Cherry Berry in the Snow

This is my Grandmother's recipe.

• 6 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups cream, whipped
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 package frozen strawberries
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Day 1: Heat oven to 275 degrees. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until frothy. Gradually beat in 1 3/4 cups sugar. Beat until stiff and glossy. Spread into buttered 9 x 13 pan. Bake 60 minutes Turn off and leave in oven until cool - overnight.

Day 2: Mix cream cheese with cup of sugar and vanilla. Gently fold in whipped cream and marshmallows. Spread over meringue. Refrigerate at least 12 hours.

Fruit Topping: Mix frozen strawberries, cherry pie filling and lemon juice. Spoon on top.

Serves 15-18

Whipped Cream

I finally made my own whipped cream. I took 2 cups heavy whipping cream, and put it into my chilled Kitchen Aid mixer bowl. I used the whisk attachment, that I also had chilled in the freezer for about 2 hours. I started the mixer out slowly, but worked my way up to medium-high speed. It took little less than 5 minutes, and turn out beautifully. The secret was chilling the bowl and whisk. I think this really helped move the process along faster.

Taking a Break

I am taking a break from the Martha Cookie Project until after Christmas. Or probably more like New Years. I have so many other baking projects, that there just isn't enough space in our tummies! All apologizes to my husband's co-workers for not getting their weekly cookie treats!

Glue Removal

I am making some Christmas gifts, and needed canning jars. I guess in Winona you have to special order those things as well. So, I decided to re-use jars that had store bought jam in them. But the glue on the label was hard to remove. I tried extremely hot water, which worked pretty well. I read somewhere to try peanut butter, so I did. I put a pretty thin layer of creamy peanut butter where the glue was, and scrubbed away with an old dish cloth. It actually worked well. Give it a try.

Apricot Windows

So, these didn't turn out to look as fabulous as Martha's, but they are tasty. I was suppose to make them in a 11 x 17 pan, which I didn't have, so I used a 9 x 13 and a 9 x 7. One is made with apricots, and the little one was made with strawberries. Just to mix things up. I also don't have a pastry bag and set, so I did the trick where you put it in zip-lock bag and cut off the corner. I cut the corner a little big, so the piping was bigger than I would have liked, but it kind of worked. So, basically they don't look that nice, but they are pretty good tasting. Check out what they are really suppose to look like here.

With Thanksgiving last week, I didn't have time to make up a cookie. Sorry.

Apple Cherry Crumble Bars

Johnny really liked these. I had to make him swear he liked them before I told him the big secret....THERE IS CHERRIES IN THEM! He is strongly apposed to cherries. I thought they were too crumbly. I had a hard time finding dried apples, I don't know why though. They are on Martha's site, but her site is having troubles today, so you may not be able to open it.

Dried Figs

I found these guys at the grocery store today while on a hunt for dried apples. They were located by the raisins, craisins, and other dried fruit. They were on sale, so I thought I would give them a try. I have never really ate figs, unless you count Fig Newtons. I was pleasantly surprised! They have a really complex taste and texture. The inside is full of tiny seeds, but so small they don't bother your teeth. There is a weird stumpy end that I just toss to the dogs. I am not sure how to use them in cooking, but they are fabulous for snacking. Ultra high in fiber. I would really suggest you try them! I bought ones that came in a resealable plastic pouch, Orchard Choice Brand Mission Figlets.

Maple Pecan Shortbread

These were super good. The recipe called for Grade B maple syrup and maple extract that was not available in Winona, so I had to use Grade A and vanilla extract instead. Also, they were suppose to be 2 inch rounds cut outs, I used a flower shape. My husband wondered how I got them in such a nice shape.....cookie cutter (duh). These are not on Martha's website. So, ya gotta buy the book!

ANZAC Biscuits

These were very good. Nice and chewy. I did not have Lyle's Golden Syrup, Hy-vee does carry it, but I didn't want to buy a huge jar of it for 2 tablespoons. So I used honey instead. If I make this cookie again, maybe I'll splurge for the Lyle's. ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corp. No eggs, so good for those allergy folks. Check out the recipe on Martha's page.

Anise Drops

Johnny really loved these ones. He is a fan of the chewy cookie. They were super simple to make, and the anise extract gave it a real different flavor. Not one you would expect in a cookie. Since I did not use a pastry bag to pipe them into perfect buttons, they came out bigger than they were suppose to, and took longer to cook. They stuck to the parchment paper, so I allowed the later batches to cool directly onto the parchment paper. This prevent the sticking. My first time using anise extract. Also, on her web-site.

Amaretti Crisps

I really liked this one. John wasn't a fan, but he doesn't like the crispy cookies. I don't have pastry bags to pipe the dough through, so I just cut the tip off a zip-lock bag to pipe the ring shape. I am pretty sure it was my first time making a meringue type dough as well. Great learning experiences. It took a long time to get the egg white to fluff, I never realized that. I would like to make these again for a special occasion. This recipe is on Martha's site as well.

Almond Spice Wafers

These turned out fairly well. The recipe says to freeze the dough for 1.5 hours or overnight before slicing them. I tried slicing them after 1.5 hours, mistake. They came out too thick. I tried again after leaving them for a night, much better. I still don't think I sliced them thin enough. The spices reminded me of pumpkin pie, and the cookies went very well with morning coffee. This one is on her site. Right Here.

Raspberry Cream Sandwich

This is another one with the recipe printed on her web-site. Right here. Winona does not carry whole vanilla beans, so I had to omit that. I just used the highest quality vanilla extract I could find, Watkins brand, a company located right here in Winona! And, raspberries are also not available here, so I had to use frozen. I am thinking that is the reason why the cream filling turned out runnier than I would have liked. Sigh. I guess you have to live in a fabulous place like Miami or New York to have the correct ingredients. Tasty cookie, hubby loved it.

Almond Macaroon

This recipe is on the Queen's website, here ya go. My husband and kiddo loved these, but I wasn't a fan. They turned out runnier than expected, and I had to thicken the dough. Maybe bad almond paste?

Almond Horn

I didn't make up a cookie last week, things were out of control with getting home from vacation and from getting ready for our garage sale. So I have made up the Almond Horn. This recipe is on Martha's page, here is the link for it.

The cookie was easy enough to make. I had a hard time getting the shape perfect like Martha's. My hands were too warm, so I had to work quickly or the dough would get all melty. I also should have food processed the almonds to a finer texture than what I did. They are a good cookie, not too sweet, nice crisp.

Alfajores de Dulce de Leche

My first Martha Stewart Cookie! I won't be publishing the recipes here, copyrights and all. Some of the cookie recipes are listed on the web-site, and I'll try to provide links to that. This one was pretty easy to make. I prepared the dough a few days ago and just kept it in the refrigerator in plastic wrap. Some problems I ran into:

• Called for 4 cups of flour, I only had 3 and 3/4 cup, so I had to use 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour. It gave it a sort of multi-colored looked.
• Didn't have a double boiler to make the center filling
• Didn't have 5 hours to watch the center filling on the double boiler
• Unsure what "dusting sugar" is
• Don't have 1.75" round cookie cutters
  

I saw a side note on the recipe that some stores sell the filling pre-made and I was able to locate that, so it took care of the not having a double boiler or five hours. I used the top to my martini shaker as the cookie cutter. I guess it is all just a learning process.

I found the cookie tasty and good for people who have egg or nut allergies. The cookie portion was very close to a pie crust, and the filling like carmel. Messy and sticky though

Chicken

Today was my first time making a whole chicken. I've done whole turkeys before, but this was new. I put some herbs (rosemary, oregano, basil) and olive oil under the skin, salt and peppered it, baked it at 450 degrees for nearly an hour, and that was all. The husband was really excited about it, so it's a keeper recipe.

Martha Stewart's COOKIES

The Bradberg's have decided to begin an exciting journey. I have recently bought Martha Stewart's Cookie recipe book. And there are so many fabulous looking recipes, that we have decided to make up one per week. This adventure will take us 3 years (if our waistlines can handle it). I have made a spreadsheet that lists the cookies in alphabetical order, which I think is the order we will go at it. The chronological order in the book has this by catagories, and this way it breaks up the different types, so we don't have months of chewy or crisp cookies in a row. Here is the link to the spreadsheet.

Heath Bar Cookies

My Grandmother-in-Law shared this gem with me. Very fab, but ooooh so bad for you.

• 1 sleeve of saltine crackers
• 2 sticks of REAL butter
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 bag of milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup of chopped pecans

Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Arrange saltine crackers on it, one layer thick, corner to corner. Melt butter into a small saucepan, add brown sugar. Mix until it begins to bubble, then remove from heat. Add the baking soda and pour onto crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes, or once it begins to bubble. Sprinkle on milk chocolate chips and bake for a minute to melt the chips. Sprinkle with nuts and allow to fully cool. Break apart, store in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator.

Ranch Oyster Crackers

My friend - Kristie brought these over for a playdate snack, and I loved them so much she sent me the recipe.

• 1 package oyster crackers
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons ranch dip mix

Mix in a large bowl. Add crackers and toss until coated. Store in air tight container.

Monte Cristo

• 4 slices of bread
• 1 egg
• 2 slices of ham
• 2 slices of Swiss cheese
• spreading margarine
• canola oil

Spread the margarine on the outsides of the bread, then dip the bread into the egg. Place bread, egged side down into a skillet with canola oil heated up in it. Layer cheese, ham, and other piece of bread. Cook on mediumish heat for a few minutes, till nice and crispy, flip and repeat. Makes two fabulous sandwiches.

Dog Bed

I made this dog bed out of old sofa pillows that were chewed up by the dogs when they were puppies. It was a great way to "recycle" the, and I was able to use fabric that the kiddos really like. Here is a link to some cute photos of the tiny dude playing around in the pillows before I sewed it all together.

On a sad note, my sewing machine is getting a little worn out. It is only from 1914.

Uno's Frozen Pizza

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Uno Restaurant chain, because they have the best pizza, ever. There aren't really any around us, so whenever I got to Madison, I always try to eat there. Recently I ate at another one in Wisconsin Dells, and it was fabulous. I have seen Uno's frozen pizzas at Wal-mart, but never was brave enough to try one. Today I finally did, and it was wonderful. The best frozen pizza I have ever had. It was about $5, but worth it. The crust was wonderfully crisp and the sauce was everything I could hope for. Even the baby dude loved it, and he's a tough critic.

Cubano Quesadillas

• 4 whole wheat tortillas
• yellow mustard
• sliced pickles
• 2 ounces sliced roast pork
• 2 ounces sliced ham
• 2 ounces sliced swiss cheese

Spread yellow mustard on tortilla, I used a brush for even coverage. Layer on top of mustard: Ham, pickles, pork, cheese, other tortilla. Making up 2 separate quesadillas. Place on medium-low heat grill, flip after 3 minutes, cook for 3 more minutes. Cut with a pizza cutter.

Also, I know the combo sounds gross, but it turns out AWESOME. Even my Johnny, who HATES sliced ham loved it so much we had it twice this week, and it was only Wednesday!

Cherry Essence Prunes

Holy cats, these are good. I am serious. Sunsweet cherry essence prunes. There are orange essence ones as well, but not nearly as tasty as the cherry ones. If you think you don't like prunes, you are wrong.

Tomato and 3 Cheese Tart

I got this recipe from Redbook Magazine, and adapted it a bit to fit what we like.
Cornmeal Crust

• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons cornmeal, extra for sprinkling stone
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Filling

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup provolone cheese (Redbook said Fontina, but good luck finding that in Winona, land of Velveeta and American cheese)
• 4 ounces of feta crumbles
• 1 pound of tomatoes (Redbook said heirloom, but again, good luck)
• basil

In a food processor, mix together the cornmeal, flour, salt then butter. Drizzle in the sour cream mixed with water, continue to pulse till dough forms. Wrap it in plastic wrap in a small disc and chill for an hour.

Flour and roll out into a 14 inch circle. Transfer to a baking stone that has had been dusted with cornmeal. Layer, Parmesan cheese, provolone cheese, 3/4 of the feta cheese, tomatoes. Brush olive oil on top of the tomatoes then sprinkle pepper and salt on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven, top with remaining feta cheese and basil. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.

This is VERY good, but very rich. So, make sure you balance it out with a salad. We had leftovers, so 4 servings.

Here is the link to the original Redbook version.

Pacifier Cupcakes

These are the cupcakes I served. I took two mint lifesaver, and "glued" them together using royal icing. I let that dry, then "glued" a Jelly Belly brand jelly bean to it. Very cute, and you can eat it! Pacifier Inspired.

Royal Icing: 1 egg white and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice whipped together, stir in 1 cup powder sugar

Diaper Cake

For my friend's baby shower I made up this diaper cake. It was pretty simple. I used size 2 diapers, making three tiers around a bottle of champagne. I chose the green ribbon and flowers based off of the color of the pattern of the diapers. It took about 50 for the first layer, 25 for the second and 7 for top.

Rainbow Gelatin

• 2 packets of 3 oz red raspberry gelatin
• 2 packets of 3 oz lemon gelatin
• 2 packets of 3 oz blue raspberry gelatin
• 3 packets of Knox gelatin

Boil 2 cups of water, stir in 2 packets of blue raspberry and 1 packet of Knox gelatin until dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup ice. Once the ice melts, pour into a 9 x 13 Pyrex. Allow to set for 3 hours, repeat with lemon then red raspberry. While trying to photograph it, Connor kept getting his paws on it.

Zucchini Bread

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 medium zucchini shredded
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Beat the 3 eggs together in mixer, slowly add oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon, slowly add to mixer. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake for an hour or so in 325 degree oven. Cool on rack. I eat one, and freeze the other for later in a large ziplock bag.

Garage Sale

Things spotted at a local garage sale that should have just been thrown away instead.

Scotcharoos

I used to make this recipe about twice a month while I worked at Ashley Furniture, it was a huge favorite there. I have it memorized.

• 1 cup white sugar


• 1 cup corn syrup


• 1 cup peanut butter (I prefer creamy)


• 6 cups rice crispies


• 1 cup chocolate chips


• 1 cup butterscotch chips

Bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil, add peanut butter. Mix this with the rice crispies. Pour into a 9 by 13 inch well greased pan. Melt the chips together, spread on top. Chill and serve. I can't make regular rice crispie bars to save my life (it's bad) but these are a snap. (there are 2 things in this world I can't make - marshmallow rice crispies and regular jello, jello shots - no problem!)

Stuffed Animal Bean Bag

I saw these awesome storage bean bags on Boon, but they are like $80! So I made my own, out of $8 worth of fabric (4 yards) and a $2 zipper. It took about 2 hours to make it. I made it a little too big, it is the shape of a fat cylinder. Four foot diameter circles on the top and bottom, and eighteen inch strip of fabric around it. Even though it is huge, it is full....meaning Connor has WAY too many stuffed animals! It really makes a comfy seat. I had to take out the talking animals, they were getting annoying.

Car Pouch/Car Mat

I made this little play mat for Connor while he was away at Aunt Jessica's/Grandma's house this past weekend. It transforms into a pouch that can hold his cars, hopefully this will help us not lose so many. I wanted to do more embroidering on it, but the Walmart here does not sell embroidery floss. They told me other places to go, but I get lost to easily in this town. I had to make due with whatever bits of floss I had left over from other projects.

Monkey Bread

4 cans refrigerator biscuits
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed

Melt butter on stove top, stir in brown sugar. Make a carmelly mixture, and allow to cool for about ten minutes. In the mean time, cut the biscuits up into quarters. Toss the biscuits in a bag white sugar and cinnamon. Make sure they are coated extra good. Put into a well greased bundt pan and poor carmel mixture over the biscuits. Cook for 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dried Fruit "better-for-you" cookies

• 3 cups quick oats
• 3 mushed up ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 cup dried fruit (I used raisins, apricots, and pineapple)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  1 tablespoon sugar

Mix everything together, put on well greased cookie sheet and baked at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. Makes about 15 "cookies". These work well as afternoon snacks.

Molten Chocolate Cake

• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 ounces chocolate
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• dusting sugar

Beat together eggs and sugar on high for ten minutes. Melt together chocolate, butter and whipping cream over low heat; mix in flour and vanilla. Fold egg mixture in with chocolate mixture slowly. Grease 2 ramekins dishes, dust inside with sugar. Fill ramekins dishes 3/4 full, bake at 400 degrees for 9 minutes. Center should be wiggly. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, flip ramekins dish upside down, serve away. Maybe dust some powder sugar or top with whipped cream if you can wait long enough!

Baby Bunch Bouquet

I got the idea to make this as a shower gift from Martha Stewart.
Instead of roses, I used bright gerber daisies, but I think you could use whatever fake flower looked the prettiest. I bought all the supplies to make this at Dollar Tree, and it cost $10. There are 2 onesies, 1 shirt, 2 hats, 2 pairs of socks, tights and wash clothes in it. I am putting it in an oversized vase, wrapped with a few extra clothing items. It was a little hard starting out, and would have been easier with another set of hand when taping them all together, but overall was a pretty easy craft. It took me about an hour to do.

Bacon Tomato Soup

• 4 Slices of Bacon, chopped up small
• 15 ounce can of crushed tomatos
• 4 celery stalks chopped
• 4 carrots chopped
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Fry up bacon in a large sauce pan. Remove the bacon, leaving the grease. Toss in the garlc, celery and carrots. Cook in the grease until tender. Put into a food processor. Return to pot, along with cooked bacon, tomato, milk and sugar. Cook up until nice and warm. Serve it with grilled cheese - of course.

Baby Cakes

Here is a recipe for Baby Pancakes. I got it from First Meals by Annabell Karmel, then tweaked it a bit to fit our needs. Plus, I found the original one to be too runny.

• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup vanilla (or your choice flavor) yogurt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3/4 cup self rise flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together egg and yogurt, stir in rest of ingredients Cook up in a skillet oiled with canola oil. Connor likes his with peaches. I put the extras on wax paper and in a freezer bag, and it lasts us all week.

Artichoke Spinach Dip

I know everyone also has their own recipe for this, but I tried something new for our New Years Eve party, I kind of combined a standard artichoke spinach dip with hummus.

• 2 packs of frozen chopped spinach (thawed and water squeezed out)
• 2 cans of artichoke hearts
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
• 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• drizzle of olive oil

In food processor, blend together garlic cloves, chickpeas and lemon juice. Drizzle olive oil as needed. Stir together with all of the other ingredients (except the mozzarella). Put mixture in well sprayed 9 x 13 pan, top with mozzarella cheese, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. I serve mine with regular tortilla chips, but if I am getting really fancy, I buy a french baguette, cut it in 1/4 inch slices. Using a brush, apply a mix of olive oil and some herbs - rosemary, oregano, whatever you like. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Put that under a broiler for a few minutes.