Cookie, cookie, cookie

Mum and Andrew put in a request for peanut butter cookies, and other than refusing to actually put peanut butter on the shopping list, I didn't have the heart to refuse. They enjoyed them, at least! I have also made yet another batch of chocolate chip cookies - always my fallback - and a batch of Anzacs, though I wasn't entirely happy with those. I can never remember which recipe is the good one.

21st quilt underway!

As it quite clearly states in my profile, I am 25. I turn 26 next month. But for my 21st birthday, I had all my friends and family sign quilt squares for me, and I am finally getting it put together. I have laid it out and am currently 'living with it' to be sure the layout is right. It has proven to be a little emotionally difficult, as there a squares in there from people who are now deceased, and a friend who is no longer in my life. There is also a debate as to whether or not to remove a square with a not-so-nice message, and rewrite history... but it's nice to finally be getting it done.
Cooking-wise I have been repeating cookie recipes - the jam ones and ginger ones. I did make gingerbread cars for a friend's birthday, but I'm waiting on a photo of those from another friend. And I made a lamb roast for dinner - yum!

Ah, that's better

I had another go at the Late Night Cookies, using a large egg. They were still a bit dry so I had to add a little milk, but definitely better than last time. I also noticed and followed the instruction to squish them and spread them out before cooking. All up, a big improvement.

Eggs

I think I need to pay more attention to egg sizes. I've had a bit of trouble with cookie mixes being to dry lately, and I think that's the problem. Especially since I've now made the ginger cookies three times, and each batch was drier than the last. I was particularly careful with the 3rd batch, trying to figure out what happened with the 2nd, and it was worst of all.

I miss having my own chooks to lay eggs for me.

The Last Ginger Cookie

I let Mum go through the recipe book I have been using for most of the cookies I've been making lately, and she requested ginger cookies. She's a ginger lover, so I wasn't surprised. I made them on Sunday, and this afternoon, I ate the last one. They were crunchy, and just slightly chewy in the middle, and oh so good.

Late Night Cookies and Imbolc

I finally made the Late Night Cookies I've been talking about, and I'm disappointed. They're tasty enough, but the mix was far too dry, and thus, they're chunky rather than flat as the picture in the book shows.

Saturday was Imbolc, another of the sabbats (holy days, festivals) that I celebrate...when I remember (I have the sneaking suspicion that I am the world's worst witch...). This one marks the change between Winter and Spring.
I didn't have a party for this one, but I made sure it was my turn to cook dinner, and I themed it accordingly. We had an entrée of halloumi, a kind of cheese from Cyprus, that you fry until it goes crispy and good. It was a new brand that we are trying, and it went a little too gooey, but still good. Main course was asparagus risotto with lamb chops.This was quite nice, but I totally neglected the fact that neither Andrew nor I actually eats asparagus, and the lamb chops almost fell by the wayside, because Dad forgot to buy them! Thankfully, he popped up the street to grab some for me. Dessert was a divine sponge cake, filled with raspberry jam and cream, and topped with lemon icing. I love a good sponge.

Oh, and Alice loves her skirts.

Jam Cookies for Mum

When discussing cookies recipes with Mum the other night, she mentioned that she loved the ones with jam on the top. So, on Tuesday, I made these.

They're not really as attractive as they could be, but they're tasty, and disappearing fast!

Late Night Cookies are still coming, probably this afternoon, though my mood matches the weather, so mustering the enthusiasm could be tricky.