Holy Ingredients!

The results are in, we not only baked our way through this cookbook but by the tightness of our pants we really ate our way through it! Here is the breakdown of ingredients used over the last 2 and a half months by baker. This caloric count does not out weigh the amazing taste. I would do it all again. This just puts what we bought and ate into some sort of prospective.

Zucchini Chocolate Bars

This cookie bar surprised me. I read zucchini and coconut and wondered how it would come together. Marvelously indeed.

To recap my last day baking will be a delight. The sun is out and I made my final decent to the grocery store for what I thought was all I needed. Zucchini and eggs. My errands were done and it was just me and my clean kitchen, clean apron and pearls ready to get started. I am surrounded by fresh flowers, my favorite candle was lit, as well as my favorite music was kickin. The only thing was to pour a glass of wine. Yes I know it was in the middle of the day, however it was what Julia would have wanted me to do. Be surrounded by everything I love while enjoying the process.

I looked over the recipe 2 times and thought the only butter I needed was a melted part at the end. I was wrong. I actually started laughing about this. How many times did this butter thing get me. Whether it was putting it out in advance or measuring the right amount. I will never think of butter the same way. Oh and the most important item it asked for was shredded zucchini. So I pulled out my processor and proceeded to shred my 2 cups. After looking at this slaw like pile I am concerned how this cookie bar is going to taste? Then I read, to place a handful of grated not shredded zucchini in a paper towel and wring out the moisture. I started rethinking, am I supposed to grate or shred. I took another zucchini and began to grate it. You probably already know what happened to that. It pretty much turned into water. I decided to stick with the shredded and hoped for the best.

The rest of the mixture was a breeze, until I came to the chocolate chips. There isn't a time that I haven't had any in my kitchen an there wasn't a recipe out of this book that I recall that I needed any. But today I'm out, so compromise it is. I had semi sweet chocolate pieces that I chopped and it worked perfectly. Then on to the glaze, wouldn't you know it calls for a cup of confectioners sugar and I only had 1/2 cup left. I quickly grabbed my half full measuring cup, with apron and pearls on, ran to do the old fashion task aan ask the neighbor?, "Can I borrow a 1/2c. of sugar?" Thankfully my sweet neighbor, has everything on hand, and helped me out in pinch. Last recipe down and it smells de vine in my kitchen.

How can I wrap up the rest of my thoughts about my journey in one paragraph? This adventure has been one whirl wind of an experience. I have learned more baking tricks, own more cookware, and have a huge appreciation of what Sharon and Theresa have accomplished in putting this book together. So many little details to help us bake in their shoes. My grandma would be proud. She baked everything from scratch and always used the same yellow Pyrex mixing bowl for all of her creations. When she passed away it was the only thing I asked for of hers. Each time I pull it out I think of her and how much she would have loved to be with me during this journey. Thank you for helping me recharge a bowl that has primarily been used for just chocolate chip cookies. I am signing off on the completion of "It's all about the Cookies", with a big smile! I will be posting one more surprise tomorrow afternoon. So tune in for the last of the last blogs. As for now, Happy baking to all and may your kitchen light up as much as ours have. Angie

Spumoni Slices

Spumoni Slices are an overnight cookie, so I prepared the dough while watching the Wings win game seven last night – GO WINGS! I sliced and baked early this morning. I briefly saw each of the Julia’s or their families today, yet, didn’t give them their cookies. I figure if I held onto them, then my bake day isn’t officially over until midnight or delivered.

Funny how one crazy, spontaneous comment, “we could bake our way through the book” (and one twist of the arm) turned into a three month long project that everyone knows is really not about the cookies but the friendship behind it. Thank you Sharon and Theresa for being so receptive!

Today, I sat at the computer a couple of times trying to put my emotions into words. I found myself scribbling a few things on paper today. I’ve been the classic procrastinator just because I didn’t want this to end! In the beginning, blogging was addicting. Couldn’t wait to check comments or how many hits the blog had or what my friends had to say. My middle child does the best impression of me receiving a batch of cookies from the Julias. He has this high pitched “OMG, OMG” with hand gestures and all. I will miss those special deliveries as well as the laughter it brought my life. We have a lot of friends who were following us but not “official” followers...thank you for all the kind comments and laughing along with us. I am happy our guest bakers got to experience the fun we were having.

Looking back I am proud of what I accomplished, pounds and all. I got through two bouts of playing single mom while my husband was away on business, a month long old-fashioned “hand” washing & drying dishes until our broken dishwasher was replaced, conquering my beloved hand painted Sour Cream cookies, the laptop accident, three kids’ birthdays and spring schedule adjustment. After it all I am still sane and smiling!

What I gained besides the obvious (pounds), great love & admiration for my girlfriends and authors and more laughter than a girl deserves, is the confidence to experiment baking in the kitchen and the drive to create the time to do so.

What I look forward to now, after a short baking hiatus, is experimenting with cupcakes (thanks Angie) and other desserts (especially with photos to tell the story), planning my holiday cookie platter, cultivating creative ideas, saving up for a professional camera and replacing my baking time every fourth day with running. I also look forward to being the founder of the “cookie de-tox” society starting after Angie’s last cookie tomorrow!

This journey has also given me the blogging world. I am now obsessed with baking blogs and their pictures that make me feel like I can touch, smell and taste the decadent creations they share. During this time, I have begun a family journal blog just for our eyes that documents fun and special times in our family. It is my replacement for scrapbooking that I could never seem to stay current or at least in the same decade.

This project has shown me that nurturing friendships (which I’m not the best at) really creates an extended family that is always there for you. Thank you ladies for the amazing experience, being so game, and the willpower to see it through to the end! A special thanks to our husbands and boys for letting us bake continually for eleven weeks, blog and have to listen to the ups and downs of every minute of it. It will make good conversation for years to come especially around the campfire. You are the best taste testers!

Thirty years from now when I am still putting on my apron and pearls to bake for my grandchildren, I know that a flood of memories will wash over me remembering this special time in my life.

What I owe my girlfriends, at the very least, is the ability to play a good game of Euchre. Sigh..It’s time to learn!

Thanks for the fun, laughter, and memories,

Love, Love, Love, Phoebe

Raisin and Almond Biscotti with Orange

Where do I begin? Well, my first recipe in this project was biscotti and my last recipe is biscotti. Does anyone remember me asking what blanching almonds meant? And I wondered if Sharon would notice. I still laugh when I think about Angie telling me to read the tips in the beginning of the cookbook! I had to blanch almonds in this biscotti recipe, also. I now know what it means and also know that Sharon would have noticed! How far I've come!

Let me give you an example (or two) of how far I've come. I was hosting a family birthday party for my son, Cole, on Sunday. I was expecting company at 3:00 p.m. At 1:00 p.m. I realized that I hadn't baked a birthday cake. So I went to my pantry to retrieve a box of chocolate cake when I realized that I was out of chocolate cake mix! What was I to do? I could run to Kroger and pick up a box, or...I knew that I had all the ingredients that I needed to make one from scratch. What do you think I did? That's right, I made my son's 8th birthday cake from scratch! I pulled out my Betty Crocker cookbook and chose the recipe for Best Chocolate Cake. It probably took only 5 minutes longer to mix up that cake batter than my usual Betty Crocker cake. Was it worth it? Well, I amazed myself. However, half of the people at the party liked it better than a box cake and half like the box cake better. I have to admit, I was one of those that voted for the taste of the box cake. I guess I need to find a better Best Chocolate Cake recipe!

Example number two. Yesterday I saw a note on our family calendar that said "Need cookies" written in my husband's handwriting. When I asked him what that meant, he said that he volunteered to bring cookies to work for a baby shower to be held at lunch. He has been very supportive throughout this whole process. Instead of being irritated that I had to bake cookies on a very busy and non-baking day, I was actually touched that he wanted me to bake cookies for work! So, from 10:30 p.m. until midnight, I baked TWO (not one) batches of oatmeal cookies for him. Before you give me too much credit, I did have the base of the oatmeal cookie left over from the Basic Oatmeal Cookie recipe. Still, I baked THREE days in a row! Sharon, Theresa, you've created a monster!

The best part of this journey was not the cookies, or the six pounds that I gained by eating all the cookies. It was the excitement of reading the comments on my blogs. It was getting to know Sharon and Theresa and my friends better though those comments. It was the Easter Bunny delivering cookies at my door. It was talking, laughing and seeing my favorite people everyday because of the cookies. It's a bittersweet ending for me. I'm glad that I don't have to bake again unless I want to. But I am also sad that it's over.

Time for a new project. I still think the Friend and Cookies calendar is a good idea!

Lots of love!

shelly

Pineapple Pecan Cookies

How is it possible that this is my last cookie ?? I have been thinking all day about how to start. It seems simple enough...get out the ingredients, mix em up, and bake. I found it was not happening for me. I put on my pearls and apron and decided to get started. When I went to get out my butter for softening I realized someone in my house put an empty butter carton back in the fridge. I called Angela to borrow, rather than make a trip to the store. (on a side note I have gone through at least 8#'s of butter since this has started....that's a lot.) Once I was back home after a bit of chatting, I started assembling my ingredients. Everything was going smoothly until I hit a minor snafu. The recipe did not say when to add the pecan pieces, I looked at the picture and it looked like the nuts were in the batter so I added them at the end (hope this was correct) and chilled my dough. I could not find pineapple filling at the store I was at so I opted to make my own filling. Piece of cake (or cookie if you prefer). I opted not to put the coconut on because I do not care for coconut, so a little deviation on my part. The cookie is delicious. I love the cherry, pineapple, and nuts all combined.

When this all began it was hard to see what we would gain from this experience (Well the extra pounds were easy to imagine, did I mention 8 pounds of butter?) First off I can honestly say I probably would have never pulled out the cookbook except to show it off to friends. I began this endeavor as a non-baker and can now happily say that I am a baker and not afraid to try anything new (in the baking department that is.) I want to thank Mom and Theresa once again for all of the love and time you guys have put into our cookies over the years.

I knew before this that I had amazing friends. After this is proves just how amazing. All of our guest bakers just jumped right in and helped out if we needed a hand. Thank you. My Julia friends are wonderful women, mothers, and wives . No matter what any of us had going on ( you can tell from our posts that there was a bit) we never dropped the ball on one another. The fact that we made this commitment to each other and stuck it out shows the true meaning of friends. I feel so blessed to have such great gals in my life, and can't wait to see what Phoebe cooks up for us next. Thanks for taking the time to enjoy this with us and I hope everyone had as an amusing time as us reading our experiences.

One more thing as Cameron and I were delivering cookies for the last time he came up with what he thinks is an awesome idea..........we should change the rotation and go through the cookbook one more time!!! What do you think Shelly??

Danielle G signing off and thinking how much I am going to miss cookie visits :( Thanks again friends.

Nutmeg Cookie

Dejavu, I feel like I did this last night minus the blog. I can't believe this is my second to last cookie to blog about and I am speechless! This cookie was even faster than the last I baked. This recipe called for fresh nutmeg but due to the busy weekend I opted for pre bottled nutmeg. If I had more energy today I would have made the trip to the store. But convenience won out.

Mixing the dry ingredients was a breeze. then it called for the butter, egg, and vanilla. In haste I put them in with the dry ingredients instead of pre mixing them seperatly. I think this is why my mixture was alot dry and did not melt down the the way the picture shows. I had to give them an little pat mid way through or they would have come out like green little balls. Good news is they taste great. I will deliver both sets tomorrow. Have a great day and I will be back in 4 days with my final blog. The best part of having these daily deadlines is that it keeps me accountable. I will miss this....

Angie

Orange Filled Meringues

Oh what a busy, fun, fun day it has been. All of the Julia children were able to be together to celebrate a couple of their birthdays. A kickball party, a surprise party and a sleepover were in the mix today along with the regular baseball practices, soccer games and Science Olympiad practice too.

About 6:30pm, I dropped off my oldest son at Angie’s home for her son’s birthday sleepover. My son was so excited to celebrate his friend’s birthday but I wasn’t so sure that he’d want to wake up at his buddy’s home on his birthday which is tomorrow (today actually). What was I thinking, he loved that idea! That speaks volumes to how he feels about his friendship and their family. So it was a win-win for everyone. Angie had planned a special breakfast for my son to make him feel special and I had a little something from us to open in the morning. And you know that I planned on picking him up earlier than normal in the morning as I just didn’t want to be away from him for too long on his birthday.

So back to the drop off, really, I only intended to do a quick drop off and back home to bake, bake and bake. I still had his birthday cake to make too. But there is something about Angie’s home and before you know it, you are engaged in conversation, cocktails and laughter. As I really was leaving this time to go home and bake, Angie suggested that it would be fun to bake together so that’s what we did! We shared ingredients and we split up the tasks of preparing the cookie. I already had my almonds blanched from earlier in the day (I ran home to get them). I worked at the food processor while Angie mixed the wet ingredients. When it was time to mesh the two sets of ingredients together I just dumped it into her bowl while she was mixing. We put it into a pastry bag to pipe and it just drizzled out of the bag without any control. We end up with just a plain mess. Apparently, I still don’t follow directions well because the recipe clearly states that the dry ingredients should be folded into the wet ingredients and not mixed. Folded is a key step. I was really quite content with our mess and thought that we made a good attempt and that this one just didn’t work out. There’s nothing to say we had to get it perfect, we just had to try. Well, Angie was still going strong and convinced me that we need a do-over. So that’s what we did but this time we skipped the almond blanching step (you’d never know) and proceeded to correct the step where we went wrong. Folding the ingredients together made all the difference in the world. The batter was a nice thick texture that was very easy to pipe keeping its form. I redeemed myself! Thinking back, we didn’t wait an hour for them to settle as the recipes suggests¸ we just stuck them in the oven and baked.

The filling was a cinch to create. The cookies turned golden brown and looked great. We were just waiting for the cookies to cool so we could fill/sandwich together.

That was about 11:20pm and my son was almost in tears because he suddenly wasn’t feeling well. Oh, no! We rushed to gather his belonging, said our quick good-byes, thank-yous, apologizes and got him home in bed. It’s one of those times where you feel terrible for every aspect of the situation. As sad as it makes me, I really am a firm believer that things happen for a reason. This reason must be that he was meant to wake up in his own bed on his birthday!

I didn’t get a chance to taste the cookies, but Angie finished assembling them and snapped the pics. Baking together tonight really gave me a sense of what Sharon & Theresa have fondly experienced together over the years. I think all of the Julia’s need to bake together someday because that would be entertaining! Phoebe