A Culinary Moment: Soft Jelly Filled Cookies

So I'm not sure of the official rules of blogging but I found this recipe on another blog and will be stealing it for my own. 

To preface, every family has a baker and I'm not it. For steak, pasta and chicken I'm your girl but anything involving a whisk is not my scene. In a fit of Christmas spirit and blind ambition I decided that I was going to make these by myself from scratch. All was going marvelously. I mixed the dough, wrapped it in saran wrap and put in the fridge overnight just like the recipe said. We decided to make them Christmas night to really cap off a wonderful holiday. I informed everyone in the kitchen that this was my project and not to dare touch my dough. Five minutes into the rolling process, my mother informed me that I had used cake flour instead of regular flour (cake flour is meant for cakes and considered too soft for cookies) which is why I was elbow deep in insanely sticky dough. I'm not proud of this, but I panicked. I had already decided to blog about my triumphant cookie making and didn't see this ending well. The dough was EVERYWHERE. It was stuck to my hands, arms, shirt, rolling pin, EVERYWHERE. 

You may be wondering how this disaster turned into cookies. This is where my mother, who had been watching this whole thing unfold, took the rolling pin away from me and told me to step away. Through a process called magic she was able to add more of the regular flour to the mix and save the dough. After that, all went incredibly smoothly and we decided that had I known that cake flour is a huge no-no when making cookies none of this would have happened. The recipe was declared a success. We even got a little fancy and mixed the raspberry jelly with guava paste for the filling. They're soft and delicious and not that hard to make (unless you're me and almost ruin them).

 I thought we were overfilling them at the time, but once they were baked it looked like they could definitely use some more jelly.

The Recipe (from www.eatliverun.com)
2 1/2 cups flours
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
raspberry jam for filling (any jam will do)
powdered sugar

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until just combined.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream. Mix until soft dough forms then wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-4 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven t0 400 degrees.
Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut with circulate cookie dough cutters. Place a teaspoon of jam on one cookie then place another circle of dough over top. Crimp edges tightly to seal.
Let cool, then dust with powdered sugar.


Play it by ear with the flour because it's supposed to be a soft dough but it definitely shouldn't be sticking everywhere while you're rolling it out. You can probably fill it with anything you want (my mom already wants to try nutella and dulce de leche batches).


Enjoy!

Sarah's Key

I had read this book a few months ago but never knew they had made a movie out of it until this weekend when I saw it on demand. I very rarely say that a movie does a book justice but this time it definitely did. They did a great job but I recommend reading the book first as the movie can be a little confusing at times. Without giving too much away, it's about a 10-year old girl who hides her brother in a cupboard during the Vel d'Hiv' round up in France in 1942. Her family is arrested and she is unable to go back and get him out. Sixty years later, a Journalist discovers that the apartment her husband's family moved into during the war is the same apartment Sarah lived in years ago and becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to the original family. 

Such a sad story but amazing book/movie!

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

The L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream is quite possibly my favorite thing ever. Even though I have yet to get a straight answer as to how to pronounce the company (the people who work in the store say "lox-i-tane" but someone else told me it's "loke-i-ton") I love pretty much everything they sell. Everything smells amazing and oddly enough their store doesn't reek in a way that makes you want to avoid walking past it at the mall (I'm talking to you, Body Shop). 

The entire Shea Butter line is pretty amazing but most of it is unnecessary except for the hand cream. As the weather gets colder and colder, my skin gets dryer and dryer. The only one I know who's worse off is my friend whose hands have been known to bleed because they're so dry (hey, Amanda!) This stuff makes your skin feel amazing and if it weren't a little pricey I'd lather my whole body in it. It smells nice but not overpowering so nobody gives me dirty looks when I apply it on the train. You can get it in a little bottle for $10 but the big one is so much more economical and lasts forever (I've never actually finished one). 

Happy Monday!

Happy Turkey Day!

As it is one of my favorite holidays, I take a very go big or go home attitude towards Thanksgiving. Lucky for me, it's also my mother's favorite so it's kind of a big deal around here. I love the foliage, the turkey and the general vibe of it. 

However, like many families, high profile holidays like Thanksgiving are something of a full contact sport. In the Stern Household we don't go to bed until someone leaves the table in tears or at least vows to not come back next year (they always do so nobody really pays attention). Over the years, our numbers have dwindled but the crazy has more than doubled. 

On one glorious year, my mother forgot to put the turkey in the oven until 5 in the afternoon (in turkey language that means we ate at around 11). That was topped only by the year the dining room table collapsed under the weight of all the food (it was fine, one of our guests didn't even stop eating as her plate was sliding away). 

Have an amazing Thanksgiving!!

Guilty Pleasure: Big Bang Theory

So I guess this shouldn't be that guilty since it's a top rated show but the premise is insanely dorky. Four nerds/dorks/whatever the politically correct term for insanely smart people who like comic books live next door to a beautiful blonde girl who is their bestie and hangs out with them every day. In short, this show makes being nerdy look insanely cool as one of the guys actually gets to date her. The Big Bang Theory is the newest show to be syndicated so it's basically on all day every day on at least three channels (think Seinfeld and Law & Order) so it has quickly become my go-to for mindless TV watching. Adding to the awesomeness is the strangest one of all is semi-dating his nerdy counterpart, Amy Farrah Fowler,  played by Mayim Bialik (that's right, BLOSSOM). 

Last I saw of her she was on What Not to Wear being told by Stacey and Clinton that having a baby doesn't mean she gets to dress like a homeless person. (She was also the only person I've ever seen go on that show and pay for her own makeover...respect.)

Anywho, the show is amazing and hilarious and if you don't like it you'd better get on board because it's always on!

Tis the Season for Scarves

My love for all things winter runs deep. The snow, the cold and adorable holiday Starbucks cards are all just the tip of the iceberg. While I understand the always popular summer usually beats out winter but I'm a December baby and the cold makes me happy. Starting right around the end of September, I start trying to find excuses to throw on a scarf. This plan often backfires when the weather hits seventy in mid October but I do what I can. Even if you look a little shlumpy a nice scarf can make it look like you're somewhat put together. I prefer light ones as I often refuse to take them off once I'm inside. It doesnt Throw one on this cold weather season!

The Violets of March

My lovely friend who works at Penguin recommended this book before it even got to bookstores and it is AMAZING. It's such a great story and a quick read without being trashy and pointless. Such a good mystery with really entertaining characters. I don't even know where the original copy I bought is because it's been passed around to so many people all of whom loved it too! Definitely a girly book but still really good!

Chanel Waterproof Eyeliner

The point of eyeliner is to make you look better, not like Amy Winehouse (may she rest in peace). My quest for one that doesn't smudge halfway down my face by the end of the day was beyond costly and at times frustrating because every makeup counter lady will claims that her company's liner is "the one." After encountering my fair share of lying sales ladies, I finally found the elusive "one." I won't lie, not smudging isn't cheap but worth every penny. The Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner (the name needs work) is lifechanging. It stays on ALL DAY, even in summer when the subway becomes an actual sauna! The colors are rich and it goes on incredibly smoothly. It even has a small sharpener that you can pop out of the other end so the crayon point stays sharp forever. Worth the $29, I promise!

A Piece of Cake

This is a book I read a few years ago but just recently recommended to a friend at work because it's awesome. First of all, this woman's name really is Cupcake which sets the stage for her crazy life perfectly! Without giving too much away, it's the true story of a girl from San Diego whose mother died when she was young (it happens in the first few pages so I'm not ruining it). As a result she gets put in the foster care system and ends up living on the streets and using drugs. The author (her name is Cupcake-enough said) tells her story in such an honest way that I really hated her for most of it because I just wanted her to get her act together. Every time she came close, it quickly crumbled and on more than one occasion I wanted to find her and smack her. What I liked best about it was that if you read the back cover, which I recommend, you know ahead of time that she is actually now a lawyer. Definitely worth a look but not if you're in the mood for something bright and shiny.

Beauty Blender

I'm ashamed to say, but I discovered this find while watching Keeping up with the Kardashians. (I'm starting to think they made it hot pink so viewers would notice). Such a simple idea-just an egg shaped sponge to apply makeup with. For whatever reason the shape is so amazing and you end up using far less make up or tinted moisturizer than if you just used your hands. Now I had seen these boring foam versions that you can buy at any drug store but these let the makeup go on so thin it's amazing. The only drawback is that they cost about $20-25 for 2 (it also comes with special cleaning solution) but they can be reused for a few months. Definitely worth a try!