Caramelized Sugar Cookies

I'm sad to say that sugar cookies are probably my least favorite cookie. I'll eat them if I have to, but I don't usually go out of my way to find them.

However, today I found and tried a recipe for caramelized sugar cookies, and I must say that they are pretty tasty.

The recipe is a little time consuming, but very easy at the same time. Here is the recipe, adapted from Sunset Magazine's website.

Caramelized Sugar Cookies
1 cup sugar (divided)
3/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Melt 1/2 cup of sugar until light golden in color (about 6 minutes). Pour onto a buttered piece of foil set on a baking sheet. Let stand until hard (about 5 minutes). Break into chunks then smash into 1/8"-1/4" pieces.

Beat butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until well blended. Beat in 2 Tbsp water and vanilla until smooth. Mix flour and baking powder. Stir into butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in crushed caramel. Drop dough in 1 1/2 tsp portions on greased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes 55 cookies. (I only got 36).

Notes: 1. I crushed my caramel in a mini chopper and it worked fine. 2. The 2 Tbsp water seemed to make the dough a little loose, so I added an extra 1/4 cup of flour. I might try it next time without the water to see if it is absolutely necessary. 3. Greasing the cookie sheets well is crucial - that caramel really sticks! Parchment or a silpat would be even better. 4. Enjoy!

Welcome, Fall!

I came across this quotation today which perfectly represents my sentiments about fall.

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. 
~George Eliot

The Patron Saint of Butterflies

My aunt recommended this book to me, and I'm glad she did.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante is the story of Honey and Agnes: two girls raised on a religious commune called Mount Blessing and ruled by a man who calls himself Emmanuel. Agnes lives with her parents and younger brother Benny, while Honey, who was abandoned there by her mother, lives with a slow-witted man who is the groundskeeper and teaches her to love butterflies.

While from the outside life at commune may seem idyllic, behind closed doors, abuse at the hands of Emmanuel is rampant.

Through a series of events, Agnes and Benny's grandmother who happens to be visiting (although she is not really welcome) finally realizes what is going on and underhandedly removes Agnes, Benny and Honey from Mount Blessing.

Honey is more than happy to leave, but Agnes fights the plan with all she has. As a result, Agnes and Honey are forced to come to terms with many things, including their identities, beliefs, and friendship.

At times reading this book was frustrating. The people at the commune were so brainwashed at the hands of Emmanuel. I just wanted to shake them and them to "wake up!"

Luckily things are happier and mostly resolved by the end.

This is a really fascinating read. Check it out.

She is too fond of books...

Every year around this time, a library near my house has a used book sale that I absolutely love. I've been known to buy way too many books (is that possible?) at this sale, so when I headed over this morning, I only took 20 dollars with me.

I had lots of fun looking through the stacks of books. There was so much I wanted, but I had to be choosy. When I left I had 15 books and 3 dollars in my pocket - they gave me a deal at the checkout. Otherwise I wouldn't have had any money left.

Here is what I ended up with. From the top of the stack down.

- A nice paperback copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Now I can carry it around with me and get serious about memorizing Jabberwocky.

- Three Roald Dahl books to add to my Roald Dahl book collection: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, The Magic Finger, and The Enormous Crocodile.

- The Happy Hocky Family by Lane Smith. This is possibly the funniest children's book I have ever read. I hadn't thought of it for a long time, but now I own my own copy!

- An ugly on the outside, but pretty on the inside copy of A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.

- Susanna Clarke's massive novel Jonathan Strange  & Mr Norrell.

- The Host by Stepehnie Meyer. Lame, I know, but I've wanted to read it for awhile, and it was only a buck.

- One Thousand Poems for Children - I might find a few things to memorize from this one, too.

- Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie by Bill Neal - Obviously a cookbook. I plan on trying all the biscuit recipes ASAP.

- The Margaret Rudkin Pepperidge Farm Cookbook. This is an old one and will be fun to read, but I think I won't be making much from it. Just flipping through one section, I see recipes called: A Squid Dish for Days of Abstinence, Fish Pie, Veal Toots, Frog Legs, and Duck with Cabbage...anyone hungry yet?

- Another cookbook called Capital Classics put out by the Junior League of Washington. It is full of beautiful photography, but a lot the recipes seem kind of hoity toity. I guess that's the way they eat in Washington D.C.

- I found 2 music books. A piano/songbook with all the songs from Mary Poppins and a song cycle by Leonard Bernstein called I Hate Music! Fun.

- Lastly is a book called Christmas From the Heart of the Home by Susan Branch which is full of recipes and festive ideas for Christmas.

I think I did pretty well with my selections. Now I'm off to stick my nose in a book. Happy reading!

Late Have I Loved You

~ from St. Augustine's Confessions.

 

Late have I loved you,

O Beauty ever ancient,

ever new,

late have I loved you! 

 

You were within me,

but I was outside,

and it was there

that I searched for you. 

 

In my unloveliness

I plunged into the lovely things

which you created. 

You were with me,

but I was not with you. 

 

Created things kept me from you;

yet if they had not been in you

they would not have been at all. 

 

You called,

you shouted,

and you broke through my deafness. 

 

You flashed,

you shone,

and you dispelled my blindness. 

 

You breathed your fragrance on me;

I drew in breath

and now I pant for you. 

I have tasted you,

now I hunger and thirst for more. 

 

You touched me,

and I burned for your peace.