hot cocoa cookies with mini marshmallow bits

last week, i discovered that there exists, in the world, mini marshmallow bits exactly like the kind that you find in breakfast cereal, but without the cereal! they come in flavors like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and peppermint. i became obsessed and tracked them down on line.

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olive oil pastry dough

Olive Oil Pastry Dough

Ingredients

1 large egg yolk

1/2 cup (100 ml) cold water

1/2 cup (100 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon (8 g) fine sea salt

2 cups (256 g) Cup4Cup gluten free flour blend

Method

  1. Beat together the egg yolk, cold water, olive oil, and salt. Place the flour in a mixing bowl or directly on a clean work surface (I use a glass bowl or a silpat) and make a well in the center. Pour the egg and water mixture into the well. Using your fingertips mix until you have a firm dough (if the dough is too dry, the leftover white can be added).
  2. Knead the dough until it comes together and is smooth. It should not be sticky. Cover and let rest for 2 hours in the refrigerator (this will give the flour a chance to absorb the liquid).
  3. When rolling out this dough it’s going to be a little oily, so lightly flour your dough and your rolling pin and roll out on parchment or a silpat, if possible. If the dough breaks, it’s easily patched together, so don’t worry.

Notes: This dough works best for savory dishes due to the strong flavor of the extra virgin oil. For tarts, I tend to roll the dough about 1/8 inch thick for something more tart tatin like or a blind baked pastry base, I tend to go with ¼ inch thickness.  If blind baking I find that a quick bake (about 8 minutes) in a 400 degree oven allows the dough to keep its shape and not spread too much.

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mushroom tart

it was time to clean out the fridge before it’d be too late to save some of the produce, that i never got to during the week. my cat is still at the pet hospital, but making some progress in her recovery and may get to come home soon. that has made me feel so much better and less distracted. the day before, i’d made an olive oil pastry dough,

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crack n cheese

still waiting for medical updates on my poor sweet kitteh Callie and looking for comfort, wherever i can find it. i want to thank all of our dear friends who have been so very kind and supportive, as we wait to see if she’ll recover.

callie reclining Continue reading

animal crackers easter style

the day started really badly (yesterday, my beloved calico kitty had surgery to remove a polyp from her middle ear, and this morning brought news that there had been complications from the surgery. we have great faith in her vet and hope for some good news soon and a good recovery), and i needed to find a way to try to cheer myself up.

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pi day dessert

there wasn’t only chicken pot pie for pi day, we also had a quick cherry pie. normally, i’m a fruit pie purist and like to use fresh fruits to be sure the starch used for thickening is gluten free, but i really wanted cherry pie and it’s not cherry season.

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pi day celebration!

i decided to celebrate pi day with a pot pie and a fruit pie. pot pie is a super simple dish to prepare, you just need a pate brisee (plain pie crust) and some stew that’s not too soupy as a filling.

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