven by food. In fact, I would say that food was our tour guide, telling us where to go and when. I prepared Jenn for this upon her arrival by saying, “You simply cannot let your hunger guide your eating on this trip. You must keep eating.”

And so, in no particular our, here are a few of our favorite things…

1. Wicked was wicked. I’m quite open about the fact that I grew up on musical theater. Heck, I even acknowledge that I like Hanson, and so we made our way to three shows together (plus I saw Hair on my own.) While American Idiot and Billy Elliott had their moments, without a doubt, our favorite was Wicked. The music, the performances… they were great. But for me, the story stands out beyond all else. The way that the plot connects to The Wizard of Oz and then twists it to the edge of recognition… I absolutely adored it.
2. Jenn wore heels. That’s right, on Saturday, we were going to dinner and the show, and Jenn was wearing some pretty high wedges, and we were walking along 53rd Street at a pretty high pace. And then… Jenn. Was. Gone. I’m serious, she was next to me, and then all of a sudden, she wasn’t. You see, the sidewalks aren’t always level, and one of them took her out. 5’11” one moment, 1’6” the next. Fortunately, she was fine, no blood was drawn, I didn’t laugh, and we went about our merry business.
3. The Levain chocolate chip cookie. Trust me, we tried a bunch of cookies, and this round mound of cookie-dom stick in my memory. It’s so thick it’s almost cookie dough in the middle, even though the outside is nice and crispy.
4. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. I’ve gotten to experience this a number of times, but Jenn rarely has enough time away from the girls to appreciate just how cool they are. A day or so into the trip, Jenn and I started talking about Aspen, Oakley, and Lindy, and we’re in total agreement. We really like our kids.
5. The Union Square Greenmarket. We certainly love our farmers’ markets, and the Union Square version ranked up there. I was struck by the quantities of certain foods, the quality of the apples, and how difficult it would be for me to carry home everything we would buy there if we lived in New York.
6. The bagel with lox from Murray’s. This was a last minute addition to the food tour on Monday morning before we left, and we were so glad we made it. The capers, the onions, the salmon… they really added a lot. Well worth it.
7. Dinner with Miss Drury! That’s right, Oakley. We got to see Miss Dru… I mean, Megan, without you! (The adjustment to calling her by her first name continues to traumatize me.) Megan and “her special friend” George drove up from their new home in Philadelphia just to have dinner with us. Megan chose a favorite from her childhood and took us to China Grill, which was awesome. It was our only “sit-down” meal of the weekend, and I’m glad for that since it was so good. The company was OK, too. ;)
8. The City Bakery. This was our very favorite place to eat in the city of New York. In fact, we went back to the City Bakery on Monday because it was just that good. The Pretzel Croissant is so good it has its own website, but there are several other worthy things there as well. When eaten fresh, I would rate their chocolate chip cookie as the best in New York as well. On the way to the airport, we picked up some stuff for the road. I may or may not have polished off three cookies and a croissant on the flight to Denver.
9. The World Cup. Jenn was nice enough to let me watch the whole US-ENG World Cup game, even though we were in NYC! The fact that I was kicking the bed occasionally may have interrupted someone’s nap.

Some conclusions…

• If we ever lived in NYC or visited again, I would want to find a funky hotel in the Union Square area. We really like this part of town, partly because of The City Bakery, and partly cause it’s just a little slower than midtown… like us.
• Kopp’s is undoubtedly better than the Shake Shack.
• The Pickle Guys, being Jewish and all, are not open on Saturdays.
• The creme brule doughnut at The Doughnut Plant is good, but not awe inspiring.
• Jenn is a cheap date. Bakeries are much cheaper than other places you could eat in NYC.
• The cookies at Ma Peche blow. They were prebaked, wrapped in plastic. Clearly we did not get the same cookie as the people who voted it best cookie in NYC.
• We’re not gonna move to NYC.

So, our trip was great, and we owe many thanks to Grammie and Grandpa for watching the girls. I’m told everything was great… The girls even scored ice cream and paletas in the same day. I might be jealous.

While sugar snap peas really don’t need anything to taste delicious, sometimes we like to dress them up with goat cheese made locally by Noble Springs Dairy. Or dip them into hummus. Or steam or saute them (ever so slightly so that they don’t lose their satisfying snap) in butter, salt, and lemon juice.

However, our favorite way to eat them is the also the simplest – unadulterated and fresh off the vine. In fact, my three little pea-pickers blissfully snack on handfuls of them while “working” in the garden, making them sugar “snap, crackle, and pop” (‘em in your mouth) peas!

Tonight, I was talking with Lindy about her experience this weekend when she went horseback riding with Brian, Grammie, Grandpa, and Brian’s partner, Maury. And. She. Said. This.

Daddy. Did you know that Grandpa and Maury are best buds? And brothers?

Why!? Well, I worked through it with Lindy and Grandpa’s and Maury’s horses were, in fact, very friendly brothers. But I suspect their brotherhood would come as quote a shock to Grandpa and Maury.